Issan Uncle Gone Crazy

[khunandy]

All,

Been married nearly 4 years, built a house and some staunch relationships in the village and pretty well feel accepted in the main stream of village life.

I am lucky enough to have equal time working and living at home.

Always had a fairly good relationship with the uncle over the years but have also recognised a screw loose somewhere in his system. His motivation over the years has been money, not much but there nontheless.

The last six months he has seemed to been consumed with a hunger for money, he has also been elevated to the status of being a chronic ganga smoker. From my old life I have the knowledge that some people can smoke ganga and others can't, it sets of a phsycotic reaction...too cut a long story short, this guy is now farkin crazy.

He has assaulted my wife whilst screaming things like " where is my new pickup", he has pulled her hair around in a swinging action whilst screaming " you rich, me poor" my missus had to strab him in the hand with a fork to make him let go.

All this has happened while I am away working, He doesnt show his face while I am around but to tell the truth the dude can strip a coconut husk with his teeth in a couple of seconds so I am not that keen to "take him to task" as I am sure he would have no hesitation to chop or chomp away.

The thing is, he used to be a bloody good bloke, now he is a lunatic and I dont know how to act, should I be a "western man" and give the bloke a tap on the head and risk a chop on the neck, or should I do as my wife suggests and leave it alone for family to sort out.

I feel like I am failing the "macho" test and have a few casual dreams about attacking him....

I feel pretty useless the tell the truth but it is eating away at me.....BTW, he does see the benefits of a farang inlaw as we pay for his sons education and employ the son in our shop for pocket money....the son is shit scared of his old man now and wants to live with us.

He has been taken for medication but has resisted all drugs to calm him down and in fact has taken to lighting fires at 3 am around the farm.

Khun Andy

[fruity]

All,

Been married nearly 4 years, built a house and some staunch relationships in the village and pretty well feel accepted in the main stream of village life.

I am lucky enough to have equal time working and living at home.

Always had a fairly good relationship with the uncle over the years but have also recognised a screw loose somewhere in his system. His motivation over the years has been money, not much but there nontheless.

The last six months he has seemed to been consumed with a hunger for money, he has also been elevated to the status of being a chronic ganga smoker. From my old life I have the knowledge that some people can smoke ganga and others can't, it sets of a phsycotic reaction...too cut a long story short, this guy is now farkin crazy.

He has assaulted my wife whilst screaming things like " where is my new pickup", he has pulled her hair around in a swinging action whilst screaming " you rich, me poor" my missus had to strab him in the hand with a fork to make him let go.

All this has happened while I am away working, He doesnt show his face while I am around but to tell the truth the dude can strip a coconut husk with his teeth in a couple of seconds so I am not that keen to "take him to task" as I am sure he would have no hesitation to chop or chomp away.

The thing is, he used to be a bloody good bloke, now he is a lunatic and I dont know how to act, should I be a "western man" and give the bloke a tap on the head and risk a chop on the neck, or should I do as my wife suggests and leave it alone for family to sort out.

I feel like I am failing the "macho" test and have a few casual dreams about attacking him....

I feel pretty useless the tell the truth but it is eating away at me.....BTW, he does see the benefits of a farang inlaw as we pay for his sons education and employ the son in our shop for pocket money....the son is shit scared of his old man now and wants to live with us.

He has been taken for medication but has resisted all drugs to calm him down and in fact has taken to lighting fires at 3 am around the farm.

Khun Andy

In my experience, best to do as your wife suggests by letting her & the family sort things out. I very much appreciate the way you are feeling, having been in a similar situation recently with one of my wifes brothers; an absolute idiot of a man. I could 'eat' this guy for breakfast, however, in so doing, who knows the s**t that would follow. Lets be fair, it's us that have everything to lose, not these useless b******s.

By being quiet, it maybe isn't the 'macho' thing to do, however, it is without any shadow of a doubt, the sensible thing to do.

I hope your situation resolves. I know these things can be very unsettling.

[ubonjoe]

Let the wife and family handle it. You would only make it worse if you did the "macho" thing.

It sounds more Lao Kao than ganga. I have seen many a good man here go nuts on Lao Kao.

[onni4me]

I feel like I am failing the "macho" test and have a few casual dreams about attacking him....

Andy,

whatever You do, never attack any Thai. Not a wise move. At all...

I can't offer much advice since I've never witnessed anything quite like that.

