Australian woman facing jail in Thailand for stealing bar mat

Annice Smoel, 36, told Australian radio that she was celebrating her mother's 60th birthday at the Aussie Bar in Phuket two weeks ago when her friends decided to take a mat from the bar as a souvenir of the evening.

Mrs Smoel said that one of the women placed the mat into her handbag without her knowledge. Her bag was searched on her way out of the bar and when staff found the mat they called the police.


She was arrested, charged with theft and locked up for two nights before being granted bail.

Mrs Smoel, who lives in Melbourne with her husband and four daughters, said that two of her friends had confessed to police that they had taken the bar mat, and offered to show the authorities video evidence to support their claims, but the officers were not interested.

"One of the girls involved went down to the police station on Sunday morning and confessed to the crime and apologised and they [the Thai police] told her to go away. They didn't care," she told 3AW radio.

"Apparently the police have 48 days to investigate the crime. It's a just a really slow and crazy system."

The Thai police have kept her passport and she now fears she could face a 14-week wait for trial.

Her friends told Victoria state police that they had played a "silly joke" that had backfired.

"We were all out drinking and became intoxicated. We put the bar mat into Annice's handbag and she was unaware that we were playing a joke on her."

John Brumby, the Victorian premier, has said the case has the potential to affect Australian tourism to Thailand.

"I would have thought for the Thai government and the Thai authorities at a time of the global financial crisis when everybody wants tourism, this isn't going to help them," he said.(from Telegraph)



"Who would go to Thailand for a holiday if you could get arrested for having fun in a bar?"

Waiting for Chok's comments about this...................






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Jungwat

@ alpbach....... :x







.

It does go to show how backward a country Thailand is.

Local guys bringing girls over (which is a morally debatable practice) usually know little of the reality of their situations i.e. as soon as somebody better (richer) comes along they'll be dropped like a hot spud.

It's happened to two guys that I know and they've both opted to settle down with local women rather than go down the Thai road again......

Its better if you know the facts of the incident before criticising how backward thailand is,firstly she stole from the bar,secondly she swore at the police officers and resisted arrest by attempting to run away from the scene,thirdly she verbally abused the chief of police.

She verbally abused the bar staff and insisted they bring the police,unkowingly to her they are sat in that bar working undercover lol

Shes a loud mouth aussie bitch who thinks shes above the law,i know the owner of the bar and spoke to several people who were present.Believe me abusing the police in thailand is not a bright idea to abuse the chief of police is being a complete dumb ass.

So are the following offences acceptable in Guernsey

Theft
Abusing Bar Staff
Resisting Arrest
Abusing The Chief Of Police

??????????????????

technophobe wrote:It does go to show how backward a country Thailand is.

Local guys bringing girls over (which is a morally debatable practice) usually know little of the reality of their situations i.e. as soon as somebody better (richer) comes along they'll be dropped like a hot spud.

It's happened to two guys that I know and they've both opted to settle down with local women rather than go down the Thai road again......

Theft,resisting arrest,abusing bar staff,abusing police officers and abusing the chief of police are offences in Thailand.That does not make it a backward country.

So 2 failed relationships ? maybe the guys didnt treat them well,i think you will find a lot of "local relationships"fail also

I love my life in thailand i love my thai lady and my beautiful thai baby im very very very happy with life.So proof that it can work.

alpbach1 wrote:Jungwat

Pity she wasnt JUNGWAT

GD wrote:Annice Smoel, 36, told Australian radio that she was celebrating her mother's 60th birthday at the Aussie Bar in Phuket two weeks ago when her friends decided to take a mat from the bar as a souvenir of the evening.

Mrs Smoel said that one of the women placed the mat into her handbag without her knowledge. Her bag was searched on her way out of the bar and when staff found the mat they called the police.


She was arrested, charged with theft and locked up for two nights before being granted bail.

Mrs Smoel, who lives in Melbourne with her husband and four daughters, said that two of her friends had confessed to police that they had taken the bar mat, and offered to show the authorities video evidence to support their claims, but the officers were not interested.

"One of the girls involved went down to the police station on Sunday morning and confessed to the crime and apologised and they [the Thai police] told her to go away. They didn't care," she told 3AW radio.

"Apparently the police have 48 days to investigate the crime. It's a just a really slow and crazy system."

The Thai police have kept her passport and she now fears she could face a 14-week wait for trial.

Her friends told Victoria state police that they had played a "silly joke" that had backfired.

"We were all out drinking and became intoxicated. We put the bar mat into Annice's handbag and she was unaware that we were playing a joke on her."

John Brumby, the Victorian premier, has said the case has the potential to affect Australian tourism to Thailand.

"I would have thought for the Thai government and the Thai authorities at a time of the global financial crisis when everybody wants tourism, this isn't going to help them," he said.(from Telegraph)



"Who would go to Thailand for a holiday if you could get arrested for having fun in a bar?"

Would you go on holiday anywere in the world to steal,abuse police,resist arrest ?

WELCOME TO THAILAND

The first lesson you learn when you come to live in thailand

DO NOT F**K WITH THAI POLICE

A key difference here Chok is that in most developed societies at least there's a system of law that's fairly open to scrutiny, in Thailand that doesn't appear to be the case.

