richard_smith237

26 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

17 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

There was no reason to Jail him - he is married and lives here, he'd already been processed and was obviously not a 'flight risk' and the BiB knew it.

Yes there was, drunk driving and the need tp appear in court the next morning.

In which case every such example results in an overnight stay in jail which is not the case. 
 

Hence, the jail stay was uncharacteristic of the conventional response to such an offence. 

37 minutes ago, MangoKorat said:

I 'get it' completely - I get that now, instead of admitting that you are wrong, you are now going 50/50 by saying 'there becomes a point' bla bla bla.

 

The actual fact is that you have a choice, you can pay your way out of a situation or you can refuse (if you know you are right).  You cannot say I'm wrong, because I know it to be true. I refuse, others pay.  At the start of your argument you were stating that its reality and claiming its what you have to do if you live in Thailand. Now you say that you do 'stand up' but only to a point. Which is it?

 

You then move on to calling me naive - how can that be correct when I have proved time and time again that you don't have to pay the police - and that's the nub of it - you don't have to if you are sure you've done nothing wrong, That is plain and simple corruption and although you may not think so, you do have a choice.

 

Yes, choosing not to pay may well cost you time, even money but for someone like me who is totally anti corruption, paying the police is out of the question. I'd rather go to court and end up with a bigger fine if I lost.

Stopping for traffic lights, I recall getting pulled over to the side for speeding... the policeman said a police officer with a speed camera caught me further up the road... 

I asked how fast I was going, the officer couldn't tell me.... 

I asked him what the speed limit was - he said 95 kmh (I knew it was 90) - then walked away.

Another officer came to the window, I asked the same questions, he couldn't tell me the speed but told me the limit was 90 kmh. 

...  I knew this game...    I called both officers to come to the door (of my car) and pointed out of if they can't tell me the speed limit, where is the proof...  Show me proof and write me an official ticket. 

Their response... OK.. Please drive carefully... I thanked them for their concern and drove on.

Its perfectly acceptable to challenge things politely when we know we are not in the wrong - the BiB here are humans like everyone else. 

1 minute ago, treetops said:

9 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Thus: The Op hasn't been quite specific in his figures - I went with the % and BAC equivalent but may have been mistaken and his reading was actually 27 micrograms per 100 ml...  in which case he was over even with a standard driving license (but still under the equivalent UK limits).

 

I think you were correct with your original assumptions, my point was that he could also have been locked up in parts of the UK at these levels as what you are quoting as a UK limit is much lower in Scotland.

Agreed -  I was mistaken when quoting the UK level...  I should have written the England and Wales Level. 

The DUI limits for Scotland are less - and the same as Thailand (full licence) at: 22 micrograms per 100 ml / equivalent to 0.05% BAC

3 minutes ago, faraday said:

What happened?

 

I quoted Sungod & the wording was changed. 

 

Yours,

 

confused of isaan 

( been here 90 years)

School of Hard Knocks followed by the University of life  ?????   

7 minutes ago, sungod said:

I'm off for 15 pints and a couple of joints in a titty bar in the Pattaya ghetto, dont worry, I will be taking a taxi home.

 

Catch you all later.

Nothing wrong with that at all - Enjoy !!!...    

8 minutes ago, sungod said:

I just call a spade a spade, nothing about being defensive. Plenty others on here find many of your posts condescending.

I can understand that, people don't like being wrong or called out for their rubbish and take things personally and get defensive.... 

I've called you out for attacking another poster with flawed commentary - naturally you don't like it because you lack the emotional tools to sit back and recognise your commentary was flawed... 

You will probably read MangoKorats latest comment, recognise that you were incorrect -but face and ego will prevent you from openly admitting that. 

14 minutes ago, treetops said:

15 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

As a comparison - the DUI limit in the UK is 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath (0.08% BAC equivalent) - the Op was still under the UK DUI limit.

 

Only in parts of the UK.  In others it's 22 micrograms or 0.05% BAC so the OP could have been locked up there too.

Valid point: I may well have been wrong in my initial assesment of the Ops numbers:

It actually depends on the exact units the Op was measured with.

He was given a percentage and a 27 value - which is somewhat contradictory... 

Thus: his value could have been: 

0.027% BAC equivalent...   

..which is under the UK limit (of 0.08% BAC) / 35 micrograms per 100 ml

Or

27 micrograms per 100 ml which as you rightly point out is over The Thailand limit of 22 micrograms per 100 ml / equivalent to 0.05% BAC

Thus: The Op hasn't been quite specific in his figures - I went with the % and BAC equivalent but may have been mistaken and his reading was actually 27 micrograms per 100 ml...  in which case he was over even with a standard driving license (but still under the equivalent UK limits).

