News Forum - Disability rights activist jailed for shaming a motorist parked in a disabled bay

[Thaiger]

A disability rights activist was jailed after posting a picture of a motorist occupying a parking spot reserved for disabled drivers and now faces up to two years in prison for libeling the man. Manit Intharapim uploaded a picture on his Facebook page of a Toyota Hilux Revo of what he thought was someone illegally occupying a disabled parking space at a Tesco Lotus in Bangkok in August 2020. The Wheelchair bound 54 year old asked whether the vehicle really needed to be there and asked the driver to contact him. “At first when I posted it, I blurred the […]

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[palooka]

Think I would be mounting my defence with a Private Investigator to "look into" the father who requires a wheel chair to be mobile but failed to present supporting paperwork to the court.

On the other side of the coin I have witnessed a few incidents of abuse of people who actually needed the parking space and were disabled, even an elderly guy with two artificial legs.

[riclag]

Some Thais just dont care about others and want to be as close to the entrance as they can!

[Cabra]

The guy parked a truck with trailer sideways arcoss 2 handcap spots... He should be ashamed. #donkey

[Guest1]

This article is wrong. It is not only one space occupied, it is two. And by the looks of it, that is the only chance, to park a truck with a trailer at that lotus parking area

And that it needed 6 month, till it got to court, I'd say, the lawyer needed to find a kind of a loophole, first. 

Also, I think, even in Thailand the car needs to be "marked" with an official sticker or something, to be recognized as disabled support car .

Which still would need an explanation, why this car has to park on two parking slots. 

Now it will be a bit late, to check the cctv footage in the area, who drove the car, who was in there, that day, huu?

 

[Prosaap]

All the guy had to do was answer on face book my dad was in the car nobody make a story about that instead mr arogant like most thai park as close as he want not care about nobody and start cry about his good name and try to defent what he did wrong  

[palooka]

1 hour ago, riclag said:

Some Thais just dont care about others and want to be as close to the entrance as they can!

Sadly it's the same the world over

[Soidog]

This is why Thais tend not to speak out or complain. The risk of being slapped  with a libel or defamation charge is simply not worth it. Pick on the wrong person and you could end up in jail and your life ruined. Best to keep your head down and say nothing. This of course is exactly what these strict libel and defamation laws are designed to do. 

[Grumpish]

1 hour ago, Soidog said:

This is why Thais tend not to speak out or complain. The risk of being slapped  with a libel or defamation charge is simply not worth it. Pick on the wrong person and you could end up in jail and your life ruined. Best to keep your head down and say nothing. This of course is exactly what these strict libel and defamation laws are designed to do. 

And unlike in most Western countries, it it doesn't have to be untrue or a deliberate distortion of the facts.

[RichardR]

WEll he did something far worse then kill an eye doctor that was crossing the street on a zebra crossing

He spoke the truth and that is not allowed in this country

You can smile, Wai and turn away from the body after killing some one on the road but never ever be honest and speak out against others.

 

I think he should not be prosecuted but people that bring this beautiful country down and make foreigners thing that it is a lawless territory should be held liable for defamation of Thailand

[Tim_Melb]

As somebody that is disabled but does not appear disabled I would point out that people like me are far more common than people think and in Australia where I currently live I have a disabled parking permit because of my heart condition which limits my mobility quite severely. However I cannot count the number of times I have been harassed by both able bodied and other disabled people when using disability parking places because I don't "look" disabled when I get out of my car and begin to walk in to a store or mall. Having said that I would also say that in most countries although it is normal for a relative or partner to have access to disability parking when transporting someone with a disability, when they are not transporting the disabled person they do not have the right to access disabled parking. They however often think that they can because they have a permit for when they are carrying them. Also their are a large number of people that seem to think they can use these places without getting a permit because they have a temporary injury or they think they don't need a permit and this is not the case in most countries. A sore leg does not qualify you for disabled parking. Having a disability but not applying for a permit also does not qualify you for disabled parking and having a permit for transporting your disabled father does not qualify you for disabled parking while he is not with you. 

This story is interesting because it sounds to me like both sides are in the wrong. 

[RichardR]

Sep 24, 2558 BE · Is it a requirement to display a disabled sticker in your car to be able to use the reserved parking spaces at some stores.

[Chatogaster]

15 minutes ago, Grumpish said:

And unlike in most Western countries, it it doesn't have to be untrue or a deliberate distortion of the facts.

That's incorrect (but only technically). Even according to Thai law, a true statement cannot result in an ordinary defamation conviction (statements regarding royals are special cases). Unfortunately, it get's tricky when the truth is not clear-cut (e.g. if an interpretation is possible that would equate to a falsehood, even if only partial). In Western countries, common sense is applied in such cases (usually). Over here... not so much.

[HolyCowCm]

Sorry to say but defamation has no limits and the accused really has no leg to stand on. : - ) 

Just a joke eveyone, please dont BBQ me. But seriously, he really will be lucky to walk away free on these charges.

