Swedish Couple Sentenced To 15 Month In Jail.

[Birdman]

I think this could have been taken care of in the usual (corrupt) Thai way of paying a fine and paying off the store owner. The problem here is that the store owner saw $$$ and got her calculator humming. "40 towsand baht dey take from me, big sack." That GIANT discrepancy between taking 2 shirts and 40,000 BHT worth is where the trouble began and ended for the 2 Swedes. The cops probably said pay 40K and you can leave. The Swedes only took 2 shirts equalling 600 BHT.

I wonder how big a sack you need to stuff 40,000 BHT worth of shirts in it? They must have been Armani (bootlegs)...

You sound as though it is OK to steal 2 shirts equalling 600 BHT. IMHO, one should not even steal 2 candy worth 6 BHT.

Thieves MUST be punish. Put them in jail.

hey, nanacowboy guy, you are real a great moralist...

[Shotime]

I think this could have been taken care of in the usual (corrupt) Thai way of paying a fine and paying off the store owner. The problem here is that the store owner saw $$$ and got her calculator humming. "40 towsand baht dey take from me, big sack." That GIANT discrepancy between taking 2 shirts and 40,000 BHT worth is where the trouble began and ended for the 2 Swedes. The cops probably said pay 40K and you can leave. The Swedes only took 2 shirts equalling 600 BHT.

I wonder how big a sack you need to stuff 40,000 BHT worth of shirts in it? They must have been Armani (bootlegs)...

You sound as though it is OK to steal 2 shirts equalling 600 BHT. IMHO, one should not even steal 2 candy worth 6 BHT.

Thieves MUST be punish. Put them in jail.

I used to work in a ladies shoe store back home a long time ago. One day three guys walked in, a girl already in the store, and pulled out 2 handguns and one shotgun. We were herded into the back bathroom, and I felt as if this was it. No, I didn't die. The owner did get pistol whipped in the mouth. As soon as they left, he went to the register, and started ringing up sales. It was our best day all year.

For what they did, they should be sent to bed without dessert. I love some peoples idea of punishment. I still can't believe they're going to Thai jail for 15 months. I'm glad I missed the last few pages.

[MeetJohnDoe]

Thailand ain't Sweden...some people have to learn the hard way

[Birdman]

For what they did, they should be sent to bed without dessert. I love some peoples idea of punishment. I still can't believe they're going to Thai jail for 15 months. I'm glad I missed the last few pages.

...agreed 100%

Bang Kwang Central Prison could leave some psychotic marks on them for life.

[oceano]

Some more info from swedish media:

www.ut.se/nyheter/ulricehamn/ulricehamnsparet-stal-250-trojor(1085791).gm

www.dt.se/brottsplats/article390047.ece

In short:

They have confessed to stealing 250 t-shirts.

The male has earlier convictions of assault, narcotics an drunk driving.

Slowly Slowly they became a monster, in one week this man will be a terrorist that kill 300 people whit one bomb.....come on is the same story every time...they put in jail someone for stolen a small thing and after that him "confess" to had do ather more bad things...ok now him assaul and norcotic and drunk driver...why not also a pusher of eroin, pusher of guns... :D :D

and them why the female dont have nothings to confess but sge have the same sentence?

we all have our opinions. .

frankly, I would like to know EXACTLY where in patong these 2 swiss stole the t-shirts.

WHY would I want to know where they stole the shirts, you ask?

simple, I would not want to EVER take the chance of buying something from their shop.

could someone please post a photo of the shop? location? address?

you would be doing us foreigners a truly good deed by letting us know which shop to avoid. thank you.

BETTER yet. pass the word around to avoid buying any t-shirts in patong.

nice troll post

Why him is a troll? explain to us.

I think this could have been taken care of in the usual (corrupt) Thai way of paying a fine and paying off the store owner. The problem here is that the store owner saw $$$ and got her calculator humming. "40 towsand baht dey take from me, big sack." That GIANT discrepancy between taking 2 shirts and 40,000 BHT worth is where the trouble began and ended for the 2 Swedes. The cops probably said pay 40K and you can leave. The Swedes only took 2 shirts equalling 600 BHT.

i agree

I wonder how big a sack you need to stuff 40,000 BHT worth of shirts in it? They must have been Armani (bootlegs)...

