Advice For Homeless Brit Guy

[Pink Mist]

Reminds me of a British bloke I have run into in the Rama 4/Sathorn area a few times - dressed in smelly torn clothes, long grey hair, selling post cards and some used old magazines. Chatted shortly with him and understood he was(? ) an airplaine engineer/designer, got ripped of in casino deals in the Carribbean, had close friends in the government and the stories went on and on . I was fairly certain that he was on various drugs you can not get at the Watson pharmacy....

Cheers!

I thougt he was American but anyway if you dont buy his cards he then asks for money

and you refuse that he gets quite aggressive

what a life

[I Go With You]

Reminds me of a British bloke I have run into in the Rama 4/Sathorn area a few times - dressed in smelly torn clothes, long grey hair, selling post cards and some used old magazines. Chatted shortly with him and understood he was(? ) an airplaine engineer/designer, got ripped of in casino deals in the Carribbean, had close friends in the government and the stories went on and on . I was fairly certain that he was on various drugs you can not get at the Watson pharmacy....

Cheers!

I thougt he was American but anyway if you dont buy his cards he then asks for money

and you refuse that he gets quite aggressive

The card seller is another guy crawling around Sukhumvit. Both of the guys are Brits. There's another infamous Canadian beggar guy I saw tonite while I was talking to the Brit teacher. Then of course there's the Dutch beggar whom I have never seen except on the internet. The difference is that the teacher is not a beggar of any sort.

[The Dan Sai Kid]

Reminds me of a British bloke I have run into in the Rama 4/Sathorn area a few times - dressed in smelly torn clothes, long grey hair, selling post cards and some used old magazines. Chatted shortly with him and understood he was(? ) an airplaine engineer/designer, got ripped of in casino deals in the Carribbean, had close friends in the government and the stories went on and on . I was fairly certain that he was on various drugs you can not get at the Watson pharmacy....

Cheers!

I thougt he was American but anyway if you dont buy his cards he then asks for money

and you refuse that he gets quite aggressive

The card seller is another guy crawling around Sukhumvit. Both of the guys are Brits. There's another infamous Canadian beggar guy I saw tonite while I was talking to the Brit teacher. Then of course there's the Dutch beggar whom I have never seen except on the internet. The difference is that the teacher is not a beggar of any sort.

He has no need to beg, he just roots around bins.

[brynnis62]

Reminds me of a British bloke I have run into in the Rama 4/Sathorn area a few times - dressed in smelly torn clothes, long grey hair, selling post cards and some used old magazines. Chatted shortly with him and understood he was(? ) an airplaine engineer/designer, got ripped of in casino deals in the Carribbean, had close friends in the government and the stories went on and on . I was fairly certain that he was on various drugs you can not get at the Watson pharmacy....

Cheers!

I thougt he was American but anyway if you dont buy his cards he then asks for money

and you refuse that he gets quite aggressive

The card seller is another guy crawling around Sukhumvit. Both of the guys are Brits. There's another infamous Canadian beggar guy I saw tonite while I was talking to the Brit teacher. Then of course there's the Dutch beggar whom I have never seen except on the internet. The difference is that the teacher is not a beggar of any sort.

He has no need to beg, he just roots around bins.

"Always go too far, because that's where you'll find the truth." maybe he like to se the craziness in Sukhumvit.

[Oleg_Rus]

The card seller is another guy crawling around Sukhumvit. Both of the guys are Brits. There's another infamous Canadian beggar guy I saw tonite while I was talking to the Brit teacher. Then of course there's the Dutch beggar whom I have never seen except on the internet. The difference is that the teacher is not a beggar of any sort.

Also there's Belium Beggar works at Pratunam with his two (2) lovely kids and wife -> he cost me 500 Baht., Australian m\f\ "long term visa provider" - 68yo scum cost me 12K, works in Ratchada area, German, bitten really bad since 1995, - KhaoSarn area, and so on...

In return - one Brit was sooo bad at Phuket, ripped by his EU partner, phooked up by his GF, ended up on the beach. within 3 months he recovered completely, moved to BKK, set computer systems, last time I saw him with pretty nice Jaguar, and lotsa cash in the pocket.

My point - I've seen brit recovered by himself.

[CRUNCHER]

Wow, CRUNCHER, you display such compassion.

I guess you have never experienced hard times and I hope you never will.

