Police harassment in Bangkok.

[thaiguest]

I see many reports of police harassment of tourists in the districts of Thong Lo and Lumpini. It's a theme that's posted across forums including Thai Visa and TripAdvisor. I note that the British ambassador has stated that he has discussed the matter with senior tourist police officers.
I'm wondering if any of you Bkk-based guys have experienced this harassment.

[marti]

Just like you I read a lot about it but, thankfully, I have not experienced it nor has anyone I know. The Thai police are too often just scum.

Just like you I read a lot about it but, thankfully, I have not experienced it nor has anyone I know. The Thai police are too often just scum.You could of left "too often" out - they are always scum that is why there uniform is the colour of shit.

[fountainhall]

I see many reports of police harassment of tourists in the districts of Thong Lo and Lumpini
I believe the most recent "report" was from a published article some weeks ago. There have been comments about it elsewhere in SGT but I cannot locate the thread. All I can say is that I have lived not far from Lumphini for 13 years and am in the Sathorn/Rama 4 area virtually every day. Never once have I been stopped by any police and never have I had to show my passport other than in a bank, a phone company to set up an account or other similar commercial transaction requiring proof of identity. The "report" I referred to specifically mentioned the Asoke area. I frequently change there from the MRT to the BTS and often visit Terminal 21. I don't recall ever seeing any policeman on those trips. I have certainly never seen anyone being harrassed!

[Smiles]

I highly suspect that the 'harassment' stories (freakouts is more like it) emanate from a very few and from very specific areas: my guess is that if one hangs out around Nana Plaza or Soi Cowboy areas (both within a few minutes walk of the Sukhumvit skytrain line) and, every night around 1AM or 2AM you will see a mass exodus of totally drunken and behaving-badly slobbering puking farangs trying to crawl/wobble/navigate the lovely sidewalks of Sukhumvit Rd attempting to flag down a ride to get home. Like a herd of Wildebeest being picked of one by one by the lions.
Tough.

[Surfcrest]

There have been comments about it elsewhere in SGT but I cannot locate the thread.
Here it is!

http://sawatdeenetwork.com/forum/something-fishy-the-land-smiles-t31095.html

Surfcrest

[christianpfc]

I don't frequent that area and have only once been stopped by police (sitting in a taxi without safety belt).

This subject has been treated extensively on stickmanbangkok.

[Smiles]

" ... I don't frequent that area and have only once been stopped by police (sitting in a taxi without safety belt) ... "
Christian, I doubt whether the Thai Police give a flying fuck whether you are sitting in the back seat of a Bangkok taxi NOT wearing a seat belt.
For god sake, they couldn't give a hoot whether the four children on a motorcycle taxi are wearing helmets or not ... as long as the driver has one on. (And even then, only a small number of drivers are pulled over for helmetlessness.)
And I doubt whether you being stopped for that offence could be reasonably classified as 'harassment'. That circumstance would not be part of this particular discussion.

[thaiguest]

I highly suspect that the 'harassment' stories (freakouts is more like it) emanate from a very few and from very specific areas: my guess is that if one hangs out around Nana Plaza or Soi Cowboy areas (both within a few minutes walk of the Sukhumvit skytrain line) and, every night around 1AM or 2AM you will see a mass exodus of totally drunken and behaving-badly slobbering puking farangs trying to crawl/wobble/navigate the lovely sidewalks of Sukhumvit Rd attempting to flag down a ride to get home. Like a herd of Wildebeest being picked of one by one by the lions.
Tough.

Thanks for the reply.
I've many of the reports on the forums I mentioned and non of them involve drunk falangs . What's new and disturbing about this reported harassment is the fact that ordinary tourists both individuals and couples are aggressively questioned, searched, have phone messages checked and are sometimes reqired to give a urine sample. Many alleged victims claim that extortion was the motive. (!?)
The main zone involved is near Asok but some tourists have been removed from taxis in other parts of the city and given the same treatment. One guy reported being stopped and abused wearing casual clothes and at a later date dressed formally.
The reports have been carried by one British and one Australian newspaper.
Looking at the replies here it looks like the gays have been left alone.

[ainamor]

Looking at the replies here it looks like the gays have been left alone.

Unless the police have some new superpower I very much doubt that they know (or care) if someone is gay before they stop them.

[thaiguest]

Looking at the replies here it looks like the gays have been left alone.

Unless the police have some new superpower I very much doubt that they know (or care) if someone is gay before they stop them.

I can spot flaming queens going into the yellow deckchairs section from as far off as Bondi restaurant.
I have been know to swat a mosquito a little limp-wristedly on occasions but not often.

[christianpfc]

Smiles, I was sitting in the front (as I usually do), and not wearing seat belt was a problem which could be solved by a donation of 500 Baht.

