Feckless Briton Deported From Thailand

[elwood]

Now if he was a British Asian then Howard would have pulled strings etc (He'd have been told to) and he'd have been out a lot quicker. It is a very sad fact that as a white male he is a 3rd class citizen according to his own country..

Do you any evidence at all for the above?

And to think that so many TV bloggers condemn Thais as racist!

There are a few paleface English spewing out some BNP garbage here, aren't there? How do they manage to live here, surrounded by so many nasty foreigners, i.e. Thais?

[robertson468]

He said before his departure that he had been asked by British Embassy officials not to talk to the media about his plight.

WHY????

I should imagine because they feel some sense of culpability and rightly so. The Embassy should have a system whereby they are made aware of any Brit in prison or in hospital for say over a given period and should then be obliged to investigate the circumstances. I also believe the Thai Police have acted in an appalling manner and the senior person in the Police Station should be disciplined for the unacceptable treatment of this individual.

[FOODLOVER]

Hope this gets broadcast around the world! Any news in the UK about this, or will this be swept under the rug? Not a UK citizen but i would be calling my state senator or whatever you guys have. They are supposed to be your help line and they clearly dropped the ball. Still cant understand how a jailer could allow this?

Edited August 1, 2011 by FOODLOVER

[endure]

Now if he was a British Asian then Howard would have pulled strings etc (He'd have been told to) and he'd have been out a lot quicker. It is a very sad fact that as a white male he is a 3rd class citizen according to his own country..

Do you any evidence at all for the above?

And to think that so many TV bloggers condemn Thais as racist!

There are a few paleface English spewing out some BNP garbage here, aren't there? How do they manage to live here, surrounded by so many nasty foreigners, i.e. Thais?

Ironic isn't it?

[endure]

Now if he was a British Asian then Howard would have pulled strings etc (He'd have been told to) and he'd have been out a lot quicker. It is a very sad fact that as a white male he is a 3rd class citizen according to his own country.

Is it really necessarily to introduce racist shit like this into the thread? No, I didn't think so, either.

Racist shit maybe it is, but also very true, working class white males have become 3rd class citizens of England despite being the ones who have been the soldiers,

You do realise that the largest volunteer army the world has ever seen was raised in INDIA during WWII? A million and a half of those nasty brown folks (Hindu & Muslim alike) signed up of their own free will to fight on our side? You do realise that in 2010 13% of the personnel in the British Army were BMEs (Black and Minority ethnics)? Or that 10% of the whole of the British Armed Forces were BMEs?

[skippybangkok]

Auschwitz / Gulags is kind of what comes to mind. I know (from helping some one) that if you dont have any outside family / friends to support you, the only way to survive is to steal / intimidate others.

The only real difference is you dont labor away like in the Gulags, but you will die of starvation / neglect without any support

[dcutman]

I only have derogatory comments to make about Embassy's and Thai Police. This should not ever happen to anybody. Even in Pattaya.

We must have had some of the same derogatory comments. That were removed. There is not enough to be said about this case. This sort of treatment to any human being that really has done nothing wrong, is criminal. I would want to think the British Embassy is doing everything possible to get this man justice. If not I am happy not to be British

Chaining a man to jail house bars and leaving him to starve to death. The Pattaya police might as well dowsed this poor bastard with gasoline and lit him on fire.

[KeyserSoze01]

More funds for Brits in trouble abroad ! I wouldn't give those lovesick gullible Pom anything or atleast red flag their passport on returning home to the UK. Charge them interest on any rescue funds received as well.

By your logic, it would have been better just to let him die while chained to a jail cell, eh?

Quite humane of you.

[SteeleJoe]

This is sad. The poor chap obviously found himself in the wrong place (Pattaya) at the wrong time (which could be any time in Pattaya). It is quite possible, as some suggest, that his drink could have been spiked -- which is an assault. What needs to be considered is that crimes on foreigners are often committed by foreigners -- especially in a place like Pattaya, where the Russian mob has a strong foothold.

Sure, a bar girl may have "mickeyed" his drink. If so, who was she really working for? Locals? Or farang gangsters?

There are many roots of crime in Thailand, some indigenous, which farang will never fully understand, and some imported, which farang should denounce.

Wow, it just gets sillier.

