Why was this matter handled by immigration police? And why on a charge involving 10,000 baht of goods seized plus 15,000 baht by bank transfer (total about £2,200) was Halland denied bail?
That seems a bit unfair because the guy who reported to him was none other than Drew Walter Noyes, of One-Stop-Service-Center and he has been glowing all week about the news. Noyes’ is to whom the Frenchman took his case.
Thor Halland, is a onetime property man, one time army officer, who settled in Pattaya many years ago. He was a big voice at the Pattaya City Expat Club which Drew Noyes claims he started – and he even wrote the Wikipedia entry for Pattaya and gave talks on the history of Thailand and even gave a talk to the Pattaya International Women's Club Club on Buddhism.
Halland is regarded as a bit of a toff even taking part in a local theatre group and of course pub quizzes.
Highly read in 2003 he had been on the winning University Challenge team from Birkbeck College, who were referred to as the ‘Birks’ because in a previous context they had achieved the lowest possible score.