Danish Expat Risks Prison in Thailand Over Lost Car Incident

[SAFETY FIRST]

1 hour ago, terryofcrete said:

Should have been a good feeling that you didn't drive with  dozen beers taken...

Bloody awful feeling. 

 

20 years ago the cops would knock off at midnight, not a cop to be seen until the the following day.

I'm not saying it was right but everyone would drink and drive back then. 

 

[chiman]

Only here would this be a story...  drive this poor guy to a heart attack but let others walk for capital crimes 

[SAFETY FIRST]

14 minutes ago, mancub said:

Yep, lucky he didn't find it, or would have been another example of those stupid drunk driving foreigners ! 😁

 

Times have changed,  20 years ago the cops would knock off at midnight, not a cop to be seen until the the following day.

 

It was only the weirdos and miserable old foreigners making stupid comments that wouldn't drive. 

Everyone would drink and drive back then. 

Edited August 24 by SAFETY FIRST

[mancub]

5 minutes ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

Times have changed,  20 years ago the cops would knock off at midnight, not a cop to be seen until the the following day.

 

I'm not saying it was right but everyone would drink and drive back then.

It was only the snowflakes and miserable old foreigners making stupid comments that wouldn't drive. 

 

Yes it's a different genre of miserable old drunken foreigners these days ! 

[Xonax]

10 hours ago, webfact said:

The police continued to hound him, even accusing him of planning insurance fraud worth one million baht (about £22,000)

No chance that any insurance company would pay him one million baht for an older Toyota with blue spoiler. I hope the best for Søren.

[Jorgendk]

8 hours ago, Ralf001 said:

 

He went to court and lied to the judge ?

NO. Police say that he lied to them.

[BakedPanda]

9 hours ago, GypsyT said:

Maybe this would help?

 

"AirTag is a super easy way to keep track of your stuff. Attach one to your keys, slip another in your backpack."

 

They are worth it so much, the batteries last up to 2 years and can be replaced with a bat from 7/11 in a minute too. I have them in all my bikes, bags, key ring etc. Can find things back up to 10CM in distance.

 

The Danish can only wish to time travel and have done that.

Edited August 24 by BakedPanda

[OneMoreFarang]

2 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Yes, it is legal.  This is Thailand and official documentation such as police reports/charges will always only be in the Thai language* that 99.9% of the population understand.

 

*  Unless a translation (that will always defer to the original Thai language document) is attached.

It makes sense that all is in Thai, after all, this is Thailand.

But I am sure in some countries there are laws that if the police ask a person to sign something, and the police knows the person can't even read it, this would be illegal.

Maybe it is illegal in Thailand - but of course that doesn't mean this would be enforced. 

[RayOday]

The majority of the RTP are not here to assist foreigners unless they know it will be of benefit to themselves. 

Signing any document in language you do not understand under duress is detestable and in many countries illegal. It is akin to denying the civilian their Miranda rights (example U.S. law - Notification given by police to a suspect advising them of their rights).

I have had a few unpleasant interactions with RTP where they solicited a bribe or attempted extortion. The attempts came out of nowhere as I was walking for exercise. Note: I look athletic and energetic but I also look my age of 70 years. The attempts lead me to a

rant warning and facts.

Most expats know or have experienced RTP corrupt activities. For those in the know when dealing with the RTP you should be polite/respectful, keep your mouth shut as much as possible, certainly do not respond to questioning or signing any documents in Thai or poorly spoken foreign languages, better yet wait for an attorney even if the police speak your language, get quality legal representation, read up on  case studies of police corruption scams.

Know where you are and it's not "home" .

Background:

Thailand ranks 108th out of 180 countries in the 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) published by Transparency International, with a score of 35 out of 100, indicating a perception of significant public sector corruption.

A 2023 poll by the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA) found that over 70% of respondents did not trust the Royal Thai Police, making them the least trusted law enforcement agency in the country. 

Police corruption is widespread in Thailand, with numerous cases of police charged with abuses like abduction, sexual harassment, theft, and malfeasance. Bribery and conflicts of interest are common in the police force.

Perceptions of police corruption in Southeast Asia show that Thailand's police are viewed as highly corrupt, with estimates suggesting 40-50% of the public perceiving corruption within the force. This places Thailand on par with Myanmar and Cambodia, while countries like Malaysia and Indonesia are perceived as less corrupt. The most common forms of corruption by the RTP are bribery, embezzlement, extortion, promotion buying, trafficking, levying illegal "taxes", planting or threatening to plant evidence, and acting with impunity.

Take care and be informed.

 

If I was the OP I would be sure that I performed a solid due diligence on the attorney as much of his fate rests upon attorney representation and management of the attorney to avoid  surprises. 🙏

 

[Marco51]

8 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

Strange tory... he is being jailed for something not happened.. he claimed he lost his car but withdrew it so nothing happened.. and why put everybody in jail?? Thailand doesn't know other sentences??

TIT

[Ralf001]

20 minutes ago, Jorgendk said:

NO. Police say that he lied to them.

 

how is that perjury ?

[Andycoops]

Welcome to Thailand the hub of moronic policing and judiciary, the corrupt idiots are dinosaurs in the 21C.

