Getting arrested in Thailand, going to a Thai prison, and working with a good lawyer in Thailand typically is unexpected. Most of the people we have represented in court did not intend to get arrested. It was simply not in their plans. This is the nature of getting arrested in Thailand and defending yourself against criminal charges in a Thai court. A recent story reported by the Bangkok Post reminded us of how easily one can get arrested in Thailand. As the newspaper reports, a Chinese man named Zhou Hongzhi was feeding fish at an island near Phuket with his Thai tour guide when the police detained him and arrested him for the act. The Chinese man was confused, and likely did not speak Thai language. This happens in our defendants’ cases regularly – they are interrogated by police who cannot speak English very well at all. So, the person being arrested is unable to understand all details and signs a confession, which is then used against them in court.

People believe that money can solve all problems in Thailand, but this is proven time and time again to be wrong. In the case of Zhou Hongzhi, the Bangkok Post reported that they tried to “settle” the matter with the police, but the police refused. Instead, Zhou Hongzhi was arrested, arraigned, and forced to pay 100,000 Thai baht (THB) or face prison time. Now, he must stay in Thailand for months to defend himself or accept the punishment for the crime according to Thai law. This may be difficult to do since the Thai Criminal Code recommends up to 1 year in prison for the offense. Hopefully Zhou Hongzhi hires a capable lawyer to try to settle this matter as quickly and securely as possible.

While most of our clients have cases in the Bangkok Criminal Court, the Southern Bangkok Criminal Court, Samut Prakarn Provincial Court, Pattaya Provincial Court, Phuket Provincial Court, or Chiang Mai Provincial Court, we have also defended those accused by smaller courts such as the Surat Thani Provincial Court, the Koh Samui Provincial Court, Uthai Thani Provincial Court, Rayong Provincial Court, and the Ranong Provincial Court.

We strongly advise anyone who has been arrested or detained by the police in Thailand to contact Thailand Bail as soon as possible, to make sure you get the most fair treatment possible.