To the OP: you are weeks late, this subject has been discussed on the forums, and according to stickman it's over.

[firecat69]

+1

[thaiguest]

Smiles, I was sitting in the front (as I usually do), and not wearing seat belt was a problem which could be solved by a donation of 500 Baht.

To the OP: you are weeks late, this subject has been discussed on the forums, and according to stickman it's over.
I have to agree it's a few weeks old issue on the forums now but that still makes it recent.
What's significant is that it has occurred during the great "reformation" and perhaps because of it-maybe the closure of "happy ending" venues has sent the BIB to greener pastures.
I hope Stickman is correct that "it's over " but I wonder how he could possibly know that.

[thaiguest]

Police Col Chutrakul has been removed from Thong Lor to Ang Thong province since last Wednesday according to Thai Visa. He denies that the big social media campaign against police harassment had anything to do with the move.
Not sure yet where Ang Thong province is but I hope it's mostly a mosquito-ridden swamp.

[christianpfc]

Ang Thong is about 100 km north of Bangkok, the province north of Ayutthaya. There are some interesting wats which I visited last year. However, there is no cinema in the entire province: http://www.bangkokpost.com/most-recent/ ... -screening (http://www.bangkokpost.com/most-recent/415470/cinema-less-province-demands-free-film-screening)

[BonTong]

To the OP: you are weeks late, this subject has been discussed on the forums, and according to stickman it's over.

It made Time magazine yesterday. The first hand tale recounted is from Christmas, but the subsequent analysis is still relevant:

time.com:The Land of Smiles? How about the Land of Shakedowns? (http://time.com/3674200/thailand-tourism-police-corruption-shakedown-extortion/)

[sydneyboy]

This Time report cannot be easily dismissed. There is obviously a major problem.

[firecat69]

VERY OLD NEWS!!!!

[dab69]

The army should bring back the journalist to identify/prosecute the police
and put an end to further harassment.
Surely there was a camera in the bar.

VERY OLD NEWS!!!!Oh, you're admitting it's news (old or otherwise) now, are you? Your previous posts asserted that it didn't happen at all. I guess this falls into the same bucket of general ignorance about Thailand that we've had from you eg. the whole "public displays of affection" thread where you kept asserting over and over that since all Thais are sluts they shouldn't object to seeing two Westerners having a gay display of affection on a BTS, and then remaining silent when the Thais (another incident) blew up PDAs (again on a BTS as I recall) and it became a huge controversy. Essentially your opinions about the Thais and Thailand are worthless.

[BonTong]

VERY OLD NEWS!!!!
The question is not whether it is old news but whether it is still going on. The report in time was an event from only a month ago and goes on to explain why this is likely still happening.

[Surfcrest]

Similar story last month from Al Jazeera;

Notorious Thai police and tourist shakedowns

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2014/12/notorious-thai-police-tourist-shakedowns-201412209124176142.html

[thaiguest]

Ang Thong is about 100 km north of Bangkok, the province north of Ayutthaya. There are some interesting wats which I visited last year. However, there is no cinema in the entire province: http://www.bangkokpost.com/most-recent/ ... -screening (http://www.bangkokpost.com/most-recent/415470/cinema-less-province-demands-free-film-screening)
99
And very few falang looking for wats and cimemas and even then of little interest in the said Wats and Cinemas.

[thaiguest]

VERY OLD NEWS INDEED -since when did civil suppression become OLD NEWS after only 3 weeks?
Christianfc states that this has been "discussed on the forums" and Stickman say it's over....How does he know this and who the f-ck is Stickman?

[christianpfc]

Stickman reports about the straight bar scene and travel in Thailand and around. I appreciate his columns.

http://www.stickmanbangkok.com/Stickman ... e-stop.htm (http://www.stickmanbangkok.com/StickmanWeeklyColumn2012/Bangkok-police-stop.htm)
and paragraphs in recent columns.

Recently I learned about stickboy, but don't know what their connection is.
http://www.stickboybangkok.com/news/pol ... sukhumvit/ (http://www.stickboybangkok.com/news/police-stop-searches-sukhumvit/)

Old news: this has been going on for years (no personal experience about police harassment in Asok, but with fixed fare taxis at the airport). From time to time there is a public outrage, then it gets toned down a bit for a while, and after some months it's back to normal. Live with it!

