It's good that this sort of thing is getting a high profile in the media - someone, somewhere, must realise the harm this is doing to Thailand's international image and its waning tourist industry.
You have to wonder what would happen in such a situation if you simply refuse to pay up and take the prison option. Would they fabricate evidence against you? Would there be an international outcry?
I gambled once in Lao during an extortion attempt, and got away with a stubborn refusal to pay up when threatened with first jail, then 'disappearing'. Not sure I would do it again there, Thailand is highly civilised in comparison. But I would be tempted to fight the extortionists in LOS, that's for sure.
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