I wonder why your wife lets him get away so easily. He attacked your wife and that is a criminal thing to do. Maybe your wife should talk to the local cop or village headman. People are known to be treated in mental institutions even in Thailand - check it out. The bugger needs help or else someone might get hurt. I hope that's not you or your wife.

The last thing is to let it go like this. It will only get worse now when some limits are broken. The aggressive behavior will probably only get worse.

[geriatrickid]

Have you considered an underlying medical problem? Often these things can be brought on by things like dementia, or tumors. Any chance you can get the family to bring him in for a checkup? I know this is a bit impractical in many cases and a longshot, but weed doesn't usually make people aggressive. Sloppy & stupid yes, but almost always lethargic. (Which is why the alcohol suggestion seems more likely.) I too would suggest leaving it to the family to deal with. Mentally unstable people are unpredictable and you don't need to play the odds, especially if he stays away from you.

[hansnl]

All,

Been married nearly 4 years, built a house and some staunch relationships in the village and pretty well feel accepted in the main stream of village life.

I am lucky enough to have equal time working and living at home.

Always had a fairly good relationship with the uncle over the years but have also recognised a screw loose somewhere in his system. His motivation over the years has been money, not much but there nontheless.

The last six months he has seemed to been consumed with a hunger for money, he has also been elevated to the status of being a chronic ganga smoker. From my old life I have the knowledge that some people can smoke ganga and others can't, it sets of a phsycotic reaction...too cut a long story short, this guy is now farkin crazy.

He has assaulted my wife whilst screaming things like " where is my new pickup", he has pulled her hair around in a swinging action whilst screaming " you rich, me poor" my missus had to strab him in the hand with a fork to make him let go.

All this has happened while I am away working, He doesnt show his face while I am around but to tell the truth the dude can strip a coconut husk with his teeth in a couple of seconds so I am not that keen to "take him to task" as I am sure he would have no hesitation to chop or chomp away.

The thing is, he used to be a bloody good bloke, now he is a lunatic and I dont know how to act, should I be a "western man" and give the bloke a tap on the head and risk a chop on the neck, or should I do as my wife suggests and leave it alone for family to sort out.

I feel like I am failing the "macho" test and have a few casual dreams about attacking him....

I feel pretty useless the tell the truth but it is eating away at me.....BTW, he does see the benefits of a farang inlaw as we pay for his sons education and employ the son in our shop for pocket money....the son is shit scared of his old man now and wants to live with us.

He has been taken for medication but has resisted all drugs to calm him down and in fact has taken to lighting fires at 3 am around the farm.

Khun Andy

It sounds to me like the start of dementia.

This coupled to the use of anything mind influencing, will be devastating.

He knows very well, from what you describe, that you are the supplier of money and food.

But, in his mind, he wants a bigger piece of the action, and he knows very well, he cannot ask you, because that would be an enormous loss of face.

So he "asks" his daughter.

I have a situation like you have with my father in law, who drinks quite much.

The only thing I did once, was to go to his house with the wife, and let my wife translate what I thought about him.

And with that I do not mean our western ideas, but, more or less, Thai ideas.

I told him I feel ashamed for him, he is my father, and I do not want my father to loose so much face.

By doing the things he does, he also makes his daughter loose huge face.

And so on.

It calmed him down considerably.

What I also did, was giving him a salary.

Before that my wife slipped him some money from time to time, but after that I, not my wife, brought him his salary.

Also take with me a few beers to share together, and a small bottle of Mekhong for later.

All this made him more manageable.

Of course, it did not stop his drinking binges, but, he does not threaten his children any more.

And regularely he doodles along for a smoke and a talk with me, and a beer.

My wife tells me that in his mind he now thinks I am a good man, no black heart, and he calls me me now farang lao, because I can eat the same spicey things he adores to eat.

And when he is getting drunk when being with us, he has stories to tell me, hours of stories.

The only problem is, he looses the capacity to talk normal, so he starts talking with his hands and arms.

But: never attack him, only tell him like a son, to please behave himself, to please not bring so much shame to the family.

Hans

[bruceboy]

^Truly a fascinating story!

[khunandy]

It came out that when he was in his 20s (now 45) he went through a crazy spell and was heavily medicated, this was brought on by heavy ganga smoking as well

I know it isnt the usual reaction but I have also seen it in the west as well, some people just react differently to the chemical, of course there could be an underlying medical problem.

