shakedowns

[litefoot2]

Jaywalking, littering, shoplifting--there's been some talk recently of increased police shakedowns of innocent tourists.

One question: are there any firm guidelines on what to do if this happens to you? (I seem to recall that Trink dealt with this years ago in an article) Have any consulates or travel authorities offered direction?

Jaywalking, littering, shoplifting--there's been some talk recently of increased police shakedowns of innocent tourists.

One question: are there any firm guidelines on what to do if this happens to you? (I seem to recall that Trink dealt with this years ago in an article) Have any consulates or travel authorities offered direction?

The best advice is not to jaywalk, litter, or shoplift.

[cdnmatt]

Not sure about Thailand, but had something similar happen to me once in Barbados. I just respectfully told the police to go ahead and arrest me, and that I'd like to call the Canadian embassy, as it's there responsibility to help me do so. That was enough for them to let me off with a "warning". They said a few things to me in a different language, and I'm guessing they weren't compliments, but that's ok. :)

The best advice is not to jaywalk, litter, or shoplift.Based on a recent post I thought your answer, logically, would be "Don't visit Thailand". I'm sure you must be rejoicing at the recent news that Thailand is the deadliest holiday destination for Britons. It is after all their own fault for choosing to come, surely?

[quote="Beach Bunny":psa9tua9]The best advice is not to jaywalk, litter, or shoplift.Based on a recent post I thought your answer, logically, would be "Don't visit Thailand". I'm sure you must be rejoicing at the recent news that Thailand is the deadliest holiday destination for Britons. It is after all their own fault for choosing to come, surely?[/quote:psa9tua9]

Absolutely. I would be ecstatic to have a Brit-free Thailand.

About your big news. No, I hadn't seen it. Was it in News of the World, by any chance?

Absolutely. I would be ecstatic to have a Brit-free Thailand.Just as the Thais would be ecstatic to have a corruption-free, or at least minimally corrupt, Thailand
About your big news. No, I hadn't seen it. Was it in News of the World, by any chance?Thaivisa, actually - http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Thailand- ... 92592.html (http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Thailand-Deadliest-Holiday-Destina-t292592.html)

The majority of 324 reported hospitalisations in Thailand were due to motorbike accidents, says the FCO, and a high proportion are fatal.


On the dangers of visiting Thailand, the organisation says: тАЬMany of the hospitalisations in Thailand are the result of motorbike accidents тАУ particularly in the southern islands.

тАЬThailand has one of the worldтАЩs highest road traffic accident rates, almost all of which involve motorbikes.тАЭ

The Thai law that states safety helmets must be worn is widely ignored according to the FCO, which contributes to the high number of deaths each year. On average 38 people a day die in motorcycle accidents in Thailand.

seems the problem is more to do with the actions of the tourists than some problem with Thailand

Wow. Wonder how many of those Brits who died in motorbike accidents in Thailand a) were pissed off their faces; b) had never ridden a motorbike before; c) were wearing a helmet.

Ho hum. Any more earth shattering news stories to enlighten us with today?

[mahjongguy]

Returning to the topic, if I may:

When a cop appears to be looking for cash, there are three things to consider:
- did you break the law or not? This affects how much you should consider paying.
- is there a Thai person with you? If so, keep your mouth shut, look politely puzzled, and let your Thai friend do all the talking. If you are alone, say as little as possible, act politely puzzled, and let the cop wear himself out doing his act.
- are you carrying your actual passport? If so, apologize, try to get 200 baht of your pocket without giving him the opportunity to snatch your wallet, and say "this fee. Okay?". If you don't have your actual passport, forget about challenging him to resolve it at the police station. You may be fined 2,000 baht. So, be prepared to pay more than 200 to get off the hook.

That's my answer, and it's based on traffic stops and an ill-timed cigarette butt dropped on Silom Road.

Wow. Wonder how many of those Brits who died in motorbike accidents in Thailand a) were pissed off their faces; b) had never ridden a motorbike before; c) were wearing a helmet.The logical sequence, surely, is a) were pissed off their faces; b) had never ridden a motorbike before; c) were not wearing a helmet? As it stands (like everything else of yours I've read in the last 24 hours) it doesn't make sense.

d) had a license to ride a motorcycle.

