Mushroom-picking couple's prison term reduced to 5 years

[Catkiwi]

Simply astounding that none of you witty posters didn't through into contention that they could have been magic mushrooms......Pookiki may have been on to it, suggesting that the judge maybe ate the evidence 

[salavan]

Forget the drug dealers and the rapist's time to clamp down on these hardened criminal mushroom pickers ruthless swine

[Bluespunk]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

They cut down more than 1,000 valuable trees and illegally possessed restricted timber.

 

Ah, now that's a different matter altogether.

[soalbundy]

4 hours ago, robblok said:

I was talking about illegal logging.. not mushrooms., just follow the posts. 

I know, i was talking about mushrooms. It seems however that they were illegal loggers after all so 5 years is OK

[realenglish1]

Total miscarriage of Justice While the RICH Red Bull Guy runs around europe free as a bird because justice cannot catch up with him

 

How can someone go to jail for a long time just for picking mushrooms to eat 

 

As I have always said there is little far justice in Thailand No wonder the average Thai has no faith in the Thai judicial system  

[khunpa]

How can ANY lawyer or judge with just a bit of empathy and justice-feeling throw out these crazy sentences and at the same time watch rich people get off with murder? 

 

Do these people have no self-pride at all? IT is sick to watch!

[George Feedback]

Should have been reduced to "time served" and let go.

[bandito]

16 hours ago, robblok said:

Yes of course (or can't prove your innocent). Or maybe not.. not sure.. i mean suppose your charged with murder but cant prove your innocence.. what do you want.. go to jail longer but innocent.. or plead guilty and be out faster ? 

 

What's this?

Dutch justice?

Quilty until proven innocent?

[dbrenn]

Meanwhile, the cashed up Red Bull heir walks around scott free.

 

Punishments don't fit crimes in Thailand.

[tomwct]

I only hope that they get a Royal Pardon, if the Justice System can't right a wrong immediately! What were the Judges thinking?

[Loaded]

14 hours ago, canopy said:

If you think this had anything to do with mushrooms I have a bridge to sell you because you are gullible.  After making up a fairy tale about mushrooms they eventually admitted to the actual crime they committed. The news story says: "They cut down more than 1,000 valuable trees and illegally possessed restricted timber." Sounds pretty cut and dry. Every court has found them guilty including the supreme court. It's refreshing to see the justice system step in and protect the forest from greed. This is a good step and the country needs a lot more of this.

 

I agree, I'm also happy to see the courts protecting the forests.

 

In addition to the illegal possession of 1,000 protected logs, they were also convicted of burning 70 rai of national park forest.

 

The story about picking mushrooms was their story.

 

 

[robblok]

2 hours ago, bandito said:

 

What's this?

Dutch justice?

Quilty until proven innocent?

Thai justice.. if they have evidence against you fabricated or not and you don't have any to clear your name.. what would you do knowing your innocent.. plead innocent.. and serve longer or plead guilty and get 50% of your punishment. 

 

 

[mtls2005]

I for one, would be grateful if people could provide links which detail the crimes and charges.

 

I cannot find anything to back up the charges of possession of illegal timber, or that this middle-aged couple who possess a motorbike, were able to fell, transport and store "a thousand trees". Or that they were "convicted of burning 70 rai".

 

I see that they were originally arrested on July 12, 2010, then variously freed, bailed, jailed, convicted (2012), freed, jailed, etc. Very confusing to follow.

 

 

 

[pookiki]

27 minutes ago, mtls2005 said:

I for one, would be grateful if people could provide links which detail the crimes and charges.

 

I cannot find anything to back up the charges of possession of illegal timber, or that this middle-aged couple who possess a motorbike, were able to fell, transport and store "a thousand trees". Or that they were "convicted of burning 70 rai".

 

I see that they were originally arrested on July 12, 2010, then variously freed, bailed, jailed, convicted (2012), freed, jailed, etc. Very confusing to follow.

 

 

 

I agree with you.  I've been following this story for quite some time and this is the first ever mention that this couple were in possession of illegal logs.  Seems like evidence 'after the fact' to justify the original charges. When all is said and done, this couple did not have enough money to grease the hands of officials to stay out of jail.  After they followed the advice of their attorney, the only issue that remained is the appropriateness of the sentence.  As for reporting, it is bloody terrible.

[tigermoth]

Another example of the justice????????? system operating fairly.

[Beats56]

Let them go. Totally BS punishment. 

[soalbundy]

3 minutes ago, Beats56 said:

Let them go. Totally BS punishment. 

Yes, and let them take the 1000 teak logs that that they 'picked' along with them.

[dageurreotype]

58 minutes ago, soalbundy said:

Yes, and let them take the 1000 teak logs that that they 'picked' along with them.

