Australian Red Shirt Conor David Purcell Wants To Return To Thailand

[TAWP]

This isn't about free speech.

He wasn't arrested for saying stupid things.

He was arrested for being in a location that was occupied illegally and speaking on a stage that was illegally raised by the occupation force.

So in part he could even be seen as partly responsible with other organizers, atleast more so than people that only visited the sites.

[paully]

He said he intended to return to Thailand

"I am almost certain they will prevent me from returning. I will do whatever I can ... and then try to go back to Thailand."[/Quote]

Who does he think he is, Lenin?

The guy is utterly deranged.

[koto]

Can't figure out if he is a drama queen, dumb arse, or douch bag. I think he should come back.

Dear Beetle, Is it possible he could be all three?

Then again like many Farangs over here, his little head, out rules the big head, and he's in lust, come hel_l or high water, this is his heaven and hel_l all in one.

[souvenirdeparis]

In order to come back he 'd need money for a ticket first , then a little to buy somtam ( he could sleep in the street with fellow reds, so no need to save for a hotel room); what will he do to earn a few dollars and support himself till he gets a visa ? Teacher of didgeridoo ?

[Puccini]

...He just loves being in the limelight I think.

He's gearing up to have a book ghostwritten, I think.

[yellow1red1]

Why all 'hypothetical' Posts to confuse?

A. free speech in UK and USA not same/ same Thailand - can't compare apples and durian

B. under Thai constitution freedom of speech and religion for foreigners is enshrined

C. everybody knows that is only on the books but not the working rule;;;

C 1. and the Decree might have over ridden the free speech he had only 'technically' anyway

D. Purcell 'might' have a better chance at the UN, than with Thai or Ozzie to stick up for his free speech

E. if a devout Buddhist maybe he can claim 'freedom of religion'

He doesn't seem 'bad' per se, with no bad intentions and motives; but he should have know the consequences and be able to live them. real heroes don't snivle at the outcome, they champion their actions

if its true he got beaten? sorry about that

[rubl]

In order to come back he 'd need money for a ticket first , then a little to buy somtam ( he could sleep in the street with fellow reds, so no need to save for a hotel room); what will he do to earn a few dollars and support himself till he gets a visa ? Teacher of didgeridoo ?

Didn't know, had to look this up:

The didgeridoo (also known as a didjeridu or didge) is a wind instrument developed by Indigenous Australians of northern Australia at least 1,500 years ago and is still in widespread usage today both in Australia and around the world. It is sometimes described as a natural wooden trumpet or "drone pipe". Musicologists classify it as a brass aerophone.

[Puccini]

...free speech is enshrined in the Costitution but not enforced...

Have you read the constitution of Thailand?

[bkkbrad]

Can't figure out if he is a drama queen, dumb arse, or douch bag. I think he should come back.

I'd say all three...the only reason he wants to come back to Thailand is because he has f-all in Australia..he should not be allowed back into Thailand. Thankfully the majority of Thais realise that he is a <deleted> and they DON'T think we are all like him.

[neverdie]

OK.

If he wants to waste an air ticket from Australia to Bangkok Airport, and back

that is his perrogative.

Agreed, however the two flights could possible be split by a couple of weeks of free accomodation at the Bangkok hilton and a little more summary justice .

My bet is he is just full of hot wind and will fade into darkness ......his two seconds of fame is up.

[saraburioz]

Breaking news - hardly

Good on you mate . You stood up for what you believe in . Many of the posters here, I bet, are too bloody scared to say boo to a policeman.

Come back . we need more of people like you. There are way too many BORING retired fuddy duddys here these days.

I laugh as all the screwed up alcohilcs and sexpats love to bring down someone who gives them a bad name to make themselves feel that Thaiand acyually wants them.

Edited September 8, 2010 by saraburioz

[rubl]

Breaking news - hardly

Good on you mate . You stood up for what you believe in . Many of the posters here, I bet, are too bloody scared to say boo to a policeman.

Come back . we need more of people like you. There are way too many BORING retired fuddy duddys here these days.

I laugh as all the screwed up alcohilcs and sexpats love to bring down someone who gives them a bad name to make themselves feel that Thaiand acyually wants them.

