Australian Jailed For Life In Thailand

[DonGato]

It's disappointing that someone hauling smack out of the Kingdom gets life, but farang murderers here often get a only few years and serial pedophiles are frequently released so the police can extort them again and again.

Couldn't agree more!!! But then again, TV may become a very lonely place...

Well said in both posts

[caf]

It's disappointing that someone hauling smack out of the Kingdom gets life, but farang murderers here often get a only few years and serial pedophiles are frequently released so the police can extort them again and again.

i assume you mean people who murder farang

i am not aware of any farangs who have murdered on recent threads

[caf]

All I can say, that who ever tries to deal or smuggle drugs, they always get caught and lose all their wealth with it no matter what country they are in. I have lost 3 good friends who fell for a similar activity like this because they were running dry on the cash front. One of them is serving 7 years in Japan, 1 is doing 3 years in Norway and the other is awaiting trial in Bangkok. I told them not to go, but they would not listen, the money is tempting with the highest being Japan upto 15000 USD.

There are recruiters everywhere, even in Pattaya down soi six, and soi seven/eight. A few british/austrailian lads working for Nepal & Arabs in Bangkok, who get paid $500 for recruiting people.

And its not just foreigners, there even getting Thai ladies to do it as well. How low can you get.

I bet these recruiters wouldn't even do it.

Think more clearly.

who ever tries to deal or smuggle drugs, they always get caught and lose all their wealth with it

The big boys never get caught, do they? Or do you have some info to share on that?

[Artisi]

Do the crime - do the time - end of story.

[borisloosebrain]

It amazes me that with all the life sentences handed out, fully covered by the media, that fools in full knowledge of the conditions in Thai prisons still take a chance with their futures when most have the safety net of a welfare system back home. I wonder if the success rate is so high that most mules make it through and they consider it a safe bet. Junkies numbed beyond repair, I can understand, but the rest. Madness beyond belief.

Regards Bojo

I'd plump for arrogant imperialist mindset.

An Australian with an imperialist mindset ??? Give me a break ! The only place this guy has invaded is Stupidsville -that place in the brain where you commit acts of extreme stupidity!!!!

[GungaDin]

I guess its a waste of time pleading temory insanity, i guess youve got to be completly of yer head to di it in the first plave. Sbiffer dohs are always about. Ive been going to board my flight before now and theyve lined us up with the sniffer dogs, myself and 2 others were told to step forawrd while the dog snifered around us. I was bricking it as my bird had packed my case not meeeeeeeeeee, plus we had rowed a few times during that holiday.

Elvis,

buy a new keyboard, or new specs.

[simcity]

Execution is now by lethal injection. What was this silly fool thinking??? Australia's airports have some of the toughest security measures in the world.They've even made a TV series about it. He never saw the show??? I dont believe it. Every passenger coming off a flight from Asia or Sth America must walk past one of the little sniffer dogs in the baggage hall. Impossible to avoid them because officials are watching you. He was never ever going to get through. Zero chance particularly a flight from Bangkok which is probably the NO 1 watch flight for customs officials. Incredible.

Please tell us more. What TV series? What little sniffer dog?

Why did they slit open the Velcro fastenings inside my luggage (on a journey from Bangkok to Perth)?

I saw this little dog there, a beagle going like a honey bird from suitcases to suitcases, looking for fruits to my knowledge! No sure how he will react in front of a durian lots or few kilos of heroine

[Electra]

What is it about the lower end, so ably represented by this forum, that screeches blue murder whenever the crime of drug smuggling raises its head? It's not as if the offence is that serious in the context of criminality and is simply just another means of meeting a demand freely created by market forces. No-one is forced to turn to drugs and one has to accept that users consume the product voluntarily. It is only a crime because of political considerations and if it were to be legalised the price would reduce, smugglers would be denied revenue and the product would be safer to consume. To argue that deterrence by draconian sentencing etc is effective is idiotic and belied by the many in every society who continue to take drugs.

The chap is not a murderer and should be out within 7 years if natural justice is allowed to prevail.