 

How about a report telling everyone how they have damaged the countries reputation..

 

[4MyEgo]

11 hours ago, webfact said:

øren's ordeal underscores the severe consequences of simple mistakes and cultural misunderstandings in foreign lands.

 

 

This place, or should I say these bozzos, never cease to amaze me, it's called we are too lazy to assist you, so let's turn it around, you give us the money, and we drop everything, or else.

 

Welcome to the LOS.

Edited August 24 by 4MyEgo

[4MyEgo]

10 hours ago, GypsyT said:

Maybe this would help?

 

"AirTag is a super easy way to keep track of your stuff. Attach one to your keys, slip another in your backpack."

 

You must mean a GSP tracker.

 

The range of a GPS tracker is virtually limitless on the surface of the Earth. As long as the GPS tracker can receive signals from at least four satellites, it can accurately determine its location, speed, and direction.

 

Vs

 

An AirTag has a different use case than a GPS tracker. Ideal for finding household and small items, but not for finding cars. A Thatcham approved GPS tracker is the much better alternative to an AirTag.

[maesariang]

6 hours ago, sqwakvfr said:

I have encountered some foreign guys in LOS younger than this guy who were "losing" it.  I know this one guy at the gym from the US who was at the time 61.  Often we were having converstaions and he would constantly forget what were talking about.  He must have asked for my email address 10 times and I never got an email from him.  I suggested he see a doctor about his cognitive decline but he dismissed me promptly.  Also, I ran into him at Central Festival recently and he had no idea who I was.

Like that movie

[thailand49]

This is another example of stupidity of people who are in the position of protecting us.

The victim should turn the table and file a huge lawsuit in the police.

[jesimps]

Easily done. I spent a morning trawling around Roppongi in Tokyo trying to find my bicycle that I'd used the previous evening to go on a pub crawl. You were allowed to ride on pavements in those days, don't know if you still are. Anyway, found it eventually leaning against a barrier at the busiest crossroads in the area, unlocked and untouched. Had to retrieve it under the watchful gaze of a Japanese policeman. Very embarrassing.

[Polaky]

Never sign anything,  even if they break your fingers or wet towel Russian torture, or pull your fingernails , or bash you with chopsticks, sign  nothing or regret it for the rest of your life 😅

[brianthainess]

2 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Apart from the twelve months, pending the appeal...

"Søren Nyholm Larsen, a 65-year-old Danish man living in Thailand, faces the possibility of spending a year in one of the country's infamous prisons..."

The Possibility yes, but very Doubtful. 

[2008bangkok]

10 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

Strange tory... he is being jailed for something not happened.. he claimed he lost his car but withdrew it so nothing happened.. and why put everybody in jail?? Thailand doesn't know other sentences??

Yeah man , only sign something written in your native language 

[arick]

There's no way in hell that car's even close to being worth 1 million. Try 300,000

[Vibora99]

It's one thing to forget where you left your car, but to do the stupid thing of going to report it to the police and then to the insurance company. Excuse me, but you have to be very stupid, and in this case I would also doubt the good intentions of the subject... I don't know who is more guilty here...

[DogNo1]

Why not give the old guy the benefit of the doubt?  He didn’t press forward with his insurance claim.  Maybe he was just going through the procedures that he thought were correct.  Who represented him in court?   Did the representative understand the old man.   Things must have gone very badly  in court. 

[Rhys]

Sad this man has to go through all the BS..

[Liverpool Lou]

3 hours ago, brianthainess said:

5 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Apart from the twelve months, pending the appeal...

"Søren Nyholm Larsen, a 65-year-old Danish man living in Thailand, faces the possibility of spending a year in one of the country's infamous prisons..."

The Possibility yes, but very Doubtful. 

Not at all doubtful if his appeal fails.

[Showtime]

A little green goes a long way.

[Showtime]

2 hours ago, Vibora99 said:

It's one thing to forget where you left your car, but to do the stupid thing of going to report it to the police and then to the insurance company. Excuse me, but you have to be very stupid, and in this case I would also doubt the good intentions of the subject... I don't know who is more guilty here...

At first he though he forgot where the car was, then he was convinced it was stolen.  Not a stupid thing at all to do to then report it to the police and insurance company.  I know what the only thing stupid here is and let's just say it isn't him.

[Caldera]

Guys like him should never have been allowed to leave their home country without their mommy.

 

This is a ridiculous story from start to finish. What's next, he'll offer a wai and an undisclosed amount of baht to apologize to the police and all will be forgiven. Just a misunderstanding. 

[bristolgeoff]

For sure it happens every night in thailand somewhere Happpens to me too find it the next day.Insurance was told car found case closed.The police continue the case  abit strange why.My friend on his bike in cnx had as accident drunk farang pass away  his fault.I believe the case is still  waiting to be decided and he has a large legal bill too to be sorted. A car missing does not need it to be continued further once found

[rct99q]

I always recommend adding V.C. circled after my signature on any documents I am asked to sign, THAT, I do not understand or in a different language. It is not a fool proof way of getting out of an agreement yet it indicates that ones signature should not be taken as agreement (ie. under duress).