Koh Phangan: "Broken" foreign divers languishing in jail - expect deportation

[jerolamo]

what does this government can understand about what ?

Please, save Thailand from them.

[kentrot]

So 8 years after killing a policeman BOSS is still not doing jail time.

And this little stunt is cause for deportation ? 

A real tempest in a tea kettle !

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[rott]

1 hour ago, paulbrow said:

You're rewriting the story. It says "visa Amnesty" not tourist amnesty. Amnesty is not only for tourists.

Not rewriting the story at all, apologies if I used the wrong word. I was unaware there was both a tourist amnesty and a visa amnesty. Can you tell me the difference please? 

[Keyser Soze666]

People on here are actually gossiping about what visa he might be on?? Genuinely never known a sadder, more bored bunch of people than that pollute these fair boards.

[ChipButty]

What about Thai fishermen using dynamite has been know in the past

[nickmondo]

its not that great here any more is it?

[Kaopad999]

44 minutes ago, paul1804 said:

This is a very crazy situation for the officials, they are completely over reacting to a fairly harmless deed. If the guys were actually in a restricted Zone and if diving there is against the law then they should be fined as per the law. The deed of lifting a sea cucumber is in no way harming or endangering the marine life. Observing the practices of Thai fisherman their actions are hugely detrimental to the marine life and something that should be addressed if Thailand is serious about preserving what it has. 

 A billionaires grandson kills a policeman driving at a very dangerous speed and while under the influence of drugs and alcohol and the officials want to drop the charges until there is a public outcry and only after that does their leader want an investigation. Thailand you are a beautiful country with mostly great people but you really need to get your priorities right. The law should be enforced fairly and justly and the punishment should fit the crime. Race or wealth should not be part of the equation, sadly this doesn’t appear to be the case in Thailand so Just another sad day for the land of smiles!

But if they do it, and other people have seen them doing it, then those people will also think it's fine to do the same. 

[LeoCesar]

Thailand is well on its way to become China

[Kaopad999]

16 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

What about Thai fishermen using dynamite has been know in the past

Just because someone else does something wrong , does not mean we should do the same.

if a rapist rapes someone, should we just say, hey! they did it, so why can't I ?  

imagine what sort of word we would live in with this type of logic... 

[Caldera]

In a civilized country, they would be ordered to pay a fine and do community service to teach them a lesson. No deportation obviously.

 

[Derek B]

5 hours ago, ChipButty said:

I guess the moral of the story is stay off Facebook

Tend to agree - protect your privacy at all times.

[JAFO]

20 hours ago, Scot123 said:

Having been a diving instructor in Thailand with well over 300 dives in Thai waters I can tell you this is absolutely nothing and comparing it to what Thais do every day; from killing beautiful Trigger Fish who become to big and aggressive at dive sites dropping anchors and destroying coral beds, killing endangered animals with their nets often abandoned on coral or on the sea bed. Dugans, Turtles,  Dolphins and even Wale sharks killed either by accident or intentional.

While I think the action by the Thai govt is excessive, the bigger issue is that while I agree those other things happen by Thai folks and is likely worse the difference is they do not post Video's and pictures on Youtube and FB about it knowing all the while its not acceptable.

 

People in general are stupid with social media and many people get fired from their jobs for sending pics being at a sporting event after calling in sick to work or Pics/vids of them speeding on highways, or trespassing on land destroying trees.... the list is long. What about that dumb woman fondling a tigers balls recently.  Now these guys knew better not to be picking up sea life. Putting it on social media sends a message that anyone can go diving and do it. I guess you have to draw a line in the sand at some point. It sends a message. Amazing the stupid stuff people do and post it on the internet to get a "like". Costly mistake for using social media.

 

 

 

[Pravda]

I think if he snorted coke and shot a cop before dive he'd be off the hook. 

[richard_smith237]

This story is outrageous and an embarrassment for Thailand. 

 

The hypocrisy and sanctimony flowing from the trough of faux outrage is moronic. 

 

This is worth nothing more than a minor fine... Thailand could so easily turn this in to a positive for Tourism and use these guys to raise publicity of Thailands Environmental and help educate people (Thai’s and Westerners) not to touch or interfere with sea life. 

 

 

[P100]

5 hours ago, bodga said:

or stay  off  lieThailand

Exactly

The moral of the story is do not attract attention. If radicals start complaining about you they will quickly thro you in jail to please the mob. You are nobody. Just a farang. Nobody will protect you and speak out for you.

 

Do not give Thais a chance to attack foreigners, they will immediately do so. They bite the hand that feeds them.

 

Amazing Thailand.

