Phuket Police: Aussie Arrest No Laughing Matter

[ohdearohdearohdear]

Yes, indeed another reason to stay away from this third-world country. I'll be heading to more civilized nations in the immediate neighbourhood.

Bye Bye!!!

[Fun2Fun]

Its an absolute disgrace, and I feel very sorry for this Woman.

why - she is a thief

No she aint - her friend said that she did it..

How can she be a Thief when her friend said that she did it ???

Who did not do anything when the incident happened there and then, but very conveniently just "confessed" when her friend did have to spend the night in jail.

As such it might just be a friend trying to help a friend out of a jam by telling a "small" lie.

Who knows..she might have stolen it, her friend might have put it in her bag as a joke..she might have know or not know about the "joke" .

But if she tried to run away from the cops as reported..its more than likely that she did steal it herself or were part of a plan to do it together with her friend(s).

[babuhavas]

jiss i never knew a bar towel is so importent,and the bar owner requested this case to court,

common dosen't he have anything better to do?

[johnjydee]

Stupid! Stupid!! Stupid!!! The Police, The Thai government, and that abomination of a bar owner. I am sure that someone so unaustralian could not possibly be an Australian .This moron should have "Dick Head" Tatooed on his forhead. Surely he will be auctioning all his bloody precious bar mats soon. To say nothing of common sense, good manners, and plain good business sense . I am embarassed to be Aussie when I see this wanke_r perform. He should also take note that as the woman hadn't left the premises with his precious bar mat she certainly hadn't stolen it , and may well have great cause for a massive damages action against Dopey! But she should get in quick. because I can hear the value of his bar crashing from here in Aus..... the noise must be bloody deafening in Thailand .

Advanced member over there in Australia, I have to tell you the Aussie bar is full every night,full of other Aussie Yobos just like her and her group.

[ThaiEye]

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

and the story from Steve Wood leave a bit to be desired - he claims she was abusive to police - ran down the beach and that he was not going to press charges - what a pack of crap -- according to the interview with the police commander - he said that the owner sic Steve Wood was pushing for charges to be laid and no mention about running down the beach drunk - being abusive - i can just imagine the scene in the police station

Abusive to police, running down the beach. That's what all the witnesses are saying. You haven't been doing much reading.

ya and your as stupid as the witnesses - do u really believe what a bar girl who values her job is not going to say what she has been told to say -- come on - get real - and when did you ever believe a bar girl when she said she loved u haaa or are u one of those who married one - the witnesses for her side said that she was not abusive -- up set yes and understandibly - sure i would be also - even sober - so again conflicting stories but i know what most readers here would believe and its sure aint the bar girls stories ----

Go back and have a good read on other threads on the story. Plenty of witnesses, foreign ones, passers-by, not just barmaids.

Edited May 20, 2009 by ThaiEye

[webfact]

simple question:

Does a story like this have a DIRECT effect on tourism?

Does the Thai government care if it affects tourism? etc, etc, etc,,

Ofcourse it has.

This example is local government.

Sure, hundreds of thousands of tourists will immediately cancel their planned visits to Thailand...

Australia will issue a "travel warning"...

what's it all about?

Edited May 20, 2009 by webfact

[Phil Conners]

Regardless, it's another nail in the coffin of Thailands tourist industry!

[basjke]

The owner of the Aussie Bar insisted [at the time of the arrest] that the police press charges and bring the case to court, he said.

If this is true then the w_nker doesn't deserve any business from foreign tourists ever again.He must be very proud that he could put a fellow Aussie between bars.

Aussie Bar owner Steve Wood said Ms Smoel’s problems were largely of her own making and that it was his understanding that all she had to do was file a police report and she would have been fined and released.

If the owner hadn't pressed charges in the first place there would have been no need to file a police report.

Mr Wood, who has made it clear that he now has no interest in pressing charges, has his own explanation.