This case appears to have shown up just how shoddy Thai 'journalism' is, and there are those lamenting proposed further curbs on it. For years this couple were reported as being the poster children for Thailand's iniquitous 'justice' system, it only now transpires they were caught up in a logging raid and still no one is aware of the facts of this case. Surely it cannot be beyond the wit () of some Thai reporter to go check out whether this couple did indeed have teak logs on their land/in a lock up, or not?

[Time Traveller]

They should have just killed someone instead. Much less prison time than being guilty of picking mushrooms

[Baerboxer]

On 5/2/2017 at 11:15 AM, PremiumLane said:

Could comment about the disparities between how the poor and rich are served 'justice', but why bother

 

Totally agree mate. Seems to be getting worse rather than better. Maybe that's what was meant by reform?

[Jonmarleesco]

More than a few fungi in the Thai legal system.

[Redline]

Were there signs and fences at the perimeters?  Jeez, you could rape someone, and kill someone with a car on the same day and get the same sentence!

[Bluespunk]

8 hours ago, dageurreotype said:

This case appears to have shown up just how shoddy Thai 'journalism' is, and there are those lamenting proposed further curbs on it. For years this couple were reported as being the poster children for Thailand's iniquitous 'justice' system, it only now transpires they were caught up in a logging raid and still no one is aware of the facts of this case. Surely it cannot be beyond the wit () of some Thai reporter to go check out whether this couple did indeed have teak logs on their land/in a lock up, or not?

I think you over estimate reporter wit here.

[Bluespunk]

7 hours ago, Time Traveller said:

They should have just killed someone instead. Much less prison time than being guilty of picking mushrooms

Logging teak.

[The manic]

On 5/2/2017 at 11:24 AM, mtls2005 said:

Mushroom picking classified as "illegal logging". Gotta love rule-by-law.

 

Someone in the judicial system: prosecutor or judge should have nipped this in the bud, but these commoners need to be made an example of I guess.

 

Five years (from fifteen) still seems overly harsh? Were they wearing some illegal red-shirts, or in possession of the wrong type of red bowl? 

Or wrong colour skin?

[ben2talk]

On 5/2/2017 at 11:24 AM, ezzra said:

kill people while driving, they'd get 2-3 years

in the slammer for sure....

I thought the people who play 'Deathrace' in new Ferraris get a bonus holiday for killing a higher ranking officer - a holiday in London with a new Porsche.

 

The truth is simpler - they are just generating all this conversation to help us forget about SEX for five minutes.

[bandito]

20 hours ago, robblok said:

Thai justice.. if they have evidence against you fabricated or not and you don't have any to clear your name.. what would you do knowing your innocent.. plead innocent.. and serve longer or plead guilty and get 50% of your punishment. 

 

 

 

Fabricating evidence against someone by the police happens in many, if not all, countries.

Your country too.

Not especially a Thai thing.

Nobody ever got let go by pleading guilty.

[JAG]

Yes, and let them take the 1000 teak logs that that they 'picked' along with them.

Would those be the "teak logs" whose existence took seven years to come to light?

 

If those logs do exist then no doubt they can be produced as evidence ( with a clear trail of evidence which links them to this couple)?

 

Of course it may be the case (in the interest of the environment and so on) that a "constructive" means may have been found to "recycle" such logs, either in housing or cash...

 

 

 

[Bill Miller]

The back story:

KALASIN: -- The Supreme Court on Tuesday sentenced an elderly couple from Kalasin province to five years in prison for deforestation.

 

Udom and Deang Sirisorn were convicted of encroaching on 72 rai (12 hectares) of Dong Ranang national forest, where they engaged in deforestation.

 

They cut down more than 1,000 valuable trees and illegally possessed restricted timber.

 

The couple claimed they merely collected wild mushrooms in the forest.

 

In 2011, the Criminal Court sentenced them to 30 years in prison for the offences.

 

The Appeals Court subsequently reduced the sentences to 15 years.

[ben2talk]

41 minutes ago, Bill Miller said:

The back story:

KALASIN: -- The Supreme Court on Tuesday sentenced an elderly couple from Kalasin province to five years in prison for deforestation.

 

Udom and Deang Sirisorn were convicted of encroaching on 72 rai (12 hectares) of Dong Ranang national forest, where they engaged in deforestation.

 

They cut down more than 1,000 valuable trees and illegally possessed restricted timber.

 

The couple claimed they merely collected wild mushrooms in the forest.

 

In 2011, the Criminal Court sentenced them to 30 years in prison for the offences.

 

The Appeals Court subsequently reduced the sentences to 15 years.

Thanks for this. I was pretty surprised at this thread - people making a ton of money stealing timber makes more sense than two old folks picking a few mushrooms.