[sangfroid]

He'll be sent back to Australia in a year or two. The snivel libertarians will paint him as the real victim and will campaign for his return to a jail in Oz. They will plague his state government calling them callous and heartless for leaving him in a Thai "hel_l hole" jail and will accuse the government of being uncaring about his family. At first the state government will talk tough about his sentence but after a while, under pressure eg. an upcoming election they will go to water. It has happened several times already.

Google Holly Deane-Johns

Minister talks tough

http://antimisandry.com/stupidity/australi...iland-3300.html

http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21...079-948,00.html

But in the end. she was home for Christmas.

http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?Men...ContentID=49962

Edited August 5, 2009 by sangfroid

[Serpico]

I think every prisoner in a Thai jail should be released. The Police are the biggest gangsters in Thailand have no moral authority to be throwing people in the slammer.

[trainman34014]

All I can say, that who ever tries to deal or smuggle drugs, they always get caught and lose all their wealth with it no matter what country they are in. I have lost 3 good friends who fell for a similar activity like this because they were running dry on the cash front. One of them is serving 7 years in Japan, 1 is doing 3 years in Norway and the other is awaiting trial in Bangkok. I told them not to go, but they would not listen, the money is tempting with the highest being Japan upto 15000 USD.

There are recruiters everywhere, even in Pattaya down soi six, and soi seven/eight. A few british/austrailian lads working for Nepal & Arabs in Bangkok, who get paid $500 for recruiting people.

And its not just foreigners, there even getting Thai ladies to do it as well. How low can you get.

I bet these recruiters wouldn't even do it.

So where are all our much medaled police 'Special Task Force' (tourist police) hero's performing daily and nightly 'Stings' against all these recruiters?

[simcity]

Westerners don´t think the same way as regular people

What was I thinking?

That's why all the prisons in Thailand are full of Westerners and no Asians - just the "irregular people" habitat the prison system. It also explains why the Western World really consist's of third world countries.

Appropriate to the above is the other similar case decided the same day as Mr. Hood....

Thai court jails Malaysian drug dealer for 30 years

BANGKOK, Aug 5 — A 40-year-old Malaysian has been sentenced to 30 years' jail and fined 500,000 baht for drug trafficking and overstaying in Thailand.

The Criminal Court, however, halved the sentence due to David Goh Chee Leong's confession.

The Bangkok Post reported that Goh was arrested on Jan 5 at a rented apartment in Bangkok's Laksi district with 2.58g of crystal meth (known as "ice"), 71.97g of ecstasy, 44.71g of ketamine, and 8.01g of nimetazepam, a party drug marketed under the name Erimin.

He also faces a related charge of possession with intent to supply.

The daily also said that another Malaysian, aged 31, was arrested on Monday with a Thai accomplice in the southern province of Satun for allegedly smuggling 2.88g of crystal meth.

A number of Malaysians had been arrested in Thailand over the past few months for smuggling in synthetic drugs, including a marketing manager with a foreign workers agency who was nabbed at a luxury condominium here and three others in Sungai Golok, Narathiwat.

- Bernama News (Malaysia) / 2009-08-05

The newspapers must have made a typo, 2.58 g is worth few thousand baht, must be more like 258 g

Malaysia supply is wellknow for party drugs

[bwalker1973]

35% of the Police are involved, I give you an example, look a big fat Martin Ward who got done for 10 kilo in pattaya a few years ago. Out on the streets, got 10 years, one month later he is released? How do you think he got released? by giving prison officer a buch of bananas.

Edited August 5, 2009 by bwalker1973

[hardy1943]

border custom checks in australia are much more strict than anywhere in the world, so not sure what he was thinking about his chances not being cought. In thailand airports, unless police is not tipped by the foreign resident custom officers, the risk is much lower, but of cource screaning by the gates is at random

Bkk is known as the main hub in S.E.Asia to get it out. So with greasing a few hands it must be pretty easy,

however the other side is waiting , Australia is a tough place to get it thru and also many Thai and Americans are

sitting in American Federal prison for trying. Have a couple relatives in the US working at LAX and Hawaii

they claim is very common to catch them from BKK.

