Shocking attack on elderly Brits in Hua Hin

[wenshidi]

Well, because it was Sam Roi Yot police, I always assumed it was the Sam Roi Yot beach area (Dolphin Bay).

My guess would be those horrible modernist cubes that are stuck on the wrong side of beach road. Any other suggestions?

[Dannie Boy]

Where they lived is of little concern, the issue is about the injustice of the Thai legal system and the impotence of the British Embassy to assist British citizens when they need help.

[HarryVardon]

According to a government internet site these are the responsibilities of a British Consulate:

Duties and Responsibilities:

Emergency Citizen Services, Protection, and Welfare.
Passport and Nationality Services.
Nonimmigrant Visa Services.
Correspondence and Outreach.
Fraud Prevention.
Federal Benefits, Notary Services, Immigrant Visas, and LPR Services.
Other.

As you can see it includes Emergency Citizen Services. Protection and welfare. The three main things that were needed in this case.

[Big Boy]

Yes, that sounds great, but they are a toothless tiger. What power do you think they have to enforce that? As I think an earlier article stated, they'd have made sure the couple received their meds whilst in prison.

What do you expect, a British gunship stationed off Sam Roi Yod until charges are dropped?

Thailand has a nationwide 'justice system'. They can't let a few foreign diplomats run roughshod over that. Imagine the uproar if a diplomat was allowed to go to the Chief of Police and tell him he has to overturn the decisions of the force he has working below him. Regardless of what we may think, they'd have been laughed at. Any other action would have been a total loss of face.

[HarryVardon]

I would expect the British Consulate to make use of the press and media in order to put pressure on the Thai government but I am aware that they are too timid to do that!

[Big Boy]

Even if they did, it would mean a huge loss of face for somebody, so it isn't going to happen. Any bad press would probably be censored from the vast majority.

[Dannie Boy]

How times change - back in 1998 I was working in Pakistan and the owning Company where I was working had a dispute with the Government which ended up with us being put under “house arrest” and being told that if any of us tried to leave we would be arrested. I called the Deputy High Commissioner in Karachi who said “leave it with me”. I can’t remember how long it took, but she called me back to explain that the story was going to be leaked to the press, it would become international news and the Government would back down - and that’s exactly what happened, including my 5 minutes of fame, doing a live interview with the BBC which was broadcast on BbC News. It seems that no feathers should be ruffled these days

[Big Boy]

There was a time when being British meant something - not anymore.

[STEVE G]

^I think the general attitude of the British Government is that if you choose to go and live in a country like Thailand, it’s at your own risk.
Incidentally, as to this incident, wasn’t the other party a British citizen as well? This seems to be a bit of information strangely missing from most of the reports.

[Dannie Boy]

Correct Steve, at least the report I read said the man in his 40’s was British with a Thai partner - maybe she was the one with “influence”!!

[STEVE G]

^-Maybe he was the one with the money!

[Big Boy]

They're home.

UK couple happy to be home after Thailand ordeal

Retirees beaten over property dispute in Hua Hin ended up being fined

A British couple whose Thailand retirement dream turned into a nightmare are back home and say they “couldn’t be happier” as they prepare to rebuild their lives.

“I wish we’d never gone to Thailand but we can’t turn the clock back and Des and I are going to have a wonderful retirement together,” Mary Byrne, 69, told the BBC.

She and her husband Des, 77, were badly beaten by two neighbours after a property dispute in Hua Hin, where they had purchased a villa. They said they acted in self-defence but feared they would be jailed when Thai authorities said they and their assailants would all face charges.

The incident took place in December 2023 but the charges were not laid until June last year. The couple’s passports were seized and they endured a months-long wait to learn of their fate.

Last month the couple finally appeared in court, where they were fined and had their passports returned to them.

They have now abandoned their plans to retire in Thailand and are instead looking at houses in Middlesbrough.

“Being back in Middlesbrough and seeing the fabulous countryside, it’s absolutely wonderful,” Mrs Byrne told the BBC. “We couldn’t be happier.”

Since getting back to England the couple have stayed with a family in Berkshire but plan to settle back on their native Teesside once they find a home.

Mrs Byrne said: “We are recovering and coming home has made it so much easier. We’re elated, the emotions are so high at being back at home.”

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... and-ordeal