Thailand: Durian merchant gets 15 days in jail for selling unripe durian

[webfact]

COURT
Durian merchant gets 15 days in jail for selling unripe durian

BANGKOK: -- Rayong court that sentenced a merchant to 15-days in jail for selling unripe fruit to a customer set a legal precedent for Thailand.

The Court on April 22 sentenced orchard owner Vimol Srivichai for selling 20 unripe durians for about Bt2,000, theThai Rath newspaper reported.

"The defendant defrauded his customer and in doing so adversely impacted the local economy by undermining people’s good faith indurian sales," the court said in its verdict.

The client pressed charges after discovering the durians he bought on April 21 was unripe. Police in Rayong province confirmed the deception and brought the case to court.

Rayong, Chanthaburi and Trat provinces on the eastern seaboard are famed for their tropical fruit plantations including durian,mangosteen and rambutan.

The Ministry of Agriculture has sought cooperation from orchard owners and merchants to refrain from selling unripe durian to maintain public confidence in the fruit, which is generally sold covered in its spiky shell.

"This court case sets a good example for other selfish merchants,"Olarn Pitak, director general of the Department of AgriculturalExtension, told the newspaper.


-- The Nation 2014-04-30

[John Clarke]

Sorry 15 days jail for selling unripe fruit??? I see priorities out of kilter.

Sent from my GT-P5110 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[HeavyDrinker]

15 days in prison while the kids of the rich walk free after killing people with impunity....explain this one apologists....

[Rob8891]

An idiot gets bail having killed 3 cops with bad driving.... this poor soul gets 15 days for selling unripe fruit....

Well, that shows priorities in Thailand pretty clearly.

[Soutpeel]

The police in Rayong obviously don't have enough crime to solve

[kkerry]

Undermining people's good faith in durian sales = do not pass go, go to jail for 15 days, justice served in two days.

An unlicensed driver in an accident that kills 9 people = 48 hours community service after several years and still appealing.

The Thai legal system, all about who you are,who you know and how wealthy you are.

[alocacoc]

Thailand. The land of the free.

Yes. As long you have enough money. Otherwise...go to monkeyhouse. Who cares....

[Pomthai]

Just when I thought it couldn't get more ridiculous, it does. I love to hear an expiation of the rational' behind this when compared to some of the other things mentioned in this thread.

[MMarlow]

An idiot gets bail having killed 3 cops with bad driving.... this poor soul gets 15 days for selling unripe fruit....

Well, that shows priorities in Thailand pretty clearly.

The differences are though, that the durian seller's case has been heard in court and he was found guilty and the chances are that he had bail prior to the court appearance also. The other one you refer to hasn't been to court yet so he's not been sentenced.

So this doesn't show Thailand's priorities at all, clearly or otherwise.

[cgphuket]

An idiot gets bail having killed 3 cops with bad driving.... this poor soul gets 15 days for selling unripe fruit.... alt=w00t.gif width=18 height=20>

Well, that shows priorities in Thailand pretty clearly. alt=bah.gif width=19 height=19>

The differences are though, that the durian seller's case has been heard in court and he was found guilty and the chances are that he had bail prior to the court appearance also. The other one you refer to hasn't been to court yet so he's not been sentenced.

So this doesn't show Thailand's priorities at all, clearly or otherwise.

[bulekee]

Please correct me if I am wrong,but should it not read were unripe,being plural.OK I know I am nit picking,but if this is making news,<deleted>.

[madmitch]

An idiot gets bail having killed 3 cops with bad driving.... this poor soul gets 15 days for selling unripe fruit....

Well, that shows priorities in Thailand pretty clearly.

The differences are though, that the durian seller's case has been heard in court and he was found guilty and the chances are that he had bail prior to the court appearance also. The other one you refer to hasn't been to court yet so he's not been sentenced.

So this doesn't show Thailand's priorities at all, clearly or otherwise.

He was sentenced the day after the incident so bail doesn't seem likely. Obviously Rayong's Courts are less busy than other areas where cases take months or years to be heard.

I wonder if they held a re-enactment of this serious crime or at least had a photo of the jubilant police pointing at the criminal surrounded by his unripe durians.

[tardelli]

15 days in jail for selling unripe fruit !!

Congratulations .. Good job..)

Thai judicial system working very well !

has quite much get ahead.

[bulekee]

Remember 1984,think about it.

[ginjag]

It would be laughable if it were not so terribly unjust!

Kill 9 persons on expressway and walk out free with 48 hours of community work, without even seing how a jail looks like.