And you have spit back the exact same sequence as I wrote initially...only adding the word "not". Does it really matter if one were to say, "I wonder how many of them were wearing helmets" or "I wonder how many of them were not wearing helmets"? I think not.

Better get back to your Dick Francis novels, Inspector Mitty.

And you have spit back the exact same sequence as I wrote initiallyIsn''t that "spat back"? It seems it's not only comprehension that you failed in schoool.

[cdnmatt]

[quote="Beach Bunny":vbp4r6fx]And you have spit back the exact same sequence as I wrote initiallyIsn''t that "spat back"? It seems it's not only comprehension that you failed in schoool.[/quote:vbp4r6fx]

I really hope my life never gets to the stage where I feel that it's important to criticize people over the smallest grammatical errors. If that ever happens, please shoot me.

If that ever happens, please shoot me.Will you let us know your address?

"Spit" and "spat" are interchangeable and both correct as the past tense of "spit".

http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/i ... /spit.html (http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/irregular-verbs/spit.html)

Anything else you want to attempt to fault me on?

seems the problem is more to do with the actions of the tourists than some problem with Thailand

Quite. The figures are also slightly deceptive as they include, for example, retirees living here dying of nothing more than old age.

A Thai driving licence is also a legal alternative to a passport (altough you can be required to show your passport later at a police station to prove your visa; and the fine for littering is, officially, 2,000 baht.

[sjaak327]

Yeah the infamous litter fine. The way to effectively run this scam is exactly the way the Thai police are handling it.

Provide next to no waste bins/ash trays, then spot the ignorant farang, and the minute he has the audacity to throw away a cigarette but, approach them and you have a perfect scam. The reason why the farang is ignorant, is that there's like one sign on the whole damm street, that warns him/her about the 2000 baht litter fine.

If you are lucky you get away with 200 baht, or if you are really lucky (like I was on one occasion at Siam ) you go away with paying nothing (=honest cop).

[Brad the Impala]

Yeah the infamous litter fine. The way to effectively run this scam is exactly the way the Thai police are handling it.

Provide next to no waste bins/ash trays, then spot the ignorant farang, and the minute he has the audacity to throw away a cigarette but, approach them and you have a perfect scam. The reason why the farang is ignorant, is that there's like one sign on the whole damm street, that warns him/her about the 2000 baht litter fine.

If you are lucky you get away with 200 baht, or if you are really lucky (like I was on one occasion at Siam ) you go away with paying nothing (=honest cop).

Where's the scam? There aren't fines for dropping litter in your own country?

[sjaak327]

I am sure there are littering laws in my country, dropping a cigarette but isn't considered littering though. The scam lies in the absence of wastebins or ashtrays to get rid of the litter. In sharp contrast with places like Singapore or Hong Kong, where you can't miss them.

Where's the scam? There aren't fines for dropping litter in your own country?Quite so. And it's encouraging to see the law applied equally to the Thais.

[quote="Brad the Impala":vzz3k1n9]Where's the scam? There aren't fines for dropping litter in your own country?Quite so. And it's encouraging to see the law applied equally to the Thais.[/quote:vzz3k1n9]

Always the first howl of the guilty. "Yeah, I did it...but why are you arresting me and not him?"

[sjaak327]

[quote="Brad the Impala":39qtabuc]Where's the scam? There aren't fines for dropping litter in your own country?Quite so. And it's encouraging to see the law applied equally to the Thais.[/quote:39qtabuc]

LOL, nothing more to say.

This law is certainly not equally applied to the Thais.

[quote="Copper Pheel":14pp77ip][quote="Brad the Impala":14pp77ip]Where's the scam? There aren't fines for dropping litter in your own country?Quite so. And it's encouraging to see the law applied equally to the Thais.[/quote:14pp77ip]Always the first howl of the guilty. "Yeah, I did it...but why are you arresting me and not him?"[/quote:14pp77ip]A line you use quite often, I imagine, in your line of business.

And that line of business would be...what, exactly? Come on, we need some entertainment around here.

