If you’ve been following Thailand’s news, you surely know about the murder of a British tourist on Koh Samui. If you haven’t heard of it, you can read the details on our forums.
A few thoughts to ponder about
Had the victim been a local woman – say, the wife of another fisherman – would law enforcement have been mobilized to such an extent? Would the perpetrators have been found so quickly? Would so much money have been spent on serving justice? Would the justice system have been modified in such a way as to give immediate satisfaction to the relatives and everyone else concerned?
Or let’s say that the vicitim was a foreigner – a Bangladeshi woman. Would justice have been served with such fervor?
How about a white foreigner – say, a Hungarian (resident of a tiny country in Central Europe). Would the case have attained such press coverage, elevating it to a priority of national proportions?
Or is that the victim has to be a white foreigner born in a wealthy, influential country, and the murder must happen in a place starving for tourist dollars, for “VIP justice” to be considered?
Thailand values the life of a Farang woman born in a powerful country more than the life of its own citizens, or the life of people from ‘lesser countries’. What would the Buddha say about that?
I have no sympathy for the suspects, but it seems that their right to a fair trial has been suspended in the name of the almighty tourist dollars. The normal procedures, months of preparation and the year-lenght trial, are there for a reason. This was all suspended in favor of a kangaroo-court circus trial, with the PM shouting “Kill them!” from the backstage. Wouldn’t that just tarnish Thailand’s reputation even more?
21 responses to “VIP Justice”