richard_smith237

I agree with you 100%.... Now... was this an occurrence whereby the guy drove his ambulance home with lights and sirens on every night and a couple of locals just had enough ???? I’ve no idea of course, but when trying to work out what would trigger a couple of guys to throw stones at the ambulance that is one of a number of possible reasons.

You were there? Were you ?? did the ambulance driver have the lights and siren on ??? As wrong as it is, could that have been the trigger for the motorcyclists to act in the way they did ? Or... other possible reasons (as posted higher up).

Not all all... I just call out unfounded silly comments... especially when that person gaslights in the most ridiculous manner in an attempt to virtue signal their faux outrage.... You were called out on your silly response by both LL and I, you are now comically ‘doubling down’.... Everyone agrees its wrong to throw rocks at an ambulance, no one has stated otherwise regardless of how your questionable English standards may have misinterpreted someone else’s comments.

You claimed that he [vocalneal] thinks or claims its ok in his world to throw stones at ambulances... That is not what he wrote - You were wrong. You don’t know you were wrong. You are refusing to accept you were mistaken / wrong. Ergo... Your English is either far worse than it initially appears, or, you are refusing to accept error with the comical attempt to safe face and instead landing flat on it !!! No one has claimed it is Ok to throw rocks at an ambulance !!!.... its really very simple !

It will be very interesting to see what the story is (or google translation of the story)... Waiting...

Nope.. Only a tool would suggest something such an exaggerated strawman fallacy to point score.... we’ve already established you are not... haven't we ? Were we reading HER social media posts (i.e. copied and pasted into an article), or someones translation / interpretation / elaboration of HER social media posts ??? - it seems this is where there may be some evolution of the story and some distortion of her claims. Did SHE change her story? or has other peoples interpretation of what she wrote altered (I’m not sure). I totally agree... I’m not impartial here... Having lived here for 25 years, when someone publicly claims they were extorted by the Thai police to the tune of 27,000 baht, I’m inclined to believe them. I accept that this bias is clouding my judgment.

I'm pretty sure you’d blame the victims !!! It seems you are already blaming every foreign who gets stopped by the Police for drawing the attention upon themselves. I’m obviously bias against the Police in situations like this, I’m happy to admit that, my history here and the influence of reading many such reports has created this bias. I am aware of my bias but an prepared to be shown otherwise. However, thus far there is nothing that suggest the Taiwanese actress has lied, but there is a lot of misinformation.... - The police have not denied there was a stop, so that part we know is true. - The stop was for over 1 hour ?... what happened in that 1 hour ? - There are murky details, some initial misinformation (about being at the police station with a group of Koreans - was this misreporting / poor translation ?... was she in the car with some koreans ?) - There was reports that the Police had claimed her visa was false. - It was also reported that she was not carrying her passport. - It was reported that she was searched and they found a Vape device. - It was reported that she was openly smoking vape in front of the police.

I kind of figured I was playing Watson to your Sherlock... You seem to have more up to date info than I and have corrected me a couple of times.... ... there’s a fair bit of info passing the ‘sniff test’... but quite a bit which is also stinks of back-pedalling and coverup by the police... then there is the misinterpretation and willy fighting going on further muddying the waters !!!...

Ah.. so thats why you’re an expert on benzo’s.... you need them sedate your adorable pitties !!!

