Thai Lion Air seeks THB2 million compensation from flirty bomb joker

[HerbalEd]

This isn't something new, it happened to a colleague of mine in SA back in 1980. Only difference was he joked with the check-in lady about the bomb in his carry-on bag. First time flying, missed international flight and banged up overnight, as I recall.

Shocking stupidity; but should that not be a valid defense? I have always maintained that for justice to be served, punishment should be based upon criminal intent. The guy did cause harm and damage, but that was not his intent. Two million baht is a lot of money to a person earning 10k per month. Community service would be more appropriate - if the concept even exists here...

What ever the "intent" I think the culprit's punishment should be based upon the damage done. If you unintentionally cause a car accident, do you think you shouldn't be liable for any damages?

Thats why car insurance is mandatory in most countries.

Perhaps insurance companies could offer stupidity cover?

What if you unintentionally caused damage that is not covered by insurance (e.g., like this guy in the article)?

[Bluespunk]

"Meanwhile, Wutthichart Kalayanamit, State railway of Thailand governor, said the organization is considering disciplinary punishment because Pichit broke the law and damaged the reputation of the organization, Morning News reported."

Yeah, like that's possible.

[ParadiseLost]

This isn't something new, it happened to a colleague of mine in SA back in 1980. Only difference was he joked with the check-in lady about the bomb in his carry-on bag. First time flying, missed international flight and banged up overnight, as I recall.

Shocking stupidity; but should that not be a valid defense? I have always maintained that for justice to be served, punishment should be based upon criminal intent. The guy did cause harm and damage, but that was not his intent. Two million baht is a lot of money to a person earning 10k per month. Community service would be more appropriate - if the concept even exists here...

2m baht isn't the punishment, it's a compensation claim for losses he caused. The punishment will be whatever the criminal court decides is appropriate in the circumstances in addition.

Yes, you are correct. However, the 2 million isn't for actual damages, more like punitive - and therefor a punishment rather than compensation?

Whatever, I am not defending this slug, all I am saying is the law should be more balanced. When a real threat occurs you can string them high, but fools like this should almost be caned and released. Or sent for the PM attitude correction - he is sure to meet his intellectual peers there.

[laislica]

Seems like seeking compensation for the airline's loss is reasonable on the face of it. In what way did he actually endanger the safety of an aircraft?

The world over.....You say......BOMB........The same thing will happen, evacuation of the plane.

I understand their response which was entirely correct, but now they are charging him with endangering the safety of an aircraft. Did the evacuation, of which he was the cause, endanger the aircraft? Since there was no bomb it would appear that the aircraft was never in any danger although a loss was indeed imposed on the airline by his stupid remark.

Classic case of modern times over reaction. Use some common sense.

* What bomber will announce he is carrying a bomb

*His bags have to go through a checking process anyway

The guy could have been searched or stopped from flying. Why stop an entire flight?

Absolutely correct.

This incident shows that the terrorists have won!

Everyone scared out of their wits.

Total over reaction.

No common sense!

The world needs to calm down.

[metisdead]

An overly derogatory post has been removed.

[tobf16]

What a silly Air Hostess and the crew are really quite daft LOL.............. A simple joke and the retards play on the drama............ This is bored Thais that cost the airline money

The pilot is a absolutes nunse and should have spoke to the hostess and and checked the bag.

Anyway just naother greedy little airline

I would never fly a Thai airline

No Thanks

All airlines have very specific safety procedures for this kind of incident, with reference to international rules and regulations.

It is not up to the young air hostess or an old captain to evaluate how likely the bomb threat is to be real or serious, and start searching pax or bags. She will report to the captain and he has to call the authorities without delay. He might even start an evacuation/disembarking before security/ police arrive without telling the true reason for disembarkation.

In airline business it is always better safe than sorry.

Similar rules will apply at check in or at the gate if there is a bomb threat.

If a passenger starts this by a true remark or a joke doesn't matter, it will run its full cycle involving security personal, police, bomb squads etc and those experts will decide if it was a true threat or not.

After that the juristic system will take over.

As others before him he is learning this the hard way.

Fly safe

[irwinfc]

he'd be jailed for such offense in other countries

[cyberfarang]

The price of stupidity...

Seems quite harsh and totally out of balance when compared with the rest of the sh t going on in Thailand.

Considering the sh t going on in Thailand at the moment and other places in the world, this in is not harsh enough.

If some prat makes a comment that he is carrying a bomb, even in jest, it has to be taken seriously, because the airline is responsible for it`s passengers safety, they can`t take the risk of ignoring it.

