Englishman Robbed At Gunpoint In His Jomtien Home

[poppa]

If he had been found dead, hands behing the back and pastic bag tapped on his head, it would have been another tragic sucides.  A friend of mine's step father commited sucide in such a maner. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

iam not surprised if i had to live in Bang Saen i would do the same

[MyNameIsFarang]

Ok, let's try a thought experiment.  Here's an *imaginary* news item:

Mr. Fred Jones and his wife, Khun Lek, were assaulted and robbed at gunpoint in their home yesterday in North Pattaya.  Over 200,000B of cash and valuables were stolen and the couple sustained minor wounds and bruising and are reported in stable condition in Pattaya Memorial Hospital.  It is suspected that the thieves, who posed as gardeners, are associates of former employees of Mr. Jones' restaurant in Pattaya.  The police are recommending that Pattaya residents view strangers visiting residences with suspicion.

All right- I'm all set to see the sparkling wit in making light of *this* couple's misfortune.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Were they gardeners or farmers? Maybe one of them was ploughing Miss Lek.

Howzat?!

[markuk]

No sympathy here - the English robbed people all over the globe for years!!

[daveb1]

I agree with those who say some of the comments were in bad taste they are! Just think if it was someone you loved or a member of your family this happened to. The comments are not funny they are in extreme bad taste and i just hope the guy and hi partner are both OK Edited September 8, 2005 by daveb1

[mrbojangles]

Let me get something right here. A man is subjected to a violent robbery in his home where a lot of money is taken. Usually you lot would be ranting on about the crime rate in Pattaya, and yet, because the man could be gay (according to the press) its ok to make childish jokes at the mans expence. Is that it?

I must say that the insensitivity shown in this thread toward the victim of the robbery was surprising even for me, who thought I was well used to the disdain for gay people demonstrated by so many posters on this board.

Steady on Guys, there is certainly no "Gay Bashing" on my part. As far as the comments that have been made, i concur with thebounders post below. "Double entendres", there have been many of these (not all at gays) and are just in jest and not meant personally. If the victim had been critically injured, i'm sure the remarks would have been different. lighten up will ya but if you have been offended, then i apologise for comments i have made I also smell a Rat with this story and think there's more to it, than meets the eye. "His boyfriend's" ex's are suspected ????

Have you never heard, "sticks and stones may break my bones, but calling names won't hurt me".  Besides, the jokes made were not personal attacks, just double entendres and if they upset anyone reading this, then the individuals in question should grow up and act their age, as they are way too oversensitive.  In my opinion it is all harmless fun.  Whenever I have an accident or suffer misfortune, my friends invariably make fun out of it. I do the same to them.  It is completely natural. Far better to laugh than to cry.  And if generalisation is a crime, then every single one of us has been guilty at one time or another.

[englishoak]

"Double entendres", there have been many of these (not all at gays) and are just in jest and not meant personally.

Can't please all the people all the time. This site always has a few people making cracks.

Lighten up, it was the initial headline that started the jokes anyway, unfortunate but funny.If you can't smile at that you are quite sad

[britmaveric]

Levity is the key - stop being so bloody sensitive. If gay wasnt mentioned trust me other witty comments would have been had. It's mostly PCN style of reporting which causes this.

[ThaiAsAkite]

LoL @all the queens venturing from the the gay board to do some "straight bashing"...

Watch out dave their armed with hadbags!!!!Better not post anymore "mystic" one worders

[RonanTheBarbarian]

Britmaveric said: "Levity is the key - stop being so bloody sensitive."

Perhaps I am being oversensitive, Britmaveric. On another message board, (which cannot be mentioned here, but it is the one run by the spiky pachyderm) somebody said about the issue: "let the Pattaya "pie and chips brigade" have their jokes", and maybe I should.

But as a gay man, i did find it offensive. And if you will take the liberty, Britmaveric, of telling me that i am being too sensitive, maybe you will allow me the liberty of saying that you are probably not in a position to know what the appropriate degree of sensitivity I should have as a gay man.

