Tourist condemns Thai police injustice

[PeteC]

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/crimes/ ... -injustice

Tourist condemns Thai police injustice

Published: 30/11/2012 at 03:40 PM
Online news: Crimes

Thai police are again under fire overseas after an Australian TV report about a man who lost his girlfriend in an accident and was then allegedly framed by police on Koh Samui.

Tragedy in Thailand aired on Channel 9 in Australia on Tuesday. Jamie Keith (left) alleges Koh Samui police attempted to exort money from him after the death of his girlfriend, Nicole Fitzsimons (right) in a motorcycle accident. Image from Channel 9.

Tragedy in Thailand, an episode of the popular TV show A Current Affair on Australia's Channel 9 network, accused Thai police of injustice and corruption.

Police responded on Friday by reopening the case and transferring the chief of the station in charge of the original investigation. However, the chief denied allegations of corruption.

During a getaway that was supposed to be the trip of their dreams, Jamie Keith faced his worst nightmare while dealing with Thai police after an accident that killed his girlfriend Nicole Fitzsimons, a former Channel 9 reporter.

The couple went to Koh Samui in Surat Thani province in October this year. On their last night on the island, they were heading back to their hotel after dinner when the accident occurred.

In the TV report, video footage from a surveillance camera in the area showed the couple slowing their scooter to make a right turn into the hotel when a speeding bike crashed into them.

The couple, who were not wearing crash helmets, were thrown off their scooter and Fitzsimons was severely injured. She died three hours later.

The accident took place at 11pm on Oct 18, according to Bor Phut police in Koh Samui district. The Thai driver was identified as Kongla Satue.

Mr Keith said he was not only saddened by his girlfriend’s death but also by the actions of the Thai police.

He was taken to the police station after being released from hospital, where he was handed a document in Thai. He said police demanded he sign a confession as the guilty party in the crash, in exchange for his passport, but he refused.

Six days later, Mr Keith reluctantly agreed to sign a document which stated there was no guilty party in the accident.

"Jamie and Nicole’s family were denied justice over the accident,” the show's presenter said.

"Grief is momentarily overtaken by disbelief when unscrupulous Thai police tried to turn the tragic loss of a young Australian woman into a pay day for themselves.”

In the video, Fitzsimons’ father said he was told that it would cost him between A$15,000 and A$30,000 (480,000 to 960,000 baht) to get Jamie out of the situation.

"They said it was an accident. That bloke is walking free, it burns me to see that,” Mr Keith said in tears.

“It’s a cruel world there (Thailand), and we have seen it; there are no laws."

The criticism comes about a month after the father of a Dutch woman who was assaulted and raped posted a video “Evil Man from Krabi” condemning the Thai police for their negligence in bringing justice for his daughter.

The show in Australia has rattled the Thai police. Pol Col Samran Machareon, chief of the Bor Phut station, was transferred to the Provincial Police Region 8 office on Friday.

Pol Lt Gen Yongyuth Wanichchareon, chief of the regional police, signed the transfer order, which took effect immediately, and reopened an investigation into the case.

He admitted flaws in the probe by the Bor Phut police, in whose jurisdictiojn the accident occurred. He has handed over the investigation to a senior officer at the Provincial Police Region 8.

He criticised the Bor Phut police for failing to file a charge against Mr Kongla and said Pol Col Samran had to take responsibility.

But the Bor Phut chief insisted that both Mr Kongla and Mr Keith were charged with reckless driving and the case was investigated fairly.

He defended his subordinates, saying they did not demand money from Mr Keith or force him to confess that he was the guilty party.

"The document he signed was a police report which included the damages on which the two parties agreed," he added. "The police had to keep his passport as part of the procedure and it was returned to him after he signed the report without any condition or money in exchange."

Thanongsak Somwong, chief of the Samui Tourism Association, urged the police to be transparent in the investigation to bring justice to the victim.

The case must be handled in a straightforward manner and the police should not rush to wrap it up, he said.

Poor handling of the case could jeopardise the image of the island in the eyes of Australians as the high season is approaching, he added.

[Lung Per]

Indeed a sad story - but no surprise. We can add this to the list of numerous similar cases. Thais always go for the money, and the farang has money and is therefore by Thai logic the guilty party.

The police trying to extort a farang is, unfortunately, no exception to the rule. However, it is not quite clear if this was the case.

Thai traffic code Para 1: You cannot hit someone.

Para 2: If a farang is incolved in an accident the farang is by default the guilty party since the accident would not have happened if the farang had not been here.

Thai logic. Live with it or go elsewhere.

[caller]

Thai logic. Live with it or go elsewhere.

Out of curiosity - who are you ranting at?

[barrys]

Below is the link to the Australian Channel 9 report. It also shows the CCTV clip of how the accident occurred.

Really tragic - but why oh why weren't they wearing crash helmets!

http://aca.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8571294

[Terry]

............Really tragic - but why oh why weren't they wearing crash helmets!..........