But, realise that Sh1t can happen to anybody and if your turn comes, maybe your attitude will come back to haunt you.

People get floored for all sorts of reasons, not always entirely of their own creation.

Also, somehow I doubt that a few homeless foreigners are going to bring wholesale disgrace to the entire foreign community here and if they did, we are ALL in the wrong place.

Just out of curiosity, how long have you lived in Thailand ??

Been coming to Thailand over 15 years, spending more and nore time here now. What that has to do with anything I am not sure.

Compassion? Yeh I feel sorry for the guy, but in the real world you have to be realistic. I feel more sorry for those who are suffering because the the authorities are tightening up on money in the bank for retirment or marriage visas. Mostly honest decent people who treat Thailand and Thai people with the respect that they deserve. I also feel more sorry for those prepared to hold down an honest permanent job to support a family but are now finding it difficult thanks to the tightening of the regulations. Street bums (yeh street bums) like this are the main cause of these peoples' missery. Compassion is fine, but I prefer to save mine for those who deserve it.

Before you ask - no I am not have vise troubles work, marriage retirment or others.

[markuk]

I apologize for calling him a street bum. I don't know what to say or to call him, other than a human being, a man with pride, a man who occasionally works, a man without a passport, an apparently amiable fellow, a beer drinker, a chair sitter. I wish him well.

he also gets beaten up quite regularly i believe, no one really knows what he has done, rumours are teacher, ariline pilot, dentist etc etc!!

[buriramboy]

haven't read all the thread so someone may have mentioned this already, but the british embassy are legally obliged to get him home, first they will contact his relatives or friends and if he genuinly has no one that can send him money for his plane ticket, the embassy will pay, but on his return to uk his passport will be held and he will not be entitled to another passport until said monies have been paid back.

[I Go With You]

UPDATE*******

My understanding is that this guy has been picked up by police recently and turned over to his embassy

[simon43]

My understanding is that this guy has been picked up by police recently and turned over to his embassy

[\quote]

Really? What a coincidence!!! PC Plod must be reading ThaiVisa

Simon

[jauntyjohn]

I knew the man. His name is Ken. Actually a very well educated, decent chap. He did some teaching work at a school I know of. The wheels must have fallen off for him - wish him all the best.

[Roger Dodger]

I have seen this British guy in the city who is down on his luck. He is homeless sleeping on chairs in all night city restaurants. I have spoken to this gent and he confided to me that he is on multi year overstay. He is a former teacher and is about 53. He has no cash to speak of except for enough to buy his daily cans of chang. He has been spotted scrounging in garbage cans for food. He had his brief case stolen and went to the police to get a police report. He has no fear of the police so he says. Police in fact have questioned him and thrown him out of his favorite sleeping chair a number of times but he keeps returning. I want to advise this guy on what to do but he won't do a border run as he does not have the 20K max fine. Can I suggest anything to this man?

I knew the man. His name is Ken. Actually a very well educated, decent chap. He did some teaching work at a school I know of. The wheels must have fallen off for him - wish him all the best.

Decent folks will always be welcome in the Land of Smile.

[TerryLH]

"Decent folks will always be welcome in the Land of Smile."

Welcomed by who? You?

You posted the same thing in a thread about a guy out on bail for using a fake passport.

[tgeezer]

This is quandary..my immediate reaction is one of suspicion...however if this is genuine, I will kick in a few baht, whether he wants to go home or not, he needs a few coins...better than eating garbage.

As to how to get it checked out???

When I went to the UK Embassy recently I saw a very ragged farang dipping bins and trying to cadge a cig from a very perplexed motor cycle taxi driver on the junction of Wittayu and Pleonchit, I could not believe that he was not a "Luuk Krung" and if not, was trying to get arrested. I was sorry I did not speak to him; salved my conscience by assuming that he didn't speak English. I can also 'chip in' if he can be brought round.

[tgeezer]

This is quandary..my immediate reaction is one of suspicion...however if this is genuine, I will kick in a few baht, whether he wants to go home or not, he needs a few coins...better than eating garbage.

As to how to get it checked out???

When I went to the UK Embassy recently I saw a very ragged farang dipping bins and trying to cadge a cig from a very perplexed motor cycle taxi driver on the junction of Wittayu and Pleonchit, I could not believe that he was not a "Luuk Krung" and if not, was trying to get arrested. I was sorry I did not speak to him; salved my conscience by assuming that he didn't speak English. I can also 'chip in' if he can be brought round.

