Thursday, May 21, 2009

Light Fingers Beware

Australian woman Annice Smoel found herself facing time in a Thai prison after she was charged with stealing a beer mat from a bar in Pattaya.  She spent two nights in jail,and then was released on bond, but was unable to leave the country as the court kept her passport.  Her trial date was months away, and if convicted she faced up to five years in prison. 

The case gained international attention, and the Australian and Thai governments worked on her behalf to work out a deal.  In exchange for pleading guilty and paying a $38 fine, she was released and allowed to return home.

Ms. Smoel was certainly aided by the fact that, as a mom, she was a sympathetic figure.  I'm not sure that a single guy over here partying in Thailand would have received the same treatment.  The fact that Thailand does not need any more negative news involving its tourism industry also probably worked in her favor.

I'm not how the case ended up as far as it did.  Unless she was making a complete ass of herself, I'm a bit surprised that the bar would want her arrested.  I would think they would be happy enough just to get the mat back and be done with it.  Perhaps an enterprising law enforcement officer was seeking to make up for lost revenue due to the lack of tourists.  I imagine that once she is safely back in Australia that we will hear Ms. Smoel's version of the story.

Of course there is a lesson here.  Come over here and have fun, but don't forget that this is still a third world country.  The Thai legal system is not an experience that those accustomed to Western style justice would enjoy, so behave yourself.  Sure there are some laws that the authorities overlook, but there are some that they punish severely.  While prostitution is illegal, the authorities unofficially "license" it, so there is almost no threat of prosecution for a john.  However, if you do illegal drugs or your sexual proclivities lead you to dilly with an underage individual, the Thai justice system will treat you very harshly.  Taking a beer mat might not have ended in jail time, but it no doubt scared the living hell out of one woman. 

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