But i an not expecting to bring anyone round to my views in writing this. Just maybe make them think a little.

At the moment there is another thread on this 'Pattaya Forum' that is remarkably similar to how this one started out. A man who got electrocuted due to doing something very stupid is being the butt of a lot of rather silly jokes. But he nearly killed himself due to his own fault. So any remarks are probably warranted, really. All that i can think of that Mr. Jones did to deserve a similar treatment was to have the 'fault' of being gay.

As I said, i probably changed the view of nobody by posting on this topic. However, at least the challenge of the annoyed (presumably gay) posters to the thread made the straight posters aware that there is a gay population out there that is reading what they say and will not let them away with saying anything they like. It is obvious from the reaction of some to the offence caused on the thread that it just didnt occur to them the gay people read the general Pattaya thread on Thaivisa at all.

At the very least it might mean that some might think twice before writing something as demeaning about a gay crime victim in the future.

[wcr]

LoL @all the queens venturing from the  the gay board to do some "straight bashing"...

Watch out dave their armed with hadbags!!!!Better not post anymore "mystic" one worders

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

This is typical of the sort of comments made that cause offence and reaction. Just for your information ThaiAsAkite, I have been in race riots, football riots and terroist attacks protecting people like you and I can assure you I do not carry a handbag!

Either grow up or shut up.

And Ronan, good points made in your post.

[taxexile]

i think the gays are being too sensitive here , as members of a minority who have aggressively demanded respect and acceptance over the past thirty years or so , from the majority of non gays who find it difficult to accept the concept and realities of homosexuality among males , you should not be in the least bit surprised at the barrage of double entendres , seaside postcard humour and other "graham norton " type remarks being posted here.

its part of the british way of dealing with these issues.

dont take it all too politically correctly or seriously , you are only making rods for your own backs ,

western politicians and society has bent over backwards during the past few decades to accomodate the sensitivies of gay issues.

just turn the other cheek and get on with life.

not until minorities can laugh at themselves in the same way as we all have to laugh at ourselves as others see us ,in good spirit and join in will they ever get true and equal acceptance. its part and parcel of the job of being a member of a minority in society. its not politically correct , but it is human nature , and you cant change that.

when you can join in the fun , complete total acceptance and the disappearance of prejudice will result.

you disappear into your own forum , you make a big point of your differences and special needs , yet you get annoyed when outsiders take the p1ss , you cant have it both ways.

why make such a big deal of your sexual preferences , stop telling everyone how gay you are , most people couldnt give a damm about your preferences.

Edited September 9, 2005 by taxexile

[johnboi]

Well said

[thaiflyer1]

Well said 

I/m in your camp johnboi ............ooopps!

[Ijustwannateach]

And once again Taxexile (a straight man) is instructing us (gays) on how sensitive *we* should be.

Perhaps he doesn't realise that he's the one who should be listening to us? (maybe he's one of those types who used to call blacks racist names and then explain to his buddies how it was no big deal).

Go back and read the comments made on the first two pages. Then re-read my "imaginary" post regarding a straight couple. Would comments regarding the hypothetical rape of a woman (equivalent to some of the comments on the first two pages) have been "funny," "light-hearted," or "appropriate?" Would straight posters objecting have been "oversensitive?"

If your answer is yes, then I guess you're not inconsistent or bigoted, just sick.

I agree with comments made above stating that it's funny (slightly) to make fun of the electrician who got electrocuted on the other thread because a. it was his own fault and b. there is implicit irony. Neither of those things are even slightly the case here.

"Steven"

[taxexile]

And once again Taxexile (a straight man) is instructing us (gays) on how sensitive *we* should be.