You sound as though it is OK to steal 2 shirts equalling 600 BHT. IMHO, one should not even steal 2 candy worth 6 BHT.

Thieves MUST be punish. Put them in jail.

i agree whit you.

Edited January 15, 2009 by oceano

[Kan Win]

The poor, misunderstood, little Swiss tourists

"Ulysses G", they are "Swedish"

Kan Win

Same same.

and in the capital city Copenhagen they have polar bears on the streets.

I believe the correct term is "they are Swedes", although in this case they appear to be turnips.

but going for that Golden Karat . That is the Root of all evil.

Kan Win

Edited January 15, 2009 by Kan Win

[southerndown]

Go to any Tesco and stand by the oranges. You will see entire families of Thais eat hundreds of baht worth of fruit. Is that shoplifting? Guess you would have to pump their stomachs to get the evidence even though there are security cameras everywhere. I still remember the advice given to me four years ago when I arrived here, "Thais have to follow twenty percent of the law; whereas farangs must follow one hundred twenty percent." In other words, would a Thai couple have received the same sentence?

Toad of Toad Hall is aptly named as he lives in a fictional world though he claims he lives and works here. he's so confused he's calling them swiss now. he's really lost the plot (and that's bad for a fictional character even a ham actor like toady

we all know the reality of thai police and thai justice - just read threads on this forum.

Erm, now where did i refer to them as Swiss? I think you need to get the 'facts' right, as you so like to call them.

I have no doubt that the Thai police is corrupt, that is pretty well documented.

What I, and most other law abiding citizens are fed up of, is the continuing whines from the 'apologists' for people who have been caught red handed and from perpatrators. I guess that maybe some of these 'apologists' have never bee a victim of a crime, or have to help a victim of crime pick up the pieces. I don't really give a toss, what you think of me, or where you think I live. I live in the real world and work with real people in Thailand. I also try to be as considerate as possible to the people I meet, and not to put myself in a situation where I would find myself up shit creek without a paddle. I guess the majority of Thai Visa posters that live here and tourists that visit here, have very little trouble form the BIB apart from the odd motoring offence.

As an aside, I worked in Secure services for a number of years, so I've got plenty of first hand experience with criminals. Maybe that has made me more cynical, but law enforcement across the world has a problem with dealing with career petty criminals, who over the years rack up significant amounts of crimes, which are at significant financial and emotional cost to society.

As for Bangers statement earlier about euthanasia , that's voluntary, so no I wouldn't be a suitable candidate. I assume that he/she or whatever is now advocating execution for those that oppose her view on dealing with offending behaviour, strange coming from a staunch opponent of the death penalty.

sorry- I meant abortion, not euthanasia.. I want to drop the whole insult thing- I do not have to think... I already know where you live, and I do not care if you care.. la la la

we sound like children now, do we not?

shall we talk about about my experience with victims,criminal's... shall we ask my bf? and then we can decide if/we have some experience or

not

ever seen a young girl shot because her father supported anti government, carried out a young man with no face from terrorist bomb attack- want more?

when you have seen and done what he has he now knows that cruelty begets cruelty, that forgiveness/compassion are the only way's forward

do you know why police are having trouble?

because of stupid political correctness, and useless pointless law's that tie their hands from doing the job they should be doing, not trying to win some political points, or here- make extra cash....

law's you seem to like- law's often unfairly applied in many way's we are on the same page

horsewhipping considerate, heck! I do not want to meet you on a bad day! choose your words better if you are so considerate- what a contribution

frankly, you have again got it all wrong

I am not an apologist for bad people- nor one of those one's who defends at all cost

I only want the guilty to be found guilty, for appropriate sentences, proper policing and full support backed by sensible law to the men out on the street

anything else...mmm...

toad will never understand that. his thinking is blinkered.. if he had the experiences you described he would still have difficulty thinking it through

[ourmaninbangers]

Go to any Tesco and stand by the oranges. You will see entire families of Thais eat hundreds of baht worth of fruit. Is that shoplifting? Guess you would have to pump their stomachs to get the evidence even though there are security cameras everywhere. I still remember the advice given to me four years ago when I arrived here, "Thais have to follow twenty percent of the law; whereas farangs must follow one hundred twenty percent." In other words, would a Thai couple have received the same sentence?

