drogon Posted March 4, 2009 Report Share Posted March 4, 2009 I think, given the current global situation, that only a few board members worry about LOS getting shame for a few insignificant incidents like this one.... Nobody else probably heard about that and the few ones who learned about this don't care. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozpharlap Posted March 4, 2009 Report Share Posted March 4, 2009 Thanks for the correction. Originally, I had it as a mixed metaphor when typing the OP and then, in my rush to correct the mixed metaphor I guess I just lost it, probably due to senility. Where is a bargirl and a bottle of Mekong, to help drown out your fears of getting that little bit older each year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzzz Posted March 5, 2009 Report Share Posted March 5, 2009 What ever happened to strip search? Or body cavity search for bad actors going thru custom? For really bad actors, there is Pepto- Bismo. TIT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bangkoktraveler Posted March 5, 2009 Report Share Posted March 5, 2009 A link to article in the Puket Wan that tells a little bit more: [color:red]When the official started to ask questions, Burrowes became angry, Khun Suksopon said, and snatched back his passport. Burrowes then said ''F*** You'' and criticised Thailand in an offensive way, Khun Suksopon added.[/color] I don't mean to defend what is being done to him, but I do know that if you snatch back your passport and say Fuck You to an immigration officer anywhere in the world, that a significant percentage of the time, you are going to pay a price. I bet they will deport him shortly and he can go back to the UK and get on with his life. But somehow I doubt he will have learned the very important life lesson he was given the opportunity to learn. TH I got a feeling you are right, his bad mouth got him in trouble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robaus Posted March 5, 2009 Report Share Posted March 5, 2009 His most practical option is to swallow his pride and angerr, plead guilty at his trial, apologise and beg for mercy via a good Thai lawyer in order to get an early release for time served already. ... then sell his story to The News of the World and get a place in the next Big Brother. He'll be crying all the way to the bank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bangkoktraveler Posted March 5, 2009 Report Share Posted March 5, 2009 When he said "fuck you", I guess he didn't realize he would be the one getting fucked. Dumb shit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.. Posted March 5, 2009 Report Share Posted March 5, 2009 Ya. As one finds in most of these cases the "innocent tourist" was not so innocent after all. TH nailed it, I believe. Cheers, SD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheekyboy Posted March 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2009 Arguing with Phuket Immigration: Is It Safe? By Shanya Phattrasaya and Alan Morison Wednesday, March 4, 2009 Phuketwan Updating Report THE ARREST and jailing of Briton Simon Burrowes has created great concern among tourists and expats about Thai laws governing disputes with Immigration officials. Director General of Immigration at the Phuket International Airport, Suksopon Maneeson, declined today to allow Phuketwan to view the contentious photograph in Mr Burrowes' passport. He added that the voice tape of Mr Burrowes' conversation at the Immigration counter on January 31 was also likely to be produced as evidence in court. For that reason, he could not provide a transcript. Mr Burrowes has since spend more than three weeks in a crowded Phuket Jail before being bailed, and on April 26 faces the possibility of a lengthy jail term. His problems began as he fronted Immigration on his way out of Phuket after a holiday. The circumstances and his punishment so far have caused alarm among other Britons and tourists from other countries. Khun Suksoporn said today that, as could be expected, there are quite often debates between departing or arriving passengers and Immigration officials. However, he said, to his knowledge, the Burrowes case was the first on Phuket that actually led to the arrest and imprisonment of a tourist. A senior police officer told Phuketwan that Thai law protected officials on duty. If they faced abuse or threatening behavior, the person involved could be arrested and face a charge, with a one-year jail term as the maximum penalty. The dispute involving Mr Burrowes began when the Immigration official looked at his passport. Her attention focussed on his passport photograph. According to Khun Suksoporn, the portrait shot of Mr Burrowes was shirtless. He was not looking directly at the camera, but at an angle, out to one side. Reports say that