Ages ago when I was still in my teens I might have found saying 'boo' to a policeman fun. Now I tend to play pool with them. It's part of the growing up process.

[Puccini]

...B. under Thai constitution freedom of speech and religion for foreigners is enshrined...

You are the second poster in this topic to refer to the Thai constitution without quoting the relevant section:

Section 45. A person shall enjoy the liberty to express his opinion, make speech, write, print, publicise, and make expression by other means.

The restriction on liberty under paragraph one shall not be imposed except by virtue of the law specifically enacted for the purpose of maintaining the security of State, protecting the rights, liberties, dignity, reputation, family or privacy rights of other person, maintaining public order or good morals or preventing or halting the deterioration of the mind or health of the public.

...

yellow1red1, your mission, should you accept it, is to find and post here the relevant texts from "law specifically enacted for the purpose of maintaining the security of State" and from the government decrees issued under the authority of that law regarding the declared emergency situation earlier this year.

[Chiangmai Cheers]

What an idiot, or does he have mental health issues? Not content with alleging a fake consipracy against the government of Thailand (they "could have" planted drugs, but they didn't did they?) he now wants to take on the Australian government.

At least the other Red Shirt British gentleman has had the decency to shut his mouth about it once he was deported.

But you must remember he is of Irish descent.

Please explain your racist comment

[neverdie]

Breaking news - hardly

Good on you mate . You stood up for what you believe in . Many of the posters here, I bet, are too bloody scared to say boo to a policeman.

Come back . we need more of people like you. There are way too many BORING retired fuddy duddys here these days.

I laugh as all the screwed up alcohilcs and sexpats love to bring down someone who gives them a bad name to make themselves feel that Thaiand acyually wants them.

Agreed with your first part (hardly breaking news) but from there on in you lose it completely. Douchebags like this arnt good for foriegners whether they be tourist or expat. Thailand certainly doesnt need 'visitors' like him.

How do you determin that there is too many boring retired fuddy duddys here? Is it the same way you determine who is a screwed up alcoholic or sexpat?

[tjeffrutherford]

Mr. Purcell go back to Australia and involve yourself of politics there! Don't come back. You are not welcome here by the Thais and us foreigners. You give us a bad name.

Speak for yourself, my royalist-reactionary friend. The jury on all of this, including Purcell's experience, is still way, way out. Read about it in the history books, if you're still cognizant then. Your attitude of "leave me alone on the sidelines with my beer Chang and colostomy bag" is unwelcome. If you have ideas of how to make a positive difference in THIS world NOW -- not your imaginary world WAY back when -- then you should do something about it. No need to respond to this. Turn off your computer, matey, and winch yourself off the couch.

Purcell might be a monster and he might be an angel. How would any of us know? The Nation? The Bangkok Post? TV expert analysis? All we know is everything is changing, and we have, none of us, half a clue of where it's going. Hold onto your armchairs, boys!

And dude, don't try to speak for "the Thais." Like you KNOW about that. You can't even speak for "us"!!!

[Pushit]

Purcell has been deported and blacklisted, his remark "they would probably not allow me back anyway" are insignificant. The words "Attention Whore" are appropriate for this specimen.

[sirchai]

Som nom nah!

"On the second day, they had seven criminals beat the living shit out of me....."

Guess they knew what they were doing with who.Stay away from here you fool. :jap:

[hungryhippo]

Well, I'll probably be dragged through the streets for this, but I think what he did was fairly brave.

Only if you believe every word he says. Otherwise it's all talk to try and defend his actions. The guy simply saw it as an excuse to go running around in anarchy.

Every criminal will tell you they're innocent, that the whole world is against them and they heroically made the best of a situation. You're pretty naive to think otherwise. It's also pretty easy to detect when these kind of people are lying as their stories are all the same. Demonise everyone against them, make themselves out as the victim and showing themselves off as being virtuous in a difficult situation they themselves created.

He's not brave. He's simpleton criminal trying to make out that he is the poor underdog getting kicked by the man and you're encouraging him.

