Three stolen coconuts land man in jail

Demanding 50,000 compensation for loss of 60 baht, orchard owner criticized by many in small community where coconut thief works as a hired hand.

CRIME & JUSTICE

Three stolen coconuts land man in jail

5/03/2016
Nucharee Rakrun and Online Reporters

NAKHON SI THAMMARAT - A man who admitted stealing three coconuts for his pregnant wife is in jail after being unable to come up with 50,000 baht in compensation demanded by an angry orchard owner.

Naruebet Phetchumpol, 25, was arrested at his rented house in tambon Na Pho of Thung Song district on Saturday.

Police seized three stolen coconuts there.

Mr Naruebet, a hired hand who earns 200 baht a day tapping latex rubber, confessed to having stolen the fruit from a nearby orchard.

PREGNANT WIFE HAD CRAVING FOR YOUNG COCONUT MEAT

He said he did it because his wife Janjira Rakkarn, who is five months pregnant, told him she had a craving for young coconut meat.

Orchard owner Aree Wongtrakul, 67, filed a complaint with police after a closed-circuit television camera (CCTV) captured Mr Naruebet stealing the fruit from one of her three coconut trees on Thursday.

Mrs Aree showed up at the Thung Song police station on Saturday to identify Mr Naruebet as the person who stole her fruit.

The father of three children tried to persuade her to drop the charges and explained why he had stolen the coconuts.

However, she refused to relent.

DEMANDS 50,000 BAHT IN COMPENSATION

Mrs Aree said she would drop the criminal complaint only if he paid her 50,000 baht in compensation.

However, Mr Naruebet said he didn't have any money.

POLICE TRIED TO MEDIATE BUT FAILED

Pol Col Jian Chunoo, the district police chief, said police officers tried to mediate but the negotiations failed.

The suspect was then sent to the Thung Song provincial court for detention pending further legal action.

The case has attracted a lot of attention in the community, with many criticising the orchard owner for demanding such high compensation for a loss of about 60 baht.

WHAT DO READERS THINK?

This article has 15,135 page views on the Bangkok Post website as of 19:45 on March 5, 2016.

The many comments of netizens clearly indicate they think justice has not been done:

1. "The coconut owner is a selfish man, he should be thrown in jail by the community for being selfish, let the poor man go back to looking after his wife and the little one!!!"
 
2. "Prison? Now if he had killed a policeman and had a rich father he would be free. No wonder there is an undercurrent of class war going on."

3. "It highlights the absurdity of a legal system that allows criminal cases to be settled by financial compensation. We had a case in Rayong where a teacher assaulted a young girl. Teacher pays parents and is back at work the next day."

4. "Greed. Nothing else. What happened to Buddhism here?"

5. "If there is such a thing as Karma - look out Mrs Aree...."

6. "This woman ranks right up there with the most selfish and nasty people in the world."

7. "She learnt that from Thaksin , you take my two nuts I want your four nuts."

As one netizen points out, one piece of additional background information could make all the difference. 

If the coconut thief was "a yaba addict that had been ravaging the village for quite a while" perhaps jail would be justice.

The same jaded netizen goes on the speculate, "I only wonder if this is some sort of scam. All the elements of a scam are there. Poor victim, greedy woman...sympathy and donations."

RESTORATIVE JUSTICE

Restorative justice is defined as "an approach to justice that focuses on the needs of the victims and the offenders, as well as the involved community. This contrasts to more punitive approaches where the main aim is to punish the offender, or satisfy abstract legal principles." (see wikipedia)

Restorative justice can be seen everywhere from the arbitration of the business disputes between large companies (binding arbitration) to the settling of disputes between villagers by the village headman to the police settling traffic disputes, thereby avoiding lengthy, expensive and time-consuming court cases.

Restorative justice does seem to be lacking in this case.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/887096/three-stolen-coconuts-land-man-in-jail

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