Phuket jet-ski thug gets first taste of swift tourist court justice

[laurentbkk]

1000 baht fine ?????????????? Is that a joke ? or a typing mistake ?

There is just no way to satisfy everyone. If it were 10k Baht people would likely cry that it was too much. 1000k means a lot to the locals in perspective.

If you were the judge, how much would you fine them?

I would fine them with high amount so the next time they will think twice. the only things which can scare them is to take their money .... 10,000 is a beginning and I would not cry its too much . the only problem in this story is that you can beat up people and pay a fine of 1,000 baht and you are out .... sorry but they make more money in scams or renting their machines.... I have heard 1000 baht is a lot for Thais ... well for the factory workers or maids for sure ..... but not anymore for the others.

[rct99q]

A 1,000 baht fine to most Thais would seem an awful lot of money maybe it would have been better had this man been banned from plying his trade on that beach for 3 months, no doubt he will put up his charges for rental to pay off his fine at least justice is seen to be done to a certain extent

Let's get this corrected.. A 1,000 baht fine to most normal, hard working, honest, law abiding thais, is an awful lot of money.

Right, but that is not who we are talking about here. We are talking about jet ski mafia: abnormal, lazy, dishonest criminals.

Well we do not know all the facts about the person charged....he could be the wealthy, greedy, mafioso you are referring to. He could also be the the front man making a couple of hundred baht a day who if he returns the jet ski back to the "owner" with so called damage or not making the minimum quota of 25,000 baht per day (which I hear is what they demand from the front operators), then they are threatened and their families are threatened. Sort of like slave labor.

if they ever disclose who the person is in relation to the jet ski food chain....then you can make assumptions as to whether or not the fine was appropriate or not.

[NamKangMan]

1000 baht fine ?????????????? Is that a joke ? or a typing mistake ?

Actually putting it in context, 1000 baht isn't a bad Fine it all. if you consider how much he makes in a day, that will keep him aware.

If you don't look at these things in context the whole point is moot.

1500 baht to rent a jet-ski for half hour. I don't think 1000 baht fine will bother him too much. No real deterrent in this fine.

[stevenl]

A 1,000 baht fine to most Thais would seem an awful lot of money maybe it would have been better had this man been banned from plying his trade on that beach for 3 months, no doubt he will put up his charges for rental to pay off his fine at least justice is seen to be done to a certain extent

Let's get this corrected.. A 1,000 baht fine to most normal, hard working, honest, law abiding thais, is an awful lot of money.

Right, but that is not who we are talking about here. We are talking about jet ski mafia: abnormal, lazy, dishonest criminals.

So you want 2 maximum fines: one for the average Somchai, max. 500 Baht, and 1 for tuktuk drivers and jetski operators, max 50,000 Baht?

[pacovl46]

Ridiculous!!! They should've sent him to prison for 6 months right off the bat!

[kiwiinasia]

And who says crime doesn't pay?

Poor Aussies, go to court for that? Should have stayed by the pool.

[Halion]

You all might makes jokes, but I consider this real progress. You have to realise that fines in Thailand seem low, but that is just the real Thai economy (not the tourist economy).

This is the part I really like ...

“If Mr Danaichet is caught committing a crime during his probation, he faces a penalty of three months in prison,” the officer explained.

Maybe so, however 1,000 Baht is an insult . These people were attacked with a weapon. Furthermore, these jet ski operators make a significant amount of profit excluding their damage scams and 1,000 Baht simply relates to one hour jet ski hire. And of course lets not forget that we have the word of the authorities that should this thug commit another act over the followng three months he faces jail time. Yeah sure. Just another example of the hypocracy of this country.

Swift justice my ass.

[tragickingdom]

It is quite funny that democratically elected governments can't get a law passed because of them, but the courts seem to have no problem in changing a system that is at the heart of the system "justice". How bizarre is it that new courts can be created in the blink of an eye within weeks? It shows only that Thailand is at their core a banana republic.

[LivinginKata]

You all might makes jokes, but I consider this real progress. You have to realise that fines in Thailand seem low, but that is just the real Thai economy (not the tourist economy).

This is the part I really like ...

If Mr Danaichet is caught committing a crime during his probation, he faces a penalty of three months in prison, the officer explained.

Maybe so, however 1,000 Baht is an insult . These people were attacked with a weapon. Furthermore, these jet ski operators make a significant amount of profit excluding their damage scams and 1,000 Baht simply relates to one hour jet ski hire. And of course lets not forget that we have the word of the authorities that should this thug commit another act over the followng three months he faces jail time. Yeah sure. Just another example of the hypocracy of this country.

Swift justice my ass.