[Brad the Impala]

I am sure there are littering laws in my country, dropping a cigarette but isn't considered littering though. The scam lies in the absence of wastebins or ashtrays to get rid of the litter. In sharp contrast with places like Singapore or Hong Kong, where you can't miss them.

A scam involves fraud. Where is the fraud in not supplying enough wastebins to fulfill your requirements?

That litter can get so damn heavy can't it?!

And that line of business would be...what, exactly? Come on, we need some entertainment around here.I'd already made that clear in another thread - gay-thailand/bunny-goes-off-topic-again-t18285-15.html (http://www.sawatdee-gay-thailand.com/forum/gay-thailand/bunny-goes-off-topic-again-t18285-15.html)
You're just another Western sleazeball In Thailand up to every scam he can get into.

[quote="Beach Bunny":eljsekhz]And that line of business would be...what, exactly? Come on, we need some entertainment around here.I'd already made that clear in another thread - gay-thailand/bunny-goes-off-topic-again-t18285-15.html (http://www.sawatdee-gay-thailand.com/forum/gay-thailand/bunny-goes-off-topic-again-t18285-15.html)
You're just another Western sleazeball In Thailand up to every scam he can get into.[/quote:eljsekhz]

What "scam" exactly are you accusing me of? Jaywalking? Yeah...I do that. You got me, officer. It's a fair cop. Put on the shackles and drag me away. LOL.

I am sure there are littering laws in my country, dropping a cigarette but isn't considered littering though. The scam lies in the absence of wastebins or ashtrays to get rid of the litter. In sharp contrast with places like Singapore or Hong Kong, where you can't miss them.A scam involves fraud. Where is the fraud in not supplying enough wastebins to fulfill your requirements?Indeed. I think the poster imagines that racial profiling implies a scam rather than just identifying those most likely to pay larger contributions to that particular policeman's personal benevolent fund. It's a common tactic for corrupt police everywhere - no point in targeting the small fry unless you're at a checkpoint where you can extort money from everyone who comes along. As The Bunny assures us, transparency, treating everyone equally, and accountability are not needed in Thailand, he has decided (on behalf of the Thai people who are not capable of making the right decision on this topic). Any Thai who believes otherwise is welcome to go and live somewhere else.

What "scam" exactly are you accusing me of?Pretty much everything - you're that type of person.

As The Bunny assures us, transparency, treating everyone equally, and accountability are not needed in Thailand, he has decided (on behalf of the Thai people who are not capable of making the right decision on this topic). Any Thai who believes otherwise is welcome to go and live somewhere else.

Where did I "assure you" of any such foolishness? Quote me, please -- this should be fun. You and LMTU...two big fat peas in a lying pod.

[quote="Beach Bunny":2bq1c3cm]What "scam" exactly are you accusing me of?Pretty much everything - you're that type of person.[/quote:2bq1c3cm]

No wonder you're a "former" policeman...what with the way you go around accusing people of crimes with absolutely no evidence whatsoever.

[maisoui]

Any Thai who believes otherwise is welcome to go and live somewhere else.

Which planet were you a copper on? I think that "somewhere else" is limited to Asean and "welcome" is an exaggeration, for the majority of the Thai population.

[Brad the Impala]

[quote="Copper Pheel":208ffvwo][quote="Beach Bunny":208ffvwo]What "scam" exactly are you accusing me of?Pretty much everything - you're that type of person.[/quote:208ffvwo]

No wonder you're a "former" policeman...what with the way you go around accusing people of crimes with absolutely no evidence whatsoever.[/quote:208ffvwo]

That seemed to be the MO of the South Wales Police. Make an assumption, and then invent the evidence. It's the reason why many innocent people were jailed and many guilty escaped.

Or, as Copper Pheel called it, "all in a day's work".

In sharp contrast with places like Singapore or Hong Kong, where you can't miss them.

Wih the increasing terrorism threat it is actually very easy to "miss them" as they are now only in supervised areas such as airports. The same thing applies in most Western countries (bins on the London Underground, for example, were removed several years ago).


It's a common tactic for corrupt police everywhere - no point in targeting the small fry unless you're at a checkpoint where you can extort money from everyone who comes along.