Precisely

Maybe the concrete & tarmac is softer in Thailand.............

[Dannie Boy]

............Really tragic - but why oh why weren't they wearing crash helmets!..........

Precisely

Maybe the concrete & tarmac is softer in Thailand.............

Not sure if I am unique, but I always wear my helmet when out on the bike in the daytime, but where I was staying a few months back, there was a restaurant just a few hundred metres away and if we ate there we would invariably jump on the bike at about 7pm and leave the helmets at home. Stupid maybe, but I believe that's what a lot of others do and as we now know by this tragic example, you can be anywhere and be caught by being in the wrong place at the wrong time, so a timely reminder for me and others to always wear your lid.

[Big Boy]

if we ate there we would invariably jump on the bike at about 7pm and leave the helmets at home.

I don't know if it's something new, but twice in the last 2 weeks I've seen police stopping people without helmets at 9pm.

[Dannie Boy]

if we ate there we would invariably jump on the bike at about 7pm and leave the helmets at home.

I don't know if it's something new, but twice in the last 2 weeks I've seen police stopping people without helmets at 9pm.

There really is no excuse and fines aside, it really does make sense to always wear a helmet - I never ever drive the car without putting the seatbelt on!!

[H2ODunc]

Unfortunately the normal attire here on Samui for riding a bike is a pair of shorts, flip flops and shades and that's it. Even though it has been lashing it down for about a week here and no sun and dark, horrible clouds they still persist in the above. I read that Samui is the bike death capital of Thailand and can honestly believe it. I used to frequent a bar near the ferry terminal that had a bike hire place next door. I have lost count of the amount of people who have hired a bike and crashed it trying to do a U turn, some hurting themselves quite badly.
Alcohol and riding also do not mix well here. Very poor roads full of sand and people not used to riding a bike in the first place is an accident waiting to happen.
It isn't only the tourists though. Expats die just the same for the exact same reason. Drunk, no helmet and riding too fast. You would think they would know better but they don't. My friend did it a couple of years ago. Ended up in hospital with very bad head injuries and it cost him a fortune. he still does the same thing and it wont be long before he is just another statistic.

[Frank Hovis]

Even more ironic is that they are Australian, the first country to implement motorcycle helmet laws back in the early sixties and now has laws requiring the wearing of cycle helmets on bicycles.

“It’s a cruel world there (Thailand), and we have seen it; there are no laws."

Except, of course, the one about it being mandatory to wear a helmet on a motorcycle.

It's sad someone died, it's even sadder that the survivor doesn't seem to see what he did wrong.

[richard]

New games in Thailand

1) Find a bar not for sale

2) Find a motorcyclist who's never had an accident

3) Find a motorcyclist with a licence, insurance and a crash helmet in his/her basket

£) Find a virgin....oops

[Toy]

Hi richard I won, I think :-)

ok I'm sure 3 out of 4 last one not sure, but she tell's me

[Big Boy]

please.

[usual suspect]

I did a U-turn on Poolsuk Rd after someone flagged me down..hence for a full 15m I was driving the 'wrong way' as I slowly came back to see a mate.
A MIB was just coming out of the temple onto Plsuk Rd & instantly booked me for going the 'wrong way'...
My wife was on the back of my m/cycle & she'd seen the MIB coming out of the temple, & she also knew that he'd seen we merely did a U-turn.
Anyway..we both had helmets on (mine's a UK item), I showed him my Thai licence & insurance..the MIB was being well 'stroppy' & curt..??
So then, it's off to the police station with my newly administered ticket.
Once there the desk MIB says that will be 400B..WHAT?
At that moment a plain clothes MIB rolls in..who we know, & after polite hellos he asks what we'd been doing..?? Wife explains, then he asks the desk serge for the ticket.
It turned out (according to what the MIB had written) that I was being fined for driving in a wild & dangerous manner down the middle of Petkasem Road causing many oncoming cars to swerve out of my way..yes, THAT is what the MIB had written on my ticket..!!
The plain-clothes MIB we know instantly got the desk-serge to ring the 'traffic MIB' and ask him if this offence he'd written was really true...he then asked him a second time, on the third time of asking he admitted writing a false offence on the ticket..TWAT!
'Our' plain-clothes explained I'd have to pay a fine 'cos it was an official ticket, & the sum was 100B, he then advised me to keep this ticket in a safe place in case the 'bent' MIB tried to do anything later..
What I've just explained here will be happening every damn day both here & all over the L.O.S.
to Farangs..not just on Samui.

[Rider]

if we ate there we would invariably jump on the bike at about 7pm and leave the helmets at home.

I don't know if it's something new, but twice in the last 2 weeks I've seen police stopping people without helmets at 9pm.

Short on cash nowadays.
Back in the day (maybe less than 5 years ago) it was unheard of to see the HH cops doing shakedowns for helmetless riders after nightfall, but HH has changed alas.