Ubon Ratchathani teen negotiates fine with community service
A 19 year old woman in Ubon Ratchathani faced a hefty fine of 6,300 baht (US$177) for driving without a license. Lacking the funds to pay the fine, she humorously asked the police if she could borrow money.
The officer’s playful response was an offer to lend her the money if she agreed to feed his catfish every night, a condition she found less than appealing. Instead, she chose to pay half the fine and perform community service to cover the remainder.
The incident, which occurred in December last year, was brought to light through a Facebook post. The young woman explained that she visited the court as instructed by the police, only to find herself unable to pay the fine on a Saturday morning due to waiting for a money transfer from her sibling.
When she inquired if she could settle the fine in the afternoon, the police told her it wasn’t possible due to the court’s hours. They warned her that she would have to spend the night in jail at 500 baht (US$14) per night if she couldn’t pay immediately, reported Sanook.
In a desperate attempt to avoid jail, she asked to borrow 2,000 baht (US$56) from the police, promising to repay it later that day. The officer jokingly replied that she could borrow the money on the condition of feeding his catfish every night—an offer that made her uncomfortable.
Choosing to avoid any obligations that might arise from such a peculiar arrangement, she opted to pay 3,000 baht (US$84) and agreed to perform community service to work off the remaining amount.
The woman’s decision to share her story was prompted by news of another young girl, a high school student, who was fined 2,000 baht for a similar offence and subsequently assaulted by a police officer. She wanted to highlight that harassment can take many forms and that she too had experienced an awkward situation, although not as severe as the reported assault on the student.