[Razek]

21 hours ago, webfact said:

play with a sea cucumber, it helps to protect nature in their life in the future

It helps them go to the prison same you. Stupid man he now it is forbidden to do this.

Law don't protect the stupid

[Pancho]

The ocean is 70% of the earth’s surface. 5 % has been explored. That’s a lot of un touched stuff.

 

In fairness, I’m recalling a similar infraction by an Asian tourist who also touched a fish, and went to fish jail.
 

it seems the real losers here are the enlightened group who create and enforce these policies.

Like handing out speeding tickets at a racetrack.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sources say.
 

[biggles45]

4 hours ago, Pumpuynarak said:

I wonder what would have happened if the incident involved two Thais ?

They would have used dynamite to catch the protected fish, not stroked them. 

[Razek]

6 hours ago, ChipButty said:

I guess the moral of the story is stay off Facebook

The moral is not to be stupid .

As profi in daving you know this is a criminal act. 

[Razek]

22 hours ago, webfact said:

He said that he and his friend were not criminals "just stupid".

I know that you are stupid Mr Attila

[from the home of CC]

you screw around with nature and work without permits or have proper immigration permissions as a foreigner in my country and your're gone, why would anyone expect less here in Thailand unless they feel they're 'above' the laws of the people and government of this country - guess what, you're not...

[ThailandRyan]

4 hours ago, Katipo said:

These guys make a nice distraction from all the other horrible things the authorities choose to ignore. "Hey look, we found some 'bad' people. Look everyone, we are doing something, aren't we amazing at our jobs?".

Amazing Thailand ???????? 

[stevenl]

5 hours ago, Kerryd said:

He may be on a Marriage Extension or a Non-O Visa and thus can't do the "90 day" border run. As a result, he'd be on the "Amnesty" as is/was anyone else that would have had to leave the country in order to renew a Visa.

With a legal fully functioning company there is no need for 90 days border runs. He should have been able to renew his extension.

[The Theory]

That's right, "just stupid". If you try to do stupid things then don't post the stupid things to show how stupid you are. No matter what you did before you are still a farang.
If only "one" does not like what you do, they easily can spot you and make others to point at you. 

[pikao]

6 minutes ago, stevenl said:

With a legal fully functioning company there is no need for 90 days border runs

AFAIK you need 4 Thai (?) staff in your company to avoid border runs. Have some friends in the same situation. They have company/WP but now on amnesty as the can't leave

[Mike LLL]

I've been os several dive boats out of Phuket. I can remember one night dive in particular when our (Thai) dive master moved a sleeping puffer fish from one place to another. He also touched (played with) an octopus as well as other marine life. He was a good dive master overall and I didn't think too much about the way he treated the marine animals until I saw this article. If the only crime these people committed was touching the animals, they're being treated VERY unfairly.  

[ThailandRyan]

Just finished a good bowl of Shark Fin soup here in Bangkok's China Town, boy was it good.  Not sure where they got the shark fin from, but plenty more to be bought in packages.  Took home some birds nests also to make the soup at home.  The place also had dried sea urchin's as well.  Gotta all be legal right?

[CrunchWrapSupreme]

I feel for these guys, but as others have said, the bigger issue is social media.

 

Back in the day, in this situation, you would've thought twice about sending some photos off to a magazine or newspaper. Wait a minute, is this all legal? Public land? Protected species? Do we have permission? We don't want us, our company, or the media to face legal action. Now that's all out of the way with a tap. Conveniently dangerous.

 

Same with other things you should've thought twice about, like emails, instant messaging, and those late night texts.

[Aussiepeter]

That sea cucumber they "touched' is in fact a very expensive and highly prized delicacy, adored by the Chinese. It sells for (believe it or not) $400 - $2000 USD per kilo, depending upon quality and species. They are known as 'Beche-de-mer' (worm of the sea) and have been heavily fished in Australia and exported to Asia for over a hundred years. Any Chinese tourist diver down-under would pounce on one, if he saw it. Doubt anyone would give a hoot, unless said diver was actively poaching dozens of them. I just wonder what the penalty would have been if those two divers had been, say, Chinese folks ? Anyway, I doubt the Thais are aware of the true $ value of sea cucumbers. Total overreaction by some pumped-up official to put these two behind bars. Like others have said, I hope that every diver on the planet hears about this. Diving is a very expensive sport and divers spend big bucks - just going to be more lost revenue that LOS can ill afford to lose.

[Flying Saucage]

22 hours ago, ukrules said:

Anyone who's considering moving to Thailand (living in Thailand / move to Thailand) in the future should read all about this

...plus anyone who's considering any investment of his money into this banana republic.