Toad of Toad Hall is aptly named as he lives in a fictional world though he claims he lives and works here. he's so confused he's calling them swiss now. he's really lost the plot (and that's bad for a fictional character even a ham actor like toady

we all know the reality of thai police and thai justice - just read threads on this forum.

Erm, now where did i refer to them as Swiss? I think you need to get the 'facts' right, as you so like to call them.

I have no doubt that the Thai police is corrupt, that is pretty well documented.

What I, and most other law abiding citizens are fed up of, is the continuing whines from the 'apologists' for people who have been caught red handed and from perpatrators. I guess that maybe some of these 'apologists' have never bee a victim of a crime, or have to help a victim of crime pick up the pieces. I don't really give a toss, what you think of me, or where you think I live. I live in the real world and work with real people in Thailand. I also try to be as considerate as possible to the people I meet, and not to put myself in a situation where I would find myself up shit creek without a paddle. I guess the majority of Thai Visa posters that live here and tourists that visit here, have very little trouble form the BIB apart from the odd motoring offence.

As an aside, I worked in Secure services for a number of years, so I've got plenty of first hand experience with criminals. Maybe that has made me more cynical, but law enforcement across the world has a problem with dealing with career petty criminals, who over the years rack up significant amounts of crimes, which are at significant financial and emotional cost to society.

As for Bangers statement earlier about euthanasia , that's voluntary, so no I wouldn't be a suitable candidate. I assume that he/she or whatever is now advocating execution for those that oppose her view on dealing with offending behaviour, strange coming from a staunch opponent of the death penalty.

sorry- I meant abortion, not euthanasia.. I want to drop the whole insult thing- I do not have to think... I already know where you live, and I do not care if you care.. la la la

we sound like children now, do we not?

shall we talk about about my experience with victims,criminal's... shall we ask my bf? and then we can decide if/we have some experience or

not

ever seen a young girl shot because her father supported anti government, carried out a young man with no face from terrorist bomb attack- want more?

when you have seen and done what he has he now knows that cruelty begets cruelty, that forgiveness/compassion are the only way's forward

do you know why police are having trouble?

because of stupid political correctness, and useless pointless law's that tie their hands from doing the job they should be doing, not trying to win some political points, or here- make extra cash....

law's you seem to like- law's often unfairly applied in many way's we are on the same page

horsewhipping considerate, heck! I do not want to meet you on a bad day! choose your words better if you are so considerate- what a contribution

frankly, you have again got it all wrong

I am not an apologist for bad people- nor one of those one's who defends at all cost

I only want the guilty to be found guilty, for appropriate sentences, proper policing and full support backed by sensible law to the men out on the street

anything else...mmm...

toad will never understand that. his thinking is blinkered.. if he had the experiences you described he would still have difficulty thinking it through

then he deserves the same sort of compassion,

not my sharp retort's, in a criminal act there are often many victim's....

evil breed's- it is so easy to fall victim and I cannot blame anyone who has awful experience falling into the cycle of hate and revenge

but as someone who has seen this I can tell you honestly that fighting evil with evil is not the way- when we do that, evil has won

of course we must practical and deal with situation's to safeguard people- all people, regardless of race, creed, wealth

and we can from an enlightened perspective, a fair, humane benevolent one

we may sometimes have to pick up the sword or the gun... sometimes there is simply no other way

one cannot sit down, meditate, chant on world peace whilst some hellbent crook try's to rape, steal, etc- one must act-

but we must never become the type of person who caused us to do this

or at least, do our best not to

[mrtoad]

toad will never understand that. his thinking is blinkered.. if he had the experiences you described he would still have difficulty thinking it through

Erm, once again you make sweeping assumptions.

I believe that you have something that makes you feel a little angry, or maybe superior?

