Airport Scam

[obroadie]

The more that is said, the stranger it becomes. Assuming the woman stole the wallet, then handed it to her husband, who then threw it in a bin, were they both wearing gloves, was the wallet tested for fingerprints? They were detained sufficiently long enough for these basic tests to have been carried out, wierd hey?
Why wait so long to arrest them in the first place? Why were they not stopped on immediate exit from the shop?
Too many inconsistenses for me to say who is most wrong!

They had to to check the CCTV footage 1st and then go find them. All the other questions about fingerprints you can ask the boys in brown here. But obviously it was never going to get that far as long as they paid the tea money. (enough to buy a coffee shop so why bother with formalities when you have a guilty couple by the balls.....so to speak).

[stilljustbrowsing]

That's what I mean. If the couple were innocent, they would of insisted that the evidence was tested for fingerprints, apparently they didn't, which could be assumed as admission of the crime.
On the otherhand, the waste bin should have been left for a proper forensics person to take care of the evidence so it was not contaminated. (don't forget this is an international matter, however small some may consider the crime to be)
As I say, the whole thing stinks, and if we go back to the Austrailian lady and her little escapade with the table cloth that was called a 'beer mat', we should not jump to conclussions perhaps?

[obroadie]

A bit unfair on A Cool Calm Head, he makes some good points,

I agree. I was a bit harsh and I'm sure he's a nice fellow but he's still in the same camp as a defense lawyer defending someone who he already know is guilty. It's a dirty job and someone has to do it. Like a traffic ranger (traffic warden to UK readers) but that does not mean I have to agree with all his 'by the book points'.

If it was up to him they would walk and I just can't agree with that. Why do you think they paid the 'fine'. Any sane innocent person would have stood their ground. Sure I pay bribes to traffic cop's but that's because it's only 300 baht ($12) and often you can argue it down to about $4 and then be on your way. Not worth them keeping your licence and you never see it again.

These guys paid a LOT of money to get out of deep swine poo because they knew they were guilty. My biggest hope is that they read this and know that the whole world knows they are scum.

[Junglejim]

I found this comment to a BP article on the subject....



I would urge anyone reading this article to go to the websites shown above and to the BBC article outlining the experiences of Mr. Ingram. Once the two news reports are coupled with ////// Power’s explanation, it becomes increasingly clear that ////// Power’s story is dubious at best.

At the very least, Mr. Sombat Dechapanichkul , Group Managing Director of ////// Power, should be required to address the following discrepancies, least his company continue to be a suspect in the alleged scam.

A review of the camera footage on the ////// Power site is of grainy quality and it is difficult at best to see if Ms. Lin did in fact take an item. However, based on this grainy film, Mr. Sombat alleges that his security people were able to obtain facial identification and identify Mr. Ingram and Ms. Lin from among the thousands of people in the airport at the time, even though Mr. Sombat alleges they had changed outer wear and were not together. I would challenge anyone viewing this film to be able to make a positive facial identification of either person. I would also note that the film clip presented seems to be inordinately fast speed compared to the other clips presented by ////// Power, making it difficult for the viewer to actually see if a crime was committed.

Furthermore, Mr. Sombat states that Mr. Ingram and Ms. Lin were not together and when security personnel approached Ms. Lin, Mr. Ingram got up and proceeded to a toilet area alone, where ////// Power personnel later found a wallet in the trash bin. Yet the BBC article states they were both approached by security staff as they were about to board their flight and asked twice to search their belongings. So which is it Mr. Sombat? Were they in a restaurant or in the boarding area as alleged by the BBC and the Bangkok Post.

So now we have a situation where no stolen articles were found on either suspect but, according to Mr. Sombat, security personnel were following one of them and just happen to find a wallet where they say Mr. Ingram had walked. Is all this beginning to smell?

Mr. Sombat then tries to distance ////// Power from the event, saying that they turned their statements over to the police. He adds that “the above is the full sequence of events and correct facts in relation to our companies’ entire involvement in this incident. Not quite, Mr. Sombat. You made an accusation of theft against an individual. No items were found by either the police or your security personnel. Yet you continued to make a complaint to the police, allowing for their arrest. So you are responsible! Although it may be only wishful thinking, as a company that consistently deals with people who come from countries where the rule of law is practiced, common business sense would dictate that if you don’t have any evidence against an individual, you don’t insist they be arrested. If you do, you deserve all the bad publicity given to ////// Power.

The events at the police station are even more interesting. I won’t go into details as the Ingram’s story can be read at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8154497.stm. But my immediate question to Police Colonel Teeradej Phanuphan, is it common practice in the Thai police force to allow a part-time “interpreter” from Sri Lanka to have access to arrested prisoners from Britian, translate for them, have the prisoners released to him so he can take them to an ATM, arrange their bail, hire their lawyers, receive their fine in his personal bank account and the multitude of other services Tony seems to provide as part of his “part-time employment to the police”.

Colonel Teeradej says he will investigate any possible irregularities in their treatment. But he said any arrangement between the couple and Tony was a private affair, which did not involve the police. Not quite Colonel. According to the BBC, Tony was an employee of the police and you are responsible for his actions. I too would urge you to investigate, but anyone with only a smattering of knowledge of Thailand and its reputation for corruption knows that your “investigation” will go nowhere.

In most countries I would expect that a newspaper would do a bit more investigative journalism, interview Mr. Sombat and present him with these discrepancies and interview Tony and ask him some hard questions. However, with the Bangkok Post’s reputation for hard- hitting investigative journalism, pigs will fly before that happens. So, unfortunately, all we have left is the power of the internet. I would urge all persons reading this to go to the BBC site and e-mail a copy of the article to as many travel sites and other mass media organizations as they can.