I have just read some more posts, "I stand amazed" I thought he was unique. I don't go downtown much and never after dark, maybe I should get out more! Perhaps the embassy should contact a few expats if they can't find reletives.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

"Decent folks will always be welcome in the Land of Smile."

Welcomed by who? You?

You posted the same thing in a thread about a guy out on bail for using a fake passport.

[I Go With You]

*************Update

He was picked up and served 15 days in Non-Immi lockup. He was charged with unlawful entry into Thailand because he had no passport at time of his arrest. He went to court with public defender who had charge thrown out of court. He was released on Christmas eve and is hanging around his stomping grounds keeping a low profile. I saw him last night. He boasted of free food and flat bed and TV in the joint.

[Paulbangkok]

Does anyone know what happened to this guy?

[Fred Sanford]

He's still around. I saw him a few weeks ago. a few months ago he was caught shoplifting a pair of shoes from a store in the emporium; a friend came down and paid for the shoes so he didnt have to go back to jail. The friend disowned him after that. The guy has had a couple of gfs since his encarceration and has been living with them. He does not have a passport as it got stolen and he cant afford a new one.

[I Go With You]

Does anyone know what happened to this guy?

********further update

Ken was arrested for shoplifting and is in jail. Not sure if he's in immi jail or a city jail as he was the last time. Will he be allowed back on the street again after a court appearance and time served? time will tell yet again in this seemingly never ending saga.

[Jimjim]

I'd like to see a picture. Wonder if I know him.

[rgs2001uk]

I'd like to see a picture. Wonder if I know him.

i would like to see a picture, so i can avoid him.

[happylarry]

Hey Jim why do you think you might know him.....which jail have you spent time in then?

[britainmal]

I feel very sorry for this poor bloke. He has a drinking problems , which led to his down fall. He probably was a good teacher and then the drinking ruined his life. I think somebody with money out there should help this poor bloke out by sending him to immigration with 20k and a one way ticket to the British Virgin Islands. What happened to that poor canadian bloke on Sukumwit?

Edited January 17, 2008 by britainmal

[Theyreallrubbish]

I feel very sorry for this poor bloke. He has a drinking problems , which led to his down fall. He probably was a good teacher and then the drinking ruined his life. I think somebody with money out there should help this poor bloke out by sending him to immigration with 20k and a one way ticket to the British Virgin Islands. What happened to that poor canadian bloke on Sukumwit?

I really value your sentiments and I'm glad that people still have this level of compassion in this day and age, but you have to be careful as I've seen this situation many times.

There was one guy in Chiang Mai in the early 90s whose money ran out and he became homeless. The local expat community came up with the money for his overstay fine, plane ticket to Bangkok and plane ticket home as well as some new clothes.

He had a big leaving do where he thanked everyone profusely and swore he would get himself sorted out and pay everyone back.

He reappeared back in Chiang Mai a month or so later, dirty and disheveled with huge running sores on his ankles. God bless them, the expat community paid for his medical care and this time paid again for him to go home, but someone took him to Bangkok and put him on the plane that time. He never came back and I imagine he ended up an alcoholic bum on the streets of London rather than Chiang Mai. Not sure that's an improvement, but never mind.

I was also burned personally. I knew a guy who was a journalist working in Bangkok. Unknown to me he had developed a drinking problem. He told me he'd lost his job at the magazine he was working at as they were cutting back and was planning to do freelance writing as he had lots of contacts. But his wife had recently had a baby and he was short of cash to buy a computer and printer to earn a living. Would I lend him the money to buy the computer and printer and he'd pay me back with his earnings from freelance writing.

I said no, but I would sell him a 40,000 Baht computer and printer for 20,000 Baht and he could pay me back a 1000 Baht a month. He was very grateful, would be sure to pay me back etc etc.

Never saw or heard from him again until about 9 months later when I bumped in to him in a bar. He was falling over drunk and started telling me he would pay me back soon. I just nodded and left. I knew already what was happening.

About a year after that I bumped into his wife on Sukhumvit. She had always been a nasty shrew and unfriendly to me except by using me as an example to berate her husband in Thai in public about why he couldn't have a good job like me, and why can't you have a nice car like me, and probably was the reason for him turning to drink.