The offences you describe aren't exactly serious crimes, and don't warrant being locked up for a couple of nights whilst the incidents are being investigated.

Fair play to you if you're happy over there, perhaps it's often different in scenarios where the woman in question leaves Thailand to settle in another country. Just ask Lyndon Trott..........

'Lyndon Trott' what happened?

technophobe wrote:A key difference here Chok is that in most developed societies at least there's a system of law that's fairly open to scrutiny, in Thailand that doesn't appear to be the case.

The offences you describe aren't exactly serious crimes, and don't warrant being locked up for a couple of nights whilst the incidents are being investigated.

Fair play to you if you're happy over there, perhaps it's often different in scenarios where the woman in question leaves Thailand to settle in another country. Just ask Lyndon Trott..........

Most developed societies ?Whats your knowledge of thai law? So whats the penalty in Guernsey for theft,abusing bar staff,refusing to leave premises,resisting arrest,abusing police officer,abusing the chief of police?

Let me give you a example of a case in guernsey

Refusing to leave the premises

Jailed 3 nights and fined 350 Pounds

Developed Country?


With regards to your last comment Lyndon Trott,do i really need to say more.

And there is no way i would move to europe with a thai female very different cultures and strong family ties,but in some scenarios it will work.

I'd hardly call Thailand a developed country from a law and order perspective. You yourself have referred to Thailand as a third world country and it's hard to imagine a third world country with a first world legal system.

Look at the state the country's in politically, and the amount of people who live in abject poverty.

My knowledge of Thai law is admittedly virtually non-existent, apart from seeing the barbaric sentences dished out for drug offences, and also personally knowing of one guy who had to pay the police $3,000 to avoid being charged with possession of marijuana.

Stealing a bar mat!!!! That must be surely up there with "Grand Theft Auto"!!! and having a "loud mouth" after a few too many!!! That must be a flogging Offence!!!
AND... Coming from Australia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What do you expect???? We are a Penal Colony !!!

Your missing the point

Resisting arrest
abusing a police officer
abusing the chief of police

Dumb Ass Aussie

The beer mat also had a retail value of 60 aussie dollars and was more a towel than mat,in plain terms THEFT

Never offend little man , (with big ego) that wear a uniform...
Loosen up, Chock...I am sure the Police would be better employed taking care of other things! They might also like to consider the Dumb Aussie's Dollars coming your way...with that kind of attitude they will effectively kill off your Tourist trade!
Just ask the silly so and so to pay fo the blasted mat...pay a fine...and stamp her passport "persona non grata'!
Lets get a bit realistic!

She would have been offered the chance to pay the standard fine for this kind of offence,she chose to be abusive instead

Believe me shes bit off more than she can chew

ok...I only know what is reported...and the culprits owned up...
but if you lot see it that way...you are welcome to Thailand.

technophobe wrote:I'd hardly call Thailand a developed country from a law and order perspective. You yourself have referred to Thailand as a third world country and it's hard to imagine a third world country with a first world legal system.

Look at the state the country's in politically, and the amount of people who live in abject poverty.

My knowledge of Thai law is admittedly virtually non-existent, apart from seeing the barbaric sentences dished out for drug offences, and also personally knowing of one guy who had to pay the police $3,000 to avoid being charged with possession of marijuana.

Does Guernsey have a first world legal system ? Do you consider 3 days in jail and 350 pounds fine acceptable for refusing to leave a pub? Thailand is a big country which has extreme wealth and extreme poverty,the guy with the 3000 usd to the copper should think himself lucky,the alternative of life in jail wouldnt have been nice,but this thread is regarding a theft now whatever country i have been in before theft is theft no matter which way you dress it up

If your happy to condone theft,then so be it

To then go and abuse the police resist arrest then abuse the chief of police is rather silly imo

Anomiso wrote:ok...I only know what is reported...and the culprits owned up...
but if you lot see it that way...you are welcome to Thailand.

Owned up ? To what ? She admits she abused police,she admits resisting arrest ,she admits abusing the chief of police,dont think she has.

Please dont tell me you believe "we hid it in her bag story " ? The bar mat is about one metre long "do you really believe you wouldnt notice that in your bag ?

Shes pleaded guilty in court given a 6 month suspended jail sentence and a fine of 1000 baht about 30 aus dollars


On her way home

Wonder why the silly bitch didnt do that when she was arrested ?


Seems lenient in comparison to Guernsey refusing to leave a pub 3 days in jail and a 350 gbp fine

Now I am wondering WHY your Governor General has seen fit to apologise to the silly so and so...AND pay her fine!
It appears that her being abusive to Police was her refusal to sign a statement, written in Thai that she could not read>
I heard an interview with her solicitors this morning...Very Interesting!!!
She was asked to plead guilty so the Police could "save face" .
The Attorney was berated by the interviewer for taking the case to the Press He freely admitted it and explained that, after two weeks of trying to work through the "proper channels of the Judicial System" and getting nowhere...
a bit of Bed Press in Australia, suddenly freed up a courtroom and a judge to hear the case, with the result we know.
As I said at the beginning of this discussion...."lets get a bit Realistic"!!!

If I might be permitted an "addenda"
http://www.legalaid.vic.gov.au/2035.htm