Police not behind video attack leak - incident a "nightmare" for the country, says PM office

[webfact]

Police not behind video attack leak - incident a "nightmare" for the country, says PM office

HUA HIN:-- Hua Hin police have moved quickly to deny online speculation they were behind the leaking of the clip showing the beating of the British tourists in the town over Songkran.

This followed news that an as yet unnamed person has been caught for the leak and a high ranking government official describing the incident as a "nightmare."

Police chief Chaiya Sriladecho said that the clip was only used by the local force in connection with arresting those responsible, reports Daily News.

"We looked after it well because it was evidential material," he said.

He is meeting futher with municipality chief Nopaporn Wuthikun to get to the bottom of how the clip, described before as the property of the Hua Hin administration, could have reached social media.

The clip showed Lewis Owen, 68, his wife Rosemary in her sixties and 43 year old son Lewis John Owen involved in a fight with a group of Thai men that left them unconscious in Soi Bintabaht in the early hours of April 13th.

Four men have been arrested in connection with the melee.

In a further development the Thai press reported that a senior government official, Mom Luang Panatda Ditsakul of the prime minister's office, had described the incident as a "nightmare" for the image of the country on a private Facebook page. Panatda called for the Thai people to rally together to overcome the effect of the incident and help return Hua Hin's good image.

Source: Daily News


-- 2016-05-02

[tonray]

A nightmare for the country,.....how about for all the fearful tourists and expats who live here waiting for their own kick to the head ?

[BigBadGeordie]

*OP edited out*

A "nightmare" for the country, not a mention of the victims in this incident.

IMHO comments like those made by the prime ministers office do more to damage the country than the actions of the perpetrators of this vile attack.

One can be seen as a (relatively) rare occurance, the other can be seen as clear demonstation of the prevailing culture in Thailand.

Edited May 2, 2016 by Scott

[robblok]

A nightmare for the country,.....how about for all the fearful tourists and expats who live here waiting for their own kick to the head ?

As long as you don't escalate stuff like they did the risks are not that high. The old lady hit a guy in his face before it all started and then her hubby helped her. Just because her son shoved a Thai and got shoved back.

They certainly did not help their case.. yes the violence in response was over the top and should be punished.. but they were certainly not innocent.

[Rob13]

Calling it a 'leak' speaks volumes.

[sweatalot]

I would have liked to read a comment like this from Thai officialdom:

We are very sorry for the people who suffered that cruelty in our country.

We are sincerely doing our best to prevent anything like happening to our valued guests in the future.

And we shall take care for compensation and for a just sentencíng of the criminals

[apetley]

Wonder if they are considering charging whoever leaked the video under the computer crimes act?

Unbelievable sometimes the crap that comes out of officials mouths without a thought or word for the victims.

[KamalaRider]

A nightmare for the country,.....how about for all the fearful tourists and expats who live here waiting for their own kick to the head ?

As long as you don't escalate stuff like they did the risks are not that high. The old lady hit a guy in his face before it all started and then her hubby helped her. Just because her son shoved a Thai and got shoved back.

They certainly did not help their case.. yes the violence in response was over the top and should be punished.. but they were certainly not innocent.

I said it before and I say it again, you, me and no one else but the people involved and within hearing distance knows what transpired for the woman to slap the first guy in the face.

If you believe she did it without reason, up to you my friend.

There's NO excuse whatever transpired before or after the slap, to hit a Woman of any age or race and then kick her in the face, DON'T make up any excuses because there are NONE.

Edited May 2, 2016 by KamalaRider

[trainman34014]

I would have liked to read a comment like this from Thai officialdom:

We are very sorry for the people who suffered that cruelty in our country.

We are sincerely doing our best to prevent anything like happening to our valued guests in the future.

And we shall take care for compensation and for a just sentencíng of the criminals

Dream on !

[1happykamper]

His shovel isn't big enough for the hole he insists on digging for himself.

Edited May 2, 2016 by 1happykamper

[robblok]

A nightmare for the country,.....how about for all the fearful tourists and expats who live here waiting for their own kick to the head ?

As long as you don't escalate stuff like they did the risks are not that high. The old lady hit a guy in his face before it all started and then her hubby helped her. Just because her son shoved a Thai and got shoved back.

They certainly did not help their case.. yes the violence in response was over the top and should be punished.. but they were certainly not innocent.

I said it before and I say it again, you, me and no one else but the people involved and within hearing distance knows what transpired for the woman to slap the first guy in the face.

If you believe she did it without reason, up to you my friend.

There's NO excuse whatever transpired before or after the slap, to hit a Woman of any age or race and then kick her in the face, DON'T make up any excuses because there are NONE.

