Kiwi’s prison plight ends: Thai hellhole release brings a breath of relief

[Liverpool Lou]

1 hour ago, Felton Jarvis said:

2 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

"We also know" that embassies cannot intervene in Thai legal proceedings to get their miscreant nationals off the hook.

They CAN…..but do not. The United States has MASSIVE arm-twisting ability. So does the UK. They choose to do nothing. They do not represent their citizens.

Embassies are not there to Diplomatically twist arms to get idiots out of jail and they would never do what you seem to think that they can do for the type of cases that are reported here.   Embassies are not there to "represent" their nationals in legal situations, that is a lawyer's job, Consular staff are there to protect their nationals' interests as much as their jurisdiction permits and that is what they do.

[Liverpool Lou]

2 hours ago, oxo1947 said:

2 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

We also know" that embassies cannot intervene in Thai legal proceedings to get their miscreant nationals off the hook.

They were not intervening in any legal preceding--he had been told he could go--they (embassy) just had to arrange the plane seat.

And arranging his travel was exactly what they did.   Until that was completed he could not go anywhere.

[BritScot]

Such nasty twisted people on here! He quite possibly admitted thinking 2 tabs thinking pay fine and go. He later denied it! The Thai police are corrupt to its cord and this is a well known thai police scam (just 2 tabs). Just coincidentally arrested outside his condo where 2 tabs found on him, well I suppose its better than 2 rounds found by airport customs. I'm sorry but I believe him before I believe the police. 

[Skipalongcassidy]

38 minutes ago, schvonsky1 said:

Nobody is perfect not even u ☝????

When it comes to living within the law or paying the price I am and so are most people... this isn't about being perfect... it's about being stupid and with a better than the law attitude without willing to pay the price... called entitled

[khunPer]

13 hours ago, webfact said:

He was carrying two ecstasy pills he now claims weren’t his, even though he initially pleaded guilty to the charges.

A general good advice is: Don't get involved in any illegal drugs – or mingle with people that are using drugs – in Thailand, then you avoid a lot of problems...

[mikeymike100]

9 hours ago, ChipButty said:

Thai police wouldn't do that, would they? 

In Thailand? Yes! Love the sarcasm!

[Smokey and the Bandit]

1 hour ago, Liverpool Lou said:

"...the RTP would know but as we all know they don't always tell the truth?????"

Neither do those possibly planning on benefiting from their embellished "experience" always tell the truth.  I wonder why he never made all those allegations while he was here?  MY money says most of it is cobbler's.

You may be right, probably we will never know. If he made those allegations whilst in Thailand, even if true,  we all know what would have happened? He made the right decision to leave, then write about  it! Probably a good idea to not go back to Thailand?

[ravip]

1 hour ago, BritScot said:

Such nasty twisted people on here! He quite possibly admitted thinking 2 tabs thinking pay fine and go. He later denied it! The Thai police are corrupt to its cord and this is a well known thai police scam (just 2 tabs). Just coincidentally arrested outside his condo where 2 tabs found on him, well I suppose its better than 2 rounds found by airport customs. I'm sorry but I believe him before I believe the police. 

So... how often does this happen, per day?

With millions of foreigners in Thailand,  a couple of 100 times per day or 1000's per month? 

[ravip]

9 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:

I learnt long ago that there is always two sides to a story.

 

Now do we honestly thing that the cops would waste their time to arrest him for 2 ecstasy tablets, I would think the other side of the story is that he insulted the police, now that could be by his foul mouth or spitting on them.

 

The above said, I don't know the other side of the story, but I got a rough idea.

 

His dad must be real proud of him.

 

His story could be true, but you have to weigh it all up. 

 

What I learnt a long time ago was there are 3 sides to a story - His side, their side and the true side. 

[kingstonkid]

1 hour ago, Liverpool Lou said:

As I have commented elsewhere, that's cobbler's, it is necessary to be an inmate to actually know what a Thai prison or RTP jails are like and how they are operated.   Reading embellished (and sometimes completely made up) garbage on the internet (and believing depictions in television series') from people who haven't been there, and then quoting it as fact, is ridiculous.

