Does punishment fit the crime in Thailand ?

[quiuvo]

Last week a 42 yr old man kidnapped, raped, and killed a 6 year old girl. He had served a 3 year 8 month sentence for kidnapping a girl less "than 15 years old."

First, why did he serve such a short period of time for the first crime?

Will he serve a life sentence in this current crime, which he has admitted to?

We hear and read about many Thais paying 500 baht for assault and other crimes.

At least in USA , he would have served at least ten years for the first crime. He would be executed for the most current one!

Should the sentencing laws be changed to be more strict? I say yes.

[meom]

Maybe.

What's the point when people with money buy themselves out of any sentencing?

[Tmymaimee]

My ex girlfriend stole my MacAir laptop from me when we parted ways. I went to the police station and they had her in the station within the hour. After 30 minutes, she was hysterical and in tears as the police were pretty straightforward and told me…if I want, she will go to jail now in Chonburi for 2 years immediately as she admitted to stealing it. For a used laptop worth $500, 2 years. Unbelievable. (She gets out next month..joking:)

At home, the police would not even get involved for something so petty.

I suppose you would have to compare justice here to another specific country to better compare.

[Africanteacher]

Happens everywhere. Such a bizarre thing, this law thing, isn't it?

A few days ago in THE USA, a teenager was handed (only) 10 years probation for fatal DUI charges, where lives were lost.

What reason did the presiding judge give? "The young North Texas teenager from a wealthy family should not be sent to prison for killing four pedestrians while driving drunk".

Apparently, this young lad suffered from 'Affluenza'.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/12/12/affluenza-dwi-dui-texas/3999487/

[oneday]

And my girl was reading a story about a poor couple who went into the woods/jungle to gather some food like vegetables. Their problem was it was in a National Park and so they were given 15 years. Absolutely unbelievable how laws and punishment are applied in this country.

Edited December 16, 2013 by oneday

[up-country_sinclair]

All to often it's not what you did, but who you know or how much you paid.

Edited December 16, 2013 by up-country_sinclair

[topt]

Happens everywhere. Such a bizarre thing, this law thing, isn't it?

A few days ago in THE USA, a teenager was handed (only) 10 years probation for fatal DUI charges, where lives were lost.

What reason did the presiding judge give? "The young North Texas teenager from a wealthy family should not be sent to prison for killing four pedestrians while driving drunk".

Apparently, this young lad suffered from 'Affluenza'.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/12/12/affluenza-dwi-dui-texas/3999487/

Yes I saw the same thing on BBC online earlier today. Interesting last question in the BBC article (not checked your link by the way)

"Is the real tragedy of this case the awfulness of the US juvenile justice system and not the privileges of being wealthy?"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-echochambers-25374458

So to answer the OP perhaps it is not neccessarily that the sentencing laws need to be stricter but perhaps the interpretation of them by whoever gives out the sentence?

[robblok]

As in every country some laws are crazy and some are not. Drugs laws here are extreme and it seems violence laws are not.

[giddyup]

As in every country some laws are crazy and some are not. Drugs laws here are extreme and it seems violence laws are not.

Thailand promotes itself as being tough on drugs, and maybe they are, for foreigners. I watch local Thai news with my partner and she often says of huge drug busts ( hundreds of kilos of yaba) where Thais have been arrested, that the drug runners are quite often habitual offenders who were only recently released for the same offences. When the people involved are only in their 20's it makes me wonder how long a sentence did they get for the previous conviction. I have a feeling that if enough money changes hands or the right people are known, the sentences are considerably reduced. They have an absolute yaba/ice epidemic in this country and sentences handed down are certainly no deterrent to people (Thais) trafficking drugs.

[ajarnmarc]

What would really be nice is, if people would stop coming here; to Thailand,

trying to change the laws to be the same as where they're from.

One day, who knows it just might be you on the short stick of the law,

and you'll be hoping it goes in your favor.

I don't by any means, side with what this suspect has been accused or admitted of doing...

I have a four year old daughter myself,

and wouldn't likely wait for the law to handle such a horrible act through the courts.

But evil people can be found everywhere,

and we all have to deal with them in our own way.

