‘Police nearly tricked me into a confession’

[sustento]

I'm curious as to what all the 'send in a gunboat' mob would do if a Thai activist broke the law in the UK? Would they expect the Thai government to send in someone clandestinely to rescue him or would they expect him to be treated the same as all other accused persons and face trial in a British court of law?

[metisdead]

An off topic and racially inflammatory post has been removed as well as a reply.

[Thai at Heart]

You know, give up on this Rule Britannia mentality.

Suggestions of covert help from the British government are ridiculous. Next thing you'll be asking for is the Black Magic Man to come swooping in and whisk this poor little creature out of harms way. No one is against the guy fighting for Human Rights, the split comes from the guy not being prepared to take responsibility for his actions and trying to lay blame for his predicament against the Embassy.

Here is the link to the FCO information page for people arrested in Thailand.

https://www.gov.uk/help-if-you-are-arrested-abroad/y/thailand

Here is the abstract of what they cannot do.......

What the FCO and British consulate cant do

The FCO and British consulate wont be able to:

• get someone out of prison or detention
• help someone get special treatment
• offer legal advice, start legal proceedings or investigate a crime
• pay for any costs as a result of being arrested
• forward packages sent by friends or family to an arrested person or prisoner
• prevent authorities from deporting a British national after release

How about everyone putting on long trousers and actually paying attention as to what our government is clearly telling us? You get arrested here, it's down to you and you alone. Regard is as a Term & Condition of agreeing to be here.

Like all intelligent adults, if you don't like the T&C's, don't do the deal. Go home.

Actually, the fco apparently is supposed to help NGOs who expose human rights abuses or gross illegalities.

If he were a Christians in Iran what would we say. If he were united nations working in Palestine or any war torn country what would we say.

At the end of the day he reportedly uncovered human rights and labour illegalities. And don't believe the embassy will do and has done nothing. They will try as much as they can to contact/lean on the ministry to sort it out.

Delicate problem.

[F4UCorsair]

HE says he is/was being set up. HE is running an agenda, so I'd be taking whatever he says as a motive for self preservation.

Don't get me wrong. I do applaud crusaders, but....................they must carefully select their cause, the country, and ALL potential consequences. To bleat 'foul' after the event appears somewhat short sighted, and infantile, from where I stand.

If embassies poured resources into every Andy Hall, they'd have to double staff, and still have no time for anything else.

The Australian Foreign Affairs minister has just served notice on Australians to expect less from their embassies, and rather pointedly in view of the unfolding Russian oil rig story, run under a Greenpeace banner, said that the Australian government will not be interfering in other countries' laws. In short, if you commit a crime, or what is seen as a crime by another country, you're on your own.

Ah, the good old days of embassies. I recall when one could just drop in, read the latest newspapers form home, send a telegram (long before computers and email), have a coffee and chat with staff, use the 'phone, etc. That's 50 years ago!! This is 2013, travel is affordable to most, governments are short of cash, AND, there weren't crusaders to defend.

I saw Valdimir Putin giving Russia's side last night, and he said, a little unconvincingly even I must admit, that terrorists can easily brand a ship 'Greenpeace' to be able to approach so closely, and do exactly what these environmental warriors have done, but then blow the platform out of the water.

If you commit acts/crimes in another country, it's not often that country will have the same liberal, and forgiving, laws that your own country has.

[jpeg]

One would suggest every other embassy in this country has very similar costs - yet simple printed form for proof of address costs much more in the British Embassy. I guess you have or do work for them in some capacity. Just who pays? We do - the Brits - even those that no longer pay taxes and are here on retirement visas paid for it - their whole working lives. No one is asking that they launch a SAS extraction, but a representative in the police station to ensure that all is above board would be nice - and I would guess many NGOs would even fork out a little for it. Please, don't say that's what lawyers are for - most lawyers here seem to know diddly about the law - and will go for any settlement that gets them paid and out the door without damaging their police contacts!

Your continual spouting out that every one that expects a little more help from the embassy when the s**t does hit the fan, are "knobs"[sic], drug smugglers etc - is puerile and infantile. We don't expect hand holding - most wouldn't want it either - what we expect is protection from judicial and police corruption, illegal detention, forced confessions, etc - something that is easy to do by attaching a representative to the case at the start to just ensure that all goes fairly and legally (to Thai law), they do not have to interfere, just sit and record it all and pass it up the line if anything untoward happens (the threat of which should keep things fair) - this is not too much to ask for a country that could send us all in to die in some war for it at the stroke of a pen.

Excellent post I agree with everything you say. However, I was promised the part highlighted in bold 'Perhaps if the police know we're keeping an eye on them' Pah!, which was subsequently not forthcoming. I did point out to the embassy that they seem to be held in high esteem by everyone in the judiciary, and that perhaps they weren't aware that they held more power (just by way of your suggestion that a representative be attached to a case, even if it were a mere showing of face/call to local police station), which was ignored.

Edited October 8, 2013 by jpeg

[jmccarty]

Lots of do gooders in the world get persecuted for their actions. 3rd world countries get bent out of shape with their own do gooders and more so when foriegners show up stirring the pot. Embassies do not have the means of rescuing any individual that stirs the pot. That get's ambasadors expelled.

When industrialized nations are shamed enough into acting, they send in the troops, and it appears less frequently lately.

This guy is one of many, might end up in a Thai jail, or if he is lucky, be expelled.

Not sure what drives people like this? Real compassion? Lack of income earning ability/skills?

[zakk9]

Not sure what drives people like this? Real compassion? Lack of income earning ability/skills?

Some people simply can't stand watching others being exploited, particularly when those "others" lack the resources to stand up for themselves. It's all about choice; spend time on yourself or on helping somebody else. Embassy staff actually have paid to help their countrymen. Unfortunately, many of them have too much work, since there are too many penniless drunkards demanding their attention, particularly in Thailand.