Pattaya didn't do it to him. There's no question it's potentially a dangerous place for someone who doesn't have a rein on his base desires (be they substance abuse, sexual adventures, general escapism or a combination thereof) but HE made the choices that got him there and HE chose his lifestyle.

And you want to try and blame it on some conspiracy between a bar girl and some gangsters?!

Richard Hewitt, 49, had been arrested wandering incoherently in the Thai resort of Pattaya last November after falling victim to its offerings of sex, drugs, and alcohol.

Hewitt made a recovery within two weeks. He had suffered a mental breakdown after his over-indulgence.

When he recovered it turned out that Hewitt, a graduate in computer engineering from Sheffield University, was well off, having come into an inheritance from his father. The inheritance he admits was part of his problem.

He had money to spend, no responsibilities, apparently less than sufficient discipline and/or a self-destructive streak and he was in Pattaya -- a highly volatile collusion of circumstances. And it all caught up with him. A mickey in his drink? Again -- how long do you think these alleged drugs would last? Weeks? Get real. Within 24 hours max. he'd have been sensible. There are no drugs that cause a complete mental breakdown (let alone, for weeks or months).

I'm not without sympathy for him even leaving aside what happened in the cells (and I have a great deal of sympathy for what eh went through then). I have some insight into what it's like when someone goes completely off the rails and how it can happen and I don't judge him. But he's no victim in that regard. The only injustice here is the way he was treated in confinement and arguably the lack of help he got from certain quarters.

This effort to blame it on wicked Pattaya and its evil denizens is laughable.

Edited August 1, 2011 by SteeleJoe

[englishinsiam]

Now if he was a British Asian then Howard would have pulled strings etc (He'd have been told to) and he'd have been out a lot quicker. It is a very sad fact that as a white male he is a 3rd class citizen according to his own country..

Do you any evidence at all for the above?

And to think that so many TV bloggers condemn Thais as racist!

There are a few paleface English spewing out some BNP garbage here, aren't there? How do they manage to live here, surrounded by so many nasty foreigners, i.e. Thais?

No BNP garbage just facts based on the UK at present. Read my other posts before confusing my with a BNP member.

I just don't agree with positive discrimination which is the problem. So wind your neck in :-)

[cdnvic]

Don't post allegations about people here without credible evidence to back it up please. One such post removed. Remember Thailand's zealous libel laws.

[TerraPosse]

and it would, in my view, appear that there was a disconnect between the Honorary Consul and Bangkok.

The guy was chained up, starving and abandoned. I bet there wouldn't be any "disconnect" if embassy staff were organizing a party!

To the point and sadly corresponding with my experiences of embassies on several continents. :jap:

[Soutpeel]

I thought British Ambassador should be British citizen..........

I believe he is.....

[elwood]

Now if he was a British Asian then Howard would have pulled strings etc (He'd have been told to) and he'd have been out a lot quicker. It is a very sad fact that as a white male he is a 3rd class citizen according to his own country..

Do you any evidence at all for the above?

And to think that so many TV bloggers condemn Thais as racist!

There are a few paleface English spewing out some BNP garbage here, aren't there? How do they manage to live here, surrounded by so many nasty foreigners, i.e. Thais?

No BNP garbage just facts based on the UK at present. Read my other posts before confusing my with a BNP member.

I just don't agree with positive discrimination which is the problem. So wind your neck in :-)

"Wind your neck in" You've certainly got a smooth way with words mate. Hope that smile at the end was intended!

I actually agree that our Blair/Brown governments have created problems by using positive discrimination too rashly (even indiscriminately!) to gain favour with minorities for their votes, and alienating everyone else but, intentionally or not, many of your comments sound like typical Daily Mail/ BNP-speak. And I cannot believe that our Embassy/Hon. Consul would have been instructed to help more if the man had been an Asian instead of of a pale-faced 3rd class citizen!

Elwood (not a bloody Indy/Grauniad reader)

[elwood]

Now if he was a British Asian then Howard would have pulled strings etc (He'd have been told to) and he'd have been out a lot quicker. It is a very sad fact that as a white male he is a 3rd class citizen according to his own country..

Do you any evidence at all for the above?

And to think that so many TV bloggers condemn Thais as racist!

There are a few paleface English spewing out some BNP garbage here, aren't there? How do they manage to live here, surrounded by so many nasty foreigners, i.e. Thais?

