The week that was in Thailand News: Dear Lady Kai – thanks for taking some of the heat off me.

[rooster59]

The week that was in Thailand News: Dear Lady Kai – thanks for taking some of the heat off me.

There seemed to be a collective nationwide sigh of relief on Friday morning that was almost palpable. Even the expat community joined in with the Thai public’s sense of schadenfreude when the woman at the center of the biggest news saga of the year woke up behind bars.

Lady Kai who has a case list to answer as long as her rambling excuses is now just a number in the female clink. Few really cared that she was there largely because of lese majeste charges instead hoping that will just be the start of justice for her former employees who it is claimed were falsely charged, imprisoned and trafficked at the hands of the bogus titled ‘lady’.

Monta Yokratanakan, as her many husbands might have known her, had visited a famous monk in Phitsanulok on Wednesday to ask to be struck down if she was not telling the truth. One wonders if the revered monk might have cautioned her that bad deeds would cause her to be reincarnated as a cockroach in the next life. Perhaps not, a cockroach might actually represent an improvement in status for this brazen hussy.

Thankfully it was proved there is a Buddha when she swiftly got her wishes granted on returning home to Bangkok. After the cell door was banged shut on her Nivea whitened chops a top policeman then claimed that she was indeed a nutter while the lawyer trying to ensure that she doesn’t see the light of day again claimed she was acting out her own soap opera. Let’s hope there is not an insanity plea to thwart the alleged victims in the case.

Indeed this story is better than Channel 7 primetime with the angle of rich versus poor, privileged versus downtrodden thrown into a mixer churning with injustice, money, corruption and the buzzword of the last few weeks – human trafficking.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the head monk at Wat Dhammakaya had not contacted the prison to thank Lady Kai for taking some of the heat off his sorry, saffron-clad derriere.

But Lady Kai was hardly the only nutter doing the rounds on another eventful week of Thaivisa news. Following her incarceration police found time to mount a huge sweep of the Victory Monument area cracking down on weapon wielding thugs and druggies – minivan drivers to you and me.

Those who thought it was just the reckless driving that left much to be desired were shaking their collective heads in disbelief as acting chief Sanit happily brandished some of the weaponry found in the raid. A few of the bewildered drivers looked as though they feared he might give them a bop on the bonce with a baseball bat or a swift sword strike to the solar plexus.

No such luck – they were fined the traditional 1,000 baht and will be back behind the wheel next week cutting you and me up – though hopefully with their vehicles rather than the knives.

All in all it was a good week for the rozzers of the realm with cases cleared up expeditiously though not all their explanations were accepted at face value. There was even a bonus in the shape of a large cash donation to the cops’ coffers – all above board I might add.

The new tough guy Philippine president must be gnashing his jaws in anticipation as the Thai authorities rooted out their number one fugitive. It took ages but understandable when one considers the wanted kidnapper was seriously concealed doing what comes naturally to nearly all Filipinos in Krung Thep – teaching English and singing on the side. No wonder it took ten years to find him.

Also singing was the rubber yard guy in Prajinburi who was either off key or a little too close to a coworker’s missus. Either way the colleague decided to hack the crooner to death. Police were quickly on the miscreant’s tail and he is now sure to face the music.

Another open and shut case was the death of a 69 year old businessman found in a short time hotel after entertaining three young ladies. Short time turned into long time and rigor mortis was setting in by evening when cops arrived though whether the headline referring to him as “stiff” was appropriate caused some comment on the forum.

Most of the sixty something Thaivisa onliners did concede, however, that if one had to go this eventuality was hardly bottom of the list.

Bangkok cops also got a result when a clip showing a policeman at a check-point with his hand raised and a 19 year old man coming off his motorbike went very viral. The wagons were circled and somehow the father was persuaded to go on national TV with acting chief Sanit who seems to be everywhere there is a camera these days.