8 minutes ago, MangoKorat said:

Naive?  I think I've explained fairly comprehensively why I'm not and others have also commented that their experiences have been the same.  I would not be stupid enough to state that the police never take a cut - simply because I don't know that.  What I do know is my experiences and those are that you do not have to pay the police. How can my experiences be naive?

 

No, the police are not doing it for the love of their job but by both sides coming to an agreement, their job can often be made much easier - they don't seem to like working or filling in forms very much.

 

Yes, I know very well that people do pay the police, its common knowledge but that's usually because they have been breaking the law - sometimes by drink driving. All I'm saying is that if you are certain you have done nothing wrong, you don't have to pay them.  Get your phone out and start recording - see what they do.

 

Its barstool rubbish and very much like those who claim they've been 'fined' for doing DIY on their home.  They mistake police corruption for the truth, the stories perpetuate and become the truth in many people's eyes..  A member once posted on here that he had been fined by the police for working when all he had done was to drill a hole in the wall of his home.  If that story was true, what he should have done was refuse to pay anything and ask for his day in court.  I discussed that story with my Thai lawyer who stated that it was rubbish - there wasn't a court in the land that would have fined him for doing that and he should have refused.

 

The police have learned that they can squeeze cash out of some foreigners so they try - next time you have a problem and you know they are wrong - grow a pair and refuse.

Again - a perfectly reasonable response and wholly accurate example of normal life in Thailand.

Those who don't see things in a similar manner are either limited in the experiences, perhaps due to only being in certain area's of Thailand (such as central Pattaya) etc... and project from that experience, or they simply have not been here to garner sufficient well informed base of understanding.

6 minutes ago, sungod said:

21 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Your "the falang is always in the wrong'" argument is also very flawed...  seems you only have 'bar-stool' experience if you believe that tosh... 

 

The continued problem you have with your barstool Richard is that its higher than everyone elses, its why you are always looking down your nose at people who dare challenge you.

I don't... I’m no stranger to sharp, reasoned debate - many here challenge me with arguments of substance and intellect.

You, however, now take offence not because I condescend, but because your flimsy notions collapse under the weight of basic common sense.

It’s not that I’m looking down on you; it’s that you're craning your neck to glimpse the lowest rung of reason and you now get defensive.

1 minute ago, sungod said:

13 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

The reality of being here for well over two decades is good enough thanks...  

 

Always makes me giggle when posters think they can large it up by saying how long they have been here, what you trying to say, you haven't been here as long as me? 🤣

I've been here for long enough to know how things work here...  thats not 'larging it up' ye daftie, its simple fact.

I don't disagree with your comments on corruption - its part of the game we have to get involved with here to make life simpler and avoid delays etc...   but other 'disagreements' you expressed with MangoKorat highlight your flawed opinions...  i.e. you stated he needs to take a reality check, when his driving here is perfectly legal etc... 

... you've only sought to contradict him deliberately avoiding common ground that lengthy experience if being here brings...   This indicates you either live in a very different area of Thailand (i.e. a farang Ghetto in Pattaya) or you are simply inexperienced to the realities of general life in Thailand - particularly when it comes to the interactions with the average policeman etc....

6 minutes ago, sungod said:

 

I stand by my comments, whilst technically others comments may be correct, they are living in a parallel universe if they think they can carry on like that.

Carry on like what exactly ??   someone with a spine who is capable of politely challenging a police offers decision ?

6 minutes ago, sungod said:

Seems like you are another who needs a reality check.

The reality of being here for well over two decades is good enough thanks...  

Seems you are scared of your shadow.

Your "the falang is always in the wrong'" argument is also very flawed...  seems you only have 'bar-stool' experience if you believe that tosh... 

Just now, sungod said:

 You need to take a reality check, carry on with your nose up in the air and you will find you don't get very far.

Highlight exactly where / how MangoKorat is driving illegally here....    pls specify.

1 minute ago, sungod said:

Not attacking, pointing out reality.

But in the context of your comments 'levied at' MangoKorat - your comments are incorrect... yet you have repeated them when others have corrected you.

Just now, Airalee said:

 

BTW….have you noticed the absence of a few of the more prolific posters as of late?

 

They can't be bothered to lower themselves to the ridiculous levels of such discussions...  Especially when threads such as this turn into an anti-vax circle jerk of misinformation... 

I'm only here to see what extent and extremes some posters will go to when denying scientifically proven fact....

So far we have:

- Pathogenic viruses do not exist

- Viruses cannot be isolated

- Vaccines are not necessary

- Antibiotics are not necessary

- Herd Immunity is flawed

- mRNA vaccine is not a vaccine

- Polio Vaccine had no impact

- Measles Vaccine had no impact

2 minutes ago, Stiddle Mump said:

You are confusing yourself Richard.

 

A virus is cell debris. Probably takes the form it does to help the cells removal from the blood and body.

 

I have to keep telling you Richard; pathogenic viruses do  not exist. They are only found in computers.