“I think they are holding out for some money from the media in Australia. Everyone tells me that all she had to do was file a report at the police station, and I can’t think why else she hasn’t already done so,” he said.

And I hope they mention his name and the name of his bar clearly and as often as possible in the media worldwide so he will get what he deserves.

Once the case does go to court it is likely Ms Smoel will escape with a small fine.

But they forget to say that everyone who is convicted in a criminal case,how small it also may be,will be arrested again until she can be deported.

-- Phuket Gazette 2009-05-20

[volatilekoala]

This is just ridiculous! Obviously snagging a bar mat is never a good idea, but even if she had done it, it is a MAT! fine her and let her off the hook. There is no need to arrest and detain someone for such a thing....I can't believe the poor woman had to spend 4 nights in jail. Dealing with the Thai police is frightening under any circumstances.

[easybullet3]

Does the Thai government care if it affects tourism?

Does the Thai government care if it affects tourism?

Does the Thai government care if it affects tourism? etc, etc, etc,,

BTW - what has a government to do with this local issue? If you steal bananas in an US supermarket and get caught, do you think the US government comes to your rescue?

sorry... i was being vague.

but you know what I mean!!!! (government tells all local governments how to handle such affairs).. if something like this case crops up, then its obviously going to inflate to media coverage and make Thailand (yet again) look bad in the worlds eye. Rules set by Central Government are applied by Local governments.

Just how Tourist Beaches in Thailand now have a Tsunami Evacuation Route, then why is it so hard for 'matters that concern Thailands PR' not also be 'flagged' and brought to the attention of the relevant people... and thus hopefully resolve these cases without damaging Thailands image.

~ if i had a nightclub and it had a bad reputation for heavy handed security and regular fights, then surely I would do whatever I can to clean-up my clubs image??? otherwise it would suffer from dwindling trade!! asking security not to be so heavy handed would be a start, followed by resolving all problems that would otherwise have made it into the local newspaper.

in the same respect, there is a lack of management in Thailand to make sure matters such as this are avoided. pure and simple!!

Edited May 20, 2009 by easybullet3

[Pib]

The person arrested, the bar owner, and police are all at fault to varying degrees.

It's very bad press for Thailand tourism and the police, hopefully the bar owner will lose a good amount of business for helping to let this get totally out of hand, and hopefully the person arrested will realize her stupidity (no doubt stupidity spurred by friends).

Edited May 20, 2009 by Pib

[blakeimage]

Stupid! Stupid!! Stupid!!! The Police, The Thai government, and that abomination of a bar owner. I am sure that someone so unaustralian could not possibly be an Australian .This moron should have "Dick Head" Tatooed on his forhead. Surely he will be auctioning all his bloody precious bar mats soon. To say nothing of common sense, good manners, and plain good business sense . I am embarassed to be Aussie when I see this wanke_r perform. He should also take note that as the woman hadn't left the premises with his precious bar mat she certainly hadn't stolen it , and may well have great cause for a massive damages action against Dopey! But she should get in quick. because I can hear the value of his bar crashing from here in Aus..... the noise must be bloody deafening in Thailand .

Advanced member over there in Australia, I have to tell you the Aussie bar is full every night,full of other Aussie Yobos just like her and her group.

I go to Thailand to get away from the Aussie Yobo's and hooligans. Why would you want to spend your hard-earned Leave from Work, mingling in a bar full of rude, drunken Australians? It's Beyond me...

Why not avoid The Aussie Bar all together? Head into Phuket Town and have some drinks at The Blue Marina or some other local thai clubs, I think you'll find it a lot more enjoyable. You might even save yourself some money.

[starkey_rich]

Its an absolute disgrace, and I feel very sorry for this Woman.

Why?

If this had been a drunken guy no one would bat an eye lid.

Feel sorry for what,She's staying in a very nice hotel right on the beach and will not speak to anyone unless her Aussie lawyer is present.Makes me wonder where the money is coming from for this.

