Australian expat stabs to death Phuket nightclub worker

[Bogan Koori]

Please help me understand who the gentleman is in the foreground.

He seems large, white and not Thai.

Are there Farang police here in Thailand??? and if so, do we grasp that this person is both judge and jury for the Thais, since language is a hurdle here, and the Thai would rely heavily on his interpretations and judgment. And please do not tell me that those Thai police speak English. Yes, to a small degree, but to truly understanding Australian English ??... no way. I am American and can not understand what folks from Oz are talking about half the time ! 555 !

In other words, who is this guy? Is he an official, or friend of the man charged?

Tourist police.

They are meddling clowns. The guy is an expat NOT a tourist! So why is this imposter getting involved?

[Rogergreybeard]

It's different for all Thais to stand around bodies of the dead and injured and any altercations to have all their phones out filming events it's their right nobody else's 18 year old sees opportunity to take on an old bloke without needing all his mates with him??? Let's wait and see, remember we are always at fault

[OOLEEBER]

It's not illegal to film members of the public having a fight. Bet nightclub guy was trying to suppress bad PR footage.

My thoughts exactly. His boss probably told him to tell the bloke to stop filming.

[gemguy]

Well now, the man is going to pay for his drunken stupidity...that is for sure.

I think some leniency should be afforded the man and not thrown in prison for ever to rot in hell as it was certainly not pre meditated murder rather alcohol fueled rage that got out of hand.

10 years would be the minimum for this guy....... no less.

Cheers

[Incobart]

Firstly we dont know if he was defending himself from a beating from a much younger person, but yes let hang him high...

Secondly a huge % of Thai males carry weapons in their cars, you think those market stalls have all that stuff just for show?

Thirdly you better be able to escape, cause some will use them for minor slight.

sorry, but if he want to defend himself because he got beaten .. just pulling or showing the knife would be enough to hold them off and get out of there ..

no need to stab someone dead in my opinion..

[tonysilly]

All you Farang, stop acting like your special in Thailand. You left your country for a reason, and it's not because you were rich or a rock star. Behave, stop drinking so much, stop buying weapons. Get your self a good girl and stay out of Trouble. You might live long enough to enjoy Thailand.

Edited March 11, 2015 by LivinginKata
inflammatory remark removed

[Alfahane]

Tai Pan always has a couple of ultra aggressive guards that is picking fights with customers if you so much as look wrong at them. I've seen it many times. Just waiting to attack you. Especially a really short and small guard that looked and acted like a rabies infected chihuahua. I would not be surprised if he was the one getting stabbed.

There is nothing about what the guard did. Nobody will testify against the guard. All his guard buddies will be "credible" witnesses because they were not drunk (as is the story in every country). I doubt he asked politely. He might just as well hit Mark's phone out of his hand and then start pushing, threatening and maybe hitting. Speculations? Yes. But in the picture Mark's has his head patched up so there was more to the story than a polite request followed by the stabbing. And those guards usually come in groups to help one another.

Had an incident when a female friend sat down on the steps outside because she was tired but not drunk and a guard did not ask her to stand up an walk away. Instead he swinged his walkie talkie and hit her in the head with it and THEN told her to leave.

[Baerboxer]

Please help me understand who the gentleman is in the foreground.

He seems large, white and not Thai.

Are there Farang police here in Thailand??? and if so, do we grasp that this person is both judge and jury for the Thais, since language is a hurdle here, and the Thai would rely heavily on his interpretations and judgment. And please do not tell me that those Thai police speak English. Yes, to a small degree, but to truly understanding Australian English ??... no way. I am American and can not understand what folks from Oz are talking about half the time ! 555 !

In other words, who is this guy? Is he an official, or friend of the man charged?

Tourist police.

Tourist Police Volunteer. Wonder if he bought that RTP baseball cap himself or if they gave it him free to protect his shaven head from the sun. Must be sunny because he's wearing his cool shades too.

Those who genuinely want to help and provide translation services and help foreigners are commendable. Those who seem to like to dress up like policemen and pretend to be robocop make you wonder.