For sure 1,000 baht fine might seem an insult, however the fine penalties are set by the Thai police system and are universal across all Thailand. The fines take no account of individual income or personal circumstances. I would expect that compensation would also have to paid for medical expenses, but that has not been reported by media. For all those condemning the fine level, so how much would a road offense ticket cost in your home country ? Here in Thailand it's 3 or 5 hundred baht. That seems a bargain to me.

[thhMan]

A conviction...

Now its recorded that this Thai is violent so it will resurface when he starts beating his wife (I am exaggerating to get to a point), she will have his prior as confirmation of his action.

2 years between beatings is a long time, so after he assaults the next tourist, its the 3 months and a feww beers after he gets out and goodness knows what the Jail time is then.

Thailand is taking baby steps to get this crap dealt with.. kudos for the effort.

The Govt may even realize that there is money to be made in fines... Who knows, we may even get proper road policing in the future

Edited October 1, 2013 by thhMan

[LivinginKata]

A 1,000 baht fine to most Thais would seem an awful lot of money maybe it would have been better had this man been banned from plying his trade on that beach for 3 months, no doubt he will put up his charges for rental to pay off his fine at least justice is seen to be done to a certain extent

Let's get this corrected.. A 1,000 baht fine to most normal, hard working, honest, law abiding thais, is an awful lot of money.

Right, but that is not who we are talking about here. We are talking about jet ski mafia: abnormal, lazy, dishonest criminals.

So you want 2 maximum fines: one for the average Somchai, max. 500 Baht, and 1 for tuktuk drivers and jetski operators, max 50,000 Baht?

Excellent comment. Fines are based on the offense and not at all related to income or wealth, much like any other country in the world. Fact of the matter is that average income here in Thailand cannot be compared to others western economies. So why should we demand very high fines. Many posters demand jail time, maybe that would be a more severe penalty, but we have to accept the police/justice system here in Thailand. If you cannot accept then it's time to leave.

[newermonkey]

A thousand baht fine, that's a joke, to these scumbags that's chump change, why the heck dint the court set a proper example and fine them 40,000 Baht and pay compensation to the victims of at least 500,000 Baht.

Its a joke

Its a joke

Its a joke

[Larry001]

Its a start. Now to hit some of the scum who drive taxis and baht buses and frequently threaten passengers

[JO1973]

If it was a 10,000 baht fine, one month (at least) jail term, and two years probation I would have said progress is being made. But this means nothing to Thais and the courts know it.

A Thai colleague once remarked that justice is so lenient here that people just do what they want. They may have to pay a few hundred baht, but so what. Unfortunately I don't think this will make a dent in crimes against tourists.

[klauskunkel]

Farang damages jet-ski, charge is 30,000 - 50,000

Thai damages farang, charge is 500

[stevenl]

A thousand baht fine, that's a joke, to these scumbags that's chump change, why the heck dint the court set a proper example and fine them 40,000 Baht and pay compensation to the victims of at least 500,000 Baht.<snip>

Because that would be against the law.

[naiharn]

What a joke this court, hypocrite.

He got fined to the maximum of the law, what more do you want?

Are you sure?

(Thai Criminal Code) Section 295 Whoever, causes injury to the other person in body or mind is said to commit bodily harm, and shall be punished with imprisonment not exceeding two years or fined not exceeding four thousand Baht, or both.

FOUR thousand, not 500. That is the maximum for light injuries. For more severe injuries the penalty is higher.

Still, even 4000B would be a ridiculously small amount for an act that could easily kill someone.

[LivinginKata]

Farang damages jet-ski, charge is 30,000 - 50,000

Thai damages farang, charge is 500

Unfortunately Thailand ( and many other countries) still considers property more important/valuable that human life, much like in Europe 100 years ago. Really sad.

[naiharn]

A thousand baht fine, that's a joke, to these scumbags that's chump change, why the heck dint the court set a proper example and fine them 40,000 Baht and pay compensation to the victims of at least 500,000 Baht.<snip>

Because that would be against the law.

The court could have imposed a jail sentence of 2 years PLUS a 4,000B fine per offence. It chose instead to give a slap on the wrist. But keep on with your endless defence of people to whom you mean absolutely nothing - it is very entertaining!

[chooka]

This is a brief outtake from the Australian criminal justice system statistics page.........

"An assault offender with no prior convictions faces a 2.8 per cent chance of imprisonment. By contrast, an assault offender with four or more prior convictions faces a 42.9 per cent chance of imprisonment. Among those who received prison sentences, the average minimum term was 9 months and the average aggregate sentence was 15 months. "

What it shows is that those habitual criminals charged and convicted with a crime receive higher penalties.....which is what should happen.

This case in Thailand is laying the foundations of justice for future criminal acts of this particular person.....give the system time to work.

That includes all categories of assaults,

Unlawful assault - pushing someone or placing a person in fear of being assaulted

Recklessly Causing injury - push someone and they stumble sprain a wrist/bruising

Intentionally Cause injury - Intentionally inflicting pain, causing bruising, swelling or minor fracture.

