Phuket Police: Aussie Arrest No Laughing Matter

[ohdearohdearohdear]

Pleading guilty in Thailand does not carry the same meaning as western countries. Not saying she was or wasn't guilty, but a plead here means nothing. (Let's make a deal!)

Of course, we all need to respect the Thai justice system while we are in Thailand. The same way we must respect a grizzly bear in our midst. Don't mess with it and avoid at all costs, you will get bitten.

Maybe she was having a "joke" with the court that would be fun wouldn't it!!

Pleading guilty in any language means the same, with all the legal back up she was in contact with if she had a defence surley the lawyers would not have allowed a travestery of justice to happen with so much media attention their reputations could be in tatters!!!

[norwayeagle]

Hola.What that has been done here,is not theft ,,,it is culture.! ( a bad culture (maybe)like many other cuultuure .but, it IS a major society problem ! ?. The next generations have to learn that mom and dad dont take "souvenirs" from Where ever they go! voff Well,quess all these Souvenires are all made and understood to b taken. ,they(thee souvenires) are all in the companies budget,(if not,it should and in your check bill..and WILL b good as a promotor and so on.......Ja ja , what 2 do?

[OzMick]

Not a good situation with a "war of words" and both sides digging in to their positions. The Thai police colonel defending his men's actions and the Australian press making the story front page news (which I am in favor of.)

What ever went down, it looks like the Phuket authorities are not backing down on this one.

Nothing turns a tourist off more than heavy handed Police. Why was it necessary for anyone to be put in a cell for what was obviously a trivial offence? A notice to re-appear, even a seizure of passport, wouldn't have caused a ripple in the world news. Maybe she was abusive - police deal with abusive drunks every day. If you can't deal with it, change jobs.

And now the "Big Pig" says this is how things are done here, without the slightest thought to the repercussions. Why should he worry, he's on a sweet salary.

On the other hand, there is no such thing as bad publicity. when an English lass was murdered on Lamai Beach, Samui, pictures of the beach were shown on UK tv. A friend's mother thought that it looked lovely, and convinced her to visit. As she said, "I can get raped and murdered in my own street."

[taxin]

Sorry, wrong ! Ive just come from there, place is buzzing, packed with Aussies, more people than usual for this time of the day (3pm). Lots of high spirits, jokes, laughing and taking lots of photos, mainly involving beer mats. Had to re-order more stock as they cant keep up with beer mat sales.

Every single Aussie in there is supporting the bar and Thailand in general. Not one person is supporting the thief and are all agreeing that she stole, she got caught and should accept the consequences. Note: YES, these are AUSSIE customers in the bar saying this.

Sorry to disappoint you doom mongers, just giving you the facts as & when they happen.

NOT TRUE

One of my news feeds quotes him as saying his phone has been red hot with complaints. His own words. I suggest members check out these facts independently and don't necessarily rely on posts here solely.

So because a few mis-informed uneducated dimwits are calling the bar complaining, this means the place is empty ?

Trust me, the place was full this afternoon. I know, I was there myself ! One skanky lying thief will not bring this pub down, im sorry to disappoint anyone out there who thinks it will !

[animatic]

Two young Thai girls were hanged to death by house robbers the other day. Guys who shoot people to death are running around the country free. Influential people do their best to rob the country blind.

And amid all this, the Phuket police and an Australian owned bar decided to turn the tiniest molehill into a ridiculous, embarrassing mountain--all over a bar cloth. Even if the woman knowingly took the mat (and there seems to be very little evidence so far that she had any knowledge of this), the case doesn't deserve the treatment she received.

As others have pointed out, if the Thai police did the same for everyone who broke some law to that extent (and again, there's not much evidence produced so far that she did), I think virtually the whole country would be in the lockup.

How the Australian bar could let the situation get so far out of hand is hard to understand. This is definitely the kind of attention and reputation a business owner doesn't need at any time, and especially now. Whoever was in charge that night at the bar, you really gotta wonder, what were they thinking???

Goes right to the point the law is the law but discretion common sense and flexibilty

are also in the police's powers, and in this case they took the dead wrong course.

I am pretty sure she didn't admit culpability because she believed she WOULD get long jail,

and so stayed mum....asking for lawyer etc. Not understanding the Thai ways, that most of us take YEARS,

not a two week vactaion to figure out. I think the local top cop couldn't back down without lost face,

until HIS boss's boss, sent word down; Boys, call it a day boys.