No BNP garbage just facts based on the UK at present. Read my other posts before confusing my with a BNP member.

I just don't agree with positive discrimination which is the problem. So wind your neck in :-)

"Wind your neck in" You've certainly got a smooth way with words mate. Hope that smile at the end was intended!

I actually agree that our Blair/Brown governments have created problems by using positive discrimination too rashly (even indiscriminately!) to gain favour with minorities for their votes, and alienating everyone else but, intentionally or not, many of your comments sound like typical Daily Mail/ BNP-speak. And I cannot believe that our Embassy/Hon. Consul would have been instructed to help more if the man had been an Asian instead of of a pale-faced 3rd class citizen!

Elwood (not a bloody Indy/Grauniad reader)

[SAffer]

More funds for Brits in trouble abroad ! I wouldn't give those lovesick gullible Pom anything or atleast red flag their passport on returning home to the UK. Charge them interest on any rescue funds received as well.

I agree, except replace "lovesick" with "sex crazed", and not only Pom(s) but include also Australians, Germans, American, Scandinavians, etc etc ....

Please exclude South Africans.. we are here for everything but sex/drugs/rock and roll--- ching ching

[jayceenik]

and it would, in my view, appear that there was a disconnect between the Honorary Consul and Bangkok.

The guy was chained up, starving and abandoned. I bet there wouldn't be any "disconnect" if embassy staff were organizing a party!

To be clear, my point in the full post was that according to Mr. Drummond's earlier articles, there was attempted contact, by his landlord, with both the Honorary Consul and the Embassy. Did an accurate description, or briefing get through to the Embassy, we, including I, don't know. This is an extremely disturbing case, credit must go to Tracy Cosgrove for pushing for his release and transfer to hospital.

I would be happier to hear that there would be an investigation as to how a British Citizen was so dramatically failed by the Consular system.

Regards

Richard Hewitt was not failed by the British Consular system.

I've just talked, a few minutes ago, with his ex-landlord (who is mine) who says that he (the landlord) contacted the Honorary Consul in Jomtien for help after RH started to show signs of mental problems and caused serious damages (like flooding) to his room but that RH, in his half lucid moments, refused to be helped. The landlord has no complaints about this Hon Consul who told him that the only way then to deal with this problem-causing tenant was to call the Pattaya Police. That's what he did and I was there when they came to fetch him. RH was calm then but obviously in a world of his own. I'd venture that he went for the worse in police 'custody" and that the cops didn't know what to make of him, got concerned he'd go violent and cause problems at the station and so they chained him.

RH is a very nice and friendly fellow. Not violent one bit. Before his drug-related accident he lived on my floor two rooms away. He was a very quiet and good neighbor.

We had many conversations (hard for me because of his heavily accented brogue) and I can say that he didn't seem at the time to have mental problems.

Unfortunately he got on with the wrong crowd (LB) and into some bad sruff that screwed his mind badly.

He liked Thailand and had enough income to have lived here many years so he certainly doen't like to have been deported. I hope for him that he can come back one day.

[flyfrog]

Do police really arrest people for " wandering incoherently in the Thai resort of Pattaya"?

How big is their jail?

The jail is 8 x 8 m with at least 100 people in there with 1 toilet (hole in the ground)

[SteeleJoe]

I've just talked, a few minutes ago, with his ex-landlord (who is mine) who says that he (the landlord) contacted the Honorary Consul in Jomtien for help after RH started to show signs of mental problems and caused serious damages (like flooding) to his room but that RH, in his half lucid moments, refused to be helped...I was there when they came to fetch him. RH was calm then but obviously in a world of his own. I'd venture that he went for the worse in police 'custody"...

Unfortunately he got on with the wrong crowd (LB) and into some bad sruff that screwed his mind badly.

Hmmm..so it seems somewhat less than likely that this is the result of "a mickey in his drink"...

Surprise.

[Orac]

Do police really arrest people for " wandering incoherently in the Thai resort of Pattaya"?

How big is their jail?

The jail is 8 x 8 m with at least 100 people in there with 1 toilet (hole in the ground)

If there were another 100 people in that cell then they must have been jammed up in the corner as they cannot be seen in the photos????

[F1fanatic]

and it would, in my view, appear that there was a disconnect between the Honorary Consul and Bangkok.

