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madoka
Joined: 27 Mar 2008
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 Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 7:49 am Post subject: |
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| bassexpander wrote: |
I don't deny the facts of the case, and that she was a complete dolt.
What I take offense to is that they were seriously planning to give the woman 3 to 5 years in jail for all of this (and kept her without food for 4 days).
THAT is what I find upsetting, and makes me think less of Thailand. |
Here are the "facts" of the case:
1. She was in jail for 48 hours before being released on bail.
2. She was given two meals a day.
3. As for her motives, it sounds like she is just a publicity hound:
"Why she would choose to be represented by a solicitor in Australia for a fairly straightforward case in Thailand remains open to conjecture.
Mr Wood, who has made it clear that he now has no interest in pressing charges, has his own explanation.
�I think they are holding out for some money from the media in Australia. Everyone tells me that all she had to do was file a report at the police station, and I can�t think why else she hasn�t already done so,� he said.
4. Once the case does go to court it is likely Ms Smoel will escape with a small fine, not years in prison. |
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Privateer
Joined: 31 Aug 2005
Location: Easy Street.
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| Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 8:23 am Post subject: |
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| ^ Holding out for some money from the media? Wait...so she's scamming the Australian media with her story? If it works, let's all go and steal bar mats... |
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Ruthdes
Joined: 16 Oct 2008
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 1:29 pm Post subject: |
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| madoka wrote: |
| bassexpander wrote: |
I don't deny the facts of the case, and that she was a complete dolt.
What I take offense to is that they were seriously planning to give the woman 3 to 5 years in jail for all of this (and kept her without food for 4 days).
THAT is what I find upsetting, and makes me think less of Thailand. |
Here are the "facts" of the case:
1. She was in jail for 48 hours before being released on bail.
2. She was given two meals a day.
3. As for her motives, it sounds like she is just a publicity hound:
"Why she would choose to be represented by a solicitor in Australia for a fairly straightforward case in Thailand remains open to conjecture.
Mr Wood, who has made it clear that he now has no interest in pressing charges, has his own explanation.
�I think they are holding out for some money from the media in Australia. Everyone tells me that all she had to do was file a report at the police station, and I can�t think why else she hasn�t already done so,� he said.
4. Once the case does go to court it is likely Ms Smoel will escape with a small fine, not years in prison. |
Ummm...
#4 had already happened by the time you posted. Here's a new link with an interview with her in Melbourne coming off the plane.
http://www.theage.com.au/national/welcome-mat-out-for-freed-thai-bar-mother-20090521-bh7j.html
While she's probably not the most educated person in Australia, she hardly appears to be a bogan of the Corby variety. People do silly things when they're drinking. Maybe we should just give her the benefit of the doubt and be happy for her that she's home and with her family. |
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Kurtz
Joined: 05 Jan 2007
Location: ples bilong me
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| Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 2:19 pm Post subject: |
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Her problem wasn't the theft, it was her abuse of the police officers, and abusing a certain level of policeman over there is in fact a criminal offense I do believe.
WARNING-Don't go to Thailand and be an idiot, it can get you in serious trouble.
As a side note, I was reading that her friends are trying to sell the story to a tabloid newspaper, also; I think you'll find Thailand isn't the only place in Asia where you have to watch your actions. |
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shifter2009
Joined: 03 Sep 2006
Location: wisconsin
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| Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 4:26 pm Post subject: |
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| Ruthdes wrote: |
| madoka wrote: |
| bassexpander wrote: |
I don't deny the facts of the case, and that she was a complete dolt.
What I take offense to is that they were seriously planning to give the woman 3 to 5 years in jail for all of this (and kept her without food for 4 days).
THAT is what I find upsetting, and makes me think less of Thailand. |
Here are the "facts" of the case:
1. She was in jail for 48 hours before being released on bail.
2. She was given two meals a day.
3. As for her motives, it sounds like she is just a publicity hound:
"Why she would choose to be represented by a solicitor in Australia for a fairly straightforward case in Thailand remains open to conjecture.