Regardless of written in stone law, it is DAILY even HOURLY 'interpreted situationally'

by all Thai police and all Thai people, in this case their ch0oice of interpetation to circumstances

was blinding WRONG. And precipitated an international incedent and huge damage to Thailands tourist i

ndustry that was ALREADY on the ropes from several issues.

WHY IN hel_l has this not been explained to the Phuket force:

Think beyond the moment for the good of THAILAND as a whole.

She was not a prefect character in this, and her friends worse,

but the tourist police are supposed to be advised about,

and sensitive to the cultural differences that cause these types of incidents

and how to MINIMIZE the potential damage, but INCREASE IT...

And yes the Bar owner could have worked hgharder to smooth this over for his OWN SAKE.

He could have been the hero, instead he is just another goat on a string

waiting for his business to be eaten whole.

[coconutmonkey]

Seems wierd Thaksin gets 2 years for 773 million baht scandal, and they're counting up to five for a bar mat.....

[JohnGotti]

pretty scary the way things can get blown up so easily in Thailand.

[carvets]

Matter now resolved, Thai Officialdom wins looking lenient and fair and helpful, while the police save face by not dropping the charges and remain the Guardians of The Law, The Judicial System does its job, the Perpetrator retires to her family of weeping daughters and settles in to life on the Media circus ,..er circuit , Australian Gov looks to have been influential ,.....but that bastard of a bar owner with probably no work permit , who watches his patrons with CCTV and has hired guns secreted all over his bar and who is ruthless and unforgiving and just another example of evil Aussie bogan badboys will be left with the fallout.

Tough luck Steve,....pop a coupla bottles of water on ice and i'll see you for the first State of Origin game in a few weeks.

Edited May 20, 2009 by carvets

[marsteele]

she is on her way home nowpaid 500 bht got her visa back.. Morale of the story STAY OUT OF THAILAND. if you do go don't drink in an aussie bar.

[Tyke]

The silly cow deserves everything she gets except the cash handouts from the Australian media.

Yeh...you are soooo right. Do you have your halo permanently switched on??

The reaction is completely out of proportion to the "crime" commited. Have the TIB (Thugs In Brown) taken anyone of the murder cases of foreigners to devote time to this womans horrendpous crime?

U really don't get the big pic do u? It's the Oz media that has blown it up to be a big story - without them this wouldn't have any newsworthyness and no-one except maybe the thief if she was sober would have noticed.

[marsteele]

I hope the Aussie bar goes broke we don't need australians like this owner Steve you and your bar are trash

[loong]

Lets also take note that she pleaded GUILTY ! Everyone who says she didnt do it can now see that she did. You were all wrong ! She pleaded guilty to theft in a court of law (although not the laws of a country that you would wish for).

Why didnt she just admit it straight away instead of causing all this trouble ?

Personally I would jail her for lying about her mates playing a prank !!

Pleading guilty in Thailand does not carry the same meaning as western countries. Not saying she was or wasn't guilty, but a plead here means nothing. (Let's make a deal!)

Of course, we all need to respect the Thai justice system while we are in Thailand. The same way we must respect a grizzly bear in our midst. Don't mess with it and avoid at all costs, you will get bitten.

Maybe she was having a "joke" with the court that would be fun wouldn't it!!

Pleading guilty in any language means the same, with all the legal back up she was in contact with if she had a defence surley the lawyers would not have allowed a travestery of justice to happen with so much media attention their reputations could be in tatters!!!

Come on Gloat some more...

Did you read the report?

"To expedite the case, she pleaded guilty to a theft charge over the incident"

That means that she was persuaded that it is in her interest to plead guilty to get the case rushed through and finished. It in no way means that she is actually guilty.

"Governor Wichai said he felt very sorry for her and considered she was not at fault. "

The governor himself, who probably knows more of the actual facts than anyone here, considers that she was not at fault ie he thinks that she is not guilty.

Edited May 20, 2009 by loong

[norwayeagle]

pretty scary the way things can get blown up so easily in Thailand.