about this time, Mr Burrowes' friend and travelling companion negotiated outbound Immigration and headed for the flight back to Britain that they were both due to catch. Probably with one eye on the time of the flight, Mr Burrowes watched as his passport was handed back to another official for closer examination. According to Mr Burrowes, as quoted in The Voice online, the official examined the passport carefully for about 30 minutes. As his flight time drew closer, Mr Burrowes apparently became agitated to the point where he allegedly snatched the passport back, swore at the official, and criticised Thailand in a way that caused the official to take offence. A spokesperson at the British Embassy said today that the passport had been verified as genuine. ''Thai authorities now accept that it is a legitimate passport, so our understanding is that the charge relating to the passport has been dropped,'' she told Phuketwan. She said that passport shots were now required to have the subject look directly at the camera, but did not elaborate on whether this was the case in Mr Burrowes' passport, nor confirm whether he was shirtless in the photograph. Thai culture disapproves of people appearing shirtless in public, although it is acceptable on beaches. For official documents in Thailand (passport, ID Card, drivers license, etc), Thais must wear shirts that cover their shoulders. Khun Suksoporn yesterday questioned the standards of any passport that did not follow international convention, and suggested that the British standard in this case was lower than that of Cambodia or Laos. The key question in the Burrowes case remains whether a tourist who has been apprehended on what many view as a minor charge should have to spend three weeks in Phuket Jail, built for 700 inmates but overcrowded with more than 1000. While jailers expressed concern about the safety of Phuketwan reporters who wanted to tour the prison, the same concern does not appear to be held by Thai authorities about the safety of Mr Burrowes. He has already served a three week jail penalty and his case will not be heard until April 26. The spokesperson for the British Embassy said today that the conditions in Thai jails ''is something we raise with the Thai authorities in an ongoing process. It is something other embassies are probably raising, too.'' Phuketwan has applied for permission from the Justice Ministry to tour Phuket Jail. Phuketwan's ************************* i cant believe this story about a shirtless passport photo ,theres no way you could get a UK passport with a shirtless photo ,because its only head and neck anyway so how would they know ? maybe he was wearing a Fred Perry type casual shirt ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheekyboy Posted March 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2009 Phuket Jail, built for 700, now holds more than 1000 inmates Photo by phuketwan.com Briton 'Jailed on Phuket for Being Rude' By Alan Morison and Chutima Sidasathian Tuesday, March 3, 2009 Phuketwan is Following Up This Report A BRITISH publication claims a tourist is facing a two-year sentence in a ''hellish Thai prison'' on Phuket for ''being rude'' to an Immigration official. The allegations highlight cultural differences, the issue of overcrowding and security in Phuket Jail, and a rising incidence of crime on the island. Share An Immigration official confirmed the man's arrest and said the man swore at an official, criticised Thailand, and had an inappropriate photograph in his passport. ''Phuket doesn't need bad tourists like this,'' the Director General of Immigration at the Phuket International Airport, Suksopon Maneeson, told Phuketwan today. The incident first emerged in a report carried by the Voice online. According to the article by Maxine Myers, Voice reader Simon Burrowes was ending a holiday with a friend when Thai authorities at Phuket airport detained him on January 31, preventing him from returning to Britain. The report continues: ''Immigration officials suspected Burrowes' passport was a forgery. Speaking to The Voice via phone from Thailand, Burrowes said: ''A woman at immigration was looking at my passport and then handed it to the man behind her. ''I was ushered to sit down whilst he took out a magnifying glass and proceeded to check my passport for half an hour,'' he explained. ''He was told that he was not getting on the plane and was taken to a detention centre, whilst his friend Matthew was able to fly back to the UK.'' The report alleges that for three weeks, the 44-year old was ''held with 126 men in a cramped prison cell.'' According to the Voice: ''He contacted the British Consulate, who confirmed his passport was genuine. However, the disgruntled Brit claims that the Consulate should have done more, saying that they took long to