Well... to start with... Do you even enter these area’s in the evenings ??? Do you drive or ride in the areas where there are check-points... Because, if all you are doing is sitting in the middle the countryside and rarely travel into major area’s then you are hardly a prime candidate for such experiences. That said, if you are living in central Bangkok and go out a lot late at night, its surprising your taxi has never been stopped by the BiB for a quick-check. So, it doesn’t happen?... or others just bring it on themselves, the way they look etc? I was passenger in a taxi when I was stopped (3x) twice very late at night... another time at 7pm - Posters had the ridiculous comments that it may have been the way I was dressed, or looked drunk etc.... utterly ridiculous that they couldn’t accept that sometimes the BiB just pull over a ‘white face’ and see what they can get.... There were stories of pensioners who’ve been stopped walking on Sukhumvit rd and made to pee in a cup?? (stories of that and many others were on this forum).... ... you seem to be implying that because you have not experienced these issues that others are embellishing or making up the stories because statistically it should have happened to you. Thats just like the guys who claim they never have an issue with a taxi not using the meter, ergo others must be lying... yet they never go into the main entertainment areas of town or areas known for cheating taxi drivers ! Statistically, half the people are of below average intelligence... once that sinks in you may allow your mind to open a little and understand that plenty of people experience issues that you may not... you’ll just have to accept their word for it.... No one has complained of being pulled over without a helmet - you are making up your own facts now... People have mentioned being pulled over for no apparent reason. No... the story started off with an article which relayed the Taiwanese actresses story and there were subsequent numerous articles which contradicted each other through either misunderstanding, exaggerating or embellishing the facts. What has not been altered is the Police Taking 27,000 Baht of the lady. The GrabDriver was waiting for an hour before he departed the scene - in that time its perfectly believable that the BiB accused the Actress of having the wrong (or fake) visa... or didn’t even have a passport with her and was being hassled by the BiB... All perfectly believable, its also understandable how the ‘retelling’ of these events may have picked up on the wrong facts particularly with some Thai reporters translating from Mandarin. This lady has not made a formal statement, we have only read ’numerous other peoples reporting of events’ hence the contradiction.

You'd perhaps first have to consider IQ is not measured in percentage..... but hey, you’re still smarter than the other Westerners, right ???? ????????????

In this world you live in..... Is any female of pale complexion taller than 5ft a ladyboy ???

Implying your iQ is 19% higher than the average ‘Westerner’.... Hubris !!!

They’re doing a specific job... looking for ‘people smuggling’.... I recall driving from Mae Sot over the mountains there..... ... there were 4 check-points.... one glance in the car and the Wife and it, its clear they were not interested. The same for the Check-points that are often set up when travelling south from Bangkok.... They take a glance inside, see a foreigner.... they are not interested. They’re doing their job and looking for drug-smugglers.... Wife and I clearly don’t fit a profile. BUT... in Bangkok, a taxi of tourists is stopped for one reason.... the BiB think they can make money. This is exactly the same reasons tourists on motorcycles are often stopped in area’s like Phuket, the BiB know they can make some money.

It actually makes you realise how civilised Thailand is compared to many other countries... Getting up before the plane has stopped and clambering for luggage seems to be a national sport in some countries !!!.... As is crowding the luggage carousel as close as possible... The collective mentality is often baffling !...

you still do that ? Yeah... why wouldn’t I ? I walk through a door and if someone is close behind me I slow to leave the door open for them, if someone is coming towards me (close by) I stop and leave the door open for them.... I very rarely receive a thanks... but don’t do that for thanks... I do it because I’m not an ignorant ayhole !! Conversely so, when following someone through a door here (Bangkok) its more common for people to walk through and allow the door to swing closed behind them, than it is to be socially aware and adjust to keep a door open for someone. I don’t see it as impolite - I just see it as many Thai’s being so insular and within themselves they are not aware of things going on around them.... That said, there are plenty who behave different and carry more westernised habits in plug areas. Its something that happens, but never something that would bother me... they same as surly Russian’s or over zealous Americans.... its just a difference thats all.

Ahh.... the good old... “if you don’t like it go home” comment...... ... a favourite of narrow minded people who can’t understand that its ok to have an opinion and discuss it on a forum designed for.... wait for it.... ‘Discussion’ !!!!!!!....

Yet we still get those utterly dumb-a$$ comments from posters who’ll state things such as... ... "I’ve been driving here for 20 years and have never been stopped".... as if they are suggesting that all the other first hand examples are from people who for whatever reason are lying and only their experience counts !!!....

There you go... In the same manner you may get over the top gushing reacting from others in other cultures, whereas with some cultures we find the interaction a little more surly... There are characteristics of the nations of some countries that I find objectionable... its just cultural and they ‘way people are’. As you mentioned, a nod of recognition would be enough for you, others would find anything less than a verbal thanks impolite. The same can be argued of Thai’s going through a door you’ve held open for them. Every culture and nation has its differences where ‘culture’ is used to explain or write off something we don’t find so polite.