I have no problem with bangers views, I just don't agree with them. In fact, there are a number of things that we do agree on, but as you have decided to take a course on trying to insult me at any given moment, then I'm not even going to entertain the dross that you come out with.

As for expereinces, I think you may be a little surprised as to what I have experienced, but I don't really need to justify it to someone as "blinkered" as you, and I don't think that I need to.

At least Bangers has some convictions about her beliefs, whilst you spend most of the time trying to stalk my posts and making nefarious allegations.

Bendown, you will never understand.

[Kharzi]

this is why we simply cannot just take things at face value

This thread's devotees of the "cut their hands off and deport the buggers"solution would have difficulty in taking things in any other manner. They are not, dare I possibly say, the most intellectual of folk but then, in what is essentially a blue collar forum, why would anyone expect anything more?

[britmaveric]

horse beating is a bit harsh, how about a simple flogging?

[soundman]

Could we try and keep on topic and dispense with the personal bickering please.

[Crossy]

I like a spot of SM now and again, and that english crop thing is bad (good) enough with a light spanking.... Hmmmm, must make a note of this

imagine how the painful to really do this by the way.... Isn't the whole point to discourage them from doing it again? Cheap and effective. Bring on the whip / cane / cat /birch / rotan etc. Anyone know what the Thai version is called there must be one.

[southerndown]

toad will never understand that. his thinking is blinkered.. if he had the experiences you described he would still have difficulty thinking it through

Erm, once again you make sweeping assumptions.

I believe that you have something that makes you feel a little angry, or maybe superior?

now you are making assumptions, aren't you.

I have no problem with bangers views, I just don't agree with them. In fact, there are a number of things that we do agree on, but as you have decided to take a course on trying to insult me at any given moment, then I'm not even going to entertain the dross that you come out with.

then why do you flame her. keep it civilised

As for expereinces, I think you may be a little surprised as to what I have experienced, but I don't really need to justify it to someone as "blinkered" as you, and I don't think that I need to.

if you think your experiences are a valid forum talking point and relevant to the topic make them. but make them courteously. that is how a forum should work

At least Bangers has some convictions about her beliefs, whilst you spend most of the time trying to stalk my posts and making nefarious allegations.

no, not nefarious and not allegations.

Bendown, you will never understand.

don't understand this

can we try to keep this courteous, and on topic

the facts of this case are not clear and no-one knows the real truth

we do know how the thai police and justice system works but we do not know how it worked in this case. the sentence may be fair it may be not.

[southerndown]

this is why we simply cannot just take things at face value

This thread's devotees of the "cut their hands off and deport the buggers"solution would have difficulty in taking things in any other manner. They are not, dare I possibly say, the most intellectual of folk but then, in what is essentially a blue collar forum, why would anyone expect anything more?

i agree

a forum should respect other people's views but a lot of flaming is allowed here sometimes, and it clouds the rather un-intellectual arguments that are sometimes raised.

keeping on topic is difficult for some, and there is always the temptation to respond to flaming and nonsense by being sarcastic oneself. a reasoned argument would be better but sometimes it is a lost cause as you rightly suggest.

i don't think it's blue collar exactly more the type of poster that sometimes lurks here. but some posts are well thought out even if i don't agree with them. those are useful additions to the forum debate.

[brahmburgers]

The sentence is far too harsh - especially in the context of what happens in such scenarios in Thailand.

The Swedes appear to have shown how out of touch they are with Thai proclivities (show respect for certain people even if you don't feel it, etc, etc). They also don't know the extent by which money and apologies count in this country.

Punish them for shoplifting a couple $4 shirts, if that 's what they did, but don't harshly punish them for not playing the games (of sugary sweet politeness, and subtle pay-offs) well enough. It shows a cold hearted meanness (and revenge) by Thai authorities involved. It also shows the extreme duplicity of Thai justice - examples of which (softer or non-existent sentences for graver crimes) could fill a fat book - single spaced, tiny font.

the more I hear about this case, the more it sounds like a set up by the vendor - similar to the one I mentioned in an earlier post in this thread. A vendor pretends there's a theft, and immediatly makes a lot of loud noise about it, along with "I call police! you go to jail long time!) ....the angry and frightened farang want to quickly pay a load of money to the vendor to shut him up. ....a great gig for the vendor. Thousands of baht in pure profit for a couple minutes of shouting.

