Tourist Friend Sentenced To 24Hours Of Community Service?

[Holysteel]

Hi all,

To cut the story short. My friend who was a visiting tourist was sentenced to do 24hours community service here. This was to be done on 4 separated different days in 1 stretch out year. He explained to the Thai civil servant that this was not possible and that he did not live here and was just on a short visiting holiday term. He had dutifully paid his fine in full. He was then told casually to just serve the service whenever if he is in Thailand. He was then given a yellow card with four different days with each day 3 months apart from each other to report. It is quite ridiculous for him to fly here to thailand here and then just for the community service sake and then fly back to his home country.

So the question is...

1) What will happen if he doest report to do community service ? Is it a major issue if he doest turn up ?

2) Is there anyway to solve this situation in a good way ?

3) Other suggested alternative ?

[Nisa]

Was this a sentence by a court? I didn't think the courts worked so quickly in terms of his being on a short holiday.

Does he intend to return to Thailand .. then doesn't seem like much of an issue. If he does then I'm confident he doesn't need to do the community service on those specific days and can simply knock it our in 4-days in a row. The person running the actual community service might also being willing to take a payment in lieu of serving the time.

I suggest he report to wherever he needs to do the community service and speak with them ... preferably bring a Thai speaker to .. to see what he can work out.

[WilliaminBKK]

What did he do in the first place ?

[TheWalkingMan]

Community service? Isn't that like work? What do you want to bet that if your friend does community service he will be busted for working without a permit.

TheWalkingMan

[soundman]

More suited to general topics forum.

Moved.

[StreetCowboy]

...

DELETED due to following my own advice

SC

Edited May 24, 2011 by StreetCowboy

[KRS1]

I had to do community service for drunk driving about 5 years ago. (yes i was tanked) paid the fine and did the cs.

They tricked me though, you either have the choice of paying the fine OR doing community service. I suggest you tell your friend to show the copy of the receipt of the fine and explain to them that no community service needs to be done, because he's already paid the fine.

[Soutpeel]

I had to do community service for drunk driving about 5 years ago. (yes i was tanked) paid the fine and did the cs.

They tricked me though, you either have the choice of paying the fine OR doing community service. I suggest you tell your friend to show the copy of the receipt of the fine and explain to them that no community service needs to be done, because he's already paid the fine.

Hope you are ready for the self rightious/Holier than thou members of TV who are going to call for you to be hung, quartered, then deported from Thailand and blacklisted....

And of course the suggestions that you are reason that Thai authorities are tighening up on their visa requirements and the reason they can't own land etc etc...

good luck....

[Moonrakers]

What did the guy in the OP do?

[dsprtliving]

I'm curious what "community service" would be in Thailand?

[MrHammer]

I'm curious what "community service" would be in Thailand?

Outreach program to help improve the financial situation of impoverished Isaan girls.

Oh wait..

[Tonto21]

I heard you have to do a stag, (about an hour turn) on ‘thepole’ in ‘boys town’ in rubber hot pants to the tune………..”matcho, matcho man”…….Onlywhat I heard!

[travelmann]

I'm curious what "community service" would be in Thailand?

Ask any bargirl

[travelmann]

I heard you have to do a stag, (about an hour turn) on 'thepole' in 'boys town' in rubber hot pants to the tune……….."matcho, matcho man"…….Onlywhat I heard!

Wooooooohoooooooooooooooooo where can I get tickets?

[RedFxTrade]

Still curious, well for the last three seconds anyway what the OP's friend did to get CS in Thailand. Throw a cigarette butt down? Urinate down the glass windows at the front of Siam Paragon...sure we've all done that from time to time. I think if you commit a crime when your drunk it should be given a pardon. I think being drunk should allow you to defer responsibility, kind of like pleading insanity. We all do stupid things when we're drunk, forgive and forget should be the spirit of the law.

[KRS1]

I had to do community service for drunk driving about 5 years ago. (yes i was tanked) paid the fine and did the cs.

They tricked me though, you either have the choice of paying the fine OR doing community service. I suggest you tell your friend to show the copy of the receipt of the fine and explain to them that no community service needs to be done, because he's already paid the fine.

Hope you are ready for the self rightious/Holier than thou members of TV who are going to call for you to be hung, quartered, then deported from Thailand and blacklisted....

And of course the suggestions that you are reason that Thai authorities are tighening up on their visa requirements and the reason they can't own land etc etc...

good luck....

The conference room was full of about 500 drunk driving thais too, it was really funny actually, the people who got arrested were all bitching at the cops that 2 beers doesnt make you drunk.

and for anyone that runs into a breathalyzer - exhale as hard as you can about 20 times all the way , deeply, then take a deep breath before blowing into the breathalyzer, and blow the upper half of the air you just inhaled....used this technique twice and passed. My friend had the same amount to drink also, he blew a 96 i blew a 24...

I dont condone driving drunk, sometimes you just get caught off guard.

[scorecard]

Sounds disconnected to me.

If the authority which 'supervises' the community service knows he is/was a tourist then it seems unlikely IMHO that they would indicate 4 dates across one full year.

Maybe I missed something.

[sammybkk]

was your friend drunk driving ? or what ?

[jcon]

Most likely busted for driving under the influence.