Kill 3 cops while trying to evade a road block, and walk out on bail.....

Sell unripe fruits, and be a government guest for 15 days...........

Just can't believe it!

I can it's called uniformity .

everything done to the book --just like second hand car dealers guide in UK. the price to pay is there in black and white---

[bigbamboo]

No fine? Disgraceful.

Sounds to me this threat to society must be very well connected.

[BillyBobThai]

Thailand is made of a government from top to bottom, that is run by people who have the education of 10 year olds.

Truly Truly Sad

Edited April 30, 2014 by BillyBobThai

[JoeThePoster]

He shoulda got a life sentence just for selling durian.

[EyesWideOpen]

15 days in jail for selling unripe fruit !!

Congratulations .. Good job..)

Thai judicial system working very well !

has quite much get ahead.

Clearly Thailand has realized it must get its judicial system in order prior

to entering ASEAN, so this swift justice meted out to the durian seller must

be the first shot over the bow.....

[Costas2008]

Ah....don't worry.....by the time he comes out the durian will be ripe.

[WhizBang]

<deleted>? Selling unripe fruit is a jailable offence? This country is totally out of whak. The judicial system is in serious need of complete reform, as are the police.

By the way, does unripe durian not ripen with age?

[chainarong]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Remember 1984,think about it.

!984 Yeah I thought about it, that was the year a banana grow got 21 days for selling straight banana's, wasn't it ???

[metisdead]

Off topic posts and replies have been removed.

[sirineou]

15 days in jail for selling unripe fruit !!

That stinks

[bulekee]

ek cuse me,am eye bin dumbed downed ere,y is this news.Echoes of the Sun and News of the Screws.Anything to make money.I thought Robert Maxwell was dead.Our more discerning readers will get the gist!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ginjag]

15 days in jail for selling unripe fruit !!

That stinks

I agree.

(unripe fruit rarely stinks) just joking

[GentlemanJim]

Well Durian is the 'King of Fruits'. This was clearly a case of treasonous fruit tomfoolery.

On a serious note, I don't know whether to laugh or cry, so I will just close my eyes a moment while I sit at the desk and shake my head. 15 days jail for selling unripe fruit, something which apparently could affect the local economy!! I assume the thugs in that part of the country who are minted from the corrupt rice pledging are not considered to be affecting the economy. The fact that a woman who kills 9 gets away with a 2 yr sentence reduced to a small amount of community service in comparison is a shocker. The judge should just have ordered the guy to pay the money back and eat the durian. Whatever happened to Caveat Emptor?

Edited April 30, 2014 by GentlemanJim

[bulekee]

It would be laughable if it were not so terribly unjust!

Kill 9 persons on expressway and walk out free with 48 hours of community work, without even seing how a jail looks like.

Kill 3 cops while trying to evade a road block, and walk out on bail.....

Sell unripe fruits, and be a government guest for 15 days...........

Just can't believe it!

I can it's called uniformity .

everything done to the book --just like second hand car dealers guide in UK. the price to pay is there in black and white---

Glasses Guide,good old days.

[GentlemanJim]

It would be laughable if it were not so terribly unjust!

Kill 9 persons on expressway and walk out free with 48 hours of community work, without even seing how a jail looks like.

Kill 3 cops while trying to evade a road block, and walk out on bail.....

Sell unripe fruits, and be a government guest for 15 days...........

Just can't believe it!

I can it's called uniformity .

everything done to the book --just like second hand car dealers guide in UK. the price to pay is there in black and white---

Glasses Guide,good old days.

I imagine there is an ipad app now bulekee

[bulekee]

Well Durian is the 'King of Fruits'. This was clearly a case of treasonous fruit tomfoolery.

On a serious note, I don't know whether to laugh or cry, so I will just close my eyes a moment while I sit at the desk and shake my head. 15 days jail for selling unripe fruit, something which apparently could affect the local economy!! I assume the thugs in that part of the country who are minted from the corrupt rice pledging are not considered to be affecting the economy. The fact that a woman who kills 9 gets away with a 2 yr sentence reduced to a small amount of community service in comparison is a shocker. The judge should just have ordered the guy to pay the money back and eat the durian. Whatever happened to Caveat Emptor?

Well here in Thailand you are innocent until proven guilty,unless you have the caveat of being a hiso.So the henious crime of selling unripened durian is sure to destroy the international reputation of Thailand.Should this case be brought to the ICC in the Hague,there is no doubt what the verdict will be.The defendant will be found guilty for the crime of defaming the national fruit of Thailand and therefor must be committed to a sentence that reflects the crime