The magic of Thailand is or was, that you had special ways before,

dealing with scum like this suspect, though that is getting harder to do in this new age.

The locals have always had their way with handing out their own form of sentencing,

and in many ways that was truly justice done.

[robblok]

As in every country some laws are crazy and some are not. Drugs laws here are extreme and it seems violence laws are not.

Thailand promotes itself as being tough on drugs, and maybe they are, for foreigners. I watch local Thai news with my partner and she often says of huge drug busts ( hundreds of kilos of yaba) where Thais have been arrested, that the drug runners are quite often habitual offenders who were only recently released for the same offences. When the people involved are only in their 20's it makes me wonder how long a sentence did they get for the previous conviction. I have a feeling that if enough money changes hands or the right people are known, the sentences are considerably reduced. They have an absolute yaba/ice epidemic in this country and sentences handed down are certainly no deterrent to people (Thais) trafficking drugs.

Maybe your right to be honest I don't follow the Thai news that much. I do know of users that get off after some money is paid. But still the laws are quite tough.

I can tell you this in my country the Netherlands there are plenty of cases where we as Dutch feel justice has not been done. I am pretty sure its the same in every country, now its just easy to blame all Thais. I have no idea who to blame back home besides the judges and maybe politicians. But I would certainly not blame all Thais.

Some laws should change here or get more enforcement but we always say that even back home. It is never perfect and always easy to go after people who are not in our group. Drunk drivers will say go after murderers ect. ect.

Anyway this guy, i am not sure what he did last time or how long he was in jail but this time he deserves a pretty long time in my opinion. He does not look like the kind of guy who will buy himself free. But i could mistaken as I don't know his personal details and friends.

[robblok]

@giddyup

I seem to be totally wrong (if true what i just heard) the guy is supposed to have raped and killed multiple times before. If so this is a big shame and i wonder what kind of connections he had.

[giddyup]

@giddyup

I seem to be totally wrong (if true what i just heard) the guy is supposed to have raped and killed multiple times before. If so this is a big shame and i wonder what kind of connections he had.

i think you will find that because Thai jails are so overcrowded that early releases are pretty much commonplace. The amount of big drug arrests of re-offenders I see every week on Thai TV suggests to me that the crims aren't expecting to do 20 years.

[tingtongteesood]

Absolutely not. especially if it is crimes committed by locals against tourists. But in most cases it is all wrong. That policeman last week who is charged with 800 years for stealing under 100,000 baht compared with a murderer out in less than 4, surely these are backwards...Premeditated murder should be life in all cases if the evidence is comprehensive and there is no doubt.

[quiuvo]

What would really be nice is, if people would stop coming here; to Thailand,

trying to change the laws to be the same as where they're from.

One day, who knows it just might be you on the short stick of the law,

and you'll be hoping it goes in your favor.

I don't by any means, side with what this suspect has been accused or admitted of doing...

I have a four year old daughter myself,

and wouldn't likely wait for the law to handle such a horrible act through the courts.

But evil people can be found everywhere,

and we all have to deal with them in our own way.

The magic of Thailand is or was, that you had special ways before,

dealing with scum like this suspect, though that is getting harder to do in this new age.

The locals have always had their way with handing out their own form of sentencing,

and in many ways that was truly justice done.

What a bunch of b***. Don't come here if you don't like our laws! Wow. Maybe soon I can't express my disagreement with any thing Thai ? That day I will fly out of the country

[Ulic]

Sounds like he got a 71/2 year sentence on the first case and because he plead guilty he got 1/2 off and

served 3 years 8 months. A not totally a nothing sentence. I have read the Thai jails are so rough that

the sentence ages you double the time. Now that Chinese girl (about 21) who was kidnapped (held all day)

and sexually assaulted by a taxi driver in Phuket just a short time ago. He barely got a slap on the wrist.

I think a 500 baht fine and a short taxi licence suspension.

[cracker1]

Some Thai friends tonight told me this man had taken six children and raped them (previous) and four of them died.

Administrator : Please check these basic facts with Police or Courts before you publish.