After the attack the family went down the shaman/ghosts road but that didnt have any affect, they next tricked him into a clinic visit which resulted in a big bag of pills which didnt have any affect either....he still didnt sleep and was just more distant and aggresive with his family.

A second visit to the clinic resulted in stronger medication but no result.

I am away for a month now, the local cops and headman are fully aware of what is going on and are keeping an eye on things. I told my wife if there is any chance of taking him for more tests in the city pay for it by all means but he isnt listening to anybody at all anyway.

Its a bloody shame as he can be a nice bloke and his work ethic was second to none. The change in his face is unbelievable, he has aged 15 yrs in 3 months.

[Gary A]

Andy, I have to agree with most of the posters. Stay out of it and let the family sort things out. Eventually he will decide to challenge the police and that will likely result in a beating. Just ignore him when/if he comes around.

ADDED - My wife has a drunken uncle. When we first moved here, he came around begging for money. I gave him a hundred baht to get rid of him. I got hot tongue and cold shoulder from my wife after he left. She said that he will now come every day for a hand out. She was right and she had to handle him after that. She asks him why she should give him money. She then finds things for him to do and pays him VERY little for what he does. He first complained that she was cheap and she retorted that she didn't see any reason to pay him more than she would pay someone else. He is not too fond of working so he very seldom comes around.

Edited February 25, 2009 by Gary A

[jandtaa]

Tricky problem !! Have experienced similar myself with a couple of the wifes family ! I agree with UbonJoe that lao kao probably plays a large part of the problem even if there are underlying mental problems, one brother in law would go off on lao kao benders and then come home assault his wife and teenage kids. I followed the usual advice and tried not to get involved even though I felt I should. The situation continued for a couple of years until one day when no other family members were about to intervene the guy tried to attack his son with a machete !! he was off his box and I managed to disarm him fairly easily, I then stood back and let them go at it, only pulling the son off when it looked like he was gonna beat his old man to death. Trouble was in His deluded brain I was the one that caused his loss of face and it became personal ( and boy can Thais hold a grudge!! ). The situation simmered on , constant bitching about me and my wife ( why didn' I help them all out financially etc ) to the rest of the family and anyone else who would listen. Water off a ducks back to me but causing a problem for my wife who really didn't want to fall out with her sister. I tried talking to him with my wife translating in a very similar way to Hans but he wouldn't give me the time of day. It all came to a head at a family party when he accused my missus of being a whore and told me I was a stupid buffalo. I'd had a few too many to drink so just walked away but the next morning when he was laughing about it with his mates I literally picked him up by his throat and shook him senseless . This was a guy that liked picking fights (always at it with some poor defenceless bloke in the village after too much lao kao) he knew he could win, a classic bully, and he sure didn't like a taste of his own medicine !!

I worried about the inevitable fallout all day but that evening family and other villagers turned up bearing beers, all with a story to tell of how he was a "bad' bad man!

I sure didn't feel like a hero and I think a lot of their reaction was more down to a Thai trait of always siding with a winner but some of them seemed truly grateful. BIL sulked around friendless for a bit but we had another chat with him urging him to slow down on the lao kao and this time he did seem to listen (could be something to do with the fact I threatened to rip his head off !! although I not sure the missus translated that bit ) and we now live in an albeit somewhat uneasy truce !!

At around the same time ( I like to call it my period of adjustment/ acceptment) I was also having problems with a nephew. He also had a problem with the old lao kao as well as ganja smoking and "ya ba"- amphetamine abuse ( something else you might like to consider as a possible cause of the problem ). He had recently been discharged from the army and considered himself a real hardman and a bit of a gangster (well known to the local police)!! After several incidents (he threatened me with a machete, attacked my best mate at my wedding causing a mass brawl and a premature end to the celebrations etc..) I lost my patience when he attacked my wife with the old hair pulling trick !! To me my wife is sacrocent and NO fuc_ker touches her no matter how well she maybe able to defend herself (she happens to be 5' nothing and weighs 46 kilo so not very well). I managed to get in a couple of good jabs and an overhand right which sat him on his arse before the family pulled me off !! Now I'm no fighter although at 6'2" and 90 kilo I certainly have an advantage over most Thai males! It was lucky the family was there as my blood was boiling, the adrenaline had kicked in and I might well of killed him!!