Edited August 5, 2009 by hardy1943

[teddy_bare]

One less MORON around, for awhile that is.............

If only it were that simple. The problem is there is a queue of them waiting to do the same, and more queues waiting to annoy me and you in other ways.

In 46 years I have shared the thoughts of 'string them up' and 'no one deserves to die'. I still can't decide which one is appropriate.

,

Undoubtably, there are some individual evil buggers in the world who care little for others' lifes. Then there are the followers who for example cut off other humans arms in Africa. Are they evil too or misguided, misinformed or a result of a fail human community, or just evil buggers too?

genetic research is finding evidence that supports the 'mad or bad' theories. It could be some people are born predisposed to turning or being bad. They could one day cite their genetic make-up as part of their defensive, therefore disputing they could not help but commit the crime. What then?

gene screening at or before birth?

[zzaa09]

It amazes me that with all the life sentences handed out, fully covered by the media, that fools in full knowledge of the conditions in Thai prisons still take a chance with their futures when most have the safety net of a welfare system back home. I wonder if the success rate is so high that most mules make it through and they consider it a safe bet. Junkies numbed beyond repair, I can understand, but the rest. Madness beyond belief.

Regards Bojo

I've mix thoughts. Life {anywhere} is a bit harsh for a processed sap that doubles in a varitable manner as of our keenest pain blockers throughout the conceieved medical world. The contrived story regarding the omnipresent of the war on some drugs is reflective of our make-belive lives. If one digs into how these illegal properties within the realms of contemporary history manifested, you'd be shocked and dismayed towards the reasons and whyfores. The Yanks founded this repressive era that is totally accepted worldwide. Can you guess why....??

[zzaa09]

Drugs. Illegal or otherwise. Couldn't imagine the real destruction that 'legal' pharmaceuticals do to people every year. It's staggering....and criminal. Alcoholic substances. Far more {and universally} damaging than those selective substances....

[asiawatcher]

Outside the court Hood told reporters he was disappointed with the life sentence.

I suppose he would have preferred the death sentence.

Seven days in Thai Prisons - he will wish it was a death sentence!

[sangfroid]

What is it about the lower end, so ably represented by this forum, that screeches blue murder whenever the crime of drug smuggling raises its head? It's not as if the offence is that serious in the context of criminality and is simply just another means of meeting a demand freely created by market forces. No-one is forced to turn to drugs and one has to accept that users consume the product voluntarily. It is only a crime because of political considerations and if it were to be legalised the price would reduce, smugglers would be denied revenue and the product would be safer to consume. To argue that deterrence by draconian sentencing etc is effective is idiotic and belied by the many in every society who continue to take drugs.

The chap is not a murderer and should be out within 7 years if natural justice is allowed to prevail.

Perhaps it's because they have had bitter personal experience of the misery that heroin can cause.

I had near

neighbours, good friends, fine people. I watched their daughter grow

up from a delightful 6 year old until one night she was found dead in

Sydney in terrible circumstances of a heroin overdose at the age of

24. She was getting heroin from a dealer in the Western Suburbs.

The family was destroyed and never got over it and within 8 years both

of her parents were dead, one of a heart attack, and the other suicided.

I went to all of their funerals.

[Bard]

Serves him right,

1. take the decision to trade in Heroin, involved in selling death, misery, and extensive additional crime from users needing money

2. take the decision to do it from Thailand, a country who has death penalty unless you confess, horrible prisons and extremely long sentences

3. Face the fact of you idiotic selfish decision, rot and die in jail.

Well done moron

[zzaa09]

You've only made 6 posts (under this name) and you're already on to the fact that TV has more than its share of rednecks. Not bad!

One doesn't have to be terribly observant to understand the broad personalities within like forums. These character traits are the norms amongst the family of Thai-based expat forums.

[sriracha john]

From his arrest in December...