Have you been there and not everything is embellished or made up there are many interviews with expats that have done time  Not everything on the net is fntasy?

 

Or have ou done time in a Thai prison and can speak from experience

[PingRoundTheWorld]

32 minutes ago, Smokey and the Bandit said:

You may be right, probably we will never know. If he made those allegations whilst in Thailand, even if true,  we all know what would have happened? He made the right decision to leave, then write about  it! Probably a good idea to not go back to Thailand?

He didn't choose to leave - he was deported. He also didn't choose to not come back - he's on a blacklist for 5-10 years.

 

27 minutes ago, kingstonkid said:

Or have ou done time in a Thai prison and can speak from experience

What Thai prisons are like is irrelevant since the guy in the article did not spend any time in Thai prison. Going by the info in the linked article - he was arrested and spent a day in Patong police jail before being granted bail. He was free for 6+ months in Patong, then a couple of months ago, in May, he pleaded guilty on his court case and given no additional jail time - only deportation. He then had to return to Patong police jail where he waited a week to be transported to Bangkok Immigration Detention Center. He spent about 2 months in the IDC before the embassy were able to schedule his flight out. It's certainley not pleasant, and I'm sure the IDC feels like prison, but between that and "I almost died in Thai prison" there's quite a leap.

 

 

[mikeymike100]

1 hour ago, Smokey and the Bandit said:

You may be right, probably we will never know. If he made those allegations whilst in Thailand, even if true,  we all know what would have happened? He made the right decision to leave, then write about  it! Probably a good idea to not go back to Thailand?

If he made the allegations in writing while he was a prisoner, he would still be here, for, I suspect, a very long time? And indeed it would be a good idea not to come back, ever!

[AustinRacing]

They tried to shake him down thinking crypto=money for them. They scared him to facilitate a bigger payout. Maybe he refused or didn’t have money  

[Bday Prang]

6 hours ago, Ralf001 said:

I went to court when my friend fronted the judge and witnessed first hand the sentencing.

 

I apologise for lying to you.

What do you mean by "fronted" the judge, were I come from "fronting" the judge would mean he "confronted" the judge. Ie gave him a mouthful,  not a wise course of action in any country when speaking from the dock and guaranteed to get one a slightly longer sentence at the very least.

[Ralf001]

12 minutes ago, Bday Prang said:

What do you mean by "fronted" the judge, were I come from "fronting" the judge would mean he "confronted" the judge. Ie gave him a mouthful,  not a wise course of action in any country when speaking from the dock and guaranteed to get one a slightly longer sentence at the very least.

He appeared in front of the judge to be sentenced.

[Bday Prang]

2 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

He appeared in front of the judge to be sentenced.

Ok.   how unfortunate for him to receive such a severe punishment , totally disproportionate, Looks like he appeared in front of the wrong Judge

[scottiejohn]

1 hour ago, Bday Prang said:

Ok.   how unfortunate for him to receive such a severe punishment , totally disproportionate, Looks like he appeared in front of the wrong Judge

Or it "appears" he was possibly/actually caught with illegal substances!

[Felton Jarvis]

6 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Embassies are not there to Diplomatically twist arms to get idiots out of jail and they would never do what you seem to think that they can do for the type of cases that are reported here.   Embassies are not there to "represent" their nationals in legal situations, that is a lawyer's job, Consular staff are there to protect their nationals' interests as much as their jurisdiction permits and that is what they do.

Absolute poppycock. That is EXACTLY what Embassies USED to do before they became lapdogs of the right wing. Time to return to the times when arresting a US citizen would earn you a battleship in your biggest port.  All expats should have diplomatic immunity. If you don’t want them there, send them home at YOUR expense.

[sabai-dee-man]

Took one look at his photo, and two words sprang to mind.... GROW UP!