He roared off on his motorbike claiming he was gonna get his gun, somewhat worrying, and someone called the police. They showed up about 10 minutes later having arrested him, turned out it was a blank firing pistol. I said I didn't want to press charges and they came up with the solution that if he came back to the house the women, and only the women mind, of the village could beat him with sticks until he bled !! I kid you not TIT afterall !! The postscript to this little saga is somewhat sadder as about a month later he was arrested for raping a 14 year old girl. This was sorted out by some well to do distant relations in the usual manner a little teamoney for the police and financial compensation for the poor girls family !! He was then sent away to keep his head down in Bangkok where a job was arranged as a delivery driver for him. Last year he suffered a near fatal industrial accident crushing his trachea ( I tell the wife its a classic case of Karmma ) . The upside of the story is feeling lucky to be alive he has become a monk and renounced his old ways and while he's not on my christmas card just yet we do sit down and talk albeit him through a surgically implanted tube in his neck !! Afterall I do recognise that his behaviour was largely a result of his addictions and he is accepting personal responsibility for it.

Just thought I'd share my own experiences with you. Please take from them whatever you will as I am not condoning physical violence and it is possible that I could of handled either of the above instances in a different manner. If you want to try further mediation with the guy I would agree you use the "pu yai baan" as suggested by Onni4me. I used ours in a recent boundary dispute and found him to be most helpful as well as impartial. It wouldn't hurt anyway to make him aware of the situation if he isn't already!!

Chok dee na !! truly hope you resolve what is surely a most unpleasant situation.

p.s. sorry I've rambled on somewhat but boy does it feel good to get that lot off my chest!!

p.p.s. If he touches your wife again kick the fuc_kers teeth down his throat !! (if you"re worried about him fighting back I suggest you do it whilst he's sleeping off a heavy session !! or give us a bell and I'll come and lend you a hand (or maybe a boot!).Can't stand violence against women, there is NO excuse!!

Jandtaa

took me so long to type that lot you've posted again sounds like paranoid schizophrenia exacerbated by the use although not necessarily caused by ganja. Medical help the only solution however difficult it maybe to administer,look into if it is possible to have him sectioned.

Edited February 25, 2009 by jandtaa

[jandtaa]

62, Jitavej Khonkaen Hospital 169 Moo4, Chatapadung Rd., Muang, Khon Kaen 40000; tel (043) 227422; fax (043) 224722,jitavej khonkaen psychiatric hospital thai language website

Maybe try this place the spelling of the name is different on their website but thats becuse of method of romanisation they use. Apparently the top spot in Thailand for pschiatric disorders and probably a dam_n site better than your local clinic just dishing out pills willy nilly !!

chok dee na !!

Jandtaa

Edited February 25, 2009 by jandtaa

[NuttyMokum]

Djesus krist... what a stories...

After reading this, one gets terrified bout marrieing a Thai woman..

Luckily this happens not to all, but it can be a problem when it happens, I'm glad it did turn out right for you guys.

[WOWAsia]

Djesus krist... what a stories...

After reading this, one gets terrified bout marrieing a Thai woman..

Luckily this happens not to all, but it can be a problem when it happens, I'm glad it did turn out right for you guys.

Its a great advantage, if the thai woman - who you want to start a serious relationship with - has NO brothers in her family! And the less male relatives, the better! the best is if she has no close male relatives at all. things are A LOT easier then.

[fruity]

Djesus krist... what a stories...

After reading this, one gets terrified bout marrieing a Thai woman..

Luckily this happens not to all, but it can be a problem when it happens, I'm glad it did turn out right for you guys.

Its a great advantage, if the thai woman - who you want to start a serious relationship with - has NO brothers in her family! And the less male relatives, the better! the best is if she has no close male relatives at all. things are A LOT easier then.

Too True... So many Thai blokes, especially in Issan villages are lazy, scrounging useless BUMS, pure & simple. K.Andys problem sounds so much more like YABA than Ganja. They don't call Yaba crazy drug for nothing & it has the effect of really altering a persons physical appearance, i.e weight loss, yellowing of the eyes, spots etc.

[buffaloe]

hansni,i understand where you are coming from and wish you luck.i am coming to thailand at the later part of july this year.fortuately i have no father are younger brothers to contend with when i get there.

[jandtaa]

hope these may be of some use if you decide to pursue the matter

Jandtaa

Edited February 26, 2009 by jandtaa

[khunandy]

hope these may be of some use if you decide to pursue the matter

Jandtaa

Thanks jandtaa,

The family took him to a hospital in Khon Kaen for assessment (how I dont know) he answered their questions to their satisfaction, could write his name and address and told them he is working to hard ...that was it...a different dose of pills and saw him off. They didnt seem to be interested in his wifes situation although I have no idea how much she told.

