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Briton's anger after being jailed for three weeks for swearing at Thai airport officials
Benedict Moore-Bridger28 May 2009
A British holidaymaker told of his anger today after being jailed for three weeks for swearing at airport officials in Thailand.
Simon Burrowes, 45, insulted immigration officials who accused him of having a fake passport when he travelled to Phuket on holiday.
Mr Burrowes, from Wembley, west London, said he feared for his life after being warned he could spend up to a year in jail for the offence. He was held in prison for 21 days before being fined 500 bhat, about £10, by a Thai court.
On 31 January, Mr Burrowes was held in Phuket Airport, missing his flight home, after travelling to Thailand for a Thai boxing holiday. He admitted swearing but said he had been infuriated at the allegations, and that no-one would listen to his requests to see a supervisor or police officer.
The British Embassy in Thailand confirmed his passport was real the following day, but the Londoner was not released from prison until late February. He said the conditions in jail were “subhuman” and prisoners were locked in shackles.
He said: “I kept asking myself why have they done this? It was as though they couldn't get enough of punishing me. One minute I'm on holiday, the next I'm thinking if I do what's right and stick up for myself my life will be in danger.
“It's general knowledge that the level of corruption is rife in the Thai authorities. I'd never been locked up in my life and then found myself in the most terrifying Thai jail. I couldn't bear the thought of another hour in there.”
After paying £2,000 for his bail, Mr Burrowes was told he was not allowed to leave the country until his trial date.
Friends, relatives and even old school friends set up a Facebook group to lobby for the charges to be dropped.
Around 500 members joined and Mr Burrowes has vowed to write to each well-wisher individually to thank them for their support.
He was finally told by the court he could return home last month after admitting insulting an immigration official.
“People have been more charitable to me than I could ever have dreamt,” he said. “I had no money and people let me stay with them. People go to Thailand for sun and sand but I saw a very different side. If it goes wrong, it can go horribly wrong.”
A spokesman for the Foreign Office confirmed they had provided assistance to Mr Burrowes, and that the “legitimacy” of his passport had been resolved with the Thai police.
He added: “on 27 April Mr Burrowes pleaded guilty to the charge against him and released.”
Reader views (22)
I have lived in Thailand for twelve years and I have never , ever , sworn at anyone or been the least rude , even when the heat and noise have been hard to bear .
Can't every Brit ans Aussie follow my example?
- Harry Needham, bangkok thailand, 23/06/2009 15:44
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Narrow minded lynch mob prepared to accept second class citizenship and suppressive subjugation. You expats pander to this often inhumane regime in spite of the virtues of freedom to speak out against ill treatment, because you expect brownie points . You won't get them. You should chastise yourselves in shame. Maybe you'd like that too. Courteous and civilised or giving up your seat on the bus is irrelevant to ignoring requests to see a supervisor. Are you all so desparate to condemn that you won't even read the text. How do you know that this 2006 world bronze medallist is a wanabee ? If he was abusive what would you call their thus far unprecedented (including his punishment, quote)treatment of him ? They laughed at him . That's not their job,but your selective channeling of information labels him boorish, provocative , creepish , gobbing off, idiotic ? What do you think that says of you. You are shameless cannon fodder , and even worse you are a functioning mechanism for a corrupt regime that will ill-treat a visiting brit. Do you think he shouldn't complain about the prison ? Grow up. Grin and bear a missed flight whilst they laugh ?? and you call him a loudmouth yob after quietly scrutinised for 90 minutes. Shame on you. All of you. You are a pitiful disgrace
- Janice, Bangkok Thailand, 01/06/2009 16:51
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It certainly is true that our own yobby gestapo security officials and immigration officers put the Thais in the shade, who are normally most courteous and civilzed by comparison. Our boys are supercharged with testosterone and just waiting to lay in............
- Fred Rabin, Taipei, Taiwan, 29/05/2009 08:06
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Oh Thank goodness, another "Thai Boxer" wannabee not returning, these silly little men are hilarious here !!! The whole point about a Thai Prison is it's hard, horrible and scary, it's called justice.I appreciate U.K prisons are 5 Star Hotels but hey that's the British for you, Thai's are at least respectful and polite generally, try riding the buses or subways here and watch college students stand up for elderly people irrespective of nationality,
Read and learn,
Yours sincerley,
One of the many who joined the mass exodus following Mr Blair becoming PM
- James Purt, Thailand Resident, 29/05/2009 08:01
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Long gone are the days of mighty Britain, which is now just a poodlefaking nation, where outbursts like this just cause great mirth amongst the locals.
- Fred Rabin, Taipei, Taiwan, 29/05/2009 07:28
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Thailand is really bad news when it comes to foreigners getting in trouble. The so-called "Land of Smiles" has zero tolerance for any insult or criticism of its officials or the monarchy, and the main purpose of Thai jails is to expose inmates to the harshest possible conditions. There are many holiday destinations where getting into an argument with immigration officials will NOT get you thrown into a life-threatening dungeon. Stay away from Thailand, it has a VERY dark side! Just ask Harry Nicolaides, the unfortunate Australian writer who spent months in jail accused of violating the medieval "lese majeste" law.
