Thai gran faces the courts for collecting just a handful of galangal for her curry

[BangkokReady]

12 hours ago, webfact said:

Chaweewan said the case relates back to June 11th when she popped into the area, essentially a wasteground, and picked a few sprigs of the plant for her curry.

 

The owner of the land was called and caught her in the act and a charge of theft while using a conveyance was made with the Phang Khone police.

So just popping into an area to grab a couple of leaves takes enough time for someone to notice her, call someone else, and for them to then travel to the property and find her still mid-harvest?

 

How long would that be realistically?  30 minutes?  An hour?

[BangkokReady]

2 hours ago, whaleboneman said:

Meanwhile westerners tend to keep a mental tally of everything that is owed to them.

Probably because we don't have the balls to just go and take food from others without permission and we know that we are solely responsible for proving for ourselves.  We also typically keep a mental tally of everything that we owe.

 

Swings and roundabouts.

 

Also, Thais have expectations, you just don't understand them.

Edited July 22, 2022 by BangkokReady

[mania]

14 hours ago, webfact said:

The owner of the land was called and caught her in the act and a charge of theft while using a conveyance was made with the Phang Khone police.

 

The owner of the land is insisting that Chaweewan comes up with 5,000 baht as a restitution payment or they will see the matter goes through the courts. 

Thai Rak Thai .....not so much when baht can be made it seems

[hotchilli]

20 hours ago, webfact said:

From Chaweewan's perspective she was just collecting a handful of galangal from an area of wasteground the locals all use and forage in.

Maybe it is wasteland, unkempt, but all the same it is owned.

And maybe the owner is tired of locals taking everything .

[jacko45k]

9 hours ago, BangkokReady said:

Also, Thais have expectations, you just don't understand them.

Yes, they apparently believe the mangoes in my tree are theirs as they are grown in Thailand..

[Gecko123]

The main reason I would never dream of prosecuting a village granny for pilfering stuff out of my garden is out of fear my house pets might be poisoned.

 

Edited July 23, 2022 by Gecko123

[Road Warrior]

the moron that owns the land bit petty- why dont he fence it off ???  the people should know not to TRESSPASS

[RocketDog]

On 7/22/2022 at 2:48 PM, ChaiyaTH said:

I'm not buying into the poor woman story here.

 

I have seen countless of thief Thais, even where I am living right now they sometimes sneak onto private properties with bungalows to steal durian, fruit and more. They do not even bother to ask, this could be a long ongoing thing in the news case.

 

If we would be doing that we would be jailed for sure. Or can I just grab a free banana next time at the market too?

My home is surrounded by pineapple fields. I regularly run and walk my dog through them. Technically I guess I'm trespassing. I regularly see and greet field workers and am on good terms with all of them and have never been challenged.

There are normally many pineapple cut or dropped by accident off a truck during harvest. Frequently workers give me pineapples.

However, my Thai wife cautioned me to never touch or pick up a pineapple on my walks. She maintains that I am under scrutiny as a farang and somebody would love a chance to complain. I believe her.

On the other hand I have been wildly successful growing okra, American tomatoes (you know, the ones that taste like a real tomato), cucumbers, and other veggies in my garden on the edge of the fields and immediately adjacent to a dirt road accessing the fields. I've never seen or noticed any theft. Live and let live is working for me.

[Photoguy21]

From the photo there does not appear to be anything to stop people going on the land, neither is there any sign I can see that tells you it is private property. As such there would appear, but Thai law will probably be different, to be nothing that indicates the land is privately owned.

[plus7]

Sometimes I wonder, if land is so fertile here, why wouldn't Thai villagers drop seeds of everything everywhere ?

Especially, if they need it for their own consumption.