And they call us winging poms

[mrbp]

On the face of it, it seems as if the owner of the Aussie Bar is being a bastard but I get the feeling if you run a bar in Patong you don't start getting under the feet of the local police that you have a special "business" relationship with...nudge nudge wink wink say no more. Especially when they are "pursuing" a "case".

I doubt he would have an easy ride from the Patong police if he started saying to the press that it was all overblown and there was no need for her to be given all this hassle. Loss of face for them means a tough ride for him.

Lets be blunt without spelling it out, Thai police are a semi professional police force and the full blown Firm at the same time.

They issue parking fines, arrest murderers and say who goes and who stays and how much wedge it will cost for the privilege of operating a business in Thailand. Plus many more "extra curricular" activities.

If you dwell in Thailand or run a business on their manor you don't start contradicting or badmouth them in anyway.

This is Thailand not the UK or Australia where you have rights and professional police force working to a strict code of conduct. I suspect he is towing the line, business is bad enough and tough enough for farang bar owners without upsetting the local heavies.

Of course he might be a total bastard but something tells me this is more about him knowing which side his bread is buttered on.

If you run a bar in John Gotti's neighborhood, what Gotti and his crew says goes.

[gatorhead333]

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.

the cow mooed too much, made it a question of face for police, now it is a cow on the good old barbee non aussie style. no doubt the cow gets burnt some.

Edited May 20, 2009 by gatorhead333

[warfie]

I can't believe this mountain being made of a mole hill........................ I have been to Thailand for many pleasant holidays, but I have just cancelled my booking for 4 of us and probably won't be going again........... There are many places that offer relaxing holidays without this over reacting.............. and after hearing of this magnification of a small infraction, and the fact that the owner of the AUSSIE BAR has let this thing go this far, count me out and hope that that owner of that bar lives long enough to recoup his losses over the bar mat................. He who lives in a glass house should not throw stones, and I will bet that the bar owner has a couple mis-deeds to his record as well.............

By canceling your trip you have indeed made a mountain out of a mole hill.

Congrats.

agreed... besides, there's more to Thailand than Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket

[gollum_hkt]

As such it might just be a friend trying to help a friend out of a jam by telling a "small" lie.

Who knows..she might have stolen it, her friend might have put it in her bag as a joke..she might have know or not know about the "joke"

AFAIK The Aussie Bar has CCTV covering all the bar/table areas, so guilt or innocence is moot.

[easybullet3]

simple question:

Does a story like this have a DIRECT effect on tourism?

Does the Thai government care if it affects tourism? etc, etc, etc,,

Ofcourse it has.

This example is local government.

Sure, hundreds of thousands of tourists will immediately cancel their planned visits to Thailand...

Australia will issue a "travel warning"...

what's it all about?

this story alone does not have a huge effect!!

we are talking about the compound effect of so many stories in the last year or so...

do I need to remind you? military coup, swiss guy that faced 10 years for drawing on a picture of a royal family member, PAD closing the airport for a week, phuket airport closed a few days, red shirt riots, etc etc...

its all these things TOGETHER that put people off thailand..

I doubt many will cancell their tickets over this,, (as they loose a percentage of their ticket price!! but we are talking about the people who are planning a holiday in the next year. its THESE people that are influenced.

[grandpops]

"The police brought her to Kathu Police Station for questioning, but she refused to admit her guilt and continued to insist that she was joking with her friends," said Col Grissak, who has extensive experience in the ways of foreigners from his work as head of the Tourist Police in Bangkok.

-- Phuket Gazette 2009-05-20

This is a pretty telling statement... the police told her she was guilty and she had the audacity to refuse her guilt.

Whats probably telling as well is that Ozzy Sheilas have grown up thinking they are right in every respect and that men are all rapists, wife beaters, drunks and oppressors. Soaps and movies where the men are simpletons and women save the day and have all the brains etc. Its just that.... movies and in the real world (outside of oz and hollywood), nations (all of them many times larger than this little western outpost stranded in Asia) have tradition such as respect for authority.