Mr Wood, who has made it clear that he now has no interest in pressing charges, has his own explanation.
�I think they are holding out for some money from the media in Australia. Everyone tells me that all she had to do was file a report at the police station, and I can�t think why else she hasn�t already done so,� he said.
4. Once the case does go to court it is likely Ms Smoel will escape with a small fine, not years in prison. |
Ummm...
#4 had already happened by the time you posted. Here's a new link with an interview with her in Melbourne coming off the plane.
http://www.theage.com.au/national/welcome-mat-out-for-freed-thai-bar-mother-20090521-bh7j.html
While she's probably not the most educated person in Australia, she hardly appears to be a bogan of the Corby variety. People do silly things when they're drinking. Maybe we should just give her the benefit of the doubt and be happy for her that she's home and with her family. |
Why give her the benefit of the doubt? We got the bar owner, the staff, the police force all saying she is a pain in the ass and had it coming. I am inclined to agree with them rather than her |
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tomwaits
Joined: 05 Feb 2003
Location: PC Bong
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| Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 6:13 pm Post subject: |
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Try running from the cops and then verbally abusing them-in a Western country and see what happens. I'm thinking "obstruction of justice" charge, after the beating and perhaps tasering.
Sobering up in a cell without food and water would also be a given,..
She got off easy. |
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bassexpander
Joined: 13 Sep 2007
Location: Someplace you'd rather be.
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| Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 6:53 pm Post subject: |
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| shifter2009 wrote: |
| Ruthdes wrote: |
| madoka wrote: |
| bassexpander wrote: |
I don't deny the facts of the case, and that she was a complete dolt.
What I take offense to is that they were seriously planning to give the woman 3 to 5 years in jail for all of this (and kept her without food for 4 days).
THAT is what I find upsetting, and makes me think less of Thailand. |
Here are the "facts" of the case:
1. She was in jail for 48 hours before being released on bail.
2. She was given two meals a day.
3. As for her motives, it sounds like she is just a publicity hound:
"Why she would choose to be represented by a solicitor in Australia for a fairly straightforward case in Thailand remains open to conjecture.
Mr Wood, who has made it clear that he now has no interest in pressing charges, has his own explanation.
�I think they are holding out for some money from the media in Australia. Everyone tells me that all she had to do was file a report at the police station, and I can�t think why else she hasn�t already done so,� he said.
4. Once the case does go to court it is likely Ms Smoel will escape with a small fine, not years in prison. |
Ummm...
#4 had already happened by the time you posted. Here's a new link with an interview with her in Melbourne coming off the plane.
http://www.theage.com.au/national/welcome-mat-out-for-freed-thai-bar-mother-20090521-bh7j.html
While she's probably not the most educated person in Australia, she hardly appears to be a bogan of the Corby variety. People do silly things when they're drinking. Maybe we should just give her the benefit of the doubt and be happy for her that she's home and with her family. |
Why give her the benefit of the doubt? We got the bar owner, the staff, the police force all saying she is a pain in the ass and had it coming. I am inclined to agree with them rather than her |
It seems the"facts" of this case are different, depending on who you talk to.
As for the bar owner claiming she was a pain in the ass, he also admits that he was not even there when it all happened. He's just upset because (he claims) a lot of people are snubbing his bar over this. His opinion was that she encountered problems due to her backtalking to the police.
Let me ask you this... do you know what the police said to her when she was "caught" with this bar mat? What if they said, "Pay us $500 now, and we'll go away"? What would your reaction have been? Perhaps they threatened her with 3 to 5 years of jail time, which was printed in one article, and she thought she should run. What would you do in such a situation?
I think we won't know what the true facts are to this case, because it seems they change depending on who you talk to. |
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Kurtz
Joined: 05 Jan 2007
Location: ples bilong me
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| Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 7:50 pm Post subject: |
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Theft is theft, no matter where you are.
Running away from the police is utterly stupid and reeks of guilt.
