So, Is This Theft?

[bannork]

Coming back from Bandung market, Udon Thani province about 7 pm last week, the missus and self got caught in a heavy storm, so we took shelter in a bamboo roadside stall, (unoccupied), until the storm abated, whereupon we commenced our journey on our Honda Wave dream machine.

Sadly the dream was soon shattered when the darling wife realised,(at 7 am the next morning) that she had left her bag in the shelter. She hurried back but alas it had gone.

Later that day the village headman of that village, 2 down from us, appeared with the aforementioned bag, minus the mobile phone and 400 baht in cash. He said a woman in his village had found it and was returning the documents, ie ID card and AIA insurance card but was keeping the phone and money!

If I found cash on the roadside with nobody around I would keep it as I'd have no idea whose it is; but in a bag with an ID card, it's as plain as day. I'd either keep the lot or hand back everything, but then I'm just a simple minded farang.

Could somebody explain the moral logic here.

Bannork.

[britmaveric]

Theft would be the word for it.

[Superfly]

Could somebody explain the moral logic here.

Bannork.

Perhaps the logic is, "she has a falang husband, she can afford to lose it."

[GuestHouse]

Get your Mrs to file a police report

[Donz]

Maybe someone came along and took the money and phone and threw the bag away, she found it and is returning the bag.

Usually the theft would just take the money and toss the bag away.

Shouldnt always expect the worse in people

[GU22]

A guy I used to work with once found a wallet with over £100 in it. He handed it in at the local nick, but took the money out first!

At least she got her documents back, which is more than my wife did when her handbag was stolen in the UK.

[Toni]

Maybe someone came along and took the money and phone and threw the bag away, she found it and is returning the bag.

Usually the theft would just take the money and toss the bag away.

Shouldnt always expect the worse in people

Later that day the village headman of that village, 2 down from us, appeared with the aforementioned bag, minus the mobile phone and 400 baht in cash. He said a woman in his village had found it and was returning the documents, ie ID card and AIA insurance card but was keeping the phone and money!

[john1000]

Maybe someone came along and took the money and phone and threw the bag away, she found it and is returning the bag.

Usually the theft would just take the money and toss the bag away.

Shouldnt always expect the worse in people

Later that day the village headman of that village, 2 down from us, appeared with the aforementioned bag, minus the mobile phone and 400 baht in cash. He said a woman in his village had found it and was returning the documents, ie ID card and AIA insurance card but was keeping the phone and money!

Find the girl and call the police. Will they do anything?

[Master Chief]

Well, Thai moral code is that; If you have so many things and you cannot keep track of it, then you do not deserve to have it. You leave it you lose it.

Must say that there are as said good western moral people here also. Brave village head, he took the shame of the village woman, he is a brave soul and must be given a Chang or two! Cheers

[bkkmadness]

Get the village headmen to go and talk to the other village headmen, isn't that how things work? If not, maybe police should be involved, it is theft after all.

[Rinrada]

Have to tried to call her on YOUR mobile...........Wot

[tuky]

Some cheek!!!

(don't mean to belittle the situation at all)

But I guess the moral is, look after your belongings.

[cobra]

Maybe the loose baht and the mobile were viewed as an implied reward for retuning the bag and documents, yeah right, of course it's theft.

I'm surprised you got anything back, not too long ago the GF left a small gift I gave her on table at a fairly upscale restaurant, we returned just minutes later to retrieve same,

Of course it was gone but our confidence was high one of the staff put it in storage, etc,

The owner was beside himself and lined up several employees and demanded they to return it,

Even he was embarrassed as they all just played dumb, and who's to say it wasn't absconded by a customer,

Human nature is always going to be a crap shoot.

[bkkmadness]

Some cheek!!!

Yeah definately a cheeky character. And the fact that they gave back the other stuff and didn't hide the fact that they had got the mobile and money makes me think the thief thinks she has some kind of right to your belongings.

I'd definately be taking this further and getting my stuff back.

Have you tried calling the phone as Rinrada suggested? I'm not sure that will help too much though, it might freak the woman out and she might sell it off. I'm not sure you will be able to talk her into giving it back with you coz she does seem to believe in 'finders keepers'. Perhaps your better going direct to see her with the appropriate person, either your village headman or the police.

[sriracha john]

Strange that the "finder" of your belongings would say that she was keeping the money and phone. It would have been far easier,

face-saving, police-avoiding thing to have just claimed she found the bag tossed roadside and returned it as is to the village headman.

As my own experience, I've had a wallet returned (to my door) by a man who found it on the road ... inside was 4,000 baht cash, plus Visa credit card and driver's license. All attempts at giving a reward were refused. The fact he went to the trouble of tracking me down and returning it to me in person was amazing as it required a bit of running around town for him to find me without an address in the wallet.

Avoiding generalizations, Thais have proven to me on numerous occasions to be some of the most honest people in the World...

while others.... well... have shown me the opposite trait.

[Totster]

Maybe the loose baht and the mobile were viewed as an implied reward for retuning the bag and documents, yeah right, of course it's theft.

A reward is given.. not taken..

Seems a strange thing for someone to do.. even in Thailand.

Personally I would try and get the phone back via Poo Yai Baan... but you may just have to settle for the Sim card with your numbers etc.. The cash... thats already gone I reckon..

totster

[SDH]

He said a woman in his village had found it and was returning the documents, ie ID card and AIA insurance card but was keeping the phone and money!