As i see it,things get blown up all over the "Place"and we are all( me too,, nit niiit noi) a part of the Wind,. I know naaaathiing am from Barcelona (joke)

[marsteele]

A few aussies go to phuket for a holiday decide to go and watch the footy and have a few beers in the aussie bar. Be careful this steve character has got the bar loaded with undercover thai police just watching you and waiting to fit you up with anything they can get you for. Free beer for thai police a few baht kickbacks and a slice of the action for the owner steve. What a scumbag lure your own into your den to be eaten .

[zemoo]

She is not a cow! In fact, some of her happy snaps show her to be quite a pleasant & buxom wench.

She is using a well-known law firm to extract as much (1) publicity & (2) cash out of a tawdry little event.

She is, with good make-up and clothing, quite photogenic - read all about it in the women's magazines.

Her recalcitrance has set up her beautifully to have a big earn from press and Television - so no sympathy for her, she is just earning income.

This is the fourth or fifth post about her "Earning big" from press. Are you all morons? Do you think the press pays for interviews? They don't have the money to and no self-respecting newspaper pays to interview ANYBODY.

Shows you what kind of idiots post on this site.

Maybe you're right but I'll tell you why such a big issue has been made of this (far greater "injustices", if that's what you want to call it, occur every minute of every day all over the world); This story couldn't be better for Tourism in Australia and in these times of economic uncertainty, the Australian Authorities want your buck to stop at home - understandably so. Thats why the PM, Mr Rudd, has got involved (although he isn't really concerned about the plight of a drunken thief on a party island, even if it was her "mate" who committed the crime or should I say "prank" to save her FACE )

The longer she stays there the better for all parties concerned; She gets an extended vacation, More money is spent in Thailand and the Police get to make their point and re-establish the pecking order, Australians stay home and spend their cash rebates in the country and the tabloids (sensationalist journalism)... well they always win!. Sorry but I fail to see who the loser is here - for once we're all working together for the common good Even thaivisa.com is experiencing a record number of hits! Does anybody really know all the facts, does anybody really care? - didn't think so! Hey, money makes the world go round - simple fact of life! Who's playing tonight?

[ohdearohdearohdear]

"She's a Victorian and we want to get her back," Mr Brumby said

Dear Mr Brumby

Please take her back to your loverly state of Victotia (named after a great Queen of England) in your beutiful country, Australia she is one stupid, thieving woman. She came to our country on a holiday, leaving her children behind with you I presume in the control of a sencible adult. Whilst she was here in our country she admitted to the Thai courts that she had stolen something that did not belong to her, ironicly from a guy who is from your shores and has worked hard to set up a business here so that people can enjoy their holidays in the knowlege that one of their countryman is the owner so fear of not speaking the language etc. are catered for. Well when she got caught she said that she did not know that she was stealing this large item and was said to have been abusive to a Thai policeman of senior rank (not proven ). She contacted your good countries embassy/consulate here in our country and asked for help, whereupon you and Mr Rudd apparantly put the wheels into motion regarding the early release from the Thai justice system. It seems that a big law firm from your country were instructed to act on her behalf along with good legal representation from here ( i trust you will settle the accounts as soon as possible). Well the out come was that she admitted guilt and was fined and sentanced to a suspended jail term. Then a high ranking Thai official paid on behalf of your countries subject, the fine. It would appear tht you countries mediea have taken up 50% of this story and are attempting to make it look like Thailand is a bad place for nice Austrailians to go to on their holidays. This is not the case it is only a bad place for Austrailian Thieves to go on their holidays. So please take back this convicted criminal and perhaps have a look at her arrangements with regard to child care during her absence, apparently one of her children was hospitalised whilst she was here and the father who was also here could not be bothered to return to the childs side in the hospital. so take her back and please, please keep her away from us.

Respectfully yours

An ex-pat in Thailand

[grandpops]

After reading the details of this saga, I'm going to boycott travel to Australia.

At least when we go to oz there's no danger of being accused of going for the women

Slap on the wrist and guilty in a court of law.

I hope the real victim of this (the bar owner) gets some redress in this. It was a real case of trying to identify a man behind it and going for the jugular. Man involved in PC countries such as Australia automatically means the woman is innocent.

Glad the lady went home ok though as she seemed ok and certainly not as bad as many of the yobs of both sexes that have plagued the Aussie Bar these past few years.