If I knew my passport was legitimate but officials insisted it wasn't and gave me a big hassle over it, I would be infuriated too. Sometimes people get screwed over by bureaucratic red tape. They have a right to protest!
- Eric, Takoma Park, Maryland, USA, 29/05/2009 00:27
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Kerry of Purley - if you have such a low opinion of the country you live in then why not leave - you will be happier. Secondly, in any situation courtesy and patience go a long way; abusing officials just gets you into trouble - as this rather boorish sounding man has found out.
- Damozel, London UK, 28/05/2009 17:32
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I can't understand why someone going to a country that is known for its enforcement of its laws would be such an idiot as to provoke them by swearing at an official. They questioned whether his passport was legitimate? Isn't that their job?
He's complaining of the conditions in their prison? He was in Thailand, not England. They do it their way, Britain has its own way. Again, it's down to this fool for thinking he was bullet proof when dealing with foreign officials in their own country.
I don't think much of the Thai regime either - but then I don't have any intention of going there to put myself in a position where I might come unstuck. I certainly wouldn't raise my voice publicly and say, "Look at me, I'm an idiot and I challenge you to do your worst!"
- Rogan, Irving, 28/05/2009 17:17
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"The words "just grin and bear it" spring to mind, I was once asked in New York by immigration offcials if I had ever been involved in the activities realting to the National Socialist (Nazi) regime in Germany! and I wasn't even born until the 1960's."
When the late Frank Zappa found out that this was a routine question on US immigration forms, he got hold of a copy and sent the text to music.
- Michael, London, 28/05/2009 15:26
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Simple. Boycott all contact with this corrupt regime.
Be aware that as a British 'subject' - subject to any abuse the government wants to heap on you - you will receive no real or compassionate or substantive support or help from the British Foreign Office. The FCO is staffed by creeps with silly little university degrees, a bad 'attitude' and are drawn secretively and mysteriously from the English Establishment.
That said I have no sympathy fro creeps who resort to abusing others and so I think this man deserves little sympathy from me.
- Gordon, mexico, mexico, 28/05/2009 15:13
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I can't understand why anyone would want to go to this filthy corrupt country. Immoral corrupt and decadent. Just like England in fact!
- Kerry, Purley, 28/05/2009 14:55
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Maybe the UK should follow the Thai governments laws etc! People in the uk get away with murder and feel its right to abuse anyone who they disagree with!
- Jh, london, 28/05/2009 14:33
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Poor old Simon, I would suggest any future vacations, or attendance at kick boxing tournaments are limited to Blackpool, or, Benidorm, where boorish behavior is generally tolerated!
- Kevin Sullivan, Roehampton, London., 28/05/2009 12:46
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He was undoubtedly unwise to start shouting and swearing but you would think that an overnight stay in a cell would be a more commensurate response. The story is a useful reminder of the darker side of what is in many ways a beautiful country.
By the way, last time I went through Gatwick I was sworn at by some security assistant simply because I did not immediately understand his vague and ambiguous instructions. No doubt I would have been taken aside had I remonstrated with him for his rudeness.
- Andrew, London, 28/05/2009 12:33
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Just because we most people get away with being rude & abusive in the UK, does not mean you will get away with it in another country.
- Dom, London, 28/05/2009 12:32
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Nobody else thinks that it was the guys fault? There's a moral to this story.
- Edward Mann, Scoville, 28/05/2009 11:41
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The words "just grin and bear it" spring to mind, I was once asked in New York by immigration offcials if I had ever been involved in the activities realting to the Natiopnal Socialist (Nazi) regime in Germany! and I wasnt even born until the 1960's.
- Howard, London, UK, 28/05/2009 11:24
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Gobbing off at airport officials is obviously the sensible course of action when visiting a foreign country, especially one with a very dubious human rights history. Ah well, we can but hope that he's learnt a very painful lesson from this.
- Bob, Cheam, 28/05/2009 11:15
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I saw this happening in China when some Nigerians tried to bully the Chinese officials at the Beijing Airport. Bad decision. They were hauled away within minutes--as they should have been. Some people never learn.
- Ian, Doncaster, 28/05/2009 10:26
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Gosh this many has been lucky because the officials are totally corrupt, anything could have happened. If it's any consolation to Mr Burrowes I have been threatened with arrest TWICE for swearing at Transport Police / Undercover Police. I do have a bit of a temper but the same the public should know this because it would result in a criminal record. The Transport Police had stopped me 3 times in 2 hours at the same station, so I was furious at their petty behaviour and launched a rant and rage which included swear words, they told me they were going to withdraw my travel card and arrest me for swearing. The Undercover Police were outside my house one morning, told me to get of a pavement and walk a different route which obviously since they didn't tell me who they were also resulted in some bad language and they threatened to arrest me for public disorder! :O
- Real, London, 28/05/2009 10:17
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@Pete
The only loudmouth yobs I've encountered, at U.K airports, are the 'security officials' I encounter on the way out....
- Gwaddilove, london ENGLAND, 28/05/2009 10:06
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Next time perhaps he will behave himself when he travels to another country. Unlike the UK some countries do have higher standards of behaviour and will deal immediately with loud mouths and yobs in an appropriate way.
- Pete, South London, 28/05/2009 09:22
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