Anybody thinking of not coming, please do not come.

This poor sole is now trapped in one of the most luxurious hotels in Patong, her idiot Lawyer is effectively banned from here due to his comments so why keep him? He is probably more interesed in finding buyers for her story.

Anybody care to be imprisoned here http://www.phuketgraceland.com/ poor dear

Whats the betting no Ozzy man has ever dared stand up to these ladies before?

[hhgz]

Sara: How was your visit to Thailand?

Jane: Great! Look what I stole, a bar mat from the Aussie Pub in Phuket.

S: That’s so cool? Are you allowed to take things that don’t belong to you?

J: If you’re a foreigner, you can do anything!

S: Really?

J: Yah! If you get caught, you simply complain that you’re being persecuted because you’re a foreigner.

S: That’s so cool.

J: It is cool! Why should we follow laws in a foreign country?

S: What about the people who say what you did was wrong?

J: They’re just a bunch of moralistic haters. They don't know me - they shouldn't judge me!

S: You go, girlfriend! Stinking’ A!

J: STINKIN’ A! I am so cool. Besides, Australia was stolen by the English, and they put all of their criminals here. So, I’m just getting back to my cultural roots.

S: That’s so true, and it is so cool!

J: Stinkin’ A, it is cool.

S: You are so cool to think that I'm cool.

J: You're cool, just being you

[robokop]

Oh the poor poor abused tourist. What a bunch of crap. Go to a bar, get half lit, then steal an something, get caught by the police,try to run away and gets grabbed put on a big attitude with the police, as per unbiased witness, the bar owner, then cry and cry as she sobers up. Yep, see same type of crap all the time by drunken tourists. Poor poor me, was only joking when I stole from someone else. Like catching a little kid with their hand in the cookie jar. You do the crime, pay the fine, and get out a jail. Nope, drunks do not do it that simple.

[ThaiEye]

Sara: How was your visit to Thailand?

Jane: Great! Look what I stole, a bar mat from the Aussie Pub in Phuket.

S: That's so cool? Are you allowed to take things that don't belong to you?

J: If you're a foreigner, you can do anything!

S: Really?

J: Yah! If you get caught, you simply complain that you're being persecuted because you're a foreigner.

S: That's so cool.

J: It is cool! Why should we follow laws in a foreign country?

S: What about the people who say what you did was wrong?

J: They're just a bunch of moralistic haters. They don't know me - they shouldn't judge me!

S: You go, girlfriend! Stinking' A!

J: STINKIN' A! I am so cool. Besides, Australia was stolen by the English, and they put all of their criminals here. So, I'm just getting back to my cultural roots.

S: That's so true, and it is so cool!

J: Stinkin' A, it is cool.

S: You are so cool to think that I'm cool.

J: You're cool, just being you

Surprised drunken Sheila didn't also claim she was beaten, had to crap in a view of a 100 men and was starved. Ow.... that bit about being starved, she already mentioned.

[Ferry]

for me this is a real Thai practical joke! Al the problems for a stupid bar mat, I almost can't believe this is a high ranking officier ( Colonel ) with a high degree education, unbelieveble.

On the other side in Phuket and elsewhere the bars who selling or dealing hard drugs can do everything bad and what do this Col Grissak, yes like always ...nothing.

<snip>, but a bar mat is a real hot item, a big catch.

Poor poor AMAZING Thailand, what will thousands of people do without the farangs?

[twschw]

Sara: How was your visit to Thailand?

Jane: Great! Look what I stole, a bar mat from the Aussie Pub in Phuket.

S: That’s so cool? Are you allowed to take things that don’t belong to you?

J: If you’re a foreigner, you can do anything!

S: Really?