[oldschooler]

2 hours ago, Soidog said:

This is why Thais tend not to speak out or complain. The risk of being slapped  with a libel or defamation charge is simply not worth it. Pick on the wrong person and you could end up in jail and your life ruined. Best to keep your head down and say nothing. This of course is exactly what these strict libel and defamation laws are designed to do. 

No. Quiet Payback.Say Nothing. Get a Knife. Stand by Vehicle Concealing the Knife. Mask Face. Check No Cameras or Witness. Four Quick Hidden Strokes = Four Punctured Tyres. Sweet Justice. 

[oldschooler]

41 minutes ago, Chatogaster said:

That's incorrect (but only technically). Even according to Thai law, a true statement cannot result in an ordinary defamation conviction (statements regarding royals are special cases). Unfortunately, it get's tricky when the truth is not clear-cut (e.g. if an interpretation is possible that would equate to a falsehood, even if only partial). In Western countries, common sense is applied in such cases (usually). Over here... not so much.

How can that Photo NOT be “ clear cut”  Truth ? 

[oldschooler]

1 hour ago, RichardR said:

WEll he did something far worse then kill an eye doctor that was crossing the street on a zebra crossing

He spoke the truth and that is not allowed in this country

You can smile, Wai and turn away from the body after killing some one on the road but never ever be honest and speak out against others.

I think he should not be prosecuted but people that bring this beautiful country down and make foreigners thing that it is a lawless territory should be held liable for defamation of Thailand

Of course Thailand is Lawless.
Only Culture Counts Here.

No Criticism. Just Fact.
Face & Hierarchy Violated in this Case. Complainant was non- HISO. 

[HolyCowCm]

56 minutes ago, Tim_Melb said:

As somebody that is disabled but does not appear disabled I would point out that people like me are far more common than people think and in Australia where I currently live I have a disabled parking permit because of my heart condition which limits my mobility quite severely. However I cannot count the number of times I have been harassed by both able bodied and other disabled people when using disability parking places because I don't "look" disabled when I get out of my car and begin to walk in to a store or mall. Having said that I would also say that in most countries although it is normal for a relative or partner to have access to disability parking when transporting someone with a disability, when they are not transporting the disabled person they do not have the right to access disabled parking. They however often think that they can because they have a permit for when they are carrying them. Also their are a large number of people that seem to think they can use these places without getting a permit because they have a temporary injury or they think they don't need a permit and this is not the case in most countries. A sore leg does not qualify you for disabled parking. Having a disability but not applying for a permit also does not qualify you for disabled parking and having a permit for transporting your disabled father does not qualify you for disabled parking while he is not with you. 

This story is interesting because it sounds to me like both sides are in the wrong. 

Sorry to hear your not 100%. But sounds like you keep marching on. Wish you to be well. My dad in the USA before he passed away had a disabled parking permit. When I visited the USA I would drive him around and he would take pride in having that parking placard. He also had a bad small heart but you couldn't tell it by how he acted, but yes he definetely deserved to have one. He never gave in till the day he passed away.

[Wanderer]

Extract from Thai Criminal Code, Section 330 Defamation

<content deleted as not factually correct>

 

Edited May 25, 2022 by KaptainRob
Refer Forum Guidelines re supporting links

[Guest1]

48 minutes ago, oldschooler said:

No. Quiet Payback.Say Nothing. Get a Knife. Stand by Vehicle Concealing the Knife. Mask Face. Check No Cameras or Witness. Four Quick Hidden Strokes = Four Punctured Tyres. Sweet Justice. 

No cameras, these days, is almost impossible. If someone does that to my tyres, I have him on video from the cams in the car. Which are having motion sensors. 

 

[oldschooler]

12 minutes ago, Guest1 said:

No cameras, these days, is almost impossible. If someone does that to my tyres, I have him on video from the cams in the car. Which are having motion sensors. 

You would have nothing with their face masked. You wouldn’t park anti- socially though

[oldschooler]

1 hour ago, Chatogaster said:

That's incorrect (but only technically). Even according to Thai law, a true statement cannot result in an ordinary defamation conviction (statements regarding royals are special cases). Unfortunately, it get's tricky when the truth is not clear-cut (e.g. if an interpretation is possible that would equate to a falsehood, even if only partial). In Western countries, common sense is applied in such cases (usually). Over here... not so much.

French Napoleonic Law. Adopted here from Cambodia to modernize / reform archaic laws here some 140 years ago.

France still has these “privacy” laws to silence critics of the powerful. Same Use Here. 

J’ acuse ! So Guilty ; must prove Innocence to Judge. Polar Opposite of English Common Law. 

[oldschooler]

2 hours ago, Grumpish said:

And unlike in most Western countries, it it doesn't have to be untrue or a deliberate distortion of the facts.

French Napoleonic Law. Harsh. Accused Guilty unless Judge says Not. 

[Wanderer]

1 hour ago, Wanderer said:

Extract from Thai Criminal Code, Section 330 Defamation

<content deleted as not factually correct>

Sorry not verbatim as I was going  from memory, but same meaning. 

[IneptoCracy]

Was his father transported on the trailer hitched to the back of the pickup?