The guy was chained up, starving and abandoned. I bet there wouldn't be any "disconnect" if embassy staff were organizing a party!

To be clear, my point in the full post was that according to Mr. Drummond's earlier articles, there was attempted contact, by his landlord, with both the Honorary Consul and the Embassy. Did an accurate description, or briefing get through to the Embassy, we, including I, don't know. This is an extremely disturbing case, credit must go to Tracy Cosgrove for pushing for his release and transfer to hospital.

I would be happier to hear that there would be an investigation as to how a British Citizen was so dramatically failed by the Consular system.

Regards

Richard Hewitt was not failed by the British Consular system.

I've just talked, a few minutes ago, with his ex-landlord (who is mine) who says that he (the landlord) contacted the Honorary Consul in Jomtien for help after RH started to show signs of mental problems and caused serious damages (like flooding) to his room but that RH, in his half lucid moments, refused to be helped. The landlord has no complaints about this Hon Consul who told him that the only way then to deal with this problem-causing tenant was to call the Pattaya Police. That's what he did and I was there when they came to fetch him. RH was calm then but obviously in a world of his own. I'd venture that he went for the worse in police 'custody" and that the cops didn't know what to make of him, got concerned he'd go violent and cause problems at the station and so they chained him.

RH is a very nice and friendly fellow. Not violent one bit. Before his drug-related accident he lived on my floor two rooms away. He was a very quiet and good neighbor.

We had many conversations (hard for me because of his heavily accented brogue) and I can say that he didn't seem at the time to have mental problems.

Unfortunately he got on with the wrong crowd (LB) and into some bad sruff that screwed his mind badly.

He liked Thailand and had enough income to have lived here many years so he certainly doen't like to have been deported. I hope for him that he can come back one day.

If he was "obviously in a world of his own" he 'obviously' clearly had mental problems...

I don't blame the Thai police for not recognising this, but the British Embassy have no excuse in view of the horrendous 'photos.

From all we've heard so far, Thailand is NOT the place for him and hopefully it will be many years before he can come back. Only self-aware, strong-minded farangs can live here happily - and it sounds as if he is neither.

[SteeleJoe]

From all we've heard so far, Thailand is NOT the place for him and hopefully it will be many years before he can come back. Only self-aware, strong-minded farangs can live here happily - and it sounds as if he is neither.

I tend to agree with all of the above. Well said.

[andrewdrummond]

and it would, in my view, appear that there was a disconnect between the Honorary Consul and Bangkok.

The guy was chained up, starving and abandoned. I bet there wouldn't be any "disconnect" if embassy staff were organizing a party!

To be clear, my point in the full post was that according to Mr. Drummond's earlier articles, there was attempted contact, by his landlord, with both the Honorary Consul and the Embassy. Did an accurate description, or briefing get through to the Embassy, we, including I, don't know. This is an extremely disturbing case, credit must go to Tracy Cosgrove for pushing for his release and transfer to hospital.

I would be happier to hear that there would be an investigation as to how a British Citizen was so dramatically failed by the Consular system.

Regards

Richard Hewitt was not failed by the British Consular system.

I've just talked, a few minutes ago, with his ex-landlord (who is mine) who says that he (the landlord) contacted the Honorary Consul in Jomtien for help after RH started to show signs of mental problems and caused serious damages (like flooding) to his room but that RH, in his half lucid moments, refused to be helped. The landlord has no complaints about this Hon Consul who told him that the only way then to deal with this problem-causing tenant was to call the Pattaya Police. That's what he did and I was there when they came to fetch him. RH was calm then but obviously in a world of his own. I'd venture that he went for the worse in police 'custody" and that the cops didn't know what to make of him, got concerned he'd go violent and cause problems at the station and so they chained him.

RH is a very nice and friendly fellow. Not violent one bit. Before his drug-related accident he lived on my floor two rooms away. He was a very quiet and good neighbor.

We had many conversations (hard for me because of his heavily accented brogue) and I can say that he didn't seem at the time to have mental problems.

Unfortunately he got on with the wrong crowd (LB) and into some bad sruff that screwed his mind badly.

He liked Thailand and had enough income to have lived here many years so he certainly doen't like to have been deported. I hope for him that he can come back one day.

