Friday, June 22, 2007

Thai Version of the Perp Walk

It's always funny seeing this picture, but every time the cops nab a bad guy in Thailand, this is the photo-op that they set up: The criminals are forced to sit at a table in front of signs describing their crimes, as well as any objects stolen or used in the crime, and the victim of the crime stands nearby pointing at them.

The sign in the center reads "Pattaya Police Department". The sign on the left reads "Stole money out of pocket." The sign on the right reads "Recovered 425 pounds."

I wonder how often in situations like this, the victim decides to have a go at the criminals, and starts beating the snot out of them? A pissed-off Thai girl who has lost her precious mobile phone standing next to the guys who took it? Oh, you know it has to happen.

The other thing the police here in Thailand do is to take the criminal back to the scene of the crime, and force him to re-enact what he did in front of news cameras. Heheh... talk about biasing a jury: A photo of the accused with a block of wood standing over a police volunteer who is lying on the ground, pretending to be beaten to a pulp.

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