Edited January 16, 2009 by brahmburgers

[ourmaninbangers]

I like a spot of SM now and again, and that english crop thing is bad (good) enough with a light spanking.... Hmmmm, must make a note of this

imagine how the painful to really do this by the way.... Isn't the whole point to discourage them from doing it again? Cheap and effective. Bring on the whip / cane / cat /birch / rotan etc. Anyone know what the Thai version is called there must be one.

pain like this create's hate

this in many instance's turn's to thought's of revenge- it simply does not discourage, it also, how can I say, up's the ante

by this I mean the criminal will be more serious in dangerous way

for example in UK it was once what they give a life sentence for kidnapping violently for ransom

in Italy my calibineir( spelt wrong, Italian police) friend said they studied this and found that this led to the kidnappers simply murdering their victim's

why leave a witness when same sentance? there is no motivation to keep alive.... mafia men or simelar are on record saying this

and now the police have no witness just a dead body and how to prove who murdered ( many case's like this)

this is not exactly the same- but has some pararell's ...I hope you get my mean

as I have pointed out country's that have this punishment see an increase in the very crime's this is supposed to stop each and every year

several time's men have told me that if they had this done to them they would commit what amount's to small act's of terror against the society, one man said he would return and leave poison candy's in playground's, there are others the same sort... unfortunately it is so easy to do something like this

mostly it is just talk,

but sometimes not...many case's around the world show this

how many crime's, such as arson where we did not able to catch who did, may of done for this reason

so, not only does this not work, but by advocating this to are indirectly causing a totally innocent person to suffer

[excaliber]

what would happen if it were a Thai couple caught for the same act ?

[southerndown]

The sentence is far too harsh - especially in the context of what happens in such scenarios in Thailand.

The Swedes appear to have shown how out of touch they are with Thai proclivities (show respect for certain people even if you don't feel it, etc, etc). They also don't know the extent by which money and apologies count in this country.

Punish them for shoplifting a couple $4 shirts, if that 's what they did, but don't harshly punish them for not playing the games (of sugary sweet politeness, and subtle pay-offs) well enough. It shows a cold hearted meanness (and revenge) by Thai authorities involved. It also shows the extreme duplicity of Thai justice - examples of which (softer or non-existent sentences for graver crimes) could fill a fat book - single spaced, tiny font.

the more I hear about this case, the more it sounds like a set up by the vendor - similar to the one I mentioned in an earlier post in this thread. A vendor pretends there's a theft, and immediatly makes a lot of loud noise about it, along with "I call police! you go to jail long time!) ....the angry and frightened farang want to quickly pay a load of money to the vendor to shut him up. ....a great gig for the vendor. Thousands of baht in pure profit for a couple minutes of shouting.

a well balanced post. we need more like this on thaivisa

i think most people appreciate that one can post without being sarcastically rude or flaming, and can post by keeping on topic and being part of a constructive forum debate.

<snip>

Edited January 16, 2009 by Jai Dee
Comments about moderation deleted.

[southerndown]

what would happen if it were a Thai couple caught for the same act ?

they know how to deal with it. slip a little tea money whether they are guilty or not; but the vendor probably would not try it on with a thai.

we don't know for sure the facts of this case of course; but the best guess is it stinks and was a stitch up. no flaming please, only my best reading of the situation.

they may have been as guilty as hel_l.

[Ulysses G.]

this is why we simply cannot just take things at face value

This thread's devotees of the "cut their hands off and deport the buggers"solution would have difficulty in taking things in any other manner. They are not, dare I possibly say, the most intellectual of folk but then, in what is essentially a blue collar forum, why would anyone expect anything more?

Prince Harry speaks.

Edited January 16, 2009 by Ulysses G.

[TAWP]

this is why we simply cannot just take things at face value

This thread's devotees of the "cut their hands off and deport the buggers"solution would have difficulty in taking things in any other manner. They are not, dare I possibly say, the most intellectual of folk but then, in what is essentially a blue collar forum, why would anyone expect anything more?

