Thai Jail Vermin Were My Friends: Swedish Ex-Con

[londoedan]

Good for him I wish him all the best..far too many parasites on TV who only by the grace of God are able to make ridicules and idiotic comments on anothers mis-fortune WHATEVER MAY BE THE CAUSE

Basically many on here need to grow up ..you are not as special as you think FALANG

Special : No

Found guilty of possession with intent to supply controlled substances and spending 10 years in Thai and Swedish prisons: No

Lots of us have up and down lives, but we don't all resort to activities whose financial returns are built on the misery of others.

Whats wrong with plain old fashioned hard work ? Worked for me, most of my friends, my parents, my grand-parents etc.

[Jiu-Jitsu]

It is a bit boring to read these 'holier than thou' opinions.

When I was a backpacker, I met many who loved the lifestyle of living in Thailand. Cheap food and accommodation and warm weather etc.

So when they running out of money and it was time to go home, of course they didn't want to do so.

There were all kinds of temptations on the Khaosan Road. Some disguised and some more obvious.

You might get approached by someone who would tell that their colleague had a problem and couldn't take all of his luggage with him to Japan, but would pay for the flight and give spending money for someone to bring them to him.

Obvious reading it here, but to a green backpacker low on cash...

I saw and heard about many variations on this theme and met a few people who took some real chances with their lives.

People can be easily tempted to do stupid things. It doesn't mean that they are bad people and should be locked up for thirty years.

I understand there must be a deterrent. It just unfortunate when it's just a stupid backpacker, rather than the orchestrator.

[Kilgore Trout]

An acute lack of funds persuaded Månvinge to become a narcotics courier in the mid-90s

What a pathetic excuse. Acute lack of something... not funds.

Hey, the guy did the crime and he did the time. Give him a break.

Wait till its one of your children in a situation like this, then see how your view changes. All these hang em high posts are just asking for fate to teach them a lesson, guess you guys have learned nothing about Thailand. Thais are Buddhist people who believe in Karma....you are sealing yours....

Hold on a sec there KG. I wasn't advocating he be hung high. I happen to think that the sort of sentences these traffickers get should be reserved for those at the top of the drug dealing chain. Guys at the bottom, like this Swedish fellow, are being exploited. But more often than not, they do so of their own free will, and have to take responsibility for their actions. And to me, blaming their mistakes on lack of money is a cop out. Millions of other people suffer similar hardship and worse, but they choose hard low paid manual labour work, they choose hard graft. These are the people in society that get my sympathies.

As for placing myself in the position of being a father to a drug dealer, if whenever a crime is committed we put ourselves in the position of how it would feel to be the parent of the accused, we would end up with a very warped justice system that cared almost as much about the perps as the victims. In judging these crimes, i don't think it does much good in the way of objectivity, to imagine ourselves as being related to either the perp or the victim, because then we are judging on emotions, not on what is right and what is just.

You are apparently, a reasonable person. My post was directed at these hang em high posters who only see things in black and white and have no empathy for others.

[Tanlic]

It is a bit boring to read these 'holier than thou' opinions.

When I was a backpacker, I met many who loved the lifestyle of living in Thailand. Cheap food and accommodation and warm weather etc.

So when they running out of money and it was time to go home, of course they didn't want to do so.

There were all kinds of temptations on the Khaosan Road. Some disguised and some more obvious.

You might get approached by someone who would tell that their colleague had a problem and couldn't take all of his luggage with him to Japan, but would pay for the flight and give spending money for someone to bring them to him.

Obvious reading it here, but to a green backpacker low on cash...

I saw and heard about many variations on this theme and met a few people who took some real chances with their lives.

People can be easily tempted to do stupid things. It doesn't mean that they are bad people and should be locked up for thirty years.

I understand there must be a deterrent. It just unfortunate when it's just a stupid backpacker, rather than the orchestrator.

I'd tend to agree with you these people are used and abused by the real criminals who are quite happy to stick someone else's head on the chopping block.

Maybe there should more books written until someone forces countries who lock human beings up in these sort of conditions to massively improve standards.

I can understand people having no sympathy for a child killer or the likes but it would seem the conditions are the same whether you went on a shooting spree or grabbed some guys wallet and legged it cos you were starving.

I have no idea if this guy was carrying heavy drugs or a bag of weed so it's hard to comment on whether he deserved 30 years or not but what no average criminal deserves is to be kept in barbaric conditions like he was the Count of Monte Cristo

[happysanook]

Hold on a sec there KG. I wasn't advocating he be hung high. I happen to think that the sort of sentences these traffickers get should be reserved for those at the top of the drug dealing chain. Guys at the bottom, like this Swedish fellow, are being exploited. But more often than not, they do so of their own free will, and have to take responsibility for their actions. And to me, blaming their mistakes on lack of money is a cop out. Millions of other people suffer similar hardship and worse, but they choose hard low paid manual labour work, they choose hard graft. These are the people in society that get my sympathies.