[Skywalker69]

Wery expencive joke, now pay up!

[callaway]

In the first report it was told that he said his bag could explode when the stewardess wanted to put in overhead locker. Was silly to say but a total over reaction by Pussy Air. As for 2 million baht that is over the top bullshit. As was their reaction to a stupid comment. A 6 hour delay? Take him off and search his carry on and checked baggage. Give him a big a33 chewing and leave him off the plane. Maybe 40 minutes top. Lion Air low cost and low class airline after this fiasco.

[Colabamumbai]

I feel sorry for the kid. I was on a flight to the US about 5 months after 9/11 from Thailand and this Muslim man in front of me checking in. Had no check in or carry on baggage and no one said a damn thing about it.

How many non Muslim people had no check in or carry on luggage?

[mike324]

I feel sorry for the kid. I was on a flight to the US about 5 months after 9/11 from Thailand and this Muslim man in front of me checking in. Had no check in or carry on baggage and no one said a damn thing about it.

I was to come to thailand from Seattle the friday after 911 by flight was cancelled I left a week later. i always used to come to Thailand with a small carry on with basic toiletries and 3 changes of clothes. I would buy clothes on the holiday and fill a suitcase to go back. So any ways when I go to check in at Seattle the immigration officer was shocked to see I only had a carry on and my return ticket was dated for me to return in 2 months.The guy wouldnot let me go he kept searching his computer for anything he could find maybe about me or a rule he could use to detain me. He did this for 10 minutes.Finally I ask can I go now he looked at me with desperate look on his face and said go ahead. I was really pissed about 911 I lost a week of holidays in thailand and no reinbursement.

doesn't the immigration officer see everyone with only a small carry on too? After all your big language is check in at the ticketing counter? If its the ticketing counter, why would they search for anything as they don't have access to personal information unlike the immigration officer.

[markeewan]

So how about a fine for all those passengers that check their luggage and then fail to board their flight. There is a penalty for airlines that don't depart on time, how come I have never seen this proposed.

Anyway where are these passengers, do they fall into a timewarp, do they fall asleep? How can you miss a plane after check-in?

Sure I won't get any thumbs up for this, but it intrigues me as to what circumstances befall the no-shows.

[roo860]

I feel sorry for the kid. I was on a flight to the US about 5 months after 9/11 from Thailand and this Muslim man in front of me checking in. Had no check in or carry on baggage and no one said a damn thing about it.

I was to come to thailand from Seattle the friday after 911 by flight was cancelled I left a week later. i always used to come to Thailand with a small carry on with basic toiletries and 3 changes of clothes. I would buy clothes on the holiday and fill a suitcase to go back. So any ways when I go to check in at Seattle the immigration officer was shocked to see I only had a carry on and my return ticket was dated for me to return in 2 months.The guy wouldnot let me go he kept searching his computer for anything he could find maybe about me or a rule he could use to detain me. He did this for 10 minutes.Finally I ask can I go now he looked at me with desperate look on his face and said go ahead. I was really pissed about 911 I lost a week of holidays in thailand and no reinbursement.

I bet alot of people were "pissed" as well, especially those that lost members of their family.

[lvr181]

Some idiot railway employee makes a sick joke and the authorities throw the book at him, yet a Police General carrying a gun on a plane gets away with it!

Something wrong being practiced by the current authorities - let your powerful "friends" get away with breaking the law but a draconian crackdown on some stupid kid. TIT

Edited November 4, 2015 by lvr181

[MaeJoMTB]

Are we sure he didn't just ask the stewardess for 'boom boom'.

[oldsailor35]

Just a 'thad' harsher than the top policeman who took a pistol aboard a Thai Airways plane to Tokyo.

[chiang mai]

I feel sorry for the kid. I was on a flight to the US about 5 months after 9/11 from Thailand and this Muslim man in front of me checking in. Had no check in or carry on baggage and no one said a damn thing about it.

[ParadiseLost]

This isn't something new, it happened to a colleague of mine in SA back in 1980. Only difference was he joked with the check-in lady about the bomb in his carry-on bag. First time flying, missed international flight and banged up overnight, as I recall.

Shocking stupidity; but should that not be a valid defense? I have always maintained that for justice to be served, punishment should be based upon criminal intent. The guy did cause harm and damage, but that was not his intent. Two million baht is a lot of money to a person earning 10k per month. Community service would be more appropriate - if the concept even exists here...

