By: BangkokPost.comPublished: 9/03/2009 at 04:52 PM

Police on Monday arrested former German military engineer Heutsch Dieter Beckers for allegedly setting fire to 11 public phone booths and advertisement signs at three bus stops in Bangkok's Thong Lo district.

Beckers, 64, confessed that he entered Thailand on October 5 last year and was financially broke after he met a Thai woman in Pattaya, Metropolitan Police commissioner Vorapong Chiewpreecha said.

The German admitted he burned down the phone booths and advertisement signs with a lighter because he failed to contact his friends in Germany via public phones.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews/13...sonist-arrested

Edited March 9, 200917 yr by saneroad

Arson in most countries normally results in a pretty stern penalty. He could be going away for a fair while. What a tool.

another pattaya related story

did this guy not seek help from his embassey?

I don't care what language they hear it in, I have a feeling that embassy staff tune out as soon as they hear: "I met a woman in Pattaya and...."

Strange, seem some German people might have been willing to return to Germany or at the very lease contact his Embassy. I wonder what is the Policy of most Embassies in Thailand and other part of the world is on help their citizens without Funds return to the home country?

Was just watching him on NBT news. The whole thing sounds mad and sad. Imagine how pissed off he would be at being throuwn out of bus shelters by homeless Thais after having allegedly been ripped off in Pattaya.

Hope he gets some consular help now.

If it's the same guy as I am thinking it is, I've seen him around. He's been wandering around Soi 22 the last few weeks and he's definitely suffering from a serious mental illness. He has been wearing tin-foil with coloured cloths wrapped around the top of his head and has been walking around talking to himself. He also looked like he had been sleeping rough.

I'm not surprised if this is the same guy because at the beginning of last week he was writing on the pavement with chalk by the bus stop near Soi 20 to the bemusement of the Thais. When I passed there a day or two later I noticed that he had more or less covered the whole pavement from that bus stop down to the corner of Soi 22. It must have taken him a considerable length of time and I'm surprised he wasn't arrested then.

It will be interesting to see what course of action the police will take because he is definitely suffering from a serious mental illness and I believe should really be back in Germany having the correct care.

Strange, seem some German people might have been willing to return to Germany or at the very lease contact his Embassy. I wonder what is the Policy of most Embassies in Thailand and other part of the world is on help their citizens without Funds return to the home country?

If all else fails (ie trying to help indiv to obtain funds from home country) Usual SoP for Consular staff is to take possession of the distressed indiv's passport, issue a one way ticket to home city with one way temp passport travel document (and usually only after liaising with Thai authorities)... Distressed indiv's passport is returned by their respectove foreign office after repayment of moneys advanced for the cost of the tix plus their admin charges.

If it's the same guy as I am thinking it is, I've seen him around. He's been wandering around Soi 22 the last few weeks and he's definitely suffering from a serious mental illness. He has been wearing tin-foil with coloured cloths wrapped around the top of his head and has been walking around talking to himself. He also looked like he had been sleeping rough.

I'm not surprised if this is the same guy because at the beginning of last week he was writing on the pavement with chalk by the bus stop near Soi 20 to the bemusement of the Thais. When I passed there a day or two later I noticed that he had more or less covered the whole pavement from that bus stop down to the corner of Soi 22. It must have taken him a considerable length of time and I'm surprised he wasn't arrested then.

It will be interesting to see what course of action the police will take because he is definitely suffering from a serious mental illness and I believe should really be back in Germany having the correct care.

It is him, just seen them taking his photo outside a booth with a lighter in his hand, the German Embassy need to help this poor guy.

I don't care what language they hear it in, I have a feeling that embassy staff tune out as soon as they hear: "I met a woman in Pattaya and...."

True... so true...

Hardly arson.

Melting bus shelters and phone boxes with a lighter is petty vandalism.

Hardly arson.

Melting bus shelters and phone boxes with a lighter is petty vandalism.

It is still vandalism and the items have to be replaced or renewed, it probably wouldn't seem petty if the money was coming out of your pocket.

Hardly arson.

Melting bus shelters and phone boxes with a lighter is petty vandalism.

It is still vandalism and the items have to be replaced or renewed, it probably wouldn't seem petty if the money was coming out of your pocket.

What did I say?

It's still a petty offence, unlike arson, which is a more serious crime.

Get a grip.

It is him, just seen them taking his photo outside a booth with a lighter in his hand, the German Embassy need to help this poor guy.

The German embassy, as most embassies here, will do not much more than visiting him in prison once a while, unless the get some high level pressure from the home countries. Not much chance of that with that poor bloke.

His best chance is that he can get himself transferred to a mental hospital, and then somebody at home can send fund for the costs of a ticket to the embassy, plus enough for a fine for a most likely overstay.

Beckers, 64, confessed that he entered Thailand on October 5 last year and was financially broke after he met a Thai woman in Pattaya...