Have you ever been to Thailand? Your idea of who is routinely "targeted" and who gets stopped at check points is the reverse of the norm here.

[Smiles]

" ... Have you ever been to Thailand? Your idea of who is routinely "targeted" and who gets stopped at check points is the reverse of the norm here ... "
On the money so to speak. The 'norm' in Thailand is to to target Thai people, for relatively small amounts ... but lots of times.
The cops who stop my guy constantly along the highway going back and forth from Hua Hin to Bangkok end up with 100 or 200 baht under his leaning arm . . . plus 100 or 200 baht from the other 20 or 50 (Thai) drivers they stop in a day ... X 5 days a week ... X 4 weeks a month etc etc.
Part of the money goes in the cops pocket, part of it to his boss, then to his boss, then to his boss ... everybody shares.
Big Scams on Big Farangs are but a drop in the bucket of The System.

[sjaak327]

In sharp contrast with places like Singapore or Hong Kong, where you can't miss them.

Wih the increasing terrorism threat it is actually very easy to "miss them" as they are now only in supervised areas such as airports. The same thing applies in most Western countries (bins on the London Underground, for example, were removed several years ago).



Well, I haven't been in Singpore he last 2,5 years, but last year I did go to Hong Kong, and you simply cannot miss them. (unless of course they have removed them all recently).

Now try and find a wastebin between Ploenchit and Payathai along Rama I in Bangkok. Nightmare, and coppers with itchy fingers to get you a ticket.

[maisoui]

In sharp contrast with places like Singapore or Hong Kong, where you can't miss them.

Wih the increasing terrorism threat it is actually very easy to "miss them" as they are now only in supervised areas such as airports. The same thing applies in most Western countries (bins on the London Underground, for example, were removed several years ago).



Well, I haven't been in Singpore he last 2,5 years, but last year I did go to Hong Kong, and you simply cannot miss them. (unless of course they have removed them all recently).

Now try and find a wastebin between Ploenchit and Payathai along Rama I in Bangkok. Nightmare, and coppers with itchy fingers to get you a ticket.

Actually, I recollect that there were a couple of bin bombs in HK in the mid-80s, one in the New World Centre, but they were reckoned to be racketeers rather than terrorist. I don't remember the RHKP recommending a reduction in litter facilities.

The 'norm' in Thailand is to to target Thai people, for relatively small amounts ... but lots of times.

And only the "small fry" - how many Benz's do you see pulled over next to the line of pick-ups (peferably with Isaan plates)?

Actually, all authorities approve spat/spit for the past tense and spit for the participle, but only some approve spat for the participle.

Beach Bunny's use of the word is universally accepted.
While, if Copper Pheel had argued that the use of spat is an alternative to spit there is enough support among academians that he is correct.

However, to suggest that spit is incorrect is incorrect.

I can answer a little bit of some of this stuff for you. Hi Guys by the way!!! Been really busy lol. For the littering, flicking a ciggarette bud onto the ground, ask them to take you to the police station. Do not say anything more than that, only ask them to take you to the station to pay the fine, as you will not do it on site. That will deter half of them right there. The other half that actually take you, as soon as you get there ask to talk to a superior officer. Tell them that the citing officer accused you of littering, ok where is the evidence? If you littered, then the officer did not have video of you doing it, and he most likely did not pickup the trash. Heading back to the scene, they will find it impossible to pick out what you had dropped. So it comes down to your word, against an officers who in all likeliness will be assumed of trying to shake you down, but to a failed degree. This really does work, i have had friends do this, and have done this myself.

As to the shoplifting, if you go into any convenience store and buy smokes or phone cards, they hand those to you first before you pay, most people out of habit put these in their pockets. Do not do this until you get your receipt, and check to make sure that everything is listed on the receipt. This is especially important at the airport 7-11's. They tried to accuse me of stealing a bottle of water from the 7-11 because I had a bottle in my back pocket that I had brought in from outside with me, and I stopped in 7-11 to buy some more for customers. After showing them the brand of the bottle I had, and that 7-11 did not sell that brand, they didn't even bother to bring me into their little police station, they just walked away in shame.