Australian Andrew Hood, 36, arrives at Bangkok's Criminal Court December 19, 2008. Hood was arrested at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi international airport on Wednesday with 3 kilograms (about 7 pounds) of heroin strapped to his body.

REUTERS / 2008-12-19

To his court appearance in August.... it looks like the intervening 8 months have already taken a toll...

Australian Andrew Hood arrives at Criminal Court Wednesday before being sentenced to death sentence for having in possession 2.4 kg of heroin. His penalty was commuted to life imprisonment.

The Nation / 2009-08-05

Edited August 5, 2009 by sriracha john

[manu69manu]

I love how everyone is so quick to judge here. After living here 18 years, I've seen enough people set up to fill a small country like Canada. "If you don't say yes then you will get the death sentence." OOOPS

Australian jailed for life in Thailand

Andrew Hood pleaded guilty to the crime.

(Reuters: Sukree Sukplang, file photo)

BANGKOK: -- An Australian man who confessed to trying to smuggle three kilograms of heroin out of Thailand has been sentenced to life in jail.

Police arrested Andrew Hood, 37, in early December last year as he tried to leave Bangkok airport for Sydney.

During Hood's trial earlier this month, two police officers gave evidence and showed photographs of a number of packages taped to his stomach and legs.

The packages contained heroin worth about $500,000.

When he was first detained, Hood told reporters he attempted to smuggle the drugs for the money.

Hood's feet were chained as he stood in the court as the verdict was read.

The judge told him he was due a death sentence, but his confession meant he was given a jail term instead.

Outside the court Hood told reporters he was disappointed with the life sentence.

Thai authorities have issued an arrest warrant for the 34-year-old Australian who was with Hood at the time he was arrested, but who escaped.

-- abc.net.au 2009-08-05

[nyles]

Westerners don´t think the same way as regular people

What was I thinking?

That's why all the prisons in Thailand are full of Westerners and no Asians - just the "irregular people" habitat the prison system. It also explains why the Western World really consist's of third world countries.

Now I know why, cause a regular person told me what the problem is. I should hand in my University Degree's and re-do them in Thailand where I will learn how to think straighter.

Do you realize how ignorant you sound?

That'll make two of you

[crazyswede]

Way to go convict!

[zzaa09]

Death just for being a stupid bum is a bit over the top, save it for the Noriaga types.

....or Noriega's real employers.

[Busy]

Should have given him the death sentance,i wonder how many he has killed with that shit!

[IAMSOBAD]

What about all the VICTIMS from the sale of drugs? The poor kids hooked on drugs sold by greedy pushers? The fact that most heroin sold in Asia is grown by terrorists like the Taliban who use the proceeds in the name of God to buy more AK-47s to give out their own DEATH sentences. We seem to forget that many people suffer at the hands of smugglers and dealers. I say give him death and not feel sorry just because he is a dumbasssss fellow farang. Their are so many reasons that drug dealers should all be put to death. Drug cartels kill for any reason or for no reason just to show their power. The answer is to eliminate them. One way is to take out the criminality.

I feel drugs should be legalized and then taxed. Let the morons pay us back for their bad habbits.

That eliminates the dealers getting rich...terrorists getting cash and morons trying to smuggle.

[ayayay]

Westerners don´t think the same way as regular people

What was I thinking?

That's why all the prisons in Thailand are full of Westerners and no Asians - just the "irregular people" habitat the prison system. It also explains why the Western World really consist's of third world countries.

Now I know why, cause a regular person told me what the problem is. I should hand in my University Degree's and re-do them in Thailand where I will learn how to think straighter.

Do you realize how ignorant you sound?

I am just making fun of some of the people here on Thaivisa.

[Chunkton]

It's disappointing that someone hauling smack out of the Kingdom gets life, but farang murderers here often get a only few years and serial pedophiles are frequently released so the police can extort them again and again.

Except of course if those peds blatantly live in an area with say lots of hill tribe boys who are not regarded as Thai so nobody cares. As to the drug runner there is always another willing to try their luck, the suppliers never get caught of course.