Recklessly Cause Serious Injury - A combination of injuries, an impairment permanent or temporary (loss of sight due to major swelling, major fracture)

Intentionally Causing Serious Injury

Assault with a weapon.

Most assaults fall into the categories of unlawful assault and recklessly causing injury and chances of prison time for 1st offence are minimal. Using a weapon during the commission of the offence indicates intention to cause injury whether that be simply pain. It is considered a serious offence.

A 1st time offender convicted of the offences of Assault with a weapon and intentionally causing injury has the very high chance of a prison term generally around 28 days depending on the degree of injury. Have known many 1st time offenders convicted of such charges to get jail.

[stevenl]

A thousand baht fine, that's a joke, to these scumbags that's chump change, why the heck dint the court set a proper example and fine them 40,000 Baht and pay compensation to the victims of at least 500,000 Baht.<snip>

Because that would be against the law.

The court could have imposed a jail sentence of 2 years PLUS a 4,000B fine per offence. It chose instead to give a slap on the wrist. But keep on with your endless defence of people to whom you mean absolutely nothing - it is very entertaining!

Who am I defending here except the law?

[Luis]

I can't belive it 1000 THB???? What about the damage charges of injuries and hospital? joke is the law in Thailand....Sure if u do the same to the bastard u will have to pay for his family, villagers and will expelled from here...Outrageous

[Carl64]

So if I smacked him back, and got charged, would I get a 1000 baht fine? If so sounds worth it to me!

[naiharn]

Because that would be against the law.

The court could have imposed a jail sentence of 2 years PLUS a 4,000B fine per offence. It chose instead to give a slap on the wrist. But keep on with your endless defence of people to whom you mean absolutely nothing - it is very entertaining!

Who am I defending here except the law?

I think you are ill advised in trying to defend something you clearly know so little about. You claimed that the maximum fine for an assault is 500B, eight times lower than the true figure.

Quite apart from the fine, the judge could have sentenced the defendant to jail time, but did not.

[LomSak27]

Come on - Its the appearance of justice

What more do you want, or expect?

[naiharn]

So if I smacked him back, and got charged, would I get a 1000 baht fine? If so sounds worth it to me!

I think we all (except Stevenl) know the answer to that one!

[belg]

^{1000 baht, that is what they charge you per person for half an hour}

[cheshiremusicman]

You all might makes jokes, but I consider this real progress. You have to realise that fines in Thailand seem low, but that is just the real Thai economy (not the tourist economy).

This is the part I really like ...

“If Mr Danaichet is caught committing a crime during his probation, he faces a penalty of three months in prison,” the officer explained.

Totally agree.

First, there was moaning that nothing was done, now the moaning continues.

I am not familiar with the Thai penal code but I should suspect that fines in general are lower than say in Oz or the USA. Lots of Thais for which THB 1,000 are a fair chunk of cash.

Again, totally agree. This at the very least is a step in the right direction and shows some will from the Thai authorities to address such stupid acts as have been perpetrated by these morons. Let us hope that this is the start of a clean up - we can only live in hope. The longest journey begins with the first step as they say.

[naiharn]

You all might makes jokes, but I consider this real progress. You have to realise that fines in Thailand seem low, but that is just the real Thai economy (not the tourist economy).

This is the part I really like ...

“If Mr Danaichet is caught committing a crime during his probation, he faces a penalty of three months in prison,” the officer explained.

Totally agree.

First, there was moaning that nothing was done, now the moaning continues.

I am not familiar with the Thai penal code but I should suspect that fines in general are lower than say in Oz or the USA. Lots of Thais for which THB 1,000 are a fair chunk of cash.

Again, totally agree. This at the very least is a step in the right direction and shows some will from the Thai authorities to address such stupid acts as have been perpetrated by these morons. Let us hope that this is the start of a clean up - we can only live in hope. The longest journey begins with the first step as they say.

Your optimism might be well-founded if this were the first time a Thai has had received ANY punishment for assaulting a foreigner, and/or the fine, while small, was at least higher than what had been imposed in the past.

But check this: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/566898-phuket-tuk-tuk-driver-gets-suspended-sentence-for-attack-on-tourist/

14 months ago, assault on a tourist results in 3 month suspended sentence and 3,000 Baht fine. Now an assault results in only 500 Baht fine. At that rate, by Christmas foreigners will actually PAY for the privilege of being beaten up!

[chooka]

So if I smacked him back, and got charged, would I get a 1000 baht fine? If so sounds worth it to me!

ah no as Thai's are more expensive than a farang. You will probably get publically hung and quartered, have to pay compensation to his entire extended family for their suffering and then your first born will be sent off for medical experiments. Your remains will be bagged stamped C.O.D (Cash on Delivery) and sent to your loved ones back home.