Prince Harry speaks.

No, prince Harry surely would be one of the 'cut their hands off'-brigade?

Or perhaps only if they were 'darkies'...

Edited January 16, 2009 by TAWP

[Tolley]

It should be clear to even the most intellectually challenged posters that the Thai justice system works in rather mysterious ways and that justice can be very arbitary for those who don't know the rules in Thailand and/or have no connections to call on.

Many things can be done to circumvent going to gaol provided that you can pay the right people or you have right connections for the matter to be made to disappear.

However once you are charged by the police this is where you are really trapped in an archaic system and where justice can be very harsh indeed.

Just as an example my girlfriends brother was going to be charged with rape of an underage girl up in Phayao a couple of years back. Now he didn't rape the girl but he did have sex with a girl who was underage and when the family of the girl found out they went to the police who then came to him and told him that if he didn't come up with 40K baht by the end of the month he was looking at 10 years gaol. The money was subsequently paid and the matter was dropped.

Hard to know what really happened with the Swedish tourists but it seems they didn't know how the Thai system worked and have paid a heavy penalty.

[Jai Dee]

Posts discussing moderation have been deleted from this thread in accordance with Forum Rules.

[ourmaninbangers]

what would happen if it were a Thai couple caught for the same act ?

this is a key question point...and illustrates a lot

there should be no difference, male/female/black/white/rich/poor

but there is- here it is who you know and how much money you have that count's

justice like this become counter justice

[FatherF]

this is a key question point...and illustrates a lot

there should be no difference, male/female/black/white/rich/poor

but there is- here it is who you know and how much money you have that count's

justice like this become counter justice

Whilst i agree with what you are saying, it is also wise to remember that we (in the most part) are guests in this country, and as such must abide by their laws etc, I am well aware that you would like to see changes to the current system, to a system that encourages rehabilitation rather than sometime harsh (sometimes OTT) sentences, this will take a long time to achieve, as i feel it would mean an almost total re-structuring of the current system. Also what gives any "Guest" in any country the right to interfere with said countries judicial system? We are often quick to judge what we consider to be archaic 3rd world legal systems, when in reality, our own countries systems fare little better.

I believe that changes will come about, albeit painfully slowly, but until then..... "When in Rome, do as the Romans do"

FF

[BigSnake]

Maybe they are writing a book on the Thai Justice system(Jails/Prison)Male/Female and this is a neat way to get a free stay(1year visa) up close and personal Whatever it does seem a bit of a long jail term for T-shirts that were most likely then not to be fake and of poor Quality.

[ozsamurai]

Ive seen first hand on a number of occasions the way Thai treat their own shoplifters, or calling a spade a spade, thieves, regardless of the item in question. They take them out the back and beat the crap out of them, perhaps this would have been more fitting a punishment....this is Thailand, and everyone seems to want the same same treatment for both Thai and Farang..... oh thats right they cant do that as that would then change the headlines to "Savage shop owner beats Falang over a Tshirt" then you would all be on their side!!! Give me a break...

[FatherF]

Ive seen first hand on a number of occasions the way Thai treat their own shoplifters, or calling a spade a spade, thieves, regardless of the item in question. They take them out the back and beat the crap out of them, perhaps this would have been more fitting a punishment....this is Thailand, and everyone seems to want the same same treatment for both Thai and Farang..... oh thats right they cant do that as that would then change the headlines to "Savage shop owner beats Falang over a Tshirt" then you would all be on their side!!! Give me a break...

Valid point, well put!

FF

[StateSix]

Just as an example my girlfriends brother was going to be charged with rape of an underage girl up in Phayao a couple of years back. Now he didn't rape the girl but he did have sex with a girl who was underage and when the family of the girl found out they went to the police who then came to him and told him that if he didn't come up with 40K baht by the end of the month he was looking at 10 years gaol. The money was subsequently paid and the matter was dropped.

If the girl is underage, then under the law she is not allowed to give consent, hence it would be statutory rape. I would say the system worked very much in his favour in this instance.