American lad held captive in North Korea dies soon after release..

Saipanne · 10-12-2016 11:54AM #1

Ever see a news story that makes you shudder and think that?

I watched that video of Otto Warmbier pleading to a North Korean court. Imagine being in that situation. Jesus...

https://youtu.be/GaTX8q_16Cc

https://youtu.be/mjDgb-k4VXw

biko · 10-12-2016 12:02PM

Care to give us some background info on him at all?

Saipanne · 10-12-2016 12:05PM

biko wrote: »

Care to give us some background info on him at all?

Sorry, I thought it was well known.

He is a 21 year old Ohio student who went on a package tour of North Korea. He allegedly stole a propaganda poster off a wall and tried to smuggle it out of the country. He was arrested and sentenced to 15 years hard labour. The US insist that the arrest was politically motivated, and that Warmbiers confession was probably forced.

Horrible situation.

uck51js9zml2yt · 10-12-2016 12:08PM

This was in march. Sad to say but he should have known better than to steal something.

endacl · 10-12-2016 12:11PM

biko wrote: »

Care to give us some background info on him at all?

I just googled...

Saipanne · 10-12-2016 12:11PM

Tara Little Sister wrote: »

This was in march. Sad to say but he should have known better than to steal something.

I'd say we all did far more reckless things at that age. But yeah, he should have had the common sense to know where he was committing this act. Steal a poster in the USA, and you'll get a slap on the wrist. But some Asian countries will lock you up for that.

That's assuming he did it.

Cortina_MK_IV · 10-12-2016 12:15PM

Draw a moustache on a picture of the king (past or present) of Thailand and see how you get on.

endacl · 10-12-2016 12:31PM

Cortina_MK_IV wrote: »

Draw a moustache on a picture of the king (past or present) of Thailand and see how you get on.

Hold on. I'll just print one off....

OK. Moustache on. What happens now?

TallGlass · 10-12-2016 12:34PM

endacl wrote: »

Hold on. I'll just print one off....

OK. Moustache on. What happens now?

Head on to Thailand and show a few natives.

biko · 10-12-2016 12:37PM

Isn't that him at 3 mins in?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHzhfg5TiSQ

Wanderer78 · 10-12-2016 12:45PM

biko wrote:

Isn't that him at 3 mins in?

Not much difference in some rules to some western nations really

SterlingArcher · 10-12-2016 12:51PM

Lena Dunham. Do I even need to add more context?

Cortina_MK_IV · 10-12-2016 12:54PM

A Google search of "Things not to do in xxxxxx" might save you from getting arrested.

A Malaysian court detained four foreigners for allegedly stripping naked for photos atop Mount Kinabalu, an act some say angered the spirits of the mountain and caused an earthquake. (Reuters)

biko · 10-12-2016 12:59PM

When in Dubai, remember to not get raped. Or if you get raped, remember to not report it to the police.
You will get arrested for "extra-marital sex".
src

Ursus Horribilis · 16-06-2017 07:42PM

Saipanne wrote: »

Ever see a news story that makes you shudder and think that?

I watched that video of Otto Warmbier pleading to a North Korean court. Imagine being in that situation. Jesus...

https://youtu.be/GaTX8q_16Cc

https://youtu.be/mjDgb-k4VXw

I bet nobody thought things would turn out this tragically for the poor beggar. Shocking to think he has been sent home from North Korea suffering from what could euphemistically call "Life changing injuries"

Capt'n Midnight · 16-06-2017 09:41PM

Saipanne wrote: »

I'd say we all did far more reckless things at that age. But yeah, he should have had the common sense to know where he was committing this act. Steal a poster in the USA, and you'll get a slap on the wrist. But some Asian countries will lock you up for that.

That's assuming he did it.

Technically speaking you could get life for stealing a poster in the US thanks to the three strikes rule.

Paddy Cow · 16-06-2017 10:04PM

Saipanne wrote: »

Ever see a news story that makes you shudder and think that?

