MovieChat Forums > Brokedown Palace (1999) Discussion > I AM AN AMERICAN CITIZEN

I AM AN AMERICAN CITIZEN

posted 17 years ago by YepiTsTrue11
24 replies | jump to latest

SHE SAID THE RIGHT THING! As an American citizen you have the RIGHT to a fair trial. The Thai police didn't investigate sht. They were trying to have them sign papers from the get-go. Just because they are on Thai soil doesn't mean they don't have their rights as Americans to have a proper investigation done. Why should the lawyer to all the work? The cops were supposed to get involved with this case. If you are a citizen to a certain country..let's say I am Mexican and I don't have American citizenship. If I commit a crime in the U.S they would deport me back to my country and then have it settled there or maybe not in that exact way but something like that. The same should have went for these girls.

Ignorance is bliss and you look like you're really happy!

[–] JC_Aliss 17 years ago

No, you do not get deported back to your home country when you commit a crime. You are bound by the laws of whatever country you are in at the time. Look at it this way...say a Russian is in the U.S. on vacation and rapes and kills several women while there. Do you honestly think he gets sent back to RUSSIA for trial? Not a chance; he's arrested and put on trial right in the good 'ole US of A. Using your theory, why would RUSSIA care what happened to a few AMERICAN women on AMERICAN soil? The justice systems of countries are not interconnected; they are in place to protect that country's citizens and visitors WHILE THERE on that country's property.

Anyway, getting back to the movie--her stating her citizenship, has been debated here hotly. I for one say it's natural to, in a panic, state what country you "belong" in, and I don't believe it has anything to do with American arrogance. Take that Russian I just mentioned; he'd likely yell "I'm from Russia!" when being faced with the unknown US court system. I don't think it means anything more than that--a declaration of "I don't know how this works because I belong SOMEWHERE ELSE!"

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] darren2030 17 years ago

Thing is also though that even in most justice systems, the deck would be stacked against these two girls. Yes, the police did not investigate and may have even covered some stuff up, but I mean they took her bag and found a large quantity of drugs. That's some pretty damning evidence. People have gone to prison even in the USA for less evidence.

[–] Jeffer315-1 17 years ago

I laughed when I saw that scene of her scream, " I AM AN AMERICAN CITIZEN." That don't mean s**t in Thailand. You are bound by the laws of the country in which you commit the crime and have no rights as an American Citizen, except maybe to see someone from the American embassy. But if Thailand does not provide the right to an attorney, being an American does not guarantee you that right.

[–] seniorland06 17 years ago

"But if Thailand does not provide the right to an attorney, being an American does not guarantee you that right."

And that just shows how great living in the United States is...

[–] bertrambunter 17 years ago

But some little Thai drug smuggler would be entitled to a lawyer in the US, and at the tax payers' expense. I really think it is time we started treating foreign criminals the way they treat us

And you must always make sure you inform the authorities of your citizenship, because even though many third world 'injustice' systems ensure that the outcome will be biased and prejudiced, you do have the right to consultation with your consular officials, who can often be very helpful.

The prison authorities will steal any western passport to sell on at huge profit, but it pays to keep the number somewhere on your person for reference at a later date.

If you travel in these god forsaken parts, expect the worst to happen at any time. I persoanlly do not think it merits the risk of being trapped among barbarians.

[–] MinaBabaei 15 years ago

"But some little Thai drug smuggler would be entitled to a lawyer in the US, and at the tax payers' expense. I really think it is time we started treating foreign criminals the way they treat us"

Oh awesome! That means I can get free medical attention when I visit America? Cause we have that in Denmark, even for you Yankees who visits ;)
Seriously, that statement you made has got to be one of the most ignorant things I have ever heard. Did you know that Denmark generally has REALLY low sentences? So I can go to USA, commit crime, and get a really low sentence, because I'm danish?
No, you didn't think of that. You only thought of being cruel to all foreigners, because like any other American, you believe your better than everyone else. And obviously your nothing but an ignorant and judgmental racist. Have a great life douche.

[–] krisluvkev 17 years ago

I laught whenever I hear Americans say that crap, I am an American Citizen. So what if you aren't in America when you committ a crime that means absolutley nothing. What Americans need to learn is to respect the laws and customs of other countries.
I just came back from Italy and these stupid American teens were acting all loud and boisterous and crazy and the police approached them. Instead of calming down they got worst and started saying how they are American citizens, hahahaha who cares. Their stupid butts were arrested, I wonder what happened to them.

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] fivepointpalm 17 years ago

i totaly agree with krisluvkev...

i AM A BIG FAN OF THE U.S.A...

BUT i always have to shake head when i hear quotes like those
"i'm an american citizen..."
"these are my rights, america is a free country..."

holy f.... WHOLE EUROPE is a FREE country...WHOLE AUSTRALIA is a free country... but you never haer people mentioning that fact on the street !! because it's just stupid...what does it bring you?? do you get MORE rights, to comit a crime, behaving like a moron, ... and not being punished afterwards, just because you live in a FREE country...

same counts for the "american citizen" quotes... ?? do you think you are the only people on earth who matter?? do you have more rights than any other people... if you drive like a fool in italy..you get busted!
if you're chinese, french, spanish..or american...who cares?? the rules count for everyone...
if i visit the u.s.a i get arrested if they catch me having a piss in public... even if you don't get busted for that in my country...

every country has its own laws & rules... RESPECT THEM! and try to adapt to their lifestyle...