Perhaps he doesn't realise that he's the one who should be listening to us? (maybe he's one of those types who used to call blacks racist names and then explain to his buddies how it was no big deal).

i am not prejudiced against any minorities whatsoever.

i consider myself tolerant of all , but free to criticize all.

are heterosexuals prohibited from making comments about homosexuals ?

if i make remarks that you dont like , does that make me a persecutor of gays ?

as a member of a minority group myself i suffered persecution during my schooldays , some of the persecution was pure nastiness , some was well meant piss taking , i sooned learned to distinguish between the two , and i suggest you do too.

why do you suggest i may be racist , what has that got to do with any of this?

dont be so sensitive about what others say , dont get traumatised over nothing.

i dont give a fck about your sexuality ,

comedians have been making jokes about matters sexual since the dawn of time.

gay comedians have been prominent in british humour for years , joking about gay behaviour , whats the big deal.

graham norton , larry grayson , kenneth williams ,are you being served , around the horne , monty python , this britain etc etc etc.

its not your gayness that rubs people up the wrong way , its your habits of shoving it down everybodys throats.

we are gay , we demand respect. how dare you criticize us , give us our platform to shout from.

youll get your respect on how you behave as a human being , not on your sexuality.

for gods sake lighten up.

[wcr]

i think the gays are being too sensitive here , as members of a minority who have aggressively demanded respect and acceptance over the past thirty years or so , from the majority of non gays who find it difficult  to accept the concept and realities of homosexuality among males , you should not be in the least bit surprised at the barrage of double entendres , seaside postcard humour and other "graham norton " type remarks being posted here.

its part of the british way of dealing with these issues.

dont take it all too politically correctly or seriously , you are only making  rods for your own backs ,   

western politicians and society has bent over backwards during the past few decades to accomodate the sensitivies of gay issues. 

just turn the other cheek and get on with life.

not until minorities can laugh at themselves in the same way as we all have to laugh at ourselves as others see us ,in good spirit and join in will they ever get true  and equal acceptance. its part and parcel of the job of being a member of a minority in society. its not politically correct , but it is human nature , and you cant change that.

when you can join in the fun , complete total acceptance and the disappearance of prejudice will result.

you disappear into your own forum , you make a big point of your differences and special needs , yet you get annoyed when outsiders take the p1ss , you cant have it both ways.

why make such a big deal of your sexual preferences , stop telling everyone how gay you are , most people couldnt give a damm about your preferences.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Taxexile,

you make some valid points and I am all for laughing at ones-self and I do so often, however this particular subject was about a poor guy violently robbed in his home and resulted in loss of substaintial funds. At any other time posters would have come to his defence. Yet, because there was a hint this man was gay all sorts of childish postcard humour errupts. That is the offesive thing here. I'm far from PC myself (that is politically correct and not police constable!), and believe we should all take things in our stride, but there are times that one should not allow things to be said without challenging it. And as far as I'm concerned, this was one of those occassions.

[taxexile]

wcr

you make fair comment about the comments on the robbery against the gay couple.

in light of the situation perhaps they were out of order.

but i believe a persons sexuality is fair game for comment though , the gay lobby have always been vociferous about their situation , and it is their vociferousness that brings the brickbats down on them but the making of comments , even schoolboy humour does not imply hatred or intolerance.

naturally it depends on the comments made , and some comments posted on this forum regarding gays, muslims etc have been unacceptable.

such posts are usually quickly removed and the poster told to wash his mouth out with soap.

but perhaps you are right and this topic about a nasty and violent robbery is not the place to make light of the victims sexuality.

[Ijustwannateach]

You may not be a racist, Taxexile, but you're dancing the same steps:

1. Call "them" fun and dehumanizing names.

2. When "they" complain, tell them they're "too serious."

3. Blame "the ones" who complain the most for your name-calling! (this is my favourite)- so let's see... if I hadn't complained LATER in the thread, no one would have posted homophobic "funnies" EARLIER in the thread... yeah, that's it! I got it now! I'm "shoving it down people's throats!"