On the same token you do believe the guys start the violence for nothing.. but the lady would not slap the guy for nothing.. BIAS anyone ?

The way i see it.. her son shoved a Thai.. Thai shoved back.. lady slapped because her son got shoved.. and then it all started.

I don't excuse the violence and it should be punished.. but the tourists were the ones who started it.

Edited May 2, 2016 by robblok

[webfact]

Hua Hin attack victims give statements to police, bars ordered to close at midnight


Image: Daily News

HUA HIN: -- Statements have been taken from the British family assaulted in Hua Hin over the Songkran holiday as pictures emerged of tourism officials presenting flowers to the family at their downtown hotel.

Lewis and Rosemary Owen, in their sixties, are due to fly back to their home in the UK on Tuesday. Their son Lewis John, 43, has already left the country and is believed to have returned to his work in Singapore, according to earlier reports.

The picture shows Orasa Awuthkhom of the provincial tourism authority of Prajual Khiri Khan presenting flowers to the family at the White Sand Hotel in Hua Hin following the assault.

It was reported that bars in the area have been ordered to close at midnight.

Admitting the adverse affect on tourism caused by the attack and the subsequent sharing of the CCTV footage of the incident, Orasa has met with various authorities to ensure the safety of tourists and look at the problem.

UPDATE: Thai media is reporting that Rosemary and Lewis Owen will give evidence in court at 1:30pm on Monday before they fly back to the UK on Tuesday.

Source: Daily News

-- 2016-05-02

[craigt3365]

Bars being open after midnight isn't the cause of this problem. Ridiculous. Just going to scare more tourists away.

[tonray]

I would have booted those fools out my hotel and thrown their flowers out after them (of course that would have subjected them to another vicious beating)

[smedly]

It is the press release that has promted this action by authorities, I hope they get it into their heads that it is not the news that is wrecking Thailands image it is the incident itself and the fact that it was reported in an open and transparent way, efforts to hide these incidents from the public is actually more damaging IMO than the incident itself, there is a lesson to be learned - I hope they got it

[Social Media]

A nightmare for the country,.....how about for all the fearful tourists and expats who live here waiting for their own kick to the head ?

As long as you don't escalate stuff like they did the risks are not that high. The old lady hit a guy in his face before it all started and then her hubby helped her. Just because her son shoved a Thai and got shoved back.

They certainly did not help their case.. yes the violence in response was over the top and should be punished.. but they were certainly not innocent.

I said it before and I say it again, you, me and no one else but the people involved and within hearing distance knows what transpired for the woman to slap the first guy in the face.

If you believe she did it without reason, up to you my friend.

There's NO excuse whatever transpired before or after the slap, to hit a Woman of any age or race and then kick her in the face, DON'T make up any excuses because there are NONE.

On the same token you do believe the guys start the violence for nothing.. but the lady would not slap the guy for nothing.. BIAS anyone ?

The way i see it.. her son shoved a Thai.. Thai shoved back.. lady slapped because her son got shoved.. and then it all started.

I don't excuse the violence and it should be punished.. but the tourists were the ones who started it.

I watched that video a few times, and my take is this:

The son inadvertently knocked into a Thai guy because he was practically unable to remain vertical being so drunk.

The Thai guy already annoyed by a previous guy, gave him a shove and because he was so drunk was easily toppled and fell over.

The Mother, reacted to seeing her son hit the ground and I believe misread what was actually just a drunken fall.

She went ballistic and humiliated the Thai guy by slapping his face first for something she "thought" he did.

Then it just all got out f control, and we all know the outcome.

I am not condoning it nor excusing it , but due to that initial misinterpretation, it got a whole lot serious very fast.

This is all to prevalent when people get drunk, their judgement is impaired and they make poor decisions. Late night, partying, Songkran over indulgence, wrong place and certainly wrong time. = Perfect storm !

I am genuinely horrified by the level of attack, there is NO excuse for it.

BUT the incident could so easily have been avoided, if people drank in moderation and didnt get into altercations whilst intoxicated as the result is predictably the same regardless of Nationality.

Edited May 2, 2016 by Black Ops

[shirtless]

So now the truth is illegal , it could manifest into a real problem if the truth is continually leaked , why not resolve the problem , or is covering it up your best option.

[KamalaRider]

A nightmare for the country,.....how about for all the fearful tourists and expats who live here waiting for their own kick to the head ?

As long as you don't escalate stuff like they did the risks are not that high. The old lady hit a guy in his face before it all started and then her hubby helped her. Just because her son shoved a Thai and got shoved back.