[–] teacher694 17 years ago

I'm an American too, but I'm not bragging about any rights I might have. In fact, we have very few rights in America, and having less every year with each new law. When traveling through Cambodia, I found that I felt much freer than here in the USA. Cambodia is a liberating experience, since they don't have much law at all.

[–] TequilaMockingbird5150 16 years ago

I live in Thailand, and will agree that Cambodia does not have much law and in many ways felt more free than the US. Of course so does Mexico, Laos, Thailand and numerous other countries.

The sun shone, having no alternative, on the nothing new. Samuel Beckett

[–] stan-borowitz 17 years ago

Are you sure they were not drunk German teens? Or French teens? Or those lovely British soccer fans? :-)

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] rklot 16 years ago

Um, wrong! When you are in a foreign country, you are subject to their laws, policies, and procedures. The diplomats and US Embassies can try to help, but only so much.

If you get busted for something in some sh*thole country that doesn't do trial by jury or any of the other rights we have here, you could be majorly screwed!

[–] adamsmo 15 years ago

That's pretty much why you should either stay in the free world (not just speaking of the U.S., of course) or really watch yourself if you're traveling somewhere authoritarian and without a fair justice system.

It could depend on international relations, the notability of the person or case, but those are rare exceptions. The government can try to use diplomacy (like what happened in North Korea not long ago with those two journalists) but it's almost always going to be very unlikely.

Basically, the U.S. government doesn't have any jurisdiction outside of the U.S., so it's kind of silly to think so.

[–] HDcreepy 15 years ago

Ha the person who started the thread reminds me of a case in Hong Kong, where a fully trashed NAVY dude (can't get any more cliche than THAT) beat up somebody or did other misdemeanor kind of crap on the street. It was reported that when he was arrested, he yell "I AM AN AMERICAN! MY COUNTRY WILL PROTECT ME!!"

I try to dig it up from my memory... I think what he did was feeling up some girl's boobs on the street and got crap from her boyfriend... something like that. Really funny.

[–] sankte_per 14 years ago

Police officer - Mr. Vandeslaar, you are under arrest for possesion of marijuana. You will be sent back to your country where you will go trough trial.
Mr. Vandeslaar - Ok... Great. Suits me just fine.
Police officer - Heh, enjoy your third world country prison stay
Mr. Vandeslaar - The Netherlands is not usually considered a third world country, but thanks anyway.
Police officer - The Netherlands?! =(

Mr. Vandeslaar - THats right! I'm free, biatch!

No, you serve your sentence in the country you commited it in. Polish government recently tried to get a polish man transferred to Poland from Sweden for riding a bicycle while drunk. This is not a crime in Sweden so that's a no go.

[–] bluefellow 14 years ago

I am astounded at the naivete of the Original Poster believing that the protections of the Constitution follow an American citizen around the globe. I hope for their sake they do not travel much.

"I don't want any Commies in my car. No Christians, either."

[–] emg255 14 years ago

I actually think she did the right thing. Although I don't know anything about thai law, etc., the least she could try to get is some contact with the closest US embassy consulate who could at least explain to her thai law, contact her parents, help suggest reputable thai lawyers, etc. While being a US citizen doesn't necessarily get her all the rights she might be accorded in the US, the US embassy can at least help shine light on what would be a very confusing process. I think if you're a foreign national arrested overseas, you should always attempt to make contact with your embassy.
Of course, I did read a book once about a British man locked up in Russia for accidentally bringing some hash into Russia (he had half a smoked joint in the pocket of his jeans). He was locked up with other foreigners and the prisoners believed that some embassies were not nearly as much help as others so if you're embassy is unhelpful.... that's a whole other can of worms.

[–] 14 years ago

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[–] fidgette 13 years ago

In the context of the film, it was probably said in a non-arrogant way. More of a complete shock of culture, where you realize that you don't have as many civil liberties, especially in terms of the law. I really love watching Banged up/Locked up abroad because it's always Brits or Americans thinking they can get away with doing illegal things in other countries and not receiving any punishment. However, everyone does something stupid at some point in their lives, especially when you're young and receiving a death sentence or 30+/life in prison for drugs is quite harsh.

I do think it's important that you learn about some of the customs of the country you are traveling to. The thing that bothers me about Americans when traveling is that they are quite demanding, a sort of superiority complex. Also, I've encountered American's that have gotten quite rude to people because they don't speak English, I don't see why someone who normally speaks German, French, Russian etc. to suddenly speak another language because it suits you. Mind you it's not all Americans I speak of, there are always inconsiderate a-holes in any country.

Maybe less U.S.A. chanting would help.

[–] TequilaMockingbird5150 12 years ago

That is not the way that it works, unfortunately. We are bound by the laws of the countries that we visit and that particular countries laws. One does not get automatically deported back to their own country.

The sun shone, having no alternative, on the nothing new. Samuel Beckett

[–] raveoddgrl 12 years ago

Oh wow. I can't remember the last time an OP made me laugh out loud. After that, I sat and prayed that it would't become an American bashing session. Most Americans with a passport don't expect everyone to speak English, nor are they the loudest people in a room. That strange obsession with flip-flops and hoodies though...that's how you spot an American abroad.

This is a torch song. Touch me and you'll burn.