Looks like the Merc payments are taken care of for a few months

Excellent mate but I would prob say a Honda an the rest on Leo beer.

this guy needs a frontal lobotomy

He could have spent it in the bars down in Sukhumvit and it would have ended up at the same place, and he would have had a whale of a time making his donation

well i guess better than a soi dog charity just

Strategic use of personal funds.

Yes, can't understand why one would publicize it!

He's either a bloody fool or he's getting something in return.

i respect his donation but it would have been better executed

if done quietly.

this publicity may expose the family to security hazards.

Sounds to me like he is doing a good deed and helping out some up-country cops who get paid peanuts to do their jobs, many of which find themselves in serious financial hardship (especially the ones trying to do an honest job without taking kickbacks. Yes, its true, some do not take bribes). If it was a payoff for protection, it wouldn't be a public donation like this. Come on TV'ers, put your cynicism away for one day. Not all cops in Thailand are bad. Believe it or not, you may rely on them to save your skin one day.

think any cop that was not taking bribes would be reprimanded by his superiors. bribes are how the police fund themselves as the government salaries are barely liveable. is expensive to buy a job as a cop, that money is often borrowed and has to be repayed.

He was a soldier in the US Air Force

Ah, as the girls would say 'Oh you naughty airforce soldier'

I'm astounded.

I can't even comprehend what goes through someones mind to do something like this. It's not even like the Thai police have a good reputation for doing a quality job.

The weird thing is, they mentioned other good cause that were actually good....could they not think of any other causes better than giving to the police?

And that isn't even to try to understand how a police force renowned for corruption agrees to accept this(so publicly no less). Do they have no sense of self awareness? Or shame?

Maybe we should just give Mr Gebhard the benefit of the doubt here. I just did a bit of googling and found that he is a retired US Air Force colonel with a long history of generosity and community service, and prior to this one, donations to schools, clinics and orphanages in Udon.

Before doing good stuff for Udon, things like this:

http://www.mvariety.com/cnmi/cnmi-news/local/58882-more-donations-for-the-manamko-from-pacific-amusement

I say good for you, Jim. Keep making a positive difference in the world.

Hahahaha,what an insane person.....unbelievable idiot !

Bribing police, advertising it as "benevolent"...TIT.

You obviously didnt read the article.

Maybe we should just give Mr Gebhard the benefit of the doubt here. I just did a bit of googling and found that he is a retired US Air Force colonel with a long history of generosity and community service, and prior to this one, donations to schools, clinics and orphanages in Udon.

Before doing good stuff for Udon, things like this:

http://www.mvariety.com/cnmi/cnmi-news/local/58882-more-donations-for-the-manamko-from-pacific-amusement

I say good for you, Jim. Keep making a positive difference in the world.

I will probably cop a bit of flack for this........but, given the fact he was an air force colonel he gets less benefit of the doubt from me, that isn't an honourable profession at all.

You'd think you've heard it all and then this.

Someone should ask investigative journalist Andrew Drummond to dig up into his past .

Clearly he is buying protection from the local police here.

Who want to stop him now if he breaks the law ?

Edited July 5, 201610 yr by balo

Although probably under guise of a good deed, I sure he realizes he just bought all future troubles away from himself and his wife. Great way for legal bribery.

I would also love to see the business model arranged to help the needy police and who decides who gets a piece of it.

Well the usual mixed bag of bull#### from the usual crowd.

Personally I find it refreshing that this couple recognise the onerous task of the lowly paid police officers of Thailand and donate to a fund that allows the officers to take a 10,000 interest free loan for six months.

Should be more of it!

Unfortunately I can only afford to donate @ 200 THB per time, usually when I get pulled over to blow in a bag!

An elegant bribe.

Aliens have been among us for centries. There isnt anything they dont know about our species including all of our cultures and various mindsets around the world.
Right now an Alien is filling out the paperwork to file a report on their home planet 50,000 light years away that they have located the dumbest <deleted>er on planet Earth.

just got a few get out of goal free cards

Bribing police, advertising it as "benevolent"...TIT.

You obviously didnt read the article.

Fact: He paid money to the po-lease.

...hence...got it?

Well done good move.will oil lots of wheels for hin a shroud buisness man

Dear oh dear oh dear.

This just encourages "graft"!

Someone should check on that "fund" in the future and do an audit.

WORDS FAIL ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Handing over 500,000 Baht is one thing, but handing over his wife as well, seems like a nice guy all round. Isn't English grammar just wonderful!

If the Udon police get too hard up, they can always flog the Van Gogh on the wall behind benevolent Jim.

It's not a Van Gogh............it only only looks slightly like the sunflowers of Van Gogh !!! with the real one he could buy the whole RTP....

Lots of jealous people on TV who probably couldn't cobble together Baht 500,000 if their lives or over-stay banishment depended on it. Probably some of the same people who complain bitterly when 7-Eleven rounds their utility bills up to the nearest 25 satang.

It's his money. If he has had the business savvy to make the money, he's not as clueless as some of those bitter old dears who still can't figure out the difference between a visa and an extension of stay or who can't manage to arrange an extension of stay without paying someone to do it for them.