[ratio]

"She's a Victorian and we want to get her back," Mr Brumby said

Dear Mr Brumby

Please take her back to your loverly state of Victotia (named after a great Queen of England) in your beutiful country, Australia she is one stupid, thieving woman. She came to our country on a holiday, leaving her children behind with you I presume in the control of a sencible adult. Whilst she was here in our country she admitted to the Thai courts that she had stolen something that did not belong to her, ironicly from a guy who is from your shores and has worked hard to set up a business here so that people can enjoy their holidays in the knowlege that one of their countryman is the owner so fear of not speaking the language etc. are catered for. Well when she got caught she said that she did not know that she was stealing this large item and was said to have been abusive to a Thai policeman of senior rank (not proven ). She contacted your good countries embassy/consulate here in our country and asked for help, whereupon you and Mr Rudd apparantly put the wheels into motion regarding the early release from the Thai justice system. It seems that a big law firm from your country were instructed to act on her behalf along with good legal representation from here ( i trust you will settle the accounts as soon as possible). Well the out come was that she admitted guilt and was fined and sentanced to a suspended jail term. Then a high ranking Thai official paid on behalf of your countries subject, the fine. It would appear tht you countries mediea have taken up 50% of this story and are attempting to make it look like Thailand is a bad place for nice Austrailians to go to on their holidays. This is not the case it is only a bad place for Austrailian Thieves to go on their holidays. So please take back this convicted criminal and perhaps have a look at her arrangements with regard to child care during her absence, apparently one of her children was hospitalised whilst she was here and the father who was also here could not be bothered to return to the childs side in the hospital. so take her back and please, please keep her away from us.

Respectfully yours

An ex-pat in Thailand

WELL SAID

[callum06]

rules are rules!! don't be a mouthy cow with the Thai police lesson learn't i think

[taxin]

I hope the Aussie bar goes broke we don't need australians like this owner Steve you and your bar are trash

Very intelligent post marsteele !

So if someone went in your shop or business, stole something and then was caught, would you be happy if everyone wished that you lost your business, simply because the thief was given a hard time by the cops ?

Steve did not steal anything, she stole from his business. He was not responsible for her being in jail, she put herself in jail !

[carvets]

I hope the Aussie bar goes broke we don't need australians like this owner Steve you and your bar are trash

OK so Steve with a little counseling and the right attitude could change and be redeemed,.....but that bar, now how you gonna deal with that bar, and its an Aussie bar which makes it even tougher to redeem. Its a no good downright dirty rotten Aussie bar and should be bulldozed and replaced with a good wholesome, respectful and healthy,......juice bar, yeah how about that ???!!

[CqK]

It was a 60 dollar bar mat maybe a weeks wages for the average thai, maybe a petty crime in OZ but not in thailand.

Would you be happy if someone stole your phone and the police said don't worry its only worth 60 dollars ?

What state do you think this country would be in if they said steal what you want as long as its under 60 dollars ?

She is a thief or her friend is a thief I am truly shocked at the people on here who think its ok for people to visit a foreign country and steal,

I don't understand all the references to Thai salaries.....This was an Aussie Bar run by shareholders most of whom are Aussie, and with an Aussie manager.....It was also a Bar mat or towel......Like the guy who took an ashtray in the UK, this is something that is fairly commonly taken for souvenirs....And she was DRUNK...The bar gave her the alchol that made her and her friends silly. That's what happens when you drink......She also didn't take the towel out of the bar which in the UK wouldn't be considered as theft.

I truly do not know what this particular bars policy is on stolen goods.

That being said, I do know of Thai waitstaff working for International food and coffee chains, who have had to pay for items stolen at their stations. I do know of Thai waitstaff who have had to pay for food refused by customers, often from misunderstanding spoken English, which, by the way, is a foreign language in Thailand. I also know for a fact that Thai waitstaff are not paid salaries the visiting tourists are paid in their country of origin.

[Orac]

The silly cow deserves everything she gets except the cash handouts from the Australian media.

Yeh...you are soooo right. Do you have your halo permanently switched on??

The reaction is completely out of proportion to the "crime" commited. Have the TIB (Thugs In Brown) taken anyone of the murder cases of foreigners to devote time to this womans horrendpous crime?

U really don't get the big pic do u? It's the Oz media that has blown it up to be a big story - without them this wouldn't have any newsworthyness and no-one except maybe the thief if she was sober would have noticed.