I feel the woman's actions were the result of being drunk. Tourists have to remember they aren't in their own countries, and being dumb and stupid can get you into trouble, especially in corrupt Asian countries.
If she and her friends were acting normal like grown adults, then this would possibly never have happened. |
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BrianInSuwon
Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Location: Korea
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| Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 9:02 pm Post subject: |
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Undercover cops.
Hmmm. So a foreign lady gets drunk. She is then approached by two Thai guys in street clothes. They "claim" to be police officers. They accuse her of a crime she knows she didn't commit (she didn't put the bar mat in her bag). Maybe, they want to talk to outside in private. Maybe. Maybe they were asking for a bribe.
Undercover cops in a foreigner bar. Not a bar I'd want to drink at.
Personally, after my second trip to Thailand, I know I'll never be going back there. |
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ekul
Joined: 04 Mar 2009
Location: [Mod Edit]
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| Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 9:43 pm Post subject: |
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| Damn, I just booked flights to Thailand! I wasn't planning on going to Phuket... or that place where there are dead bodies in containers. Those stories make Korea look sparkling. |
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shifter2009
Joined: 03 Sep 2006
Location: wisconsin
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| Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 11:12 pm Post subject: |
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| bassexpander wrote: |
| shifter2009 wrote: |
| Ruthdes wrote: |
| madoka wrote: |
| bassexpander wrote: |
I don't deny the facts of the case, and that she was a complete dolt.
What I take offense to is that they were seriously planning to give the woman 3 to 5 years in jail for all of this (and kept her without food for 4 days).
THAT is what I find upsetting, and makes me think less of Thailand. |
Here are the "facts" of the case:
1. She was in jail for 48 hours before being released on bail.
2. She was given two meals a day.
3. As for her motives, it sounds like she is just a publicity hound:
"Why she would choose to be represented by a solicitor in Australia for a fairly straightforward case in Thailand remains open to conjecture.
Mr Wood, who has made it clear that he now has no interest in pressing charges, has his own explanation.
�I think they are holding out for some money from the media in Australia. Everyone tells me that all she had to do was file a report at the police station, and I can�t think why else she hasn�t already done so,� he said.
4. Once the case does go to court it is likely Ms Smoel will escape with a small fine, not years in prison. |
Ummm...
#4 had already happened by the time you posted. Here's a new link with an interview with her in Melbourne coming off the plane.
http://www.theage.com.au/national/welcome-mat-out-for-freed-thai-bar-mother-20090521-bh7j.html
While she's probably not the most educated person in Australia, she hardly appears to be a bogan of the Corby variety. People do silly things when they're drinking. Maybe we should just give her the benefit of the doubt and be happy for her that she's home and with her family. |
Why give her the benefit of the doubt? We got the bar owner, the staff, the police force all saying she is a pain in the ass and had it coming. I am inclined to agree with them rather than her |
It seems the"facts" of this case are different, depending on who you talk to.
As for the bar owner claiming she was a pain in the ass, he also admits that he was not even there when it all happened. He's just upset because (he claims) a lot of people are snubbing his bar over this. His opinion was that she encountered problems due to her backtalking to the police.
Let me ask you this... do you know what the police said to her when she was "caught" with this bar mat? What if they said, "Pay us $500 now, and we'll go away"? What would your reaction have been? Perhaps they threatened her with 3 to 5 years of jail time, which was printed in one article, and she thought she should run. What would you do in such a situation?
I think we won't know what the true facts are to this case, because it seems they change depending on who you talk to. |
They do seem to change, but from what it sounds like me their is a lot of cherry picking of info to make what sounds like the most exciting story. You recall it started out as being describe as a coaster, then a towel then you see the thing as a big ass rubber mat. It was also claimed she spent 4 nights in jails when the thais say she spent 2 and the new article claims 3 (splitting the difference?) I am sure that Thailand is filled with no angels (I got robbed there) but I am not inclined to buy this woman's story of being just being a totally innocent victim. The media loves a pretty blonde woman. |
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