I am away at work now but my wife tells me that he caused some trouble with the local butcher yesterday who immedietly offered to "sort it out" which resulted in the uncle running away. the sad thing now is that he can't find workers to help him harvest his veggies after punching his sister in front of them.

I will pass on the new information to my wife but she has adopted the head down and say nothing approach..as has the rest of the family now.

I hope the poor bugger comes through alright in the end as I always enjoyed his company.

Andy

[khunandy]

Regarding Ya Ba and Lao Kao abuse.

I think the Ya Ba theory could have some merit although my wife strongly disagrees. I have seen plenty of speed abuse in my younger days and a lot of his charactaristics and behaviour certainly do point to the possibility except he wont just crash and burn, which is what I have witnessed with prolonged speed useage. He has been running around all day and night for weeks.

The constant daily hunt for money could be a sign as well.

He is a lao kao drinker for sure but not to excess except at weddings, funerals and parties. His behavour isnt drunken but constantly manic.

My forecast is that he will end up getting the shit belted out of him by a local "posse", he is just upsetting too many people now.

[prakhonchai nick]

Regarding Ya Ba and Lao Kao abuse.

He is a lao kao drinker for sure but not to excess except at weddings, funerals and parties.

Isaan village life consists of little else but weddings funerals and parties!

Seriously though, my view is that having been given enough warnings, any physical attack on anybody should result in the "Boys in Brown" being contacted, and he being arrested for assault. A few days (or longer) in the lock - up may see him come to his senses.

[patklang]

Are these the trials and tribulations of living up country????

I must be extremely lucky that my gf family dont drink and are not aggressive.Could that be luck or good judgement on my part,i will let you judge that.

[Pseacraft]

Are these the trials and tribulations of living up country????

I wouldn't say that. Almost everyone has some disfunctional qualities in their families. My Thai family is no exception as is my falang family but they have learned to respect our privacy for the most part. They know we have done several things in our village and a couple of neighboring villages to give the family good face. I have two hotheads who over the years have threated or tried to attact my wife. Luckily for me I have a westernized Uncle (the eldest), who I go to when I have an issue with something, he can barely tolerate them also. I only get involved or show my concern when it crosses a certain line and I always use his position first and foremost. This lets the family know I understand their culture, more so than a few of them do. He has greatly exagerated my previous life to them so they try to stay below the radar, and really do so when I am home.

Education and sense of responbility really seems to be the driving factor in these relationships, the trouble makers seem to lack one or the other and often both. Adding stress modifiers to the mix and a typical jai yin yin attitude until it becomes uncontrolable puts one is a very uncomfortable position with the family and authorities. Best of luck to all parties for a happy resolution.

[barky]

This appears to be a disaster waiting to happen. Getting worse. Can wife and other family members really bring the situation under control? Reading other posts it seems you have little choice but to sit on the sideline and watch this abuse of your wife continue. There may come a time when you will you have to step in? It seems you have to be patient and hope that things will fix themselves. It was said in some posts that you should never touch a Thai (and we all know the reasons why) however if you love your wife as I'm sure you do, to protect her from serious harm you may be forced to "sort him out" and worry about the consequences later.

However, you did indicate that he was aging rapidly. With some luck his body will give in and the problem will solve itself.

Edited February 27, 2009 by barky

[khunandy]

Thanks for all the opinions and advice. He is still crazy but staying away from our house so that is making me feel a bit better.

I reckon he will go down his own path of destruction without too much assistance from anybody.

The violent thoughts of revenge I had have gone but there is no way I could ever witness him threatening or abusing my wife, natural instincts would come to the fore but I hope he is just smart enough to carry on with his own life.

The BIB called in and had a chat with the wife again (at someone elses instigation) and have reassured her they are only a phone call away and will drop in the shop when passing to show their presense.

Thanks again

Edited February 28, 2009 by khunandy

[andyc2006]

If your wife's family thinks waiting for the next attack is "sorting things out," well, I'll avoid the insult, but it's not easy to refrain.

If my wife were attacked by a man who had routine, easy access to my home and family, I wouldn't wait around for things to sort themselves out.

I'd ask my wife if she wanted me involved. When she said "no," I'd tell her that she had a choice: go file an official police report, and charge your uncle with battery, or go find a new husband.

