200 k does not even buy you a very small house....

I would go to the police and report. The police decides if they start a criminal case or not. Nothing lost. Winning the criminal case does not mean you get your money back, for that you need to start a civil case yourself.

Go to immigration. I think they can fix it.

Even if you buy cable internet the videos are most likely streamed over the cable connection. Non-streamed video services are a disappearing technology. There is no good reason to choose for non-streamed video services.

@Marcos *********

will he not need a VPN to use American streaming services?

I would drive, because I would not need to hire a car at the destination.

Sometimes Thai government workers need to show their power. It makes them feel good. They are not public "servants" like government workers in the West.

@Darren *********

my point that in reality much more devices get repaired in Thailand compared to the West. Being smart and rich and looking down on other countries on Facebook, does not mean one actually gets more work done.

@Darren *********

electronics repair is not only about systems knowledge - it is about experience. Europeans for instance might have the systems knowledge, but the labor is so expensive a that repair attempt does not make sense, especially when you take into account they have to guarantee their work. It is very difficult to find board repair services in Europe. 90% of the TVs that end up in garbage collection centers in Europe, could easily be repaired by a Thai repairman, Why do you think there are so many trucks driving around buying broken electrical and electronic devices at your home? Many of the washing machines and TVs they collect do get repaired and end up on the second hand market. The rest goes to recycling.

@Ryan ***********

so, in that case some partial payment of the laptop value seems reasonable?