[Thailand] Swiss man jailed for 10 years for insulting Thai king

We're impressed.
A ninth grader who can type tough.

It'd be better though if you could post on topic, spell correctly and had something relevant to say.

 

Slip. Not only is he in the 9th grade. he lives in the disowned part of Australia. The little island south of the mainland that everyone wishes would just flush into the sewer with the rest of the turds .

Anyway, back on track.

If you are in another country, then you should be obeying their laws. Its pretty stupid to insult the King of a country that takes it VERY seriously. Its like smuggling drugs into Bali. You know your going to get bent over and penetrated, so WHY DO IT! Granted he was sloshed, and I'd probably do it, but STILL .

 

Fishbone I suggest you pull your neck in a bit and drop the attituide!

 

I see you've set aside this special time to humiliate yourself in public - I'll leave you to it.

One more to the ignore list.

Another one bites the dust.

 

Sorry are you talking to yourself again?

 

There is an unfortunate phenomina that occurs when Americans and Europeans travel to parts unknown in which they assume that the laws they are used to will suddenly travel along with them. It very ethnocentric. I am inclined to say to them "Well, that's what you get for being an idiot."

 

Absolutely true, but this guy was a resident for ten years so it's more like "How utterly stupid are you?"...I just can't get over the fact that he lived there that long and did something that idiotic.

 

Slip-1 Fishbone-0

 

I could understand if he was just on a vacation becuase I'm sure I would commit an offence without knowing but 10 years?

 

Even then, being ignorant of local laws won’t be work in your defence.

Look at Wesley Crusher from that episode of “Star Trek TNG” where they beamed down to some planet full of buff men and women and he was showing off by doing lame cartwheels but crashed through some white barriers and landed in some flowerbed.

“So what?” I hear you cry. Well he was sentenced to death for it as it was their law, the Enterprise crew tried to argue that they knew nothing about the planet's punishment system which fell on deaf ears. In the end they thought “screw ya” and beamed off the planet with Wesley.

Anyway, I digress, before visiting a far away land I always have a quick spy at the local laws/customs to make sure I don’t get caught out.

 

Chimps, you just won the MAP award for Dorkiest Reference Ever.

[Cheesey announcer voice]Congrats! What will you do now?[/Cheesey announcer voice]

 

Pffft, you're just jealous as I mentioned it before you did. I know what a huge fan of Wesley Crusher you are and how sad and upset you are when he went off on a galactic jolly with The Traveller.

 

Seems to me that there are two seperate issues:

1. Should the guy be held accountable to Thai law in Thailand... and that seems like a no brainer to me.

2. Is this law a good law?

And it's 2 which I think is perfectly debatable. That the king of Thailand is a very nice man and that Thai people hold genuine admiration and respect for him are in my book pretty much beyond dispute. And by 'nice' I mean after reading a biography of the king I couldn't find much to dislike about the guy, he seems to have done alot of good for his country and to genuinely care about the welfare of the Thai people.

This however does not mean that the law as it stands in Thailand is a good law; I personally don't think it is. Am I in any position to change it? Nope. Will my view have any effect on Thailand? Nope. However, despite this it doesn't mean I can't personally believe that the law is quite draconian.

Playing by the rules of the country your in is what you have to do and in Thailand it should be blatantly obvious to someone who has been there for 10 years how the authorities will react to this kind of thing. So the guy was an idiot... but does getting drunk and being an idiot (not hurting anyone remember just spray painting!) mean he deserves to lose 10 years of his life? I personally don't think so.

 

1 to 2 years i can see an he would have to give a open an truthfull explination/polite apology on tv in that country an a writen signed agreement would work more than 10 years that is what they call in America getting a doctorate in prison here. They being Prisoners an Guards call 10 in prison in America getting your doctorate. The signed agreement would have a binding effect should you choose to stay in that country it would entail more if an when he broke that law again.

Only reason i say it is to much it does not deal directly with getting the other person to see what is wrong in what they did. It would have a buildup effect on that person an just confirm there feelings. Even if he does live out his time you will have to deal with him again once he gets out.

I agree no one from another country should act that way you are after all a guest. In the military they specifically coach an inform you of what to expect an what the laws are for your own safety an so they don't look bad.

He sounds like it might have been intentional on his part haveing been in country for awhile. Maybe he was affraid he would end up living on the street there so instead go to jail.

 

Sorry

 

The saga continues...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6528303.stm

Jeez what a can of worms.

 

LOL!

Technology meets primitivity. Battle to the death!