I wouldn't put up with the family protecting the uncle, I wouldn't tolerate a situation where my wife routinely faced danger (and possibly me...?), and I wouldn't tolerate having a "victim by choice" in the house.

It'd be a "this ends now, or we end now" situation. If she chose her family over me, so be it, but I wouldn't tolerate for 1 day the scenario the OP has described.

[onnut]

If your wife's family thinks waiting for the next attack is "sorting things out," well, I'll avoid the insult, but it's not easy to refrain.

If my wife were attacked by a man who had routine, easy access to my home and family, I wouldn't wait around for things to sort themselves out.

I'd ask my wife if she wanted me involved. When she said "no," I'd tell her that she had a choice: go file an official police report, and charge your uncle with battery, or go find a new husband.

I wouldn't put up with the family protecting the uncle, I wouldn't tolerate a situation where my wife routinely faced danger (and possibly me...?), and I wouldn't tolerate having a "victim by choice" in the house.

It'd be a "this ends now, or we end now" situation. If she chose her family over me, so be it, but I wouldn't tolerate for 1 day the scenario the OP has described.

and you would not last too long in that situation would you?

K, Andy, you are doing the right thing, good luck. I feel very lucky about my wifes family when I read posts like yours. No brothers to worry about and only one uncle who is quite as a mouse.

[chrisyork]

Your wife is right. Leave it to the family.

To be clear, I presume you mean he's smoking cannabis? If so I'm surprised the local law hasn't had him lcoked up by now - it would be a major feather in their caps! I therefore presume that his problems are known and everybody is acting together to try and manage the situation for the long term good.

Be careful with apparent Thai lack of action. They will only tolerate him for so long. When Thais are wound up about something they will behave calmly and tolerently for an astonisghingly long time.... but then they will let go with incredible violence and suddenness! Lets hope your uncle doesn't provoke that!

Chris

[khunandy]

If your wife's family thinks waiting for the next attack is "sorting things out," well, I'll avoid the insult, but it's not easy to refrain.

If my wife were attacked by a man who had routine, easy access to my home and family, I wouldn't wait around for things to sort themselves out.

I'd ask my wife if she wanted me involved. When she said "no," I'd tell her that she had a choice: go file an official police report, and charge your uncle with battery, or go find a new husband.

I wouldn't put up with the family protecting the uncle, I wouldn't tolerate a situation where my wife routinely faced danger (and possibly me...?), and I wouldn't tolerate having a "victim by choice" in the house.

It'd be a "this ends now, or we end now" situation. If she chose her family over me, so be it, but I wouldn't tolerate for 1 day the scenario the OP has described.

Ahhh, If it was as easy as that, you probably don't understand that he was a much loved, hard working guy until this mysterious change of personality and aggressive attitude crept in a few months ago. The look of confusion, shame and pain on the uncles parents face is heart breaking.

Your suggested ultimatums

"this ends now, or we end now"

don't work with my wife and they don't work with me, BIB are aware of the matter and have said they will keep a close eye on things, the Phu Yai Baan lives across the road and is aware of things...the whole village is aware of it and monitoring him. The missus has a "backup" which I am not going to discuss on here.

Admittedly I am torn between cultures here but trust my wife's call and feel that I have made it clear that she has my support in whatever transpires, we have offered to pay for hospital treatment and workers to take care of his land while he gets help. We have also told his wife to expect enforcement of the Law if any other events occur. She is a victim too and trying to hold it together but understands that he is on thin ice.

My wife isn't a "victim by choice" she is a compassionate person hoping for a satisfactory conclusion.

[coventry]

A regular occurance for someone acting oddly, in Isaan, is being taken to the local temple and having the B.I.O(Boys In Orange) beat the evil spirits out of the afflicted person. I believe there was a legal case brought the other year against some B.I.O for being over indulgent and causing actual bodily harm to a woman. A few cigarettes and some Whiskey might induce them to take it to the limit for the OP's wife's uncle.

[ozzydom]

Perhaps somebody can let me know whether such things as restraining orders are used in the Thai judicial system .

In particular if a property owner wants to keep a family menber away from the premises.

[coventry]

Ozzydom I believe, under Thai law, you have the legal right to shoot anyone who enters your property without permission. First you need your missus to obtain a gun through the legal channels. Secondly fire it into the air now and again to let people know you have one. Thirdly sit back and enjoy the quietness as nobody will bother you, especially family members. Cheaper than a lawyer.

Edited March 1, 2009 by coventry