They certainly did not help their case.. yes the violence in response was over the top and should be punished.. but they were certainly not innocent.

I said it before and I say it again, you, me and no one else but the people involved and within hearing distance knows what transpired for the woman to slap the first guy in the face.

If you believe she did it without reason, up to you my friend.

There's NO excuse whatever transpired before or after the slap, to hit a Woman of any age or race and then kick her in the face, DON'T make up any excuses because there are NONE.

On the same token you do believe the guys start the violence for nothing.. but the lady would not slap the guy for nothing.. BIAS anyone ?

The way i see it.. her son shoved a Thai.. Thai shoved back.. lady slapped because her son got shoved.. and then it all started.

I don't excuse the violence and it should be punished.. but the tourists were the ones who started it.

C'mon Rob, you live in Thailand, you know how easy it is for a Thai to resort to violence, be it male of female.

I actually haven't commented one negative word of the guys that showed the 43 year old to the ground.

What WE don't know is what anyone said or happened in the crowd hidden from the camera so you have to use your intelligence here, not just verbal qualities.

The escalation came after the first big guy started to "corner" the woman, she's backing up and seconds later she's slapping him the face, her husband seconds later after that takes a swing at someone, do you think it was because of the first shove? I certainly don't.

Continue massage your brain and you might get the most probable picture of the events after.

Look at the small guy who kicks and punches the guy trying to defuse the situation, he's one of the guy that jumps around after to stomp the family in their faces.

Personally, I don't believe for one second that the initial brushing of the Thai man was the reason, it was what's transpired later, even before the woman slapped the big guys face.

I honestly believe, even if they would have walked away directly after the 43 year old was shoved, it wouldn't have ended there, if not them, there would have been other easy pray to jump upon by the Thai guys.

Been here too long to believe anything else, my view on Thai men isn't something I really would like to share, but I'm getting closer and closer for every time a friend, a friend of a friend or farang in the news gets the Royal Thai treatment by a low life scumbags (read 4 or more Thais on one) for nothing. I still don't really believe that all Thais are like that but I'm just waiting for the people in the government to actually raise their voice against domestic, unprovoked or excessive violence in this beautiful country made ugly by too many of its citizens.

Even at the highest positions of this country, they act and talk like children, will they ever grow up.

When children fight, most of the times it doesn't make a bruise even, let that same kid grow up and let them train muay thai, you have a lethal weapon just around the corner for a kill.

In my own country there are people who commit violent crimes, there's no difference when it comes to that, but at least my government and high police officers don't make excuses for it like here in the LOS. If the video of the little, tiny Lao girl would have been in Sweden, there would have been a MANHUNT to get the 8 bastards that joined forces to savagely beat up the little girl. No matter what the race or position they would have in our society, they would have been found and dragged to court.

The police would tell it's citizen to keep up the good work and video film more atrocities and violence, not only for the sake of it, it's so much easier to use a video as evidence.

I don't personally care much of male people getting into fights, regardless of race, color or citizenship, we all know we men have an inclination of violence with high testosterone levels and acting upon that, combined with drugs or alcohol it could be lethal, but not all males wants to resort to violence, but are getting a beating, getting killed because of some (here in Thailand, too many) can't or won't hold back on their petty, bruised manhoods or their desire to show how big men they are, which in fact is a show of the opposite.

[KamalaRider]

A nightmare for the country,.....how about for all the fearful tourists and expats who live here waiting for their own kick to the head ?

As long as you don't escalate stuff like they did the risks are not that high. The old lady hit a guy in his face before it all started and then her hubby helped her. Just because her son shoved a Thai and got shoved back.

They certainly did not help their case.. yes the violence in response was over the top and should be punished.. but they were certainly not innocent.

I said it before and I say it again, you, me and no one else but the people involved and within hearing distance knows what transpired for the woman to slap the first guy in the face.

If you believe she did it without reason, up to you my friend.

There's NO excuse whatever transpired before or after the slap, to hit a Woman of any age or race and then kick her in the face, DON'T make up any excuses because there are NONE.

We know he did not hit her and that would be the only reason to do so. If he called her a cheap whore...still not a legal justification for slapping someone in the street. Don't justify bad behavior just because she is an old lady.

I have NEVER condoned or justified the old lady for her slap, but it wasn't the guy she slapped that knocked her out.

Even so, personally, I would NEVER hit a woman if she slapped my face, it's so way beneath me, I was and is very impressed that the big guy could hold his temper, but that's the only Thai person I've heard of or have seen doing that, so he's got my admiration for not acting upon getting slapped, but what I don't know is what's being said between them, maybe I'm a bit naive when I believe that an 68 old lady wouldn't slap him because he said, your son is a sob to get in my way.