As for the jay-walking, if there are several people crossing, and they single you out. Tell the officer that you were following the other people, and you will be happy to pay the fine if he stops the other people and fines them as well. If you crossed on your own somewhere, try to cross when Thais are crossing, as they will likely not be able to harass you for this. I hope this advice helps a few guys out from getting bothered by the BIB.

I have had friends do this, and have done this myself.


Were you and your friends actually guilty of throwing trash on the street?

[quote="Mr.DreamTransport":1y86jtps]I have had friends do this, and have done this myself.
Were you and your friends actually guilty of throwing trash on the street?[/quote:1y86jtps]Or like Beach Bunny, guilty of posting trash online?

[quote="Beach Bunny":36ripffs][quote="Mr.DreamTransport":36ripffs]I have had friends do this, and have done this myself.
Were you and your friends actually guilty of throwing trash on the street?[/quote:36ripffs]Or like Beach Bunny, guilty of posting trash online?[/quote:36ripffs]

Or like Copper Pheel -- aka The Colonel -- pretending to be dead?

Or like Copper Pheel -- aka The Colonel -- pretending to be dead?
...what with the way you go around accusing people ... with absolutely no evidence whatsoever.

I don't think you would like me to post the evidence, "Stephen"...

I don't think you would like me to post the evidence, "Stephen"...I suggest you submit it to the Moderators and if it conforms to the posting guidelines I'm sure we'll all be happy to see it here.

[quote="Beach Bunny":19u655tv]I don't think you would like me to post the evidence, "Stephen"...I suggest you submit it to the Moderators and if it conforms to the posting guidelines I'm sure we'll all be happy to see it here.[/quote:19u655tv]

LOL. It would definitely not conform to posting guidelines, so I don't think I'll bother. You know who you are -- and what other aliases you are using (including "Curious" here -- and a plethora of others on other websites) -- and now everyone else does too, if they choose to believe me. I'm just wondering what kind of sick, pathetic individual fakes his own death to get attention. You know, there were people here who were genuinely concerned about you. I wonder how they feel now that they know the truth?

I love it when you back down and I certainly do not believe anything you say. Worried again that it will be another Richard's bar episode of divulging inappropriate material on a public forum. Copper Pheel seems happy that you can do that, via the moderator.....or are you worried that you have got the wrong person and the real one could bite you back on the arse!!

I can answer a little bit of some of this stuff for you.... I hope this advice helps a few guys out from getting bothered by the BIB.

Well, Mr DT, it may help those who have a persecution complex or a chip on their shoulder and prefer wasting time to behaving rationally, but I feel it may actually single you out as someone who is deliberately trying to cause trouble - it sounds a bit like some of Stickman's rants.

If you are prepared to go to such lengths to avoid paying a 200 baht fine (the 2,000 baht fine is only payable on conviction, not on the spot) for an offence you are guilty of ("flicking a ciggarette bud onto the ground") you put precious little value on your time (and your honesty).

Water at 7-11? They appear to have acted perfectly reasonably and politely - something you do not appear to have done.

Jay-walking? I can only presume you are joking.

Your posts have, I am afraid, put me off using your services as there appears to be a possibility that I would be sharing my vehicle with you - something I prefer not to do with the staff, and particularly with someone who likes to show off how bloody minded he can be for no reason.

I love it when you back down and I certainly do not believe anything you say. Worried again that it will be another Richard's bar episode of divulging inappropriate material on a public forum. Copper Pheel seems happy that you can do that, via the moderator.....or are you worried that you have got the wrong person and the real one could bite you back on the arse!!It's always best to stand up to bullies. If you go back over Beach Bunny's posts (as I did during a forensic examination for Interpol) it's interesting to see the bluster and lies (in the form of bare-faced denials) he uses when it is pointed out that he has had many posting identities over the life of this Board - and let's not even mention the supercilious scorn he uses when trying to discredit those who, apparently, know and refer to his pictured profile on other gay message boards. I'm told there are some people who even have his email address (something @ fIgjam, no doubt)!

Did you ever investigate any cases of fraudulent death claims while you were with Interpol? LOL.

Did you ever investigate any cases of fraudulent death claims while you were with Interpol?Only when they were an insurance scam. Thailand figured prominently though (of course).