This guy took the time out of his busy day to bring back the bag and ID, yet your upset about the phone and Baht? Go figure.....You should've drank some Lao Cao with the guy!!

[Sing_Sling]

Kind of adds insult to injury - of course it's theft.

[chuchok]

He said a woman in his village had found it and was returning the documents, ie ID card and AIA insurance card but was keeping the phone and money!

This guy took the time out of his busy day to bring back the bag and ID, yet your upset about the phone and Baht? Go figure.....You should've drank some Lao Cao with the guy!!

What's your point?

[Mighty Mouse]

In Australia there is the crime: "Steal by Finding."

If a similar offence is part of Thai law it would be worth reporting the matter to the police.

[Master Chief]

Is it worth all the fuss for a mobile and 400 bath?

Maybe the lady who first found the handbag did not take the items and someone else before her took the items, is worth to make the locals lose face with a police report, you got your stuff back and some items where missing, so what!

Live with it and keep your values with you and not spread it around.

Cheer up and buy some happy drinking for the locals, they do deserv it, they could have just toosed the handbag away.

[Sing_Sling]

Is it worth all the fuss for a mobile and 400 bath?

Maybe the lady who first found the handbag did not take the items and someone else before her took the items, is worth to make the locals lose face with a police report, you got your stuff back and some items where missing, so what!

Live with it and keep your values with you and not spread it around.

Cheer up and buy some happy drinking for the locals, they do deserv it, they could have just toosed the handbag away.

It wasn't a matter of the finder not having taken the money and phone - she did and admitted it.

He said a woman in his village had found it and was returning the documents, ie ID card and AIA insurance card but was keeping the phone and money!

So, where do you draw the line?

1000baht, your phone and watch? Credit card maybe? Checkbook?

10,000baht, your phone, watch and bracelet

100,000 baht, your phone, watch, bracelet and gold amulet with your mum's picture in it?

Is it worth all the fuss for a mobile and 400 bath?

All this lose face nonsesne just excuses too many actions.

Yes, it is theft.

[Master Chief]

Okay, pounder down on the village lady with a police report and think if that would lead to a better village spirit!

spend the time at the police station and report for the whole day and see the thai law in action and that would lead to what? How many of you guys have been and done a police report on minor theft? Has it ever lead to a good nights sleeping the day after? I'm not saying that it is not proper to do it, but are we not in Thailand and what country moral rules do apply here, ours or Thais?

[daleyboy]

Avoiding generalizations, Thais have proven to me on numerous occasions to be some of the most honest people in the World...

I would definately agree with this point. I got a taxi very early one morning to the bus station. In my pocket was the wifes new mobile phone. Sure enough i got out of the taxi and the phone had slipped out of my pocket and onto the seat of the taxi.

I went inside the station, took the phone out to tell the wife i was getting on the bus and then realised the phone had gone. I rushed around looking for a payphone, found one and the while i was dialing the number the taxi man tapped me on my shoulder and returned the lost phone. I tried to give him 500 baht as a thank you, but he wouldnt take it. So instead i asked him for his phone number and when i came back to bangkok i promised to used his taxi whenever i needed to go anywhere. In the end he got a lot more than 500 baht out of me, but hey it was worth it

[penzman]

Would the village headman keep the phone and money and blame the finder for it?

[troglodyte]

Okay, pounder down on the village lady with a police report and think if that would lead to a better village spirit!

spend the time at the police station and report for the whole day and see the thai law in action and that would lead to what? How many of you guys have been and done a police report on minor theft? Has it ever lead to a good nights sleeping the day after? I'm not saying that it is not proper to do it, but are we not in Thailand and what country moral rules do apply here, ours or Thais?

i am not sure the majority of Thais would agree with keeping the mobile and money. It is just another TIT moment that someone is so clueless to return the bag and admit to swiping the phone and money.

nice to get the ID card back - but I personally would be PO'd enough about the phone to raise the issue with the Pu-yai and/or police.

[chuchok]

Okay, pounder down on the village lady with a police report and think if that would lead to a better village spirit!

spend the time at the police station and report for the whole day and see the thai law in action and that would lead to what? How many of you guys have been and done a police report on minor theft? Has it ever lead to a good nights sleeping the day after? I'm not saying that it is not proper to do it, but are we not in Thailand and what country moral rules do apply here, ours or Thais?

i am not sure the majority of Thais would agree with keeping the mobile and money. It is just another TIT moment that someone is so clueless to return the bag and admit to swiping the phone and money.

nice to get the ID card back - but I personally would be PO'd enough about the phone to raise the issue with the Pu-yai and/or police.

yep, goto agree here.Theft is theft.

[astral]

File a police report and then go down to the phone company AIS or DTAC

and file a report with them.

They can block the phone and render it useless in Thailand!

[naka]

Is it worth all the fuss for a mobile and 400 bath?

Maybe the lady who first found the handbag did not take the items and someone else before her took the items, is worth to make the locals lose face with a police report, you got your stuff back and some items where missing, so what!

Live with it and keep your values with you and not spread it around.

Cheer up and buy some happy drinking for the locals, they do deserv it, they could have just toosed the handbag away.

You're not paying attention. The OP has made this point already.

and so has Toni.

Naka.

Edited May 12, 2006 by naka

[Master Chief]

Did she tell that or did it come from the djungle drum, how we know facts? Did she tell that directly to the OP? He got the handbag back so let it be.