Yes. The Grenfell Tower story. It's horrific. It was bad enough seeing the footage of the blaze and knowing people were going from one hospital to another looking for loved ones, but when I read a story today about a young Italian couple who rang their parents from one of the tops floors and they thanked them for all they'd done, said smoke was coming under the door and then their phone got cut off and the parents stuck in Italy were going mad trying to reach them, I stopped reading stories on that. I would hate to be a person trapped in that tower or someone left to pick up the pieces. Just tragic all around and I hope the fcukers who were warned about that cladding do serious jail time. Terror attacks are bad enough but you can't know when they are going to happen. This was totally preventable.

LordSutch · 17-06-2017 11:03AM

Theresa May.

Samaris · 17-06-2017 11:07AM

Paddy Cow wrote: »

Yes. The Grenfell Tower story. It's horrific.
...

Yeah. And I don't think anyone could have looked at those pictures - or video - where you could see people still frantically signalling at the windows of the topmost floors and not shudder at the horror they were facing.

Stories where people are/were trapped as well. Like various mine disasters. Or the Kursk, that one gave me a couple of nightmares. Mild claustrophobia might be making those ones stand out, but the idea of being trapped alive at the bottom of the sea waiting for rescue that will never come is horrifying.

Murrisk · 17-06-2017 11:40AM

Paddy Cow wrote: »

but when I read a story today about a young Italian couple who rang their parents from one of the tops floors and they thanked them for all they'd done, said smoke was coming under the door and then their phone got cut off and the parents stuck in Italy were going mad trying to reach them, I stopped reading stories on that.

Of course the Daily Mail, because the Italian girl was attractive, spent most of the article posting photos of her in various bikinis. Classy.

wakka12 · 17-06-2017 11:43AM

biko wrote: »

When in Dubai, remember to not get raped. Or if you get raped, remember to not report it to the police.
You will get arrested for "extra-marital sex".
src

i dont think anything about that country would surprise me, sounds like the handmaids tale

mikeym · 19-06-2017 10:06PM

RIP Otto Warmbier

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40335169

The American student who was released last week after being held in captivity for more than 15 months in North Korea has died, his family says.
Otto Warmbier, 22, returned to the US last Tuesday, but it emerged he had been in a coma for a year.
North Korea said botulism led to the coma, but a team of US doctors who assessed him dispute this account.
Mr Warmbier was sentenced to 15 years of hard labour for attempting to steal a propaganda sign from a hotel.
He had suffered severe brain damage, and was medically evacuated from North Korea on 13 June to a hospital in his home town of Cincinnati. Ohio.
The Warmbier family has blamed his death on what they called the torturous mistreatment he had received at the hands of the North Koreans.
"It is our sad duty to report that our son, Otto Warmbier, has completed his journey home. Surrounded by his loving family, Otto died today at 2:20pm," a statement from the family said.
It said the student was "unable to speak, unable to see and unable to react to verbal commands".
"Unfortunately, the awful torturous mistreatment our son received at the hands of the North Koreans ensured that no other outcome was possible beyond the sad one we experienced today."

Paddy Cow · 19-06-2017 11:01PM

mikeym wrote: »

RIP Otto Warmbier

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40335169

:eek: I never expected this to play out the way it has. That poor guy

He was a silly kid who stole a flag, not fully understanding just how extreme North Korea is. It's easy to sit behind a keyboard and say he played with fire, he should've known better etc but I know that at that age I did some pretty stupid **** but I didn't end up with some mutant strain of botulism beating me into a coma.

He didn't deserve this. I feel for his family and for him who lost his life for a stupid prank.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock · 19-06-2017 11:11PM

mikeym wrote: »

RIP Otto Warmbier

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40335169

Givign the circumstances, I think it's a realease in the end. I hope he's in a peacedul place now.

retro:electro · 20-06-2017 12:01AM

Disgraceful. Looks like they only released him so he wouldn't die on their watch. Poor man. Hopefully an autopsy will show what actually led to his death. At least he died on American soil. They will have more freedom to investigate the circumstances than if he had died in NK.

jacksie66 · 20-06-2017 12:10AM

This post has been deleted.

JellieBabie · 20-06-2017 12:11AM

That poor man. Can't even imagine the ordeal he had over there; I think he was crazy to visit in the first place but regardless he didn't deserve an ounce of that sentence. RIP.