As for placing myself in the position of being a father to a drug dealer, if whenever a crime is committed we put ourselves in the position of how it would feel to be the parent of the accused, we would end up with a very warped justice system that cared almost as much about the perps as the victims. In judging these crimes, i don't think it does much good in the way of objectivity, to imagine ourselves as being related to either the perp or the victim, because then we are judging on emotions, not on what is right and what is just.

the question is, how much of a crime is it to sell drugs when there's so many other crimes that are generally considered lighter offenses, but in reality are robbing the masses of happiness and wealth daily... for example corporate crime and big business. or ahem... the banks. but when caught out, they serve no time or get off very lightly. yet here is someone who was supplying something to someone who willingly was taking it (drug dealer -> drug users) and he gets 30 years in prison.

or let's mention alcohol, EASILY the most harmful mind-altering drug in regards to deaths, violence and health...but it's perfectly legal.

do i think i'll go out and become a drug dealer or user anytime soon? or that it's good to smoke yaa-baa? no...i'm simply saying that in the scheme of things, drug dealers are the good guys in comparison to much of the shit that goes on in this world...yet they make up the overwhelming majority of inmates... there is HUGE money in keeping drugs illegal and keeping these guys locked up...

You attributed my post to Kilgore Trout.

Sorry... Beyond editing now. Had to erase some levels of the conversation to get the post to post and it got mixed up.

[rixalex]

Sorry... Beyond editing now. Had to erase some levels of the conversation to get the post to post and it got mixed up.

No problem. Just wanted to make it known.

[londoedan]

It is a bit boring to read these 'holier than thou' opinions.

When I was a backpacker, I met many who loved the lifestyle of living in Thailand. Cheap food and accommodation and warm weather etc.

So when they running out of money and it was time to go home, of course they didn't want to do so.

There were all kinds of temptations on the Khaosan Road. Some disguised and some more obvious.

You might get approached by someone who would tell that their colleague had a problem and couldn't take all of his luggage with him to Japan, but would pay for the flight and give spending money for someone to bring them to him.

Obvious reading it here, but to a green backpacker low on cash...

I saw and heard about many variations on this theme and met a few people who took some real chances with their lives.

People can be easily tempted to do stupid things. It doesn't mean that they are bad people and should be locked up for thirty years.

I understand there must be a deterrent. It just unfortunate when it's just a stupid backpacker, rather than the orchestrator.

Fair enough, but no-one traveling in SE Asia can be any doubt about the risks they are taking when they agree to carry drugs.

And without wishing to be too holier than thou, we're not talking about kids, maybe late teens, early twenties ?

Plus it sounds like he only served about 12 years, half of those in his own country.

If you don't think that a convicted criminal is a 'bad' person, then would definition would you use ?

As I alluded to in an earlier post - what do you think would happen to society, in all parts of the world, if people that were low on cash resorted to criminal activity ?

[chrisinth]

Without being too unfair, this should have been the second book of a trilogy, the first being

Foiled in Thailand and sentenced to death

The comfort of the the senile bug

Cheers Easy: Profiting by publishing about my crimes

If he had gone down this road, it may have shown him better for what he is.

When people like this gain others sympathy by excuses like "An acute lack of funds", there is still hope for the millions of unemployed in the world today. Of course, seeking employment might be an option....................

Just sayin', personal view.

[ianf]

Yes and their others. Poor people from poor countries, no education and so on banged up for 30 years after being promised by their Thai lawyers that they would get no more than 10 if they confessed and apologised. Disgusting system in a country full of greedy liars and sneaks.

I think if anybody comes across as heartless - its YOU

Why? I do not understand.

[Sayonarax]

An acute lack of funds persuaded Månvinge to become a narcotics courier in the mid-90s

What a pathetic excuse. Acute lack of something... not funds.

Hey, the guy did the crime and he did the time. Give him a break.

Wait till its one of your children in a situation like this, then see how your view changes. All these hang em high posts are just asking for fate to teach them a lesson, guess you guys have learned nothing about Thailand. Thais are Buddhist people who believe in Karma....you are sealing yours....

This explains the floods..

[bobbin]

should have served 30 years.. He got off easy

what a heartless plonker you are, the judicial system in this country is pathetic, 5 cops torture and murder a 17 year old kid and get bailed even after being found guilty, yet a misguided farang deals a few drugs and gets 30 years and you think he got off lightly ............ you're a joke mate

HuayRat

You have been judged by your peers.

[bobbin]

The thing to remember when you read a post from one of the "hang 'em high" brigade is that they are most likely over 70 years of age and are victims of 45 years of propaganda. Not to mention hypocrites, if they have ever done anything illegal (yes, almost everything is illegal these days), or drink alcohol even occasionally.

Those of us who are younger have grown up with the Drug War and seen for ourselves the futility and obscene financial and human cost. The Drug War is a failure.

Our eyes are open.

[jerrysteve]

Suprised they did not let him out on bail, like they do for Thai Criminals Scum Bags.

I guess one has to commit murder for that privledge.