[timjackelton]

but that does not mean I have to agree with all his 'by the book points'.

If it was up to him they would walk and I just can't agree with that. Why do you think they paid the 'fine'. Any sane innocent person would have stood their ground. These guys paid a LOT of money to get out of deep swine poo because they knew they were guilty. My biggest hope is that they read this and know that the whole world knows they are scum

Yes you are right to have your own opinion, I respect that, you also make very solid points.

But think about it, we who live here know a lot more than the "two weekers on holiday people" so if I was in a Thai jail cell, (whether I did the crime or not) and had some money, I would pay to get out. Sadly, Thailand is famous for "its pay to get out of trouble scheme's."

I have just been informed from a Thai tourist policeman friend who said, most tourist police can speak English who work at the Bangkok Airport, so why the need for this man called Tony? He believes that this would not happen to a foreign Thai speaker or a foreigner with a Thai wife, they prey on people with no capacity to understand what is going on around them.

We came to the same conclusion, something is very wrong.

[Junglejim]

Could Tony speak Thai?

I also don't know why Tony was allowed to take them to a short time hotel to ask for bail, and lock them in (allegedly) until they paid up....Surely the police at least admit that this was inappropriate.

Also, why would they put the wallet in the rubbish bin. At this point they couldn't have known security was on to them (indeed security didn't catch up with them until they were boarding the plane)...If they were going to put it in a bin, why bother changing your cloths? Just get rid of the wallet.

Why does one report say that she gave the wallet to her husband but another report says it was found in a lady's toilet?

[cemkoh]

shoplifting very common in u.k. and court does not give tight measurement for this criminal.therefore britons thinking
same tolerance will happen for them in thailand too.my opinion best penalty for the tourist doing this in thailand.
to pay money penalty and be in black list never may able return to thailand.yes some people is right taxi drivers show owner
try to cheat westerner customer.but this happens every country not in europa because in europa prices extremly high enough.asia has countries cheap service and food avaible because of competition.when we westerner travel to asia getting more advantage than travel in our countries.so some of westerner do bad things nobody support them reason they are only westerner.if someone do bad thing in west, is there forum site everybody support them and humilated authorities.
ı see this is unfare to thailand.most people thinks they are going to thailand to spend euro.then they think they must be tolerate any bad behaviour they can.
because same forum against to thai happened when one aussie woman steal handicraft bar mate in phuket.
rgds cemkoh(obradie this time not green)

[Bluebird]

Police corruption is not new and far from confined to lower rank officers, who is paid off at the top too allow this evil crime to continue. Below are extracts from BBC:-

Two friends and I travelled to Bangkok 29 December 2008. We were really worried about the situation there, as the airport had just been closed for some time several weeks before. Aside being quite harassed by taxi drivers who wanted to take us to hotels they no doubt received commission from, the experience wasn't very trying at all.
Connor, Chicago, IL, USA

Another scam at Bangkok Airport is when the Thai customs meet passengers off airplanes from Dubai/Qatar where there is cheap duty free. The customs tell passengers to put duty free items inside their check-in luggage when they take it off the carousel - or they will be prosecuted for smuggling. They then tell people that it will be OK not to show or declare any duty free items. When the passengers reach the arrivals area, the customs pounce and you are arrested and taken to customs head office at BANG NA and told to pay four times the duty or go straight to jail. There is an ATM machine next door to the customs office. Your goods are kept by the officers and they then pocket the money you have paid them and you are free to go without any criminal record.
Paul Grant, London, UK

Same happened to me in April this year. The police arrested me and charged me approx £400. There were 5 of us in our group, we purchased 1000 cigarettes at Heathrow, but on leaving the plane at Bangkok the police approached me and told me to keep them in one bag. I did as I was told, and that was the set up, so when I got through customs with the other four people they arrested me and would not accept what we told them. They took copies of my passport and made me sign at least six documents, all in Thai. They would not give me copies so at this moment I don't know what I signed. They escorted me to an ATM. I have been in touch with the British consulate who asked me if I want to make a complaint but I don't want to go to another country and find they have done something to my passport. I will never return to Thailand again, it was the scariest time of my life.
Lynn Ward, UK

[obroadie]

shoplifting very common in u.k. and court does not give tight measurement for this criminal.therefore britons thinking
same tolerance will happen for them in thailand too.my opinion best penalty for the tourist doing this in thailand.
to pay money penalty and be in black list never may able return to thailand.yes some people is right taxi drivers show owner
try to cheat westerner customer.but this happens every country not in europa because in europa prices extremly high enough.asia has countries cheap service and food avaible because of competition.when we westerner travel to asia getting more advantage than travel in our countries.so some of westerner do bad things nobody support them reason they are only westerner.if someone do bad thing in west, is there forum site everybody support them and humilated authorities.
ı see this is unfare to thailand.most people thinks they are going to thailand to spend euro.then they think they must be tolerate any bad behaviour they can.
because same forum against to thai happened when one aussie woman steal handicraft bar mate in phuket.
rgds cemkoh(obradie this time not green)

Ok I think I get your point and we both agree that thieves are bad and also agree that western thieves might come here and think they can get away with it even more just because they are from a "more educated country or background' We agree on that. They are bad people but your grammar and choice of words clearly show to any native English speaker that you are biased and racist against ALL westerners.

[stilljustbrowsing]

About this airport thing. I cannot now see how this will ever be resolved and as such will just gradually dissappear onder the carpet. (as do most or strange happenings)