react to his case.'' The Voice says Burrowes was later charged with ''rude and aggressive behaviour'' towards an immigration officer, a claim he denies, and released on bail to the equivalent of 2000 pounds. ''He must remain in Thailand until his trial begins on April 26, and his lawyer has warned he could face a two-year jail sentence,'' the Voice reports. The Director General of Immigration at the Phuket International Airport, Suksopon Maneeson, said he had a voice tape recording the incident. The man's passport carried a photograph in which he was not wearing clothes, which led the official to wonder whether it was a genuine passport, Khun Suksopon said. He also looked younger in the photograph. ''When compared with other passports, even from Cambodia or Laos, they have standards,'' Khun Suksopon said. ''Britain is a developed country.'' When the official started to ask questions, Burrowes became angry, Khun Suksopon said, and snatched back his passport. Burrowes then said ''F*** You'' and criticised Thailand in an offensive way, Khun Suksopon added. ''If you go to England and behave the way this man did, what would happen?'' Khun Suksopon asked. ''I love Thailand. I do not want people coming here and looking down on Thailand or speaking badly about Thailand and to Thai people.'' British Honorary Consulate Martin Carpenter told Phuketwan: ''At the end of the day, we've done everything we can possibly do for him. ''The last time I spoke to Mr Burrowes, he said: 'Thank you for everything you have done for me.''' The General Director of Phuket Jail, Paisal Suwanraksa, confirmed that Mr Burrowes had been held at the jail. He said: ''Phuket Jail has adequate room for 700 people but right now, we have more than 1000 inmates. It is true that conditions are not ideal.'' Last week, a senior official from Bangkok visited the jail and told Khun Paisal he was concerned about the pressure on existing facilities. Some prisoners may have to be transferred to other jails in Songkla or Nakornsritammarat. At present, 46 percent of the prisoners on Phuket are in jail for drug-related offences. Khun Paisan said a new jail would cost 400 million baht, but there is no evidence that underfunded Phuket has that kind of money to spend. He said the Governor, Dr Preecha Ruangjan, had visited the jail and was concerned about conditions there. Jail officers turned down a formal request from Phuketwan today to tour the jail to see what conditions are like. We were told there were concerns, with so many prisoners in the jail, for our safety. Phuketwan is renewing a request for access via the Justice Department in Bangkok. Five prisoners still being held in the jail are British, jail officials told Phuketwan. About 20 inmates are from Western countries. Phuketwan is checking the other allegations and will be updating this report as soon as our reporters have more details. The Voice report in full is at: http://www.voice-online.co.uk/content.php?show=15190 Phuketwan's News File Lessons from One Phuket Tourist's Nightmare Latest Analysis Phuket's Burrowes affair probably alarms many people. Tourists can sympathise with a man who wants to catch a flight and is wrongly accused of carrying a faked passport. Lessons from One Phuket Tourist's Nightmare Arguing with Phuket Immigration: Is It Safe? Latest Questions are being asked by tourists about the case of a man who was arrested and jailed following an argument with Immigration officials at Phuket Airport. Is it too high a price to pay? Arguing with Phuket Immigration: Is It Safe? Share / Bookmark Comments " Underfunded"? A new health centre facility was built over a year ago about 700 meters from the detention release facility in Manik, near Cherng Telay. Replete with AC , the building remains unused and landscaping was allowed to die during the past 2 months of no rain. New grass has been recently laid down and water sprinklers on in full force the last week . Posted by Christy Sweet on Tuesday March 3, 2009 at 10:41 If that's the law then the guy should know better, but two years in jail is worse than the guy who killed a person with his BMW. The immigration man said he loves Thailand, if he does, then please do something about all the corruption here. Posted by patklang on Tuesday March 3, 2009 at 12:25 Immigration in any country is a serious business, and just maybe this Brit was scared. I find it hard to believe there was an inappropriate picture in a passport, there are such strict laws on passports these days you can't even wear a hat!. To stick this guy into a prison is unforgivable. Posted by eddie on Tuesday March 3, 2009 at 13:52 i have been in prison in germany for 6 month because i called a police officer a bum! so what! he is a visitor in this country and the only thing he has to do is shut up and do what they tell him! if he really said f*** you i hope he goes to jail, because i see too many people in thailand that forget that this isn't their country and they have to behave! Posted by markus on Tuesday March 3, 2009 at 18:37 I don't think anyone, especially a visitor, should be put in jail for that length of time for something as ludicrous as a display of verbal bad attitude upon exiting the country. There was no physical contact, and no verbal or physical gestures or threats of harm made upon the officer. Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday March 4, 2009 at 06:32 Some pre-RFID chipped UK passports are still in circulation. Does anyone know if this unfortunate chap was carrying one? Posted by zigsterpoop on Wednesday March 4, 2009 at 07:55 Having stood in the Immigration queue for about the same time as the flight from Singapore, and then have a group of Russians push to the front of the queue, I can understand tempers being a bit frayed. Posted by Terry - Perth on Wednesday March 4, 2009 at 08:29 At first I thought perhaps the officer was "making a case" by claiming an inappropriate photo was in the passport. But a photo would be tangible evidence to submit in court. So, now I'm not so sure. But 2 years - hmmm. Any question who the boss is now? NOTE TO SELF - Be calm, be cool, stay out of jail. Posted by Captn Sanook on Wednesday March 4, 2009 at 09:21 ''If you go to England and behave the way this man did, what would happen?'' Khun Suksopon asked. Uh,..........nothing. Posted by Becca on Wednesday March 4, 2009 at 12:19 Is the F word illegal? Posted by VFaye on Wednesday March 4, 2009 at 13:12 @Becca: Right on. Once again, we see the arbitrariness in the system. Now, being a jerk is criminal behavior? It's not like it was even inbound immigration, in which case the immigration official would justifiably have more freedom to make a subjective, on-the-spot call. This traveler was outbound. Let him leave, note him as an undesirable, and deny him next time. But jail him? Posted by PD on Wednesday March 4, 2009 at 13:30 If this guy was treated with the same respect as I see other Thais treating people of African extraction around Thailand, then I don't blame the guy one bit. Posted by Joe on Wednesday March 4, 2009 at 21:28 What this article failed to mention is that Mr Burrowes only reacted this way after being told his passport was a fake (it wasn't) and was himself treated quite rudely by immigration staff. They refused to explain why they had disappeared with his passport, refused to explain if he would be catching his flight, denied him water, and mocked him. I think most people would get a little agitated in that situation. Although he used a regrettable choice of words, surely he does not deserve 2 years in an already overcrowded prison??? Posted by LKH on Thursday March 5, 2009 at 01:51 Is it possible to have a British passport with inappropriate clothing, or lack of clothing in the photo ??? Editor: Apparently it is possible to have a valid British passport with a shirtless photo, although embassy officials are reluctant to confirm this outright. Friday March 6, 2009 Phuketwan - Your sweet Phuket, every day MOST POPULAR 1. Phuket Shooter Kills Expat Developer 2. Briton 'Jailed on Phuket for Being Rude' 3. Patong Killers Strolled to Date with Death 4. Police Probe Expat Murder near Tesco Lotus 5. Freak Superyacht Mishap Injures Girl, Man MOST COMMENT 1. Phuket Shooter Kills Expat Developer 2. Briton 'Jailed on Phuket for Being Rude' 3. Lessons from One Phuket Tourist's Nightmare 4. Arguing with Phuket Immigration: Is It Safe? 5. 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drogon Posted March 5, 2009 Report Share Posted March 5, 2009 There is indeed a negative bias against people of black color in Thailand... Talked to the missus and her friends today about this incident and they admit they are afraid of black people -> they all said they had nasty eyes...whatever that means. The comments posted above show that these readers don't often see international airports.... last time was in Zaventem and there was a man who looked like he was from North Africa who got his passport taken by the police without a word... He reacted shouting (in approximate French) and was restrained by the police officers. I did not wait to see what followed but here was another example of a jerk. Losing your temper, especially in public and with some Thai officials and then insulting LOS is a sure way to get troubles, no matter what the original offence (imagined or real) was.... Sad for him that LOS has "strange laws and sometimes anal officials" but this is LOS... Only good point in this story, we will probably never risk meeting this man in LOS again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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