2m baht isn't the punishment, it's a compensation claim for losses he caused. The punishment will be whatever the criminal court decides is appropriate in the circumstances in addition.

Yes, you are correct. However, the 2 million isn't for actual damages, more like punitive - and therefor a punishment rather than compensation?

Whatever, I am not defending this slug, all I am saying is the law should be more balanced. When a real threat occurs you can string them high, but fools like this should almost be caned and released. Or sent for the PM attitude correction - he is sure to meet his intellectual peers there.

Do you know what it cost the airline for the delay to ALL onward passengers...?

Hey - I'm not arguing for the guy, I am saying the penaties should fit the crime.

And the cost to the airline I am sure is covered by insurance, either bought or self-insured. Any business which faces potential delays has to plan for just such occurences - these guys are now trying to profit from the noise they have made.

[wabothai]

the boy (as many Thais) probably was not aware of the ramifications of his intended joke. Expensive lesson.

Not fair to have him bleed for many years.

Bad promotion for Lion Air.

[Asiantravel]

The price of stupidity...

Seems quite harsh and totally out of balance when compared with the rest of the sh t going on in Thailand.

Thailand's criminal defamation laws also seem very harsh and totally out of balance quite often just for saying something(and it doesn't even have to be wrong)

but one uses common sense by knowing when and where it is inappropriate to open your mouth and say something

[Jim walker]

Good on the airline time they toughened up on clowns like this think of the stress he must have caused when he announced about a bomb and surely plenty people will be claiming from the airline for any delays and stress caused as well as the 2 million baht claim fine and prison he should be bared from all airlines for life from flying.

[MacWalen]

Yet another idiot.

[metisdead]

Off topic posts and inflammatory posts and replies have been removed.

[gyrosman]

I'd drop the criminal and civil charges against him. However, he should be fired by SRT. He obviously shouldn't be employed in the public transportation business.

Now he can be a mini van driver and put people at risk again.

[LukKrueng]

500 baht for beating the crap out of someone with a tire iron.

Probation for running over and killing half a dozen folk on the freeway.

2 Million baht for making an ill advised joke.

What's wrong with that picture?

1. Learn to read: in the OP is says the idiot faces a maximum five-year jail term and THB200,000 fine - that's the for criminal charges. The 2 millions will be demanded as compensation for the company's losses and expenses, probably in a civil court.

2. Should he had done it in the US of A, or most any other country in the world he'd be in MUCH deeper. NO ONE gets these kind of jokes any more, and not really surprisingly.

[LukKrueng]

I feel sorry for the kid. I was on a flight to the US about 5 months after 9/11 from Thailand and this Muslim man in front of me checking in. Had no check in or carry on baggage and no one said a damn thing about it.

I was to come to thailand from Seattle the friday after 911 by flight was cancelled I left a week later. i always used to come to Thailand with a small carry on with basic toiletries and 3 changes of clothes. I would buy clothes on the holiday and fill a suitcase to go back. So any ways when I go to check in at Seattle the immigration officer was shocked to see I only had a carry on and my return ticket was dated for me to return in 2 months.The guy wouldnot let me go he kept searching his computer for anything he could find maybe about me or a rule he could use to detain me. He did this for 10 minutes.Finally I ask can I go now he looked at me with desperate look on his face and said go ahead. I was really pissed about 911 I lost a week of holidays in thailand and no reinbursement.

Mango - What's the connection between your story and the OP????

Lovelomsak - 9/11 has changed the world FOREVER in so many ways... Thousands have died at the 9/11 incidents, and all that has followed after that with the "search for the ones responsible" bs. And you are pissed about the loss of your 1 week holiday and no reimbursement. WOW. You are something else.

[Ulic]

2,000,000 baht. Does Lion Air really think they can squeeze blood from a stone.

[farangmick]

Thailand has copied many things from the US, including the litigation culture. But they haven't grasped that the US bloodsuckers go after corporations, wealthy individuals, or people with insurance, i.e. doctors. Will take a long time for a chap who was probably on 300 baht/day, and now probably unemployed, to pay the compo if found guilty.

[farangmick]

Lets get this in perspective here ........ they will sue .... the kid doesn't have 2000 baht let alone 2 mil ........

Lion Air won't get one satang from the kid as he has no money. Lion Air know that , they just want to make an example to show the press that they mean business on safety.

Kid will surely have been punished enough after this is over.

Thai answer to everything for the top 5%. Can't have an arguement, can't raise voices, lose face. So if someone tells you your shoes don't match your suit, you have to smile, and sue him.