She told me he was in jail in India for running false passports and she was trying to get his friends to help pay bail to get him out of jail. Would I help. I told her I'd helped him already with the computer. She accepted that wearily and said she understood and that no-one wanted to help him and wished me good luck.

He'd had a lot of professional friends when I first met him but had obviously taken from them all already and had lost them all.

He was beyond help

[moldy]

I feel very sorry for this poor bloke. He has a drinking problems , which led to his down fall. He probably was a good teacher and then the drinking ruined his life. I think somebody with money out there should help this poor bloke out by sending him to immigration with 20k and a one way ticket to the British Virgin Islands. What happened to that poor canadian bloke on Sukumwit?

Nobody's stopping you being that somebody.

Yes I feel sorry too. This kind of thing goes with hard alcohol addiction. It really is an illness, and I'm surprised at the number of threads that seem to imply he should know better, or pull himself together. Addiction robs people of freewill. Maybe it's just a knee jerk defensive reaction thing we all say when confronted with hopelessness.

I'm bound to say that anybody who even tries to help on an individual basis will just invite a whole load of trouble on themselves. Wouldn't it be easier for OP to try and figure out what this stranger represents to him, perhaps he's not squaring up to some of his own issues, after all we all have them, and precisely when we ignore them we are drawn to people who seem to personify them.

Only skilled social workers can help, I doubt there are too many of those knocking around Sukhumvit. It's a sad situation. If he was in the UK, he'd probably end up doing the same, even though he'd be offered room and boarding. Most end up leaving in a couple of days.

Yes alcohol has made a monster of him.

[yorkman]

He was beyond help

Yep, but what is the common factor? He is a drunkard it seems.

I know a few decent level headed Brits here, and before the defensive Americans chip in, a few of those too (and they are the best ) and a couple of excellent Australians ( we only agree to differ on a a piss taking basis)

But surely, the bottom line is, if you turn up in Thailand with no plan (other than chase girls), have a minimum income, and no background capital, or have no work ethic, then there is he.

He needs somebody, or something, that will get his arse back into the safety net that is the UK, and he needs some wise advice at that end.

Much kudos to those that would chuck him a few baht now, but you just stave off the day he dies to be forgotten in Thailand. Such is reality

Edited January 17, 2008 by yorkman

[rafval]

hes in jail, he has his good points but his main problem is that hes an arsehol_e, guess he will be in jail a long time as no one is going to bail him out

as far as advice goes, his passport went long ago, as likely as not he sold it, hes been in jail for that but they let him out as they charged him for the wrong thing, hes been left alone because the police dont bother with people they cant extort money from, he gets the beer by shoplifting and was making a living by shoplifting books and reselling them at secondhand bookshops, but he got caught out

Edited January 17, 2008 by rafval

[britainmal]

"I feel very sorry for this poor bloke. He has a drinking problems , which led to his down fall. He probably was a good teacher and then the drinking ruined his life. I think somebody with money out there should help this poor bloke out by sending him to immigration with 20k and a one way ticket to the British Virgin Islands. What happened to that poor canadian bloke on Sukumwit?"

What I am simply saying is that he is in the wrong country. He probably loves Thailand. He needs to be back in the UK where he can get some kind of income like a social cheque and medical care. He does not have to live in cold England, Wales, Scotland, the Isle of man, The Channel Islands, or Northern Ireland. He can be homeless in the nice weathered UK Virgin Islands, sleep on the beach , get a cheque, and medical care.

[rafval]

"I feel very sorry for this poor bloke. He has a drinking problems , which led to his down fall. He probably was a good teacher and then the drinking ruined his life. I think somebody with money out there should help this poor bloke out by sending him to immigration with 20k and a one way ticket to the British Virgin Islands. What happened to that poor canadian bloke on Sukumwit?"

What I am simply saying is that he is in the wrong country. He probably loves Thailand. He needs to be back in the UK where he can get some kind of income like a social cheque and medical care. He does not have to live in cold England, Wales, Scotland, the Isle of man, The Channel Islands, or Northern Ireland. He can be homeless in the nice weathered UK Virgin Islands, sleep on the beach , get a cheque, and medical care.

but the love of his life isnt in england, and thats where the money goes

I should add that hes probably doing fine, last time he was in jail he came out looking much healthier and apart from having to worry about his washing been stolen seemed to quite enjoy it, apparently they have a good library there as well

Edited January 17, 2008 by rafval