Don't you too believe it was a bit more than that?

Edited May 2, 2016 by KamalaRider

[torpedo1970]

"Police not behind video attack leak - incident a "nightmare" for the country, says PM office"

So what they are saying is that the leak is the "nightmare" for the country

[tonray]

I said it before and I say it again, you, me and no one else but the people involved and within hearing distance knows what transpired for the woman to slap the first guy in the face.

If you believe she did it without reason, up to you my friend.

There's NO excuse whatever transpired before or after the slap, to hit a Woman of any age or race and then kick her in the face, DON'T make up any excuses because there are NONE.

We know he did not hit her and that would be the only reason to do so. If he called her a cheap whore...still not a legal justification for slapping someone in the street. Don't justify bad behavior just because she is an old lady.

I have NEVER condoned or justified the old lady for her slap, but it wasn't the guy she slapped that knocked her out.

Even so, personally, I would NEVER hit a woman if she slapped my face, it's so way beneath me, I was and is very impressed that the big guy could hold his temper, but that's the only Thai person I've heard of or have seen doing that, so he's got my admiration for not acting upon getting slapped, but what I don't know is what's being said between them, maybe I'm a bit naive when I believe that an 68 old lady wouldn't slap him because he said, your son is a sob to get in my way.

Don't you too believe it was a bit more than that?

Again....matters not what he said (if it was even in English that is). Does not give anyone justification to physically assault someone in the street.

[NCC1701A]

i live in Hua Hin.

I have first person info that one Farang (unidentified in the press, but well know here in Hua Hin) has now become the subject of serious police harassment over his trying to come to the aid of the family.

He may lose his business and have to return to the UK.

[tonray]

i live in Hua Hin.

I have first person info that one Farang (unidentified in the press, but well know here in Hua Hin) has now become the subject of serious police harassment over his trying to come to the aid of the family.

He may lose his business and have to return to the UK.

You mean physically aid the family or helped leak the video ?

[JAS21]

CCTV and Car Cams are a nightmare for some ... that guy in the 225kms/Hr Mercedes ... would have completely walked ...

[petermik]

I would have liked to read a comment like this from Thai officialdom:

We are very sorry for the people who suffered that cruelty in our country.

We are sincerely doing our best to prevent anything like happening to our valued guests in the future.

And we shall take care for compensation and for a just sentencíng of the criminals

TIT it will never happen sadly

[torpedo1970]

i live in Hua Hin.

I have first person info that one Farang (unidentified in the press, but well know here in Hua Hin) has now become the subject of serious police harassment over his trying to come to the aid of the family.

He may lose his business and have to return to the UK.

Not surprising.

He was interfering with Thai internal matters, and as a expat with a business he should have known better.....

They might even try to pin the leak on him, since there is nothing better than a foreign scapegoat....

[mesterm]

Who cares about the foreigners who got viciously beaten in the street? What matters is our face!

[KamalaRider]

We know he did not hit her and that would be the only reason to do so. If he called her a cheap whore...still not a legal justification for slapping someone in the street. Don't justify bad behavior just because she is an old lady.

I have NEVER condoned or justified the old lady for her slap, but it wasn't the guy she slapped that knocked her out.

Even so, personally, I would NEVER hit a woman if she slapped my face, it's so way beneath me, I was and is very impressed that the big guy could hold his temper, but that's the only Thai person I've heard of or have seen doing that, so he's got my admiration for not acting upon getting slapped, but what I don't know is what's being said between them, maybe I'm a bit naive when I believe that an 68 old lady wouldn't slap him because he said, your son is a sob to get in my way.

Don't you too believe it was a bit more than that?

Again....matters not what he said (if it was even in English that is). Does not give anyone justification to physically assault someone in the street.

You are missing the point, I don't condone the womans actions, my point is and has always been, using violence on any woman is NOT Ok, regardless what she's done.

The only time I personally would use violence against a woman would be if a child was in direct danger by that woman.

I am strong enough to hold and restrain almost any woman so that would be my first choice.

[balo]

CCTV footage from crime and accidents are leaked every day in Thailand , just visit the facebook group Youlike and have a look , there's at least 20 videos released daily only from Thailand.

If the police think they can stop them leaking they have no clue . Then they need to pull the internet plug for good, thanks to social media it will leak , and sometimes it will go viral worldwide like this video.

[chowny77]

Just what they need..........some <deleted> flowers. Hospital bills paid for and compensation in the way of cash would be better. Plus seeing the thugs behind bars for about 5 years. TIT