 

Zero sympathy.

[Bday Prang]

15 minutes ago, scottiejohn said:

Or it "appears" he was possibly/actually caught with illegal substances!

That fact was never questioned, try to keep up, I was commenting regarding a friend of the poster I replied to ,who received an unusually harsh sentence. of 6 months in prison for possessing 1 joint. He was unlucky to have to face the particular judge who handed down such an unusually punitive  sentence, as most judges would not have been so severe

[Bday Prang]

38 minutes ago, Felton Jarvis said:

Absolute poppycock. That is EXACTLY what Embassies USED to do before they became lapdogs of the right wing. Time to return to the times when arresting a US citizen would earn you a battleship in your biggest port.  All expats should have diplomatic immunity. If you don’t want them there, send them home at YOUR expense.

One of the more bizarre posts I have ever read. 

          When did embassies become lap dogs of "the right wing"  ( I love how you people use that phrase whenever you can't think of something logical to say)

           Refresh my memory, when, exactly, were the times that the arrest of a US citizen ( he was a New Zealander anyway) for minor drugs possession would result in the arrival of a US battle ship ?  This has never happened that I recall

           "All expats should have diplomatic immunity" are you insane?  please explain why, and while you are at it please give a valid reason why anybody other than the  deportees themselves should fund their own  repatriation

           Your use of capitals makes your comment look like it was a rant posted by some sort of uber woke teenage girl, in fact even without the capitals it looks that way

[Bepah umayun]

Can't wait to read his book...????

[JensenZ]

19 hours ago, sqwakvfr said:

He was lucky that it was Thailand.  Imagine what he would have faced in a place like Singapore.  Now will the PI let him back since he is now a convicted narcotics offender?  Might have to go back to NZ and get a job.

If you'd read the full report - he is already back in NZ rebuilding his life.

[JensenZ]

17 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

One does not need to side with the RTP to know that if one gets caught with illegal drugs in one's possession one's life is going to turn to <deleted> real quick.

Personal responsibility and all that.

Come on now - you don't need to possess to go down in Thailand.

 

The police, if they so wish, can plant drugs. How they treat people for drug possession is everyone's concern. The police ARE the law in Thailand.

 

Back in 2016 the police, and military turned up at my house to do a full search. There was no search warrant, as under military rule a warrant was not required if military were present. Why did this happen? All it took was nasty Thai neighbour with a story. I've never touched drugs in my life. I don't even drink alcohol. How easy would it be for them to plant drugs if they so wished? 

 

A lot of naive people on here think there are fair laws in Thailand. It's a country where rules and laws are made and enforced on the fly. It's a country where the military take control and draft new laws as they wish.

 

If this story is half as bad as it sounds, we should all be concerned.

 

[ukrules]

Always judge a country by how they treat their prisoners.

 

This does not look good at all, both for the police and the IDC - they appear to be utterly malevolent in everything they do.

 

[JensenZ]

3 minutes ago, ukrules said:

Always judge a country by how they treat their prisoners.

 

This does not look good at all, both for the police and the IDC - they appear to be utterly malevolent in everything they do.

 

This is the truth - 5 gold stars!!!

[Skipalongcassidy]

3 hours ago, JensenZ said:

This is the truth - 5 gold stars!!!

Right... let's use the lowest common denominator to identify what a country is like... you are wrong.

[jacko45k]

20 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

They did.

Where's your evidence!

[Liverpool Lou]

3 hours ago, jacko45k said:

23 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

They did.

Where's your evidence!

In the OP and the link!

[Liverpool Lou]

13 hours ago, Felton Jarvis said:

Absolute poppycock. That is EXACTLY what Embassies USED to do before they became lapdogs of the right wing. Time to return to the times when arresting a US citizen would earn you a battleship in your biggest port.  All expats should have diplomatic immunity. If you don’t want them there, send them home at YOUR expense.

You're right, absolute poppycock from your first word to the last.