[mikeinbangkok]

There is a violent side among some Australians. All you need to do is to read the Australian media and watch ( Local) Australian news channels to understand that there are some serious violent people. If you go to Bali, you will understand immediately how the Aussies are perceived. A lot of violence happens in Bali and especially where the Aussies are involved. I am not here to judge anyone but it is a false perception to think that Aussies are non-violent. I don't agree to comments that the Thai bouncer provoked him, that's why he got stabbed. A normal and a decent human being would not go in that direction. At the end, now two lives have been destroyed.

[trianglechoke]

59 and walks around witrh a knife............ bury the 90575723452384ker

[Aussiescott]

Having witnessed too many farang getting bashed by bouncers for being drunk, in Bangla Rd where 70% of the people are drunk, because they are on holiday in the bar areas with whore bar girls encouraging them to drink copious quantities of alcohol... IN THE REAL WORLD, this is called responsible service of alcohol and a law that establishments will be fined and licenses revoked, servicing alcohol to already inebriated patrons. Now in saying that, no one deserves toi be killed doing their job, i feel sorry for this young man.. , its only a matter of time before Karma prevails and a young 25 yo man should not be bashing an old guy filming a fight on public property... Shocking unfortunate incident that should have never happened, a lesson for all concerned!

[Alfahane]

RIP to the victim. As for the perpetrator, however this is dressed up he will likely die in a squalid hellhole of a cell. If guilty it will be his just desserts for an inability to either walk away from a confrontation or fight like a man

Fight like a man? Have you ever seen security guards fight with guest one on one?

[diehard60]

Yea know it is beyond me why on earth would anyone go to phuget or pataya any more. Or even the southern islands. Thailand has let those places got to trash. I remember when they were beautiful and SAFE. But not any more.

[gemguy]

Like everyone on this website continually reminds one another and some of the best advice you will ever hear for Thailand.

Learn to walk away and do not get confrontational with Thai men ...especially ones who have any degree of authority such as a night club bouncer.

In this case, that good advice was ignored and the man is going to pay for his regrettable actions and nothing can change what he did while the man has to be held accountable for his actions.

I just hope that they are lenient with him.

He is probably thinking: "I want to be leaving now...so sorry about that stabbing thing .......I have to get back to Australia because I have some issues needing to be taken care of back home.

Cheers

[TacoHell]

In the source that cannot be mentioned they interviewed him already, says self defense as he was being badly beaten by security guards for filming another altracation outside the club.

[Billy The Kid]

Every country have a murderer , not just an Aussie ...

[Abilene]

Do these cases ever go to trial? You read about them on TV but soon they are forgotten and you hardly ever get to hear about the trial, the verdict or the sentence. Trials are held in open court right?

[natway09]

Totally reserve my judgement until (or if) more facts come to light,

but Starky just for interest do you have any idea how many knives & pistols carried by Thais

excluding police & licensed security? Millions, run, baby, run

[Time Traveller]

There must be more to this story. Someone with a pocket knife stab to the stomach is not going to die on the way to hospital.

[Schillaci]

Australia is no more violent than any other first world country. Like some other countries in the anglosphere there is a drink to get drunk culture which leads to problems

As mentioned cheap flights 15,000 BHT etc return enable the great unwashed a chance to wreak havoc.

[Penefattore]

Seriously, I can't imagine a 59 years old taking down a 25 years thug with a knife 3 inches long .

To my opinion, the Aussie has been framed to leave the real culprit off the hook.

In any case, he obviously acted in self defense.

He should be released immediately and cleaned of all charges , even better given a medal for his standing against Thai thugs.

[Suradit69]

What business was it of the bouncer to tell anyone one to stop filming? Does he own the rights by any chance? These bouncers go around thinking they can do whatever they want. Hopefully this unfortunate event will make the rest wiser about confronting people without a right in an atmosphere clearly prone to conflict

So you're saying it was actually the bouncer who was at fault?

" Hopefully this unfortunate event will make the rest wiser ..."

Yes, maybe they'll know they're not allowed to speak to drunks and especially not to stab their stomachs into a farang's knife.

[Time Traveller]

There is a violent side among some Australians. All you need to do is to read the Australian media and watch ( Local) Australian news channels to understand that there are some serious violent people. If you go to Bali, you will understand immediately how the Aussies are perceived. A lot of violence happens in Bali and especially where the Aussies are involved. I am not here to judge anyone but it is a false perception to think that Aussies are non-violent. I don't agree to comments that the Thai bouncer provoked him, that's why he got stabbed. A normal and a decent human being would not go in that direction. At the end, now two lives have been destroyed.

