Flasher Pete and Daniel

Daniel was married to Noi but he was in love with and living with her brother.

One day in August I saw a piece in the local newspaper reporting the death of a British citizen. I contacted the police who confirmed that he had been found dead in the house of one of his boy friends, sprawled over a table littered with glasses of Mekong and white powder. It was, they said, a clear case of an accidental overdose. Daniel managed a bar near Ta Pae Gate, other bar owners said they would look after things so I informed the Embassy and thought no more about the matter.

A week later a police car came and they asked me to go with them to talk to a British citizen who had been reported by a neighbour. Apparently he had staggered home roaring drunk as usual, he had broken through his neighbour's fence and started throwing sticks and stones at his house. When the neighbour protested Pete exposed himself and threatened him with that and also with a knife.

Summoned by the police Pete refused to come out of his house. We decided to try again in the evening when, perhaps, he would have sobered up. When we returned his Thai wife emerged and told us that he occasionally got drunk and went wild. I heard later that she had been beaten up and on at least two occasions had gone to hospital. He had also threatened the owner of The Pub with a knife. He was, everyone agreed, bad news.

I, but not the police, was allowed in. He proceeded to abuse me, the Embassy, the British government, his neighbour, his enemies and Chiang Mai in general. He then ordered me out and, as a Parthian shot, berated me for not attending Daniel's funeral. I left in what I hoped was dignified silence, telling the police that, as far as I was concerned, they were welcome to him. However, his wife agreed to pay the neighbour two thousand baht in compensation and no further action was taken. That was the end of the case.

I knew nothing of Daniel's funeral. I found out that no one had claimed the body so that finally the morgue had taken it to Santitham Crematorium and buried it in a shallow grave. His bar friends had finally raised enough money to have him exhumed and burned, hence the funeral. R.I.P.