The yellow booklet is a probation booklet. You (or ''your friend'') don't really need to come in on the exact dates if you just explain to the probation officer.

You can give blood and that counts as 12 hours I think - you can only do it once within a 6-month period though.

The other 12 hours you can bang out over the course of 2 days. 3 days total and you're out, if you want to do it the fastest way possible.

I'm kinda surprised the judge handed out probation and community service to a visiting foreigner - usually they just make you pay the fine - must have been a bad day for the judge...... but then again over the past couple of years they have gotten pretty serious about this stuff.

[Thongkorn]

I'm curious what "community service" would be in Thailand?

Helping them to count the bribes , sorry tea money.

[Orac]

You can give blood and that counts as 12 hours I think - you can only do it once within a 6-month period though.

Not if you are a Brit - our blood isn't good enough apparently

[DavidSL]

I'm with the others - what did the friend do to get community service?

If he's one of those morons that goes out drinking and gets into a car without thinking of anyone else's safety then he deserves every second of that community service. Too many idiots doing that here already, why let them get away with it?

However, sounds a bit strange for a tourist to get given that - and what would they do if he left the Country and never showed up? Depends on the crime!

Edited May 25, 2011 by DavidSL

[Richard4849]

I had to do community service for drunk driving about 5 years ago. (yes i was tanked) paid the fine and did the cs.

They tricked me though, you either have the choice of paying the fine OR doing community service. I suggest you tell your friend to show the copy of the receipt of the fine and explain to them that no community service needs to be done, because he's already paid the fine.

It is possible to both receive a fine AND have to do community service.

I have a Thai friend who was recently arrested. He was fined AND he had to do community service.

[mario299]

It is possible to both receive a fine AND have to do community service.

I have a Thai friend who was recently arrested. He was fined AND he had to do community service.

Agreed....my father-in-law got arrested driving his motocy drunk and he got fined and has to do community service. The judge, if he chooses, can make the community service be one day every month, or one day every six months, or once a year...up to him..depends on the accused and the attitude thereof. My FIL is an A##hole, so he's still doing his community service. Good on him!

mario299

[Beetlejuice]

I had to do community service for drunk driving about 5 years ago. (yes i was tanked) paid the fine and did the cs.

They tricked me though, you either have the choice of paying the fine OR doing community service. I suggest you tell your friend to show the copy of the receipt of the fine and explain to them that no community service needs to be done, because he's already paid the fine.

Hope you are ready for the self rightious/Holier than thou members of TV who are going to call for you to be hung, quartered, then deported from Thailand and blacklisted....

And of course the suggestions that you are reason that Thai authorities are tighening up on their visa requirements and the reason they can't own land etc etc...

good luck....

Hung, quartered and then deported from Thailand and blacklisted? You’re just a big softy.

I would have him tortured, beaten and then burnt at the stake.

Sorry couldn’t resist it, only joking of course.

If the man was ordered by the court to do community service and doesn’t show, then he could be in contempt of court and arrested. Just an educated guess

[KRS1]

I had to do community service for drunk driving about 5 years ago. (yes i was tanked) paid the fine and did the cs.

They tricked me though, you either have the choice of paying the fine OR doing community service. I suggest you tell your friend to show the copy of the receipt of the fine and explain to them that no community service needs to be done, because he's already paid the fine.

It is possible to both receive a fine AND have to do community service.

I have a Thai friend who was recently arrested. He was fined AND he had to do community service.

Its only possible if you consent to it. Its a 4000 baht fine.

I had to :

1) Hold a banner at the side of a road with 5 others saying not to drive drunk

2) Ride with an ambulance service

3) Cart corpses at Chula Hospital

4) Fold sheets and wipe trays at Chula hospital

Tell your friend to work at the hospital, its the easiest. Each day of probation last 6 hours AND you get paid 200 baht, but not always

Then you have to go to drunk driving orientation 4 times a year, but its very fun ! Cops barely have control over the detainees, and you'll find yourself being invited for a drink after the orientation. and people keep complaining to the cops that they shouldn't have gotten arrested, very funny...everyone's cracking up, well what do you expect with over 500 drunks in a room?

Honestly, its not bad at all, its pretty fun and extremely laid back.

My community service to TV members is now teaching those how to pass the breathalyzer. :jap:

It works.

[Richard4849]

My friend was not on a drunk driving charge and he had no choice to pay an additional fine in lieu of community service. He gave blood a few times to satisfy the requirement.

[Holysteel]

Where does one report to in phuket for the community service? Does anyone has any idea? Map, numbers, what to expect are greatly appreciated. Thanks

[surayu]

" He was then given a yellow card with four different days with each day 3 months apart from each other to report. It is quite ridiculous for him to fly here to thailand here and then just for the community service sake and then fly back to his home country. "

I have been told by voices inside my head, that TAT was looking for a way to increase tourist's arrivals numbers this year and apparently counting and recounting the many people doing Visa runs wasn't enough anymore...ehhrmm.

[surayu]

Community service? Isn't that like work? What do you want to bet that if your friend does community service he will be busted for working without a permit.

After reading today that interview at the guy issuing working permits in Chiang Mai, where the guy says they will end up arresting each others, it wouldn't surprise me much