As WCR says- there are times when it's not important and who cares if someone's taking the mickey. I get called names on forums in good fun quite a lot, and I don't come down this hard- I've got better things to do than heal the homophobia of the world. However, in a situation when a man has been robbed and beaten, when someone starts up sexual innuendo also implying he might have been raped in a joking fashion, that crosses a line. Many of us are pointing out that:

a. it's pretty sick that that line was crossed, and

b. it was only crossed because the man was gay.

Maybe it's not we who should lighten up, but some of the guys here that should do some serious thinking.

"Steven"

[daveb1]

To be honest I don’t think this is just a gay or straight issue its about common decency, if this had happened to a straight couple it still would have been a terrible ordeal and to make light of it weather the couple is gay or straight is wrong, be a bit more sensitive to peoples feelings guys!

[davethailand]

P.S. Does anyone know what sort of point Davethailand is trying to make with his rather cryptic post on the thread?

As far as Davethailand is concerned, I don't understand his post either. Dave is someone I have met and spoken to, and he is completely open minded. However I understand that he has contributed to some anti-gay threads here which I must say is a surprise.

A bit of over excitement here???

Yes I've posted in anti-gay threads before but i'm definatley NOT anti gay! It's not for me personally but each to there own.

WCR i've met you and your partner and have no problems at all.

Let me explain my cryptic reply-

I replied-

BOYFRIEND

It would mean the same if i replied-

GIRLFRIEND

Simply meaning I BET that the ex bf was involved! Maybe not directly but maybe through another guy that had been to the house abd KNEW that there would be a large amount of cash there.

My mates rented house on my village was burgled twice! The surprise is that he's only here every 3 months, otherwise his gf lived there, Why did it get burgled ONLY when he was in town???

Because-

Her mates know that he has cash, expensive watches etc.

They know the locks in the house,

And finally they know theres no point in doing the house with her alone because it won't be worthwhile.

Here's a quote from the original post-

A total of 100,000 bahts worth of cash and valuables were taken as Mr. Jones helplessly looked on. Police believe than an ex boyfriend of the man may be involved in the case but are still hunting for clues in this case of armed robbery

Hence my comment.

Does'nt exactly need Sherlock Holmes to work this one out does it?

Sorry if I offended you boys. I will change my original reply

PARTNER

Edited September 9, 2005 by davethailand

[davethailand]

Ok, let's try a thought experiment.  Here's an *imaginary* news item:

Mr. Fred Jones and his wife, Khun Lek, were assaulted and robbed at gunpoint in their home yesterday in North Pattaya.  Over 200,000B of cash and valuables were stolen and the couple sustained minor wounds and bruising and are reported in stable condition in Pattaya Memorial Hospital.  It is suspected that the thieves, who posed as gardeners, are associates of former employees of Mr. Jones' restaurant in Pattaya.  The police are recommending that Pattaya residents view strangers visiting residences with suspicion.

All right- I'm all set to see the sparkling wit in making light of *this* couple's misfortune.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

They got all they deserve , who in there right mind would live in north Pattaya with all them there forking Germans

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[wcr]

Thanks for the explanation Dave.

I think this topic could develop into a gay vs straight thing if not careful. I think the point has now been made and I am glad to see that some people have come to see why some of us made a percieved "over-reaction" to the humour, and it has been understood.

Of course not everyone will see and thats life I'm afraid.

[davethailand]

Thanks for the explanation Dave.

I think this topic could develop into a gay vs straight thing if not careful. I think the point has now been made and I am glad to see that some people have come to see why some of us made a percieved "over-reaction" to the humour, and it has been understood.

Of course not everyone will see and thats life I'm afraid. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I was a bit surprised to be honest because i had absolutley no intention of making it sound like that

[gharknes]

I must say that the insensitivity shown in this thread toward the victim of the robbery was surprising even for me, who thought I was well used to the disdain for gay people demonstrated by so many posters on this board.

Remember , Mr. Jones was identified BY NAME in the report at the start of the thread. Given the fairly small size of the expat community in Pattaya, (and the gay community within that in particular) and the popularity of Thaivisa, the likelihood of the victim or somebody who personally knew him reading the thread would have been fairly high.

