DREW NOYES GAGS HIMSELF AT FCCT MEET – BUT COUNTERS WITH MORE ORAL SEX CLAIMS-

(Picture: Andrew Drummond on the FCCT panel with Dr. Ellis, Supinya Klangnarong and David Streckfuss (off picture)

Controversial American Drew Noyes, a self-appointed expert on Thai libel law, was to invited speak at the Foreign Correspondent’s Club after claims that Thailand’s Computer Crime Act was widely being used by foreigners and had become a ‘crook’s charter’ But he kept shtum.

Noyes, the founder of the now defunct Pattaya Times, who runs the controversial ‘One Stop Service Center in Pattaya, remained silent – an unusual and unexpected departure. Instead he tried to distribute a statement which claimed among other things that Drummond reported that Drew Noyes’ wife gave oral sex services to foreigners.

British investigative journalist Andrew Drummond told the FCCT that more and more foreigners were catching on to Thailand’s computer crime act and using it to silence critics or even make them leave Thailand. It was tailor made for crooks.

Noyes at FCCT seeking permission from Past President Dominic Faulder to distribute his diatribe on AD – Pic: JH

This happened widely in property deals when swindled foreigners went to remonstrate with the swindlers. Once they had received a verbal or written invective from the victim the fraudsters simply went to the courts to make charges both under Thailand’s criminal libel laws and Computer Crime Act.

Drummond, who had been sued many times by what he described as ‘fake foreign lawyers’, said he was on top of the situation and winning – so far six cases against him had been dismissed – and none of the remaining cases appeared to have any validity

“But that is not the point. These people do not really care if they win They are trying to drain me of all my cash. One has publicly announced this”.

Drummond signalled what he said were two fake lawyers and one former Australian brothel owner, who were currently taking him through the courts.

David Hanks

During the pre-trial investigation when the brothel owner was suing Drummond for calling him a pimp Scottish Australian David Hanks was at pains to say he was not.

But when it came to the trial Hanks was forced to admit that he was the registered owner of Masquerades brothel in Melbourne.

Drummond said Hanks has now been arrested and charged with racketeering in Pattaya. money lending to Russians at 60 per cent per month.

Brian Goudie, another Scotsman suing Drummond, who had written the FCCT his own ‘cease and desist’ order to stop the screening of the video ‘Influential People and Men In Suits’, said Drummond, was a man who falsely claimed to be a lawyer and a former officer in the Royal Marine Commandos.

He was none of those things. He had been jailed in Australia for six years for fraud and had since changed his name from Goldie to Goudie.

Goudie

Drummond told how Goudie was currently in the courts in Pattaya on two charges of fraud, one involving a 75-year-old American woman who he had defrauded out of US$300,000 on a promise to get her son out of jail where he was being held on child sexual abuse charges.

An American (Drew Noyes) who was also suing him, had also falsely claimed to be a lawyer, and was in the courts in Pattaya for extortion and fraud.

Earlier Dr Wyn Ellis had described the massive legal campaign against him by Supachai Lorlowhakarn Director of Thailand’s National Innovate Agency. He had won nine cases brought against him and Supachai had been convicted of forgery, confirmed on appeal, but Supachai had still got his job.  Supachai, he said, had lifted his material en masse and submitted it for his own PhD at Chulalongkorn University.

Dr. Ellis had done considerable work on organic asparagus farming.

Dr. Ellis

More recently a campaign against him had taken a more serious path. Instead of rocks being thrown through the windows of his car, he was now getting death threats. Nevertheless, he said, it was not without its humourous moments.  One person, who had told him he was going to kill him, he managed to engage on the phone. Dr. Ellis asked the caller what he was being paid. Whatever it was it was not nearly enough.  he said he would give the man 300,000 baht if he told who it was who is employing him, he said,’ but don’t give me your answer now. Call back!’.

Dr. Ellis then went along to his local police station to lodge a complaint. While he was there his threatening caller called back and he put the call on speaker phone.  “Will 50,000 baht be too much,” said the caller.

Ellis thanked journalists Erika Fry and Andrew Drummond for highlighting his case. “It is without doubt that the publicity forced Chulalongkorn University to take away Supachai’s PhD,” he said.

Erika Fry decided to flee the country while on bail. She felt that the Bangkok Post was feeding her to the wolves.

Dr. Ellis also paid tribute to Andy Hall who could not be present but was currently being sued by National Fruit following his involvement in a human rights report for Finn Watch.

For separate story on Dr. Ellis go here.

Supinya Klangnarong the feisty Thai fighter for press freedom described her 400 million baht libel fight with Thaksin Shinawatra’s Shin Corp, which she won, warning that the Computer Crime Act could get worse rather than better.

David Streckfuss, an authority on lèse majeste and libel laws,  gave some statistics on libel and computer crime cases. Only 67 per cent were accepted, but once accepted they had a good chance of winning. The laws are not designed to draw out the truth, he said, merely to protect people’s reputations.

 “Ever since  (2001) there were more than 1,000 cases of libel a year in Thailand, 87% have led to conviction, 3% to acquittal, 1% were dropped, and 9% otherwise resolved”.

For more on David Strekfuss’ comments go here.

Drew Noyes had earlier attempted to distribute a leaflet around FCCT members. Among other false claims, he stated that Drummond has written that his ‘wife gives oral sex – blow jobs – to foreigners in Pattaya.

He was told he could hand his long epistle to individual members if they wanted it, but could not place it on any table. He decided to film the proceedings and could be seen regularly texting – at least one to Mr Goudie who was feeding his ‘Asia-Case-Watch’ site.

Noyes’ leaflet stated a number of false and imaginery claims against Andrew Drummond. Here’s his summary below.

Noyes

“Mr. Drummond should be compelled to retract all of his libelous
and defamatory statements, remove all articles and photos when they represent
copyright infringements, remove all altered photographs, and make a public
apology to those he attacked. He should resign from the FCCT with immediate
effect.”

Brazilian Pimpernel

SURPRISE GUEST: Apart from a couple of boiler room guys who managed to get into the FCCT (one was a founding member of Drew Noyes’ short lived Optimists) last night a surprise guest also turned up. I was told a very suspicious looking character was lurking about. But then lo and behold Ivan Schiffer, Noyes’s one time right hand man and videographer, came up to me and presented me with the book ‘The World’s Greatest Crooks and Conmen’.  He wished me luck and slipped back into the crowd. That’s the last I saw of him. Ivan used to be a ‘Pattaya Times reporter. Drew Noyes went gunning for him after Ivan warned an American not to invest in any Noyes projects. He was arrested on overstay. Immigration would not accept the proffered 20,000 baht and he was deported to Brazil.