Bangkok duty free thieves malaysian

http://teakdoor.com 'Gift' lands man in Bangkok lock-up
New Straits Times
2009/03/26

BANGKOK: A retired Malaysian pensioner's maiden visit to Bangkok turned into a nightmare when he ended up in a police lock-up -- all because of a presumed gift cigar packet.

The 58-year-old former high-ranking government officer was detained by security guards at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport on March 1 while waiting to board an AirAsia flight to Kuala Lumpur.

News of his detention at a police station in Rachatewa and the attempts by family members and the Malaysian embassy to get him freed have been spread in blogs and through emails in Malaysia over the past few days.

A Malaysian embassy official here said the man and his wife had stopped at a duty-free shop to buy cartons of cigarettes and chocolates during a holiday in Thailand.

"The wife was given a gift for her purchase of chocolates.
"After the husband paid for his cigarettes, he saw a small pack of cigars on the carton but put it aside.

"However, the wife thought that it was a gift too and asked her husband to put it in their bag," the official said.

"After the couple left the counter, another foreigner asked the cashier for a cigar pack which he had left at the counter.

"Suspecting something amiss, they checked the CCTV and trailed the couple to the boarding gate," added the official.

He said embassy officials met the pensioner at the police station and tried their best to get him released.

The man's brother-in-law arrived the next day to bail him out.

After much persuasion from embassy officials and family members, the police gave him two options -- either seek a lawyer to fight his case or pay an "administration fee" of 150,000 baht.

"The police officer who recorded the statement assured them it was legal.

"We left the matter to the family to decide, and they finally agreed to pay after the amount was reduced to 100,000 baht," he said.

The official dismissed reports in some blogs that claimed the money was divided by several policemen in their presence, adding that the pensioner was taken to the court on the third day where he pleaded "guilty without intention" and was asked to pay a nominal fee of 2,000 baht.

"Our officials were with him until he boarded the flight to Kuala Lumpur.

"We even made sure all his records were cleared by the court, duty-free shop and immigration," said the official.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Bangkok
• airport
• arrests
• duty
• free

[thantun3234]

@ idgebo

You can go FUCK yourself and sodomize yor mother as well !

[aidgebo]

@kaninchen123 okey welcome theft crook an d criminal shit can i go to your country and rape your mother you need to treat me very well okey bitch fucking so stupid ashole

[Badgirlzism]

Sometimes,there can be a misunderstanding ,but hell,they should improve the quality and sharpness of the camera.

[sherbert500]

many tourists have been scammed by the duty free theft scam as in duty free workers dropping things in there bags to get them arrested by security and then sharing the fines with a so called soliciter thats on site beware of what you buy and even a little free keyring isnt free.......if you dont believe me then read the cases that have been popping up

[Vika2408]

Wow,this is so mean.

[kaninchen123]

i think that he cases of scam at BKK airport will lead to the fact that many visitors and tourists of thailand in the future will think twice,whether if they want to spend their vacation in thailand or somewhere else.thailand will have less tourists,if they continue o treat their visitors like that.its just my opinon.