http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/07/wo...it_ae_20161006

Visitors often get themselves into trouble by lack of knowledge and respect for local customs, but it's not often it lands them in prison.

They should have given the spoiled brat a life sentence. I am tired of watching tourists take advantage of seemingly passive Asians. I have witnessed bozos sticking their cameras in the faces on monks, for example, when it would be civil to ask permission. I also saw four French women pose themselves on a crumbling wall at Angkor Watt, and my guide asked them to get down, they ignored him.

Any civilized person knows that you don't touch another person's property. This guy should have gotten some ear plugs.

BTW, where are you now, thursdays? Korea? How's it going?

Hi CL - yes, Korea. Could be going better. I came down with TD shortly after arriving Seoul, not sure whether to blame an injudicious salad in Tashkent or something in Korea. Anyway, antibiotics knocked it out after I stopped waiting for my immune system to deal with it. Then, I've had some pretty bad weather. Last time I was in east Asia I arrived on Taiwan the day before a typhoon. This time it was Jeju-do....

Choose your accommodation wisely. I'm not condoning what the Dutch bloke did, but you've got to have a bit of sympathy for him. The final sentence below just about sums it up.

From the link...

"Two lawyers not involved with the case said the Buddhist center, or dharma community hall, that woke Mr. Haijtema appeared to have violated the law by using loudspeakers after 9 p.m. The law also bans their use before 6 a.m. and requires a permit.

“The one that broke the law is the dharma community hall, not the Dutch man,” said one lawyer, U Zaw Win.

A resident who lives near the center, Ko Hla Myo Aung, said that there were six others in his ward and that all of them broadcast chants at high volume late at night and early in the morning.

“If the Buddha were still alive, he would go deaf from the noise from the loudspeakers,” Mr. Hla Myo Aung said."

What happened reminded me of a friend of mine who was looking for accommodation in Riyadh.

He found a perfect furnished apartment, and accepted it straight away. What he'd not noticed was the loudspeaker on the building immediately opposite his bedroom, that belted out prayers and the like 5 times a day!

I saw that too, LL, but taking the law into your own hands is often a dangerous enterprise.

thursdays - OMG, I was wondering why you weren't posting. Did you go to the doctor, or did you have an antibiotic with you? Which one did you take? Every trip brings surprises, some good and some bad. Glad you are doing better.

LL - Sorry, I don't buy the whiny excuses. The defendant's lawyer probably bribed the neighbor to come forward. I have moments when I am travelling when I believe I am being treated unfairly, but I certainly know when to draw the line, and not end up in jail.

Hi Thursdays, sorry to hear of your illness. One of the hazards of travel to exotic places. Hope you feel better soon!

The big question CL is how do you know where the line is. When you are abroad one can easily mistake what is sacred to others especially in a country so different from the one you grew up in. And a life sentence for that? What if he was your son?
And how do you know there was a bribe involved? Geez.

How do you know he took the law into his own hands by simply unplugging a loud speaker?

Also as LL pointed out it was whoever was blasting that loud speaker past hours that broke the law.

Larry, where did you get the idea that the got a life sentence? It was a 3 month sentence.

Larry, with all due respect, my sons, although far from perfect, know better than to damage someone else's property. My older son travels all over the world and has never gotten into any trouble.

I just found a link to a British article that gives another prospective on the case:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016...ulling-plug-o/

Apparently, the crime is mostly about "insulting religion", and that trumps any supposed noise ordinance. Regarding the witness who claimed that the temple loud speakers are too noisy, no I do not have proof, per se, that the witness was bribed. However, good lawyers always seek out someone to speak out for the defense, and they found this guy with a bone to pick.

I don't want to dominate the thread, so I'll bow out now. Thanks for posting, thursdays. You got more than you bargained for as you regain your health, lol.

Kathie it was what CL said he should have gotten.

CL I just disagree. Too many assumptions with out proof.

Happy travels. .

CL and Kathie - thanks. I was traveling with Azithromycin 500 Mg. Still am, my doctor prescribed enough for two attacks.

jacketsatch - it may well have been the temple that was breaking the law, that doesn't mean it was smart for a traveler to take matters into his own hands. That's a matter for the locals. And if you have a problem with your accommodation, the best solution is usually to move.

Thursdaysd. Glad you are feeling better.

I just disagree. I'll leave at that.

Safe travels. .