Simply not true. Where do you copy this garbage from ?

Just now, Stiddle Mump said:

2 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Vaccines have eradicated or drastically reduced diseases like:

Smallpox (once killed 30% of infected, now eradicated)

Measles (caused millions of deaths annually pre-vaccine)

Polio, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, hepatitis, etc.

Before vaccines, childhood mortality was staggering. In some areas, 1 in 3 or even 1 in 2 children died before age 5.

Simply no true. Where do you copy this garbage from Sir?

"a circle is not a circle" - you simply reject any data that does not fit your delusional agenda. 

Such fundamentally flawed thinking cannot be argued with....   All I have to do in response to your comments is state... "not true, not true, not true"...    As such, this isn’t a discussion - it’s an idiot show - the only only real contributor for educated debate from the “anti-vaxx” perspective is rattlesnake... 

The rest of you, yourself included, are just parroted nonsense masquerading as a “debate.” Every word you type can been debunked so many times, it’s practically begging for its own obituary.

You’ve managed to create a sad little circle jerk of idiocy. Posts such as your have turned this thread into a group therapy session for the willfully ignorant.

2 minutes ago, MangoKorat said:

I don't need to wake up - I've spent a considerable amount of time in Thailand over the last 22 years. I've driven/ridden literally hundreds of thousands of kilometers and never once have I paid the police or knowingly taken part in any form of corruption. Perhaps its you that needs to wake up?

I have...  Its just 'part of the system' here... 

The last couple of times was turning from the middle lane when there was a stationary object in the 'turn lane'...  so I had no choice.

It was an impossible discussion...  no flexibility on their part.

- One time I paid 200 baht as I didn't want to hand over my licence !!

- Another time, I just said ok, give me an official ticket - they waved me on !!

Another time I'd forgotten to renew my tax... I argued with the officer, until I got out, check my tax disc and laughed, I saw that he was right, I don't know why I had a different date in my head. 

- I gave him 100 baht and drove off... he was still negotiating for 200 baht as I was driving off !!!

I think its all part of the game of living here - that said, its been a long time since I've been stopped or pulled over (especially in Bangkok) - the BiB just seem disinterested in driving foreigners here in Bangkok... (in the day time at least)...  Perhaps because experience has taught them that 'nearly all' follow the law, where as in other areas (such as Pattaya, Phuket etc) experience has taught them that foreigners are an easy target as they DUI more readily and may often not have the valid documents etc.

4 minutes ago, MangoKorat said:

4 hours ago, sungod said:

Anyway, good luck with your UK license if you get stopped and start quoting the law.......even more so if you end up in a prang. What you going to do, tell them whats right or wrong cause its not like that where you come from? 

And why would I have a problem with that? I drive totally legally in both the UK and Thailand.

Again - wholly correct - I'm not sure why sungod is trying to attack you from such a flawed perspective given his ignorance of the regulations and your situation. 

That said: many police officers here do not actually know the exact laws themselves, training is poor and regulations are often passed through a peer network from policeman to policeman - thus there are plenty of legacy errors with their understanding.

Thus: Even though its legal to drive here on a UK License due to reciprocal agreements (for example), I would still recommend that tourists also have an IDP which removes any ambiguity should a 'lesser informed' police officer be operating a check-point etc - it just saves hassle.

1 minute ago, Upnotover said:

That doesn't actually state what length of driving license you will get if renewing an expired 5 year license (after +1 or +3 years).

20 minutes ago, bubblegum said:

Why should I when everybody around me speaks Kmer.

Seems you came up short on understanding the Ops point.

Can we assume you speak Khmer then ?

2 minutes ago, Upnotover said:

9 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Do you have a link to that information -

https://www.dlt.go.th/en/two-year-license.

 

It's not the easiest website to navigate but eventually you'll find the right page.

It doesn't say anything about which length of licence you get IF you are renewing after expiry.

It only goes so far as to state IF you need to do just a theory exam (+1 year expiry) or the Theory and Practical exam (+3 years expiry) - & none of that is relevant to someone 'using their home licence' to obtain a Thai license.

Thus: I may be missing something - perhaps a screen shot of what you are reading can clear this up ?

4 minutes ago, MangoKorat said:

I only question the police's accusations when I know I'm right, such as when they tried to fine me for being in the 'wrong lane' when they hadn't even asked where I was going so could not accuse me of that. That and the several times (in the past) when I've been pulled over for supposedly speeding without any evidence whatsoever.  If that's arrogance - so be it.  I wouldn't be stupid enough to argue with the police if I knew I was in the wrong.  If you've done nothing wrong, you do not need to pay them - that's worked for me for 22 years.  Fortunately, as far as driving is concerned, they don't seem to pull foreigners over so much these days. For the last few years I've been waved through at every checkpoint.

100% agree - wholly valid comments...  my experience is exactly the same.