Happy Harry

He has shocked many, saddened a few and warned others. Now Harry Nicolaides, a previously completely unknown author who rose to fame thanks to Thailand’s rigid laws on lèse majesté, is back home on Australian soil. With big career plans.

A royal pardon was granted surprisingly fast to the man you could call slightly naive. Freedom though came not without further humiliation and pain. Hours before receiving the pardon Harry fell into a prison’s sewerage tank.

He then was asked to kneel before a portrait of the king and was told his mother suffered a stroke two weeks ago. “I’ve been crying for eight hours” he told reporters after arriving back home in Melbourne where he has become a cause célèbre.

Now, if you’re a suddenly famous writer, what would you do after such an ordeal. Right, you’d write a book. That’s exactly what Harry already suggested. “I certainly will,” he told reporters.

He’s got a sure bestseller looming, mixing his tell-all nightmare with his enduring love for Thailand. That’s right, also his partner Jintana Suttanu is Thai.

Somewhere I read that he even wants to go back to Thailand. If that’s possible. To my knowledge such offenders are put on the kingdom’s blacklist.

Depending on what book he writes how, he could find himself in the exceptional situation of being accused of lèse majesté not only once, but twice.

Or what book will you write when you’re describing yourself after the ordeal as “I am angry, I am frustrated, I am perplexed”?

Harry, this time do some proper proof reading – and choose your travel plans wisely.




Sphere: Related Content

Related posts on absolutelyBangkok.com:

  1. Thitinan, Chaturon & Alii: Thais Question Thais
  2. Thailand Executes Drug Traffickers
  3. George Talks
  4. Pasuk, Baker & Thaksin
  5. Expat Women’s Voice
  6. Tired Of The Big 3? Try SubZeroSiam
  7. Thai Govt Welcomes Global Killer Flu

February 22, 2009 | Filed Under Being Farang, News & Media, Society 

Comments

11 Responses to “Happy Harry”

  1. ThaiCrisis on February 22nd, 2009 1.27 pm

    Oh yeah … his short “talk” with Aussie media at the airport … was clear I believe … check the video:

    http://www.theage.com.au/national/freed-author-to-write-of-jail-hell-20090221-8e9b.html?page=2

    “The truth is stranger than fiction.”

    I’m impatient to read his next book … It could be bloody like a good piece of raw meat. ;-)

    His ordeal might be a powerful source of inspiration.

    Anyway. It just feels good to see this man free at last, after an absurd and inane ordeal … Five months and a half in a medieval Thai jail for “lèse majestè.”

  2. Jaded on February 22nd, 2009 3.08 pm

    If his partner is Thai then his connection with Thailand may outweigh his desire to give vent to any sentiment that is likely to create further problems here. However, if anyone in Australia had any doubt how Thailand really works, the Aussie news media will by now have given them an extensive tutorial on the subject. Its going to be hard not to give vent to his feelings, particularly when the newspapers will be offering serious money for his exclusive story … And if he actually writes the book and then sells the rights to a film production company (any Aussie will remember Australia glued to the TV watching Nicole Kidman in Bangkok Hilton) he might have a shot at a really big commercial success to set against sales of 7 copies of the offensive last book and some hard time in a Thai prison. If the Thai government doesn’t want a public relations disaster in the country that has close relations with Thailand and educated the Crown Prince then it might want to look carefully at its options … If they have any doubt about what an muckraking Aussie journalist can do they should have another look at the biography of Princess Masako of Japan.

    http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2007/s1848006.htm

  3. stefan on February 22nd, 2009 3.48 pm

    Isn’t this news part of the Asean Summit “face” sanitization?

  4. Dean H on February 22nd, 2009 4.02 pm

    Wasn’t what this was all about? Generating publicity? Last book didn’t sell. Next one will. Why else would he have returned to Thailand knowing there would have only been one possible outcome.

  5. Keith on February 22nd, 2009 5.39 pm

    “Hours before receiving the pardon Harry fell into a prison’s sewerage tank.”

    I see the prision guards gave one last punishment before he got out.

  6. BangkokDan on February 23rd, 2009 6.59 am

    Naive Harry not so naive? Good grief, there are some strong accusations appearing. Or Dollar’s just jealous? New Mandala has Harry’s reply and even more on it.

    BangkokDan

  7. Khun J on February 23rd, 2009 7.14 am

    Foreign journalists are on the endangered species list in Thailand.
    Thailand is run by criminal gangs. The publicity is unwanted.

  8. Alex on February 24th, 2009 6.23 pm

    Harry is just a poor bastard, no more. The poor guy cannot even be called an author, but a failure at attempting being an author. He inspires compassion because he is truly pathetic. He is lucky to have such a good family. If it had been my brother or my son I would have dishonored him for being such a moron … Sad world, that this little bastard will now be making a lot of money thanks to the shameless media …

  9. puppetmall on February 24th, 2009 6.58 pm

    Have you finished yet, Alex? there are only about 200 more posts on this site you can smear your contemptuos comments on … does anybody care what you have say? Or is it because you CAN?

  10. Alex on February 24th, 2009 7.47 pm

    Puppet, do you have anything to say about this topic or are you so bored that you need to go into personal attacks?

  11. Horatio on March 10th, 2009 10.33 am

    Alex,

    I think I can speak for everyone when I say that I am glad that I am not related to you if that is your attitude.

    I would like to say more about the topic, but the power of big brother is too much …

Leave a Reply