[quote="Beach Bunny":2sbykgvi]Did you ever investigate any cases of fraudulent death claims while you were with Interpol?Only when they were an insurance scam. Thailand figured prominently though (of course).[/quote:2sbykgvi]

Any cases of old coots claiming to be in their mid fifties when they were obviously at least 10-15 years older than that?

Any cases of old coots claiming to be in their mid fifties when they were obviously at least 10-15 years older than that?I'll email you the details.

[quote="Beach Bunny":2bo7rqr5]Any cases of old coots claiming to be in their mid fifties when they were obviously at least 10-15 years older than that?I'll email you the details.[/quote:2bo7rqr5]

Please do, pet. I'm waiting.

[quote="Copper Pheel":1bd0t6z6][quote="Beach Bunny":1bd0t6z6]Any cases of old coots claiming to be in their mid fifties when they were obviously at least 10-15 years older than that?I'll email you the details.[/quote:1bd0t6z6]Please do, pet. I'm waiting.[/quote:1bd0t6z6]And you're the one who claims to know when someone's not telling the truth? :bounce:

[Brad the Impala]

It's always best to stand up to bullies. If you go back over Beach Bunny's posts (as I did during a forensic examination for Interpol)

Did you create this identity just to irritate the Bunny, or was it just to make a fool of yourself.

[quote="Copper Pheel":3svx1qrp]It's always best to stand up to bullies. If you go back over Beach Bunny's posts (as I did during a forensic examination for Interpol)Did you create this identity just to irritate the Bunny, or was it just to make a fool of yourself.[/quote:3svx1qrp]Yes.

[quote="Mr.DreamTransport":q2iofjxq]I can answer a little bit of some of this stuff for you.... I hope this advice helps a few guys out from getting bothered by the BIB.

Well, Mr DT, it may help those who have a persecution complex or a chip on their shoulder and prefer wasting time to behaving rationally, but I feel it may actually single you out as someone who is deliberately trying to cause trouble - it sounds a bit like some of Stickman's rants.

If you are prepared to go to such lengths to avoid paying a 200 baht fine (the 2,000 baht fine is only payable on conviction, not on the spot) for an offence you are guilty of ("flicking a ciggarette bud onto the ground") you put precious little value on your time (and your honesty).

Water at 7-11? They appear to have acted perfectly reasonably and politely - something you do not appear to have done.

Jay-walking? I can only presume you are joking.

Your posts have, I am afraid, put me off using your services as there appears to be a possibility that I would be sharing my vehicle with you - something I prefer not to do with the staff, and particularly with someone who likes to show off how bloody minded he can be for no reason.[/quote:q2iofjxq]


Gone, no offense, but someone was highlighting each and every topic that I was going into. There has to be a line drawn where you say, I'm not gonna pay because I'm a falang, and thats all there is to it. When I was on holiday here, looking back at the money I paid for various things, not having helmet on motorbike, 1k baht, police pulling you over for a random search when there is nobody around, hoping to find anything that can give them reason to extort you.

I spend more time at the airport, then I do at home. I always carry a bottle of water in my back pocket. So the same AOT officers I converse with everyday when waiting with my drivers, the same police that patrol the airport that see me day after day, would kind of have an idea about the bottle. If I don't have one with me, one of my friends from AOT that works the security detail at the #3 exit, asks me if I lost it.

I have had customers call me up, telling me about 15k baht a waverunner company wants because they scratched the waverunner. Friends asking me to get their rented motorbikes out of impound by having my wife go down to the station because she knows some of the officers. Not to mention that half of my drivers are former police and military, and think its insane the things they hear about the police these days. When a former police officer sees other policemen on the side of the road doing random stops, and points and says, Mafia!!, what does that say about the police over here.

As tourism has decreased here, the police have to turn to someone to make up their lost revenues, and that happens to be other Thais, so there is no love lost for any of the police here. The new scams and contrite things they come up with to extort tourists, really disappoints me. How many police do you see on the motorway running into Pattaya, next to none. How many do you see at the tollbooths anywhere else, at least 2-3 doing random stops. I actually care that people are getting stung because they are singled out as tourists, its just wrong. People try to do it to me on occasion, but after seeing I reside here, it becomes less of a nuisance.

