Swiss man jailed for 10 years for lese majeste

[hooper]

I think the swiss guy will not last in jail he will be hated more than a pedo by both guards and inmates

[Mentors]

I think the swiss guy will not last in jail he will be hated more than a pedo by both guards and inmates

 

there is a powerful article in a Swiss Weekly Newspaper today.

 

[kojis]

any link? what does it say?

[Mentors]

the article has no link, sorry.

I can't say about the meaning but the article do not "to mince matters".

[Flashermac]

The idiot should have done it in Singapore instead. For spray painting there one only gets beaten with a bamboo rod that cuts your buttocks to the bone.

 

The Thais were clearly much too hard on the poor drunken pratt.

 

 

[Jools]

Jufer is a chronic alcoholic and obviously mentally ill. Being an alky and a borderline nutcase will get you no sympathy in a country which views compassion as a "creeping westernism". Those who feel that Jufer got what he deserved will no doubt approve of the draconian justice system in countries such as Saudi Arabia. Frankly, even discussing this issue on a board such as this is asking for trouble. Lese Majesty or the accusation of same can cause big problems for farangs.

[David99UK]

I won first prize in a fancy dress competition whilst dressed as Adolf Hitler - in German Military uniform AND of course swastikas.......I even shaved the beard down to the proper sized moustache

 

It was only a bit of fun - it was Xmas :grin:

 

I believe that in Germany I would be arrested for walking around dressed like that and only shouting out sieg heil and giving the salute whilst goosestepping a dozen times an hour :grin: WTF is that all about - it's almost as if the Jerries have no sense of humour?????? ........although ironically I was arrested that night, but for other reasons :smirk:

 

 

[Guest lazyphil]

thats lame i walked around nottingham pissed as a newt going to a medieval banquet dressed in among other ridiculas things a pair of tights, offended everyone i bet

[Flashermac]

Ah, Robin Hood and his men in tights ... who all lived happily together in the woods.

 

 

 

[Pom_Pom]

and people who don't find out about this sort of thing before coming to Thailand get no sympathy from me.

 

Well' date=' they get sympathy from me. What the f**K? They supposed to know all the do's and don'ts in a country before they visit. Mom and Pop on a 3 country tour with a group of grey-heads or some college kids probably don't spend a lot of time reading up on the criminal penalties for off the wall "crimes".

[/quote']

 

When you visit a foreign country you are a guest. I don't go pissing in the streets, even though the Thais do. I don't litter, even though the Thais do. And if I was in the US, I wouldn't go vandalizing billboards or trains, even though the Americans do. If I wanted to get naked on the beach, I'd confirm first it was appropriate for me to do so rather than ask forgiveness later. I would find out the age of consent before screwing that cute 16 year old. Or how legal prostitution is - just because it is in your face in many countries and possibly legal at home, why the hell would you assume it is fine elsewhere? Or raping and beating your wife? Should someone legally allowed to kill their partner in their home country be jailed for doing so in a foreign country? Even if it is assumed part of everyday life and culture at home? Or smoking pot or drinking in public? Should you really assume it is legal or just a trivial fine like it might be at home? Even if that nice friendly Moroccan tout told you it is legal?

 

I don't think the laws about respecting Buddha images and the King, which are mentioned in every guide book on Thailand I've seen, fall into the category of unexpected laws - these are really limited to violations of our personal freedoms we take for granted. Sodomy or oral sex being in parts of the USA and Australia for example. Or over the counter medication being illegal elsewhere. Or knowing that that wonderfully picturesque building is actually a police station and illegal to photograph. Even countries claiming freedom of speech have libel laws and limitations to those freedoms, and assuming you can just go ahead and set light to an American flag, deface currency or wear your swastika t-shirt in Germany or Israel is just plain stupid.

 

So the 10 year sentence is quite appropriate, as one of its major functions is to serve as a warning to others. And thankfully the Thais and especially the King are compassionate enough to reduce this to a slap on the wrist with a pardon if they believe there was no malicious intent and this was just the work of a drunk, ignorant, stupid and culturally insensitive arsehole. Unlike other countries with mandatory sentencing laws, where the best you could hope for is the opportunity to serve out the majority of your sentence on home soil. I'm surprised that the offended countries in situations like these don't demand an apology from the home country (who in your passport you will find request you be allowed permission to enter and treated well - it is a request, not a right).