I'm not sure it is anymore... But.. ‘back in the day’ (about 15 years ago or so) there used to be frequent reports on this forum of guys getting searched at Ekammai bus station before taking the bus to Pattaya..... ... the BiB, obviously profiling single middle aged to older men, would go through belongings looking for Viagra (or looking for anything) and when finding Viagra they’d fine the unsuspecting playa... plenty of whom would then come onto this forum and complain about it. One example here... https://aseannow.com/topic/303398-beware-police-at-ekkamai-bus-station/

Thats something I can easily believe.... So many tourists and people vaping in the streets, no one knows its actually illegal.... ... Actually, I don’t think vaping itself is illegal, I think it is the importation of vaping products which is. Thus - it could be argued that the lady was not doing anything illegal by vaping (I’m not certain of that though). The question still remains: What were the group [Taiwan tourists] doing out of the car in the first place ? What possible reason would the police have for getting them out of the car and searching them? What grounds for a search was there? what suspicion of criminal activity did they have? IMO - the answers to these questions are obvious.... the BiB were harassing tourists knowing they could extort them for money... I suspect the BiB were really hoping to find drugs so they could have their pay-day.... when that didn’t happen they were extorted for something ridiculous.

Exactly that.... They didn’t anticipate demand, people have been waiting months 6-8 months in Thailand an in many other nations. One poster on this forum [properperson] found one in another city, went there and made the purchase. I attended the motor-show last year with the intention of booking one - they’d all gone and were taking no more reservations. I called around 10 Honda Motorcycle dealerships around Bangkok.... ....one had one in stock... I went there, saw it, said I’d take it... then the sales lady came back and said sorry, that one was already booked !!... the staff I’d spoken to on the phone had no idea that it was booked (apologetic).... I was told I could ‘book one’ but the wait list was long.... I’d already sold my other bike in anticipation of getting the ADV 350.... so I was without ‘wheels’.... I ended up getting something completely different.

Another non expert comment. Back in your box sunshine..... Thank you for providing perfect evidence of this !!!...

Same thing... I actually got out and started arguing (light heartedly of course), certain that my tax was expiring in Nov... ( I couldn’t read the Thai month on the tax disk )... this was before Google Translate worked well from a photo. Sent the photo to my Wife who told me the tax had expired 3 months ago !!!... Damn !!!... I laughed, told the Policeman he was correct... got back in the car, handed him 100 baht. He was still staying "no 200 baht" while I was driving off !!!... Mistakes happen and I like the fact that the mistake didn’t cost me £1000 (or 5x the tax) as it would in the UK - the tax on my last UK car was £480 ( so that fine would have been £1920 ) - but, when the stakes get that high we don’t make such mistakes. I have no idea when the tax is due up on the my Motorcycle or my Car.. Its something I’ll have to remember to double check !!! My paint here.... We all don’t mind the corruption we see as being harmless... i.e. paying a small ‘on the spot fine’ when our tax is out of date.... BUT... getting our taxi stopped at night and searched in the hope that the BiB can find something, a viagra tablet, a vape pen, or try and fine us for not carrying a passport..... it all crosses a line....

We'll I’m clearly bias against the BiB in this case - that much is obvious... I’m looking for reasons to think otherwise and nothing stands out at all. Can you point me to any ‘factual evidence’ because all I’ve read on this is the news paper reports, many of which seems to contradict another. Please feel free to correct any of what I wrote if you have more factual information as you did earlier on in the thread (when it turns out they had not been taken to a police station and earlier reports were false). The GrabDriver states he was there for an hour before he left (True of false) ? Why would they take an hour at the check-point ? - can you think of a reason other than extortion ? It would be interesting to see the CCTV footage and identify what actually can be made out. I’m skeptical that the BiB would have reviewed this without any bias. IF they were there for over an hour, I’m skeptical that the BiB even looked at the footage for that long !!