To say that someone is being paranoid, when these things do happen, as originally posted, is just flat out ignorance. Does it happen so much that it should deter every person from coming over here, of course not. Do pickpockets roam the streets everywhere, of course not. But, is it wrong to take precautions, or just play things safe to avoid these kinds of situations? A 200baht fine, how many times do the police charge 400baht for a 200baht offense. How many times do they get thousands of baht out of someone over a 500baht ticket. When police do decide to take advantage of tourists and Thais alike? The police pulled over 2 minibuses of people coming back from a visa run, and wanted 2000baht. They figured there were 2 loads of tourist, and the last thing the visa company wanted was to get put behind schedule, or have more police come and draw the whole process out. So because it was easier to just be on their way instead of debating everything, and having every passport checked and customer disturbed, a 500baht bill was the payment for having done absolutely nothing wrong, other then being in a lane where police could stop the cars easily.

If thats your feeling about me and my company, good riddance to you. I don't think its right for people to be taken advantage of, and you think i'm on about bloody this or bloody that then so be it. Its alright to think about other people than yourself sometimes. The fact that you are willing to pay, just as the visa company did rather than being bothered to wait the police out as no wrong-doing was done, thats your choice. Not everyone is willing to give in, and are tired of hearing these same stories over and over again.

You haven't answered the question: did you actually throw trash on the street?

[litefoot2]

reality check: I initiated this thread with a direct request for info on how to respond if you are targeted by Thai police and falsely accused of something.

Quite revelatory on how quickly (i.e., first response) the thread devolved into sarcasm and became dyspeptic, spearheaded by one member. Reviewing other topics at random, this seems to be a standard pattern for the author.

Thanks to all of you who did offer serious feedback.

reality check: I initiated this thread with a direct request for info on how to respond if you are targeted by Thai police and falsely accused of something.

The correct reply to your original question ("...One question: are there any firm guidelines on what to do if this happens to you? .... Have any consulates or travel authorities offered direction?" ) is no and no, although a couple of embassies have warned about shoplifting at the airport (the subject of a separate and lengthy thread.

How best to respond? No different from how you should respond in our own countries - politely, courteously and rationally and that is probably how you will be treated. Behave like a football hooligan who has had one too many with his fellow yobs and that is how you deserve to be treated. Yes, stopping drivers is a regular event, particularly if they are taxis (of any variety), but that is not a problem that concerns most "innocent tourists".



You haven't answered the question: did you actually throw trash on the street?

The answer appears to be "yes, and I also committed all the other offences but I don't see why I should pay, and anyway I like letting everyone know that you don't mess with Mr DT".

Rather than paranoid, I think delusional would be more appropriate. Before, every policeman at the airport knew him by name - now they are all checking what brand of water he drinks. "Not to mention" that in a country with conscription it is hardly surprising that a lot of people were in the military.


How many police do you see on the motorway running into Pattaya, next to none. How many do you see at the tollbooths anywhere else, at least 2-3 doing random stops.

Unbelievable. Just what would be the life expectancy of someone stopping traffic on the expressway - and how many accidents would they cause? There are police stations at most of the tollbooths - it is their job to do checks there ... and there are highway police checkpoints set up on Suhumvit Road North and South of Pattaya on most days.


If thats your feeling about me and my company, good riddance to you. .....The fact that you are willing to pay, ..... thats your choice.

Yes, if I deliberately and knowingly break the law in any country that is my choice and I am willing to pay - if someone else gets away with it that does not excuse my behaviour. In all the time I have been living and driving here I have been stopped by the highway police twice - once for doing a U turn where it was clearly not allowed (200 baht fine, fair enough) and once for remaining in the "fast" lane for too long (smiled and said I hadn't been into that lane at all, he smiled and said "OK"); I have also been pulled over and given a cursory search once when on my motorbike (fair enough - no drugs, I smiled, he saluted).

The BIB are far from perfect, but does that mean that as an "innocent tourist" (or even a resident expat) you are likely to be "shaken down"? No. Behave like an arsehole, however, and that is how you deserve to be treated.