[kikoman]

Happens everywhere. Such a bizarre thing, this law thing, isn't it?

A few days ago in THE USA, a teenager was handed (only) 10 years probation for fatal DUI charges, where lives were lost.

What reason did the presiding judge give? "The young North Texas teenager from a wealthy family should not be sent to prison for killing four pedestrians while driving drunk".

Apparently, this young lad suffered from 'Affluenza'.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/12/12/affluenza-dwi-dui-texas/3999487/

Four lives were lost in that DUI!

I believe the OP has picked the wrong legal system, the one from the US that has incorporated it prison system and has more people incarcerated then any other country in the world, 2.2 million.

Dual legal system, (yes) if the person in question had no money he would have receive 20 or more years of imprisonment!

Cheers

[shaurene]

My wife has a deaf & dumb 19yr old boy his father took him out of the special school my wife put him in to help his education he took him to Bangkok and got him a job on the buildings where he worked and took all his wages. The boy got involved with some others and they were attacked by another group and one guy tried to steel the little money he had and fort back and stabbed the guy, the guy died her some got 10-15yrs. He was 17 when this happened. He is in the Khon Kaen prison.

[Maggusoil]

My ex girlfriend stole my MacAir laptop from me when we parted ways. I went to the police station and they had her in the station within the hour. After 30 minutes, she was hysterical and in tears as the police were pretty straightforward and told me…if I want, she will go to jail now in Chonburi for 2 years immediately as she admitted to stealing it. For a used laptop worth $500, 2 years. Unbelievable. (She gets out next month..joking:)

At home, the police would not even get involved for something so petty.

I suppose you would have to compare justice here to another specific country to better compare.

One is tempted to state that boys or men do better than the women, but as I've posted before, my girl pointed out a woman riding a bicycle by one day and mentioned that she had killed her husband. Surprised, I asked her how long she had spent in jail. 2 days, she said. Nobody liked her husband.

What can you say?

Its Thailand. Its different.

[Thai at Heart]

What would really be nice is, if people would stop coming here; to Thailand,

trying to change the laws to be the same as where they're from.

One day, who knows it just might be you on the short stick of the law,

and you'll be hoping it goes in your favor.

I don't by any means, side with what this suspect has been accused or admitted of doing...

I have a four year old daughter myself,

and wouldn't likely wait for the law to handle such a horrible act through the courts.

But evil people can be found everywhere,

and we all have to deal with them in our own way.

The magic of Thailand is or was, that you had special ways before,

dealing with scum like this suspect, though that is getting harder to do in this new age.

The locals have always had their way with handing out their own form of sentencing,

and in many ways that was truly justice done.

Another plonker who thinks the smart thing to do is to park your brain and your moral compass at immigration.

And you are an Ajarn. Thank God I got my kids out of this system.

Edited December 17, 2013 by Thai at Heart

[quiuvo]

What would really be nice is, if people would stop coming here; to Thailand,

trying to change the laws to be the same as where they're from.

One day, who knows it just might be you on the short stick of the law,

and you'll be hoping it goes in your favor.

I don't by any means, side with what this suspect has been accused or admitted of doing...

I have a four year old daughter myself,

and wouldn't likely wait for the law to handle such a horrible act through the courts.

But evil people can be found everywhere,

and we all have to deal with them in our own way.

The magic of Thailand is or was, that you had special ways before,

dealing with scum like this suspect, though that is getting harder to do in this new age.

The locals have always had their way with handing out their own form of sentencing,

and in many ways that was truly justice done.

Another plonker who thinks the smart thing to do is to park your brain and your moral compass at immigration.

And you are an Ajarn. Thank God I got my kids out of this system.

Good you got them out of here. I'm debating the same action myself. "The magic of Thailand is or was, ...." Bah. Justice in anarchy ? Ha. Justice here ? Yes all countries have flaws and we try to change laws to come close to an ideal but it is impossible , but here .. 555

[holeyman1]

I often notice all fatal road

"accidents" equate to more or less a slap-on-the-wrist.

Not exclusively in Thailand but anywhere in the world.

That's the same as going scott-free for murder! (Vehicular murder)