Bridge champ claims Thai authorities forced him to sign gambling confession

An Australian bridge champion is crying foul over his supposed arrest in Thailand over gambling charges.

Avon Wilsmore, a winner of three Australian National Championships, told the Sydney Morning Herald he was playing bridge with members of the Pattaya bridge club on February 3 when he and 30 others were taken into police custody.

Wilsmore said they were told by the Thai military police that they would be detained indefinitely unless they signed declarations. The man said he has “quite an aversion to signing false declarations,” but a lawyer advised his group to sign the documents.

“Her was that this ‘confession’ was no big deal, we could retract and contest the matter in court,” Wilsmore said, according to the news outlet.