J: Yah! If you get caught, you simply complain that you’re being persecuted because you’re a foreigner.

S: That’s so cool.

J: It is cool! Why should we follow laws in a foreign country?

S: What about the people who say what you did was wrong?

J: They’re just a bunch of moralistic haters. They don't know me - they shouldn't judge me!

S: You go, girlfriend! Stinking’ A!

J: STINKIN’ A! I am so cool. Besides, Australia was stolen by the English, and they put all of their criminals here. So, I’m just getting back to my cultural roots.

S: That’s so true, and it is so cool!

J: Stinkin’ A, it is cool.

S: You are so cool to think that I'm cool.

J: You're cool, just being you

:D :D

[3zie]

Som Nam Na...

I have been to Thailand countless times, and each of those times - without fail, I have seen a bunch of Australians and/or other nationalities behaving badly and treating the Thai community with the lowest of respect. The Thai people work hard for their money and obviously don't appreciate theft as a 'practical joke'. These people need to use more common sense. You are leaving Australia to VISIT a very different country with different morals, culture, people and traits. While we might think it's a big "ha-ha" stealing a bar mat, The locals obviously do not.

The hospitality portrayed by the Thai people cannot be faulted, They are friendly, talkative, welcoming and very caring. You would not find such hospitality many other places around the world. When drunken hooligans come crashing into their town expecting them to bend over backwards, I am not surprised the Thai Police have little or no tolerance for foreigners.

Totaly agree... We are VISITERS. Visiters should always respect their Hosts.

[Lancelot]

I worked in a pub in Bristol a long time ago, and someone tried to steal an ornate ash tray from near the fireplace in the main seating area. The manager saw it and confronted the guy who denied it and wouldnt let his pockets be searched, and got abusive/defensive in a loud voice when the bouncer came over to ask what was going on. Police were called, the guy yelled at the police. Police took him to the station. No idea how long he had to stay there, but he wasnt even drunk.

And I would agree that in the above example calling the police and escorting the miscreant down to the station was the correct response. What I don't agree with is seizing Ms Smoel's pass port and detaining her since May 2. Why not just deport her?

(Not arguing with you and you posted a good example of poor behaviour and the correct response)

[peterrabbit]

The conclusion is overwhelming !

All tourists and Falangs in Thailand should avoid all Australian owned or managed bars / restraunts / guesthouses with immediate effect !

The Australian government should post this warning on their travellers advice web page.

[steveweaver99]

No one really knows the real facts, but we can only guess and read between the lines.

My take is that she stole the item and now shes being punished. She probably made things worse by her typical Aussie attitude and only wound the Police up. Granted the Police in Thailand are corrupt and use Farangs as ATM machines, but surely this would of not escalated if she had just accepted her doings or her freinds doings.

And I dont think she will do any time in Jail, they are simply making an example out of her. If she juices money out of the media, then that will show her true colours.

[ohdearohdearohdear]

Who knows..she might have stolen it, her friend might have put it in her bag as a joke..she might have know or not know about the "joke" .

But if she tried to run away from the cops as reported..its more than likely that she did steal it herself or were part of a plan to do it together with her friend(s).

I must ask you all to remember history and how Austrailia became populated in the first place.

The indiginous people of Austrailia have been overtaken by the convicted people of the Great British Justice system.

So ask your selves the question?

Who started this?

The police?...... NO

The Thief?........ YES

Who is to blame?

The Theif not the police, not the local government, not the Thai government, not the bar owner (silly man for having anything of value not nailed down in an Aussie bar)

THE THIEF IS TO BLAME OK!

Stop feeling sorry for the person who is causing this damage.

[tinglish]

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

What a moron! Better to keep your mouth shut and appear an idiot than to open it and remove all doubt!

Same goes for the BIB. What a bunch of morons they are! (like most Thais really). (Like 99% of expats really).

*ducks for cover*

Sorry for being trollish, but this whole situation is just pathetic.