Glad to see that the ladies of Pattaya are doing their part to help the ailing Thai economy...by seeing to it that Thailand's foreign currency reserves are growing

That only leaves 4869531 phone boxes left on Sukhumvit road

Beckers, 64, confessed that he entered Thailand on October 5 last year and was financially broke after he met a Thai woman in Pattaya...

Glad to see that the ladies of Pattaya are doing their part to help the ailing Thai economy...by seeing to it that Thailand's foreign currency reserves are growing

Seems pretty hard to torch a place with a lighter....I mean wouldn't he have run out of lighter fluid before getting the first blaze going unless of course this wunderkind was using some special wunderkindling

thailand the "last chance saloon" for many westerners.

If it's the same guy as I am thinking it is, I've seen him around. He's been wandering around Soi 22 the last few weeks and he's definitely suffering from a serious mental illness. He has been wearing tin-foil with coloured cloths wrapped around the top of his head and has been walking around talking to himself. He also looked like he had been sleeping rough.

I'm not surprised if this is the same guy because at the beginning of last week he was writing on the pavement with chalk by the bus stop near Soi 20 to the bemusement of the Thais. When I passed there a day or two later I noticed that he had more or less covered the whole pavement from that bus stop down to the corner of Soi 22. It must have taken him a considerable length of time and I'm surprised he wasn't arrested then.

It will be interesting to see what course of action the police will take because he is definitely suffering from a serious mental illness and I believe should really be back in Germany having the correct care.

the germans will take him back if he nuts

another pattaya related story

did this guy not seek help from his embassey?

what are you saying getting drained of your money from a Thai only exists in Pattaya, i think you need to get out a little more

I wonder what is the Policy of most Embassies in Thailand and other part of the world is on help their citizens without Funds return to the home country?

You have to make a real effort to contact family or friends in your home country. Only if this fails may there be an option to receive a few bucks for accomodation and food, and, in the case of being "stranded" in Europe, a train ticket. The (little) money they give you is a loan, mind you, which you'll have to pay back to your government a.s.a.p.

Beckers, 64, confessed that he entered Thailand on October 5 last year and was financially broke after he met a Thai woman in Pattaya...

Glad to see that the ladies of Pattaya are doing their part to help the ailing Thai economy...by seeing to it that Thailand's foreign currency reserves are growing

Hardly arson.

Melting bus shelters and phone boxes with a lighter is petty vandalism.

It is still vandalism and the items have to be replaced or renewed, it probably wouldn't seem petty if the money was coming out of your pocket.

What did I say?

It's still a petty offence, unlike arson, which is a more serious crime.

Get a grip.

I would agree, Ober. And another Thai forum has put this sad case in perspective. This forum is good but the insensitivities and flames spoil it. In my humble opinion of course. And I hope saying that does not offend against forum rules.

Beckers, 64, confessed that he entered Thailand on October 5 last year and was financially broke after he met a Thai woman in Pattaya...

Glad to see that the ladies of Pattaya are doing their part to help the ailing Thai economy...by seeing to it that Thailand's foreign currency reserves are growing

Why are you glad?

thailand the "last chance saloon" for many westerners.

I am not an English native though I hope my English is good. (My friends say so, but i don't know)

What is a last chance saloon?

Thanks

anyone got a link to the news story ( TV Version )

Was just watching him on NBT news. The whole thing sounds mad and sad. Imagine how pissed off he would be at being throuwn out of bus shelters by homeless Thais after having allegedly been ripped off in Pattaya.

Hope he gets some consular help now.

Sorry, but I don't pity any farang breaking the law here (especially someone feeling sorry for himself). It just makes it that much more difficult for the rest of us.

I saw this poor chap on the Thai news yesterday. He had long straggly hair and a beard and looked like a homeless guy. From what they showed on the news, he was melting some of the paint off a wall at the bottom of a couple of phone booths with a lighter. It appeared to be more vandalism than arson. He apparently was angry that homeless Thai's were giving him the boot from sleeping in bus stations. Very pathetic indeed. Apparently he was a former soldier in Germany.

What I don't understand is how do these guys lose all their money to girls in Pattaya? Are they so stupid to give out their ATM card and the PIN code of their ATM card? Who would give someone their ATM card to use? Certainly no one I know. Do some people keep their life savings in one bank account that can be accessed by an ATM card? I hear these stories about men losing literally everything to their name. I just don't get it. Everyone I know has their funds spread across multiple bank accounts, some in different countries. The funds that can be accessed via an ATM card from the streets of Thailand are only a drop in the bucket of their complete portfolio. I just don't understand how someone can put themeselves in such a position.

Strange, seem some German people might have been willing to return to Germany or at the very lease contact his Embassy. I wonder what is the Policy of most Embassies in Thailand and other part of the world is on help their citizens without Funds return to the home country?

If you are a U.S. citizen, don't expect much help from the U.S. embessy.

They will arrange to recieve your money that you transfer from your bank account in the U.S. tp purchase a ticlet home.

The U.S. embessy does not lend or give out money or tickets. Don't expect any help from them, unless you can pay for it yourself.

and the motto to the story is dont waste your money on chalk