[sirchai]

What an idiot, or does he have mental health issues? Not content with alleging a fake consipracy against the government of Thailand (they "could have" planted drugs, but they didn't did they?) he now wants to take on the Australian government.

At least the other Red Shirt British gentleman has had the decency to shut his mouth about it once he was deported.

But you must remember he is of Irish descent.

Please explain your racist comment

Why is there so much hate between Irish, English, Scottish and Welsh guys?

[rubl]

Mr. Purcell go back to Australia and involve yourself of politics there! Don't come back. You are not welcome here by the Thais and us foreigners. You give us a bad name.

Speak for yourself, my royalist-reactionary friend. The jury on all of this, including Purcell's experience, is still way, way out. Read about it in the history books, if you're still cognizant then. Your attitude of "leave me alone on the sidelines with my beer Chang and colostomy bag" is unwelcome. If you have ideas of how to make a positive difference in THIS world NOW -- not your imaginary world WAY back when -- then you should do something about it. No need to respond to this. Turn off your computer, matey, and winch yourself off the couch.

Purcell might be a monster and he might be an angel. How would any of us know? The Nation? The Bangkok Post? TV expert analysis? All we know is everything is changing, and we have, none of us, half a clue of where it's going. Hold onto your armchairs, boys!

And dude, don't try to speak for "the Thais." Like you KNOW about that. You can't even speak for "us"!!!

Speak for yourself indeed my friend and try not to contradict yourself in the process. As for the 'colostomy bag', had to look it up, learned another word. My English improving, thank you you made my day

Edited September 8, 2010 by rubl

[RabC]

You can argue about the Thai constitution all you like but we all know what is written as law and what actually happens here are two different things. Anyone who has spent any time here will know that what he did was going to get him in deep s@*t. Whether we believe he was morally right in what he did, it was a stupid thing to do in Thailand. The scenario of doing it in the UK is not applicable as this is not the UK. We want to live here we play by THEIR rules written or unwritten, simple.

[Rumblecat]

Well, I'll probably be dragged through the streets for this, but I think what he did was fairly brave.

Only if you believe every word he says. Otherwise it's all talk to try and defend his actions. The guy simply saw it as an excuse to go running around in anarchy.

Every criminal will tell you they're innocent, that the whole world is against them and they heroically made the best of a situation. You're pretty naive to think otherwise. It's also pretty easy to detect when these kind of people are lying as their stories are all the same. Demonise everyone against them, make themselves out as the victim and showing themselves off as being virtuous in a difficult situation they themselves created.

He's not brave. He's simpleton criminal trying to make out that he is the poor underdog getting kicked by the man and you're encouraging him.

I'd absolutely agree with you if we were discussing Jeff Savage, but I'm not entirely sure what it is you think Purcell has been lying about. What parts of his speech on stage do you think were deliberate falsehoods? Purcell has admitted breaking the law by staying without a visa and he accepted the political charges against him (although he didn't plead guilty- I'm not sure how that works... I suppose it means he admits they were correct but refused to acknowledge their power over him, which is admittedly odd)- he wasn't going around encouraging violence, in fact he was doing the opposite.

I guess I'm just out of step with the majority views on this, which is fair enough. it does seem to me that Purcell had a genuine belief in what he was doing, albeit one that was misguided as it meant he willingly became aligned with a political movement that he himself admitted he didn't fully understand.

[mmh8]

Ok, to take hypothetical example... let's say I'm an American citizen and I'm in Manchester, UK. There's a protest against the government going on and I witness the army showing up to control it, and then firing rubber bullets into the crowd, injuring people. hel_l, since it's hypothetical let's have them fire some live rounds in there as well. Government deny it. I have the chance to speak out about what I saw.

I'm guessing the prevalent attitude here is that because I'm an American in the UK, I should just shut up, right?

I'm not sure I totally agree with that then. But if I did speak up, I'm not understanding why people would be advocating beatings or long prison sentences as a result.

its half wits like you that cause problems , take myamar for example http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/aug/15/burma-release-us-prisoner

still think you should shove your nose in where it ain't wanted

[Anyse]

Well, according to http://www.mfa.go.th...482.php?id=2487 (see #11), he wouldn't be allowed back in anyway. He just loves being in the limelight I think.