Agreed - the media have sensationalised what is pretty much a non-event here. Possibilities of theft, resisting arrest, drunkeness and abusive behaviour leading to somewhere between 48 hours and 4 days in jail (if you were arrested late on a Friday night and released Monday morning you could technically call it 4 days when it is little more than 48 hours) then released on police bail while investigations take place - there has been an alleged crime remember - followed by a trial where on pleading guilty she received a minimal fine and suspended sentence.

The problem is, as happenned in the recent Laos case, the press highlight the maximum sentence possible even when it very unlikely to be applied - in this case 2-5 years in prison actually became a small fine. in the Laos case they were going to hang a pregnant lady.

I would be surprised if similar cases/events as happenned above did not happen at least on a weekly basis in Australia, Europe or US without anyone raising an eyebrow.

[marsteele]

I hope the Aussie bar goes broke we don't need australians like this owner Steve you and your bar are trash

OK so Steve with a little counseling and the right attitude could change and be redeemed,.....but that bar, now how you gonna deal with that bar, and its an Aussie bar which makes it even tougher to redeem. Its a no good downright dirty rotten Aussie bar and should be bulldozed and replaced with a good wholesome, respectful and healthy,......juice bar, yeah how about that ???!!

yea thats the right attitude and a few beers and the AFL. just get rid of this steve character and all his thai police mates

[TheLaughingMan]

Lets also take note that she pleaded GUILTY ! Everyone who says she didnt do it can now see that she did. You were all wrong ! She pleaded guilty to theft in a court of law (although not the laws of a country that you would wish for).

Why didnt she just admit it straight away instead of causing all this trouble ?

Personally I would jail her for lying about her mates playing a prank !!

Maybe she was having a "joke" with the court that would be fun wouldn't it!!

Pleading guilty in any language means the same, with all the legal back up she was in contact with if she had a defence surley the lawyers would not have allowed a travestery of justice to happen with so much media attention their reputations could be in tatters!!!

No. Most of you are still not reading the articles and keeping up to date. Also you do not seem to realise that pleading guilty is the only way to get out of this country fast and it is proven by the fact that the Governer of Phuket says very straight that she is not guilty and did nothing wrong, he also paid her 1000 baht fine out of his own pocket and he apologised to her. These are not the actions taken against someone that actually committed a crime.

Edited May 20, 2009 by TheLaughingMan

[LivinLOS]

Well she didn't really confess on TV... said it was a joke from a friend and the security cameras in the bar say the same... someone put it in her bag! So if that is a self confessed criminal???? Or are you guys getting a different version in Thailand. We just landed in Australia last night...

She plead guilty, was charged, and convicted..

Is that hard to understand

[ohdearohdearohdear]

I hope the Aussie bar goes broke we don't need australians like this owner Steve you and your bar are trash

Very intelligent post marsteele !

So if someone went in your shop or business, stole something and then was caught, would you be happy if everyone wished that you lost your business, simply because the thief was given a hard time by the cops ?

Steve did not steal anything, she stole from his business. He was not responsible for her being in jail, she put herself in jail !

Marsteal sorry misstyped that is an idiot well said

[animatic]

Seems wierd Thaksin gets 2 years for 773 million baht scandal, and they're counting up to five for a bar mat.....

Yeah, like I said 'situational interpretation' of law.

This incident was unnecessary for any reasons.

[VSteve]

Add one more to the long list of reasons why tourists will avoid Thailand. As if Phuket wasn't already in bad enough shape- what in the world were the coppers thinking?!

I agree, this is terrible! It's bad enough they stand around and do nothing all day, even during traffic jams all over Bangkok. Now this?!!!

[bubblehead]

From Phuketwan

Quote:

AUSTRALIAN mum Annice Smoel was given a six-month suspended jail term and a 1000-baht fine for theft in a court ruling today at provincial court in Phuket City.

The jail term will be stayed for one year and if Mrs Smoel does not commit any crime in Thailand for the year, her jail term will not have to be served.

She will be allowed to return to Australia.

Immigration officials were at the court to assist with the return of her passport.

More details coming soon.

I hope they stamp her passport as an Undesirable no Return to Thailand.

Because we don't need SELF CONFESSED CONVICTED THIEVES causing us more bad press.

Thank you now go and collect your money from the Aussie press!!!!!

DIE YOUNG!!

Well said