Tougher penalties for people who flee after violating their probation

BANGKOK: Stronger punishments will be handed down to people who violate their probation after the Department of Probation found an alarmingly high number did so.

Of the some 300,000 people placed on probation after serving their sentence, more than 30,000 fled after violating their probation.

Department of Probation director-general Pol Colonel Narat Sawetanan said the figure was quite high, especially given there was average of 10 prison escapes each year per 300,000 prisoners.

Narat said social measure would be used in an attempt to intensively control probationers.

People who flee after breaking the terms of their probation cannot renew their driver's licence, which the Department of Probation will coordinate with the Department of Land Transport.

They cannot be ordained a monk, with the measure to be coordinated with the National Office of Buddhism.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Tougher-penalties-for-people-who-flee-after-violat-30271953.html

-- The Nation 2015-10-31

Wow!! Cannot renew drivers licence OR be ordained as a monk, that will certainly put them in an unimaginable state of funk.

Seeing that a large percentage of drivers here in Thailand don't have a license to begin with, that sure is a brutal punishment!

Should keep a few monks off the roads!

Actually, come to think of it I've never seen a monk driving a car or motorcycle. Is it something they're not allowed to do?

A Bt50 fine by a court of law would do the job.

Should keep a few monks off the roads!

Actually, come to think of it I've never seen a monk driving a car or motorcycle. Is it something they're not allowed to do?

The monks at my local temple have a car and a pickup, see them driving every day.

Ah, so obviously they can. In Chiang Rai I have seen a sort of motorcycle sidecar gadget, with an armchair bolted to the platform. The monk rides along in style, but it is driven by a civvy.

Can we also get tougher penalties for people fleeing before they ever go to court?

Maybe a nationwide ban of Seven-11s. You could coordinate with CP corporation...

Should keep a few monks off the roads!

Actually, come to think of it I've never seen a monk driving a car or motorcycle. Is it something they're not allowed to do?

The monks at my local temple have a car and a pickup, see them driving every day.

My wife took me to see a forest monk in Timbuktu Surin once. He had a small shrine/temple/shed and a small house, and a brand new Toyota Vigo, and a donations box stuffed to the brim, bolted to the floor.

He seemed like a cool guy though. Can't blame him for needing to get around a bit.

My wife said he gave most of his money to the local hospital.

Edited October 31, 201510 yr by jaywalker

They should start a social media blitz with Facebook Put up their photos and offer a reward for their apprehension if they skip. You will see how fast a lot of them are captured

You need to be pro active with this not passive as with suspension of a drivers license .

Any Thai would be happy to give someone up who skipped for a few baht. Maybe 10 or 20 thousand will do the trick . New Years is coming

They should start a social media blitz with Facebook Put up their photos and offer a reward for their apprehension if they skip. You will see how fast a lot of them are captured

You need to be pro active with this not passive as with suspension of a drivers license .

Any Thai would be happy to give someone up who skipped for a few baht. Maybe 10 or 20 thousand will do the trick . New Years is coming

In the US (and probably also in Europe), the cops have scanners that read license plates and pop up a notice on their in-car laptops if the owner of the car has a suspended license.

Thailand MIGHT, maybe get such tech 20 or 30 years from now.

Parking police use them also. They just ride around looking for parking violations in the big cities, and scanning license plates for unpaid parking fines, then boot the cars whose owners haven't paid their tickets.

Edited October 31, 201510 yr by jaywalker

I suggest stopping the granting of bail to those convicted and sentenced to death might reduce the percentage.

Drivers license come on boys wakey wakey

They can't pass the test please give it a spell

They have more chance joining the RTP

I THINK ITS A EASIER TASK

I wonder if they will be forced to report their address to the authorities once every 90 days and then show up at a parole hearing once a year with a stack of paperwork and official forms? For the rest of their life-time that they spend in Thailand?

Ah, so obviously they can. In Chiang Rai I have seen a sort of motorcycle sidecar gadget, with an armchair bolted to the platform. The monk rides along in style, but it is driven by a civvy.

Senior monks are not suppose to touch money either, but the abbot at our local wat has a wallet twice the size of mine, and about twice as fat. I'm assuming those aren't shopping coupons he had in his wallet.

Ah, so obviously they can. In Chiang Rai I have seen a sort of motorcycle sidecar gadget, with an armchair bolted to the platform. The monk rides along in style, but it is driven by a civvy.

Senior monks are not suppose to touch money either, but the abbot at our local wat has a wallet twice the size of mine, and about twice as fat. I'm assuming those aren't shopping coupons he had in his wallet.

I have witnessed monks in robe at the istore shopping for iPhone and ipads

Whatever happened to giving up all worldly possessions in pursuit of spiritual enlightenment ?

Should keep a few monks off the roads!

Actually, come to think of it I've never seen a monk driving a car or motorcycle. Is it something they're not allowed to do?

The monks at my local temple have a car and a pickup, see them driving every day.

My wife took me to see a forest monk in Timbuktu Surin once. He had a small shrine/temple/shed and a small house, and a brand new Toyota Vigo, and a donations box stuffed to the brim, bolted to the floor.

He seemed like a cool guy though. Can't blame him for needing to get around a bit.

My wife said he gave most of his money to the local hospital.

If that was the case, he was not a true forest monk. Living in the forest does not make a monk a 'forest monk'.

Tudong, morality, meditation, strict adherence to the Vinyana and the 227 precepts of the Buddhist monastic order, simplicity in living, eating one meal a day out of the bowl the food was collected in before noon, and immense self-discipline are the earmarks of forest monks. Their are a handful of true forest monks in Southeast Asia today.

Your monk was just a normal Thai monk living in the forest with his Toyato Vigo, money, and the stuff money buys. Nice, easy life.

However, I don't see the government's role in mandating that a paroled ex-con can't join the monkhood. What better place to reflect on your life and attempt to change course? Angulimala, an assassin and a man who attempted to assassinate Buddha, became a monk and an Arahant. But, if the authorities recognize that Buddhism here in Thailand has strayed away from what it once was and that there are already enough con artists at work without added more to the mix. Now, where is my Vuarnet bag and Rolex watch?

Edited October 31, 201510 yr by connda

Ah, so obviously they can. In Chiang Rai I have seen a sort of motorcycle sidecar gadget, with an armchair bolted to the platform. The monk rides along in style, but it is driven by a civvy.

Senior monks are not suppose to touch money either, but the abbot at our local wat has a wallet twice the size of mine, and about twice as fat. I'm assuming those aren't shopping coupons he had in his wallet.

I have witnessed monks in robe at the istore shopping for iPhone and ipads

Whatever happened to giving up all worldly possessions in pursuit of spiritual enlightenment ?

They found their spirituality in the ether space?

Ah, so obviously they can. In Chiang Rai I have seen a sort of motorcycle sidecar gadget, with an armchair bolted to the platform. The monk rides along in style, but it is driven by a civvy.

Senior monks are not suppose to touch money either, but the abbot at our local wat has a wallet twice the size of mine, and about twice as fat. I'm assuming those aren't shopping coupons he had in his wallet.

I have witnessed monks in robe at the istore shopping for iPhone and ipads

Whatever happened to giving up all worldly possessions in pursuit of spiritual enlightenment ?

It's a sad pronouncement of the state of affairs in the modern day Buddhist traditions - imho - gone off course and strangely awry.

Wow!! Cannot renew drivers license

who cares

how many drive without a licence anyway.

For many years a Thai driving licence was a 100thb note but probably its a 500 thesedays.... Things have gone horribly wrong...