Yes, according to item #11, both subsections 6 and 7 apply to his case and it seems that he can NEVER return to Thailand unless given a pardon and erasure of record. These items are as follows:

11. According to the Immigration Act of Thailand B.E. 2522 (1979), foreigners who fall into any of the following categories are prohibited to enter Thailand:

. . . . .

(6) Having been imprisoned by judgment of the Thai Court; or by lawful injunction or judgment of the Court of a foreign country, except for when the penalty is for a petty offence, or negligence, or is provided for as an exception by the Ministerial Regulations.

(7) Having behaviour which could cause possible danger to the public; or having the likelihood of being a nuisance or constituting any violence to the peace, safety and security of the public or to the security of the nation; or being under warrant of arrest by competent officials of foreign governments.

He was arrested and tried for what item 7 states and was also imprisoned, fulfilling the other rule for exclusion as he spent time in prison as well for his actions in item 7. Seems pretty clear cut to me.

Were I to live in Thailand, it is not my business to involve myself in the politics of my host nation. I am a guest and I would behave accordingly.

Edited September 8, 2010 by Anyse

[Englander]

What an idiot, or does he have mental health issues? Not content with alleging a fake consipracy against the government of Thailand (they "could have" planted drugs, but they didn't did they?) he now wants to take on the Australian government.

At least the other Red Shirt British gentleman has had the decency to shut his mouth about it once he was deported.

But you must remember he is of Irish descent.

Please explain your racist comment

Why is there so much hate between Irish, English, Scottish and Welsh guys?

A significant section of Scots, Catholic Irish and Welsh have all got a huge chip on their shoulder to the point they hate the English and we're not overly welcome in many parts of their countries.

The English just think theyre insignificant and we couldnt really careless about them despite us funding all their nations by approx 3000GBP per head, though we do wish theyd stop inflicting socialist govts on us.

[Anyse]

It's hilariously funny that so many people don't think he should get involved in the politics of another country. But hang on a minute. The USA, UK and many other countries are only too happy to stick their nose into the affairs of almost any country they disagree with. Not only that but they are happy to allow hundreds of thousands of civilians to be killed. But that's ok, it's only colleateral damage. There seem to be plenty of double standards here. I don't hear you all saying how wrong it is to be involved in Iraq, Afghanistan, etc.

I have to say that, as an American with a conscience, I certainly am against the gunboat, drone bombing, collateral damage as well as preemptive strikes against other nations by the US and any other nation as well! What Bush Jr. did was the work of an international criminal! Yes, it is against the Geneva Accord to commit a "first strike" against any other nation as it is a "crime against peace" and Bush Jr. ordered just that along with the use of made-up data and information presented to the UN by General Powell. I am ashamed of the actions of the US in the world. 1.3 million civilian deaths in Iraq by US and other forces in its support is inexcusable and can never be justified. We are seeing a repeat of this same type of slaughter in Afghanistan. Who knows what nation will be next! I have written to the president as well as genrals and congresspeople that they are "criminals" deserving of a trial before the World Court and should suffer the greatest punishment of all: execution. Yep, I have done this over the years. So, please, don't put ALL Americans in that basket of glee with the deaths of so many innocents. Were I in Thailand, I do not know if I would even want to say that I am an American. Also, the government of Australia has sent troops in support of the US (along with the UK, Spain, Italy and other nations) and its overall policies in the Middle East. I wish that they had not!

[warfie]

This dick should get deported from Australia now too... residency and passport; cancelled! back to Ireland and whatever trouble he was running from in the first place.

[Buchholz]

Mr Purcell - who accepted political charges against him but did not plead guilty

Not according to the events of the day when he plead guilty just last month.

BANGKOK (AFP) - An Australian man arrested for joining violent anti-government street protests in Thailand is to be freed after pleading guilty on Friday to breaching the kingdom's emergency laws, a court ruled.

Conor David Purcell, 30, will be released because he has already served his sentence of three months, reduced to six weeks because he admitted the charges.

When dealing with an unruly toddler, it's amazing how effective a proper "time out" can be in correcting their temper tantrums:

[Rimmer]

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