I think unfortunately it shows the lack of empathy that many straight people have towards the gay people that live in their midst that it never ocurred to the posters above that the gay people actually read their board as well, and could do without that type of comment on such a serious incident that caused real human suffering.

Sorry if some of you think that in saying this I am displaying an oversensitivity or lack of sense of humour. But it did annoy me.

personally I have nothing against gays in general, I just find it distastful to see them perform in public, it should be kept well behind doors, it is niether natural or normal, just my opinion

on another note, &lt;deleted&gt; was this person doing with that amount of cash and valuables lying around his house anyway.

P.S. Does anyone know what sort of point Davethailand is trying to make with his rather cryptic post on the thread?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[britmaveric]

Thanks for the explanation Dave.

I think this topic could develop into a gay vs straight thing if not careful. I think the point has now been made and I am glad to see that some people have come to see why some of us made a percieved "over-reaction" to the humour, and it has been understood.

Of course not everyone will see and thats life I'm afraid. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I was a bit surprised to be honest because i had absolutley no intention of making it sound like that

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I agree Dave loves Gay men - ask around BoyzTown!!!

[ProThaiExpat]

So many of the posts, in this thread, are in the nature of a defense by an anti-semetic bigot who adamantly insists that "many of my best friends are Jewish".

I haven't seen any posts by gays in this forum that suggest that the wives of the straight men in this forum are "c..k s.....s" when in fact, in most cases, they are!!! When have we seen fathers in this forum referred to as "breeders". Gays have not referred to straight men in this forum as "muff divers" or the like or made jokes in that regard.

Perhaps members of minorities are more sensitive to bigotry, since they are victims in this sense and thus don't use "loaded" words to describe others. Or perhaps gays, generally, in this forum don't see the humor in such appellations. The reference to posters in the gay forum as "queens" is either a product of abysmal ignorance or a man who hasn't yet had his ass kicked by a gay. Such a post ignores the fact that many of the posts in the gay forum are by straights.

The bigotry, probably just bad taste, if we are to believe the denials following such remarks, is so obvious in this thread, when posts justify the inappropriate remarks. It is no surprise when one of these posts appears, as the avatars seen in connection with these types of posts almost guarantee what will be forthcoming.

There is no hope for those of society who make light of or find humor in other peoples' misfortune. Thus, such 'humorists' must revel in jokes regarding Tsunami victims, but I haven't seen any. Bad taste, is bad taste is bad taste. Period.

I commend all who post in an effort to improve demonstrated bad taste and I second any suggestion that those that can't control their bad taste restrict their posts to bedlam. "Hope springs eternal".

My apologies to those who I have alluded to who are truly not bigots but merely those that have problems in the bad taste area.

Yes, I am aware, in many societies, that finding fault in others in public is considered to be in bad taste!

[taxexile]

It is no surprise when one of these posts appears, as the avatars seen in connection with these types of posts almost guarantee what will be forthcoming.

can you elaborate on that .

[ThaiAsAkite]

It is no surprise when one of these posts appears, as the avatars seen in connection with these types of posts almost guarantee what will be forthcoming.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Havn`t a clue what your talking about

[Scott]

I am pretty hardened to the "humorous" comments made about gays. Most of the time, I find them funny--just the other day, while running back to my office after leaving work someone yelled "Forget your handbag?" We all laughed.

In this case, however, it's not about gay-bashing or humor. It's about a sad situation happening to someone who may spend years trying to recover. It doesn't matter if it's a gay or straight person--they will have years or discomfort everytime they answer the door. A great deal of trust is lost in these situations.

For the straight crowd it's the same. Do you want to spend a lot of time worrying about your wife/gf or kids? Do you want them to live in fear of the opening the door.

Many of the remarks on this thread I would find humorous--somewhere else when not at some poor persons expense after having experienced a traumatic experience.

(###### it-- I broke a nail writing this post).

[britmaveric]

(###### it-- I broke a nail writing this post).