Dad said his son was in the wrong and apologized for his kid’s face being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Predictably the poster of the clip probably wished he hadn’t now as the feral fuzz would like a little word in his shell-like.

Grisly crime of the week was the rape and murder of the school teacher that again resulted in swift police action. And, to be fair, they can hardly be held responsible for a justice system that had let the attacker out for a previous rape after serving only two years. The insult to injury ratio suffered by the poor teacher’s family must be unbearable.

Jomtien police who found a Swede with his head in a bucket and some golf clubs over his shoulder were not entirely believed by Thaivisa members when they marked his card with suicide– somewhat par for the course down at the seaside these days.

Finally in force matters there was nothing but beaming bobbies up in Udon who gratefully received a 500,000 baht donation from an American celebrating US independence day. Mr Gebhard and his DJ Thai wife recognized the enormous strain it takes for a copper to make ends meet while keeping a straight face. Only a cynic would say the Yank is unlikely to face charges if his Mercedes tax disc is found to be out of date sometime soon.

Fakes of all kinds were also in the news this week and not just people claiming to be titled chickens. Fake degrees were offered online though the 15,000 baht price tag seemed a tad much for a few bits of paper. A fake gold gang was also rounded up in Isaan after dipping silver in the real stuff and selling it to gold shops. Can’t the gold traders tell or do they just hope that the customers they pass the stuff onto won’t notice either?

Final fake was a bogus water bill collector in an orange jacket – no, we was not a moonlighting motorcycle taxi driver, but a con artist. Rather too late, but the householder smelt a rat after the man kindly said he would accept 560 baht for the 561.11 baht bill. What local authority has ever given you one baht and eleven satang off a bill!

Sadly sports and tourism minister Khun Kobkarn’s welcome and decisive crackdown on rogue speedboats in the south seems to be slowing down. A Chinese tourist got mangled in a propeller near Phi Phi this week and he will be lucky to keep his legs with him when he returns to China.

But at least the busy minister found time to present the prizes at the world’s largest Scrabble tournament that was held in Bangkok and finished Sunday. In winning the King’s Cup title as the intrigued minister looked on, world’s number one Nigel Richards of New Zealand used the triple word score making 89 points for “vertebra” – hopefully the minister will use some of that commodity to develop more of a backbone in tourism related issues as the year progresses.

Lastly were two items where you were not sure whether to just laugh or to laugh out loud. The first was the Ang Thong bus driver who flattened several signs and wouldn’t get out of his cab to face an angry public. No titters there I hear you say – precisely, it was the priceless sobriety test that followed when the constabulary arrived. Those poor officers could hardly keep a straight face as the driver collapsed in an incoherent heap muttering something about two bottles of lao khao while trying to walk in a straight line. He had to be carried by cops to the station – not easy when your sides are splitting with laughter.

Finally on Saturday came news that well known luuk thung singer Sunaree Ratchasima had finally tied the knot with her toy boy Dutch boyfriend, 21 years her junior. Bearded Wouter from the Netherlands looked delirious as the 48 year old singer talked and talked then talked some more about her kids and, despite being married before, the importance of a fair dowry in Thai culture.

Nobody thought to give smiling Wouter a sobriety test.

-- 2016-07-10

[louse1953]

Is this news,opinion or just here say.Just asking.

PS,this is the first time i have been first in print.Everybody must be busy or is this news article not worth replying.

Edited July 10, 2016 by louse1953

[Jai Dee]

Call it an editorial by the ThaiVisa News Team... a summary of the major news events of the week and some of the member's feedback.

It is not a news story in itself.

[Ulic]

I just wonder what a fair dowry is for an older woman who is the breadwinner who has

children as old as her lover and young children as well. How much will she give him

to give back to her, to keep up appearances and Thai culture.

[Monkeyrobot]

Rather well worded , gave me a laugh.

[JRinPDX]

Great summary, please keep this feature going!

[sead]

Great writing

[lamyai3]

Congratulations on the scrabble prize!