FEISTY IRISH TEENAGER CONTINUES HER CAMPAIGN AGAINST THAI SLEAZE
Sixteen-year-old Jessie Vard is not letting up in her campaign on behalf of her dad, Irish children’s author Colin Vard – and she’s back on Facebook with her own view on corruption in Thailand.
The interesting part is that she is showing pictures which she drew at the age of 11 and it is interesting to see the mind of an child at that age who is directly affected by the rampant corruption in the country – in this case on Phuket – and how the thieves are actually people one is brought up to respect, like police, judges, lawyers etc.
 |
| Jessie today |
“Back in 2010 when our problem start I used to spend time drawing pictures. I would like to start sharing them with you.
The first one about the man who steal our car and make us scared with his gun.
The other is about the bank manager who stole our house. I think I was cute then? Ha Ha.”
And then under a picture of someone laughing away having cheated her dad out of his car by forging his signature, she writes.
She writes
“This is how easy it was to steal my dad’s car. Just copy his signature. It does not matter if the name is wrong.
That the signature is nothing like the one in the passport; that his age is wrong.
Even the registration number of the car is wrong.
This is Phuket. The criminals can do what they like.
The finance company asked no questions and handed the criminal 400,000 Baht for a 1,000,000 car.
Everyone is a winner in Phuket.”
The case of Colin Vard, who was ripped off out of seven properties he had bought in Phuket, while his children were locked in a well was first highlighted on this site.
Authorities then promised they would do something about it. Thailand is also not strong on promises. Eve n police from Surat Thani clashed with police from Chalong, Phuket, clashed over it.
If you wish to support Jessie – go here. She appeals on a new video for support.
 |
| Colin Vard with son Daire and Jessie taken on beach 5 years ago |
I hope she has more luck than Sharky and his more direct attacks…
Thai society is insular, utterly self obsessed and informed by lies, propaganda, self serving nationalism and, just occasionally, snippets of truth that escape the filter of censorship. They know how corrupted their society is, they do have to survive in it after all, but they lack any means to address the problem since the machinery power is totally in the hands of the corrupted.
Jesse Vard is a heroine whose strength and maturity for one so young is surely a testament to her father's integrity and moral fibre. The problem with her campaign is that it will have no impact upon those who can do most about it since they have no shame whatsoever and the ordinary person cannot alter their callous indifference.
The only solution for this brave, injured family is to quit this terrible country and make a new life where civilised people combine in a society where a rule of law is not a negotiable item but a fundamental tenet of their existence. Thailand is a medieval, brutal and dangerous place where subjugation is a sad, sorry fact of daily life. For the foreigner, the facade of welcoming courtesy and elegant grace is as wafer thin as their smiles which generally resolve to some anticipated commercial gain or other advantage. Any genuine human warmth is as consequential as a bowl of noodles and quite futile for the foreigner who can expect little protection against the criminals that pervade the place.
I have lived in Thailand for nigh on 20 years, I pretty much agree with what Gerry Westerby writes. I have a wife and lovely Thai/English children. I have been lucky so/so. I have lived in BKK/Phuket/Chiang Mai etc.Yes banks tried to steal houses and finance companies tried to steal cars but my wife is pretty tough. Of course she is not by any means 100% Thai; she is Phu Thai/ Yor/Vietnamese/Lao and a few other things and while she has bought into the Thai supremacy thing by virtue of school and food she ain't got much time for Thais and their duplicity (or farangs!) Now the children are approaching teens and she has said: Time To Leave; I want the children to have learning and sensibility neither of which are on offer here. Whether of course they are on offer in the UK and France we will see!
Very perceptive comments laced with sensitivity and understanding. Well said Gerry