You mean go to that country that blew up a nightclub that killed hundreds of foreign tourists, the same country that also executes non-violent criminals? Yes, those Indos are so non-violent.

Quit your racism mike

[harrycallahan]

There is a violent side among some Australians. All you need to do is to read the Australian media and watch ( Local) Australian news channels to understand that there are some serious violent people.

People from country X are terribly violent too. You just have to look at the news from country X, it's full of violence. (Though North Korea is fine, won't find local violence in their news)

Haven't you ever heard "if it bleeds it leads"? Born yesterday?

Edited March 11, 2015 by harrycallahan

[rethaier]

Errrr, Aussies are not generally aggressive people, especially when drunk.......

This must have been an exception.......

RIP, Sanya Khlueawaengmon.

Hope the man that killed you gets what he deserves.

You don't know many Aussies do you.

[OmarZaidMD]

I sure don't unnnerstand all the objections to this man carrying a weapon, unless it's the result of modern day education's dumb-down efficacy. Seems to be working.

We're not all marshal arts folk and the world is, indeed, a dangerous place, especially when you go juke-jointing among the night critters. It wasn't so long ago that gentlemen routinely carried weapons, not to mention the Oriental ladies with their stilltto hatpins. So, if this guy felt threatened and defended hisself, even if a bit tipsy, I don't condone the homicide, but defense is a right, even if it ain't the hollowood fist-a-cuffs hero version. He's a foreigner in a hostile land o smiles where, he probably well knew, he isn't much respected. So, when push comes to shove, and it did, he reacted to save his person. Background check? Sure. But lets take a longer and wider view of things.

When I first came to SE ASIA (Borneo) I had a throat-cutter hidden in the business end of a ball-point pen which i routinely carried in my pocket. The natives routinely carried parangs, and I was, indeed, threatened on occassion. I also had an umbrella with a 6 inch orange peeler in the handle, and a sword cane. Never had to use 'em, thank G-d, but I was pleased to have 'em. Stateside I had a slew of handguns, one of which was a 22 LR 5-shot revolver that was extrmemly easy to hide. When I left the hospital at nights (Detroit) it was in my hand or not far from it.

I'd like to hear from the Aussie why he pulled the blade and what happened to really start things off. As an X-ER doc, I've been around enough perps, victims, survivors and cops not to jump to conclusions.

Edited March 11, 2015 by OmarZaidMD

[Headgame]

It's not illegal to film members of the public having a fight. Bet nightclub guy was trying to suppress bad PR footage.

If the fight was inside Tai Pan, the club has every right to restrict filming and many have signage to that effect. Not sure if Tai Pan has that warning posted or not.

If the filming took place outside on the public street in front of Tai Pan, then certainly not illegal.

Notwithstanding, a fight over the subtleties of filming rights is not important enough to warrant another fight and an unnecessary, completely avoidable death.

[Docno]

The other Phuket paper--not sure if it can be linked here, so I won't do so--paints a very different story of what happened. The Australian had just attended a Rotary Club meeting and was returning from bringing a disabled Danish surfer home (there was another thread on that guy recently). He was walking by this pub, saw a fight, and pulled out his camera (according to him - not a handphone). The security guard ordered him to stop, and a beating quickly ensued. He says that a couple of Indian tourists helped extricate him and believes he would have been killed otherwise. Apparently, this guy has a good rep in Phuket as a generous and helpful person. I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt at this time (waiting for more evidence of course). Others should not be so fast to judgement.

[JetsetBkk]

Errrr, Aussies are not generally aggressive people, especially when drunk.......

This must have been an exception.......

RIP, Sanya Khlueawaengmon.

Hope the man that killed you gets what he deserves.

Costas, read a few Australian newspapers and you'll see that this occurs frequently over there. That's even after they banned the possession of knives when out in public.

With cheap airfares comes the ability for the riff-raff to travel around the region (and the world) and transport their 'kulcha' with them.

Sarcasm, mate. Sarcasm.

[berybert]

That Aussie has been battered. How long before we find out he overpowered the guy who was fighting him and managed to take the knife from him.