[Smiles]

" ... From time to time there is a public outrage, then it gets toned down a bit for a while, and after some months it's back to normal. Live with it!"
Spot on Christian! Frothing at the mouth regarding Thai police actions of any kind, at any time, in any place, suggests nothing more than naivete on the part of the frothers.
Some things never change in Thailand, and never will: petty police shakedowns come and go, it's like the tide.
By the way, if you think the nonsense which goes on with Farangs is froth-worth, you should be aware of the bullshit regular Thai people going about their daily business have to put up with. In comparison, Farangs taking a pee in a bottle once in a blue moon is minor chickenshit.
As The Godfather said: " ... it's not personal, it's business ... "

[thaiguest]

" ... From time to time there is a public outrage, then it gets toned down a bit for a while, and after some months it's back to normal. Live with it!"
Spot on Christian! Frothing at the mouth regarding Thai police actions of any kind, at any time, in any place, suggests nothing more than naivete on the part of the frothers.
Some things never change in Thailand, and never will: petty police shakedowns come and go, it's like the tide.
By the way, if you think the nonsense which goes on with Farangs is froth-worth, you should be aware of the bullshit regular Thai people going about their daily business have to put up with. In comparison, Farangs taking a pee in a bottle once in a blue moon is minor chickenshit.
As The Godfather said: " ... it's not personal, it's business ... "

Don't tell me but rather ask me and others about chronic police shakedowns in Thailand.

However sufficient to say that you and Christianpfc are 100% WRONG in lumping the specific cases in question here with normal police harassment.

This campaign of tourist harassment is UNIQUE and UNPRECEDENTED and has made headlines around the world as a result.

[Smiles]

" ... This campaign of tourist harassment is UNIQUE and UNPRECEDENTED and has made headlines around the world as a result... "
And I'm perfectly happy to know that you have the not-so-unique capacity to be able to talk yourself into believing utter nonsense. C'est la vie.

[firecat69]

+1

[BonTong]

Well now it get's interesting: Doubts emerge over Time report on police harassment (http://bangkok.coconuts.co/2015/01/28/doubts-emerge-over-time-report-police-harassment)

As often happens in Thailand, we are left wondering who is telling the biggest porkies..... :^o :^o :^o

[Smiles]

:)) That would be about right. Thanks Bon Tong for the link.

Love the part of the story where the cops deny anything happened ... then immediately pledged to put an end to it.
So deliciously Thai.

[firecat69]

It will be interesting to see all the posters who jumped on the original BS stories like it was gospel , now question their own perceptions. Was always looking for 1 poster from any of the recognized Thailand sites(that many of us visit) who had experienced this BS or had a friend who had experienced it.

Of course there were no personal posts by members known to others who had experienced this kind of police harassment.

The problem with the age of Google is that 1 idiot posting a supposed factual story can be picked up by hundreds of Blogs and sites such as Thaivisa and regurgitated like it is fact. Many times it turns out to be Fiction!!

[Smiles]

Where is Thaiguest?

[marti]

Today I was stopped by a police officer for making an illegal left turn in my car on Sukhumvit Road. He was very polite and nice and no harassment at all. He just requested a bribe and I paid and we departed as good friends should.

[thaiguest]

Where is Thaiguest?

Thaiguest is here, alive and well.
My o. post contained no fiction and no error. It referred to REPORTS of harassment and cited Thai Visa and TripAdvisor as examples. I checked both sources and 2 foreign newspapers and found just such REPORTS.
I sought to verify such REPORTS by asking the BKK brigade here if they had experienced any such harassment.
I think I took an impirical and rational approach to this REPORT issue.

[Smiles]

Where is Thaiguest?
Thaiguest is here, alive and well.
My o. post contained no fiction and no error. It referred to REPORTS of harassment and cited Thai Visa and TripAdvisor as examples. I checked both sources and 2 foreign newspapers and found just such REPORTS.
I sought to verify such REPORTS by asking the BKK brigade here if they had experienced any such harassment.
I think I took an impirical and rational approach to this REPORT issue.
Are you trying to actually say something or other of importance about "REPORTS" (capitalized four times)?
EMPIRICALLY-wise that is.

[BonTong]

The Police have announced a new policy:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B8_dvZiIcAQcv_C.jpg

twitter.com/stephffart (https://twitter.com/stephffart/)

[Smiles]

:-B
Once the price of oil gets back up into the mid-$US-200s and the Canadian Dollar ascends with it then once again I guess I can consider myself part of the High Priority Gang.
As for right now, I'm hanging on for dear life to the back of a Baht Bus loaded up with a pack of screaming Rooskies wearing wildly inappropriate muscle shirts and no deodorant.
All things act in discernable wave motions over time ... and so will the CAN-$.

[BOY69]

I will arrive to BKK next week , Can someone advise about the current situation there ? :-s

[Smiles]

I will arrive to BKK next week , Can someone advise about the current situation there ? :-s
Boy69 ... the 'current situation' in Bangkok is perfectly fine. Just your normal old military dictatorship in which the army takes over this country every 5 years or so. Not much different than most coups except Thailand's version of such shenanigans is ridiculously benign, even gentle.
As a tourist in Thailand you'll probably not even notice anything . . . and Thais will carry on trying to make money off you (with a smile), and they will succeed. And you will have fun.