Thanks for your contribution here. I spoke to the landlord too and he said he had even gone down to the consular office to try and get something done. Also he complains on the PDN video I put up on an earlier story how he had tried to get the British Embassy involved. - though he means the consulate I am sure. I am sure on reflection he does not wish to make waves. He is certainly a good guy. He kept all Hewitt's possessions together which included several thousand dollars in cash. I dont think there is much doubt that Hewitt was in no condition to say whether he needed help or not. Incidentally he had been visited a week earlier by Tourist Police volunteers and one of them, a Brit, also took pictures of him naked and showed them around at least one bar. I understand the consulate knew about his predicament before he was even arrested and believe the consulate suggested that Soi 9 (Pattaya Police) should get involved. So in one respect had not H been arrested nothing would have been done. .....thus maybe in a round about way they did come to the rescue.

I am aware of the lb problem and others.

Edited August 2, 2011 by andrewdrummond

[ableguy]

the treatment of *any* prisoner like this is appalling. but in this case is even worse since he evidently did not commit a crime other than being destitute and disoriented.

I would have thought that the Thai police would contact the relevant embassy if a foreign national were taken into custody and held (without charges), at the very least just to reduce their burden of housing/feeding another inmate.

it is also disturbing that the Thai police cannot recognize when psychological and medical treatment are needed.

a very sad case... and one that could happen to anyone who might get slipped a drug in their beer and are wandering the streets in an incoherent drugged state...

The only thing they recognize is the color of your money.

[wans]

as I said in my deleted post, the police very rarely enter the cells, in thailand the cells are run by long term convicts that get certain perks for doing their job, you have no way of contacting the outside world even if you are sane as obviously this person wasnt

[cdnvic]

Any further unsubstantiated allegations against diplomatic officials will receive a long suspension. If you wish to call someone's character into question you need to provide solid proof.

Edit: One suspension so far.

Edited August 2, 2011 by cdnvic

[metroman]

Thankfully this was resolved and has a happy ending.

Edited August 2, 2011 by metroman

[metroman]

and it would, in my view, appear that there was a disconnect between the Honorary Consul and Bangkok.

The guy was chained up, starving and abandoned. I bet there wouldn't be any "disconnect" if embassy staff were organizing a party!

To the point and sadly corresponding with my experiences of embassies on several continents. :jap:

Please elaborate. What embassies and what continents?

Edited August 2, 2011 by metroman

[samran]

Now if he was a British Asian then Howard would have pulled strings etc (He'd have been told to) and he'd have been out a lot quicker. It is a very sad fact that as a white male he is a 3rd class citizen according to his own country..

Do you any evidence at all for the above?

And to think that so many TV bloggers condemn Thais as racist!

There are a few paleface English spewing out some BNP garbage here, aren't there? How do they manage to live here, surrounded by so many nasty foreigners, i.e. Thais?

Ironic isn't it?

threads like this always bring the professional victims out....

[Nisa]

Exactly what powers do people think Embassy staff have over local authorities in any country beyond complaining? And if complaining doesn't do anything then why bother? You are talking about government employees who certainly are not known for working fast or being able to accomplish much without tons of paperwork and red tape. This guy was in jail for what I believe was under 2-weeks and part of that time (not sure how long) was spent at 2 different hospitals. The psyc hospital released him to police when his condition improved but it obviously took a turn for the worse when in jail as the Judge rules he was to out of it to have a hearing when he was brought to court. This seems to make sense based on reports of his on and off again scary behavior before being arrested.

My understand is police handcuffed him to the bars when his actions indicated he might be a danger to himself or others. Based on the material in the photo, it is a safe bet to assume the prisoner took off his own cloths. But there have been no reports to indicate he was not fed or mistreated and it seems the police even took the steps to put him in his own cell. The only abuse this drug abusing out of control criminal recalls happened in jail was another farang hitting his head against the jail bars.

Certainly the picture is disturbing but it captures only a brief moment in time. Who knows how long he was handcuffed to the bars or for how long he removed his cloths. The only thing we know for sure is this person clearly needed to be taken off the street for his safety and the safety of others as well as his breaking numerous laws and being in the country illegally.

Crazy people getting lost in the system and locked up is not uncommon in most any country and lucky for this guy his stay was short. Also lucky that they didn't do things like check his urine and charge him for drug possession. I'm sure the police would have loved to see this guy gone from the station but were not going to release him back out on the street and they already brought him to hospitals.