petercool

Raro's Rockers going on tour ? ....

Us Brits don red coats and re-enact some retreats but we got our revenge by secretly part owning the US Federal Reserve ...

^^^ Low blow ..... !!

I'll bet the City Hall 'solution' will 'kick them off the beach' & order them to use an off shore jet ski platform.

That will be exactly what they want too.

Scam, threaten and intimidate out there were those pesky farangs on Thai Visa wont see what is happening.

They still have to come on shore where the ATM machines are. No-one will have big sums of money out at sea.

No, they don't. Actual police or immigration police: sure.

Yes they do......Tourist Police are a division of the Royal Thai Police and have the same powers as any other Police Officer. The only difference is that any cases they deal with must be forwarded to a local Police Station for processing.

So they have a work permit that allows them to do this?

I think the 'tourist police volunteers' (aka Walking St. SS) are different from the Royal Thai Police Volunteers that you find in the local cop shop.

The Thai Tourist police have rights of arrest but foreigners who assist them can act only under their orders as do other separate foreign volunteers who act only under an order of a regular policeman. As mentioned, all cases are eventually processed at police stations. Thai volunteers of any group have wider powers obviously than any foreign volunteer, are trained by their respective police department and receive compensation. Official foreign volunteers with valid ID's of any police branch do not, as also mentioned, require work permits under current agreements with Cholburi Police Commissioner and Immigration.

hm1973 got it correct.

Depending on qualifications, the Father Ray Foundation on Sukhumvit Road just down from St Niklaus church is one thought. There are also at least two branches of Thai Police for a long term commitment for which Work Permits are waived under agreements with Police and Immigration. There are a few schools where you can help out in English classes unpaid too.

So the police are damned if they do these periodic round-ups and yet damned if they don't ?

The maximum fine of 100 baht is set by the Thai Penal Code and not by the police.

Dongtanpatters, OK understood. Thanks. That's why I wanted to explain the two groups. Cheers

simple1, I was responding to a misunderstanding that Foreign Tourist Police Assistants (FTPA) are the same as Foreign Police Volunteers (FPV). They are a totally separate group with separate responsibilities and members. FTPA patrol Walking street and FPV man help desks at stations.

There are no Foreign Tourist Police Assistants at Police Stations in Pattaya.

That's the fine only. If any physical damage is done to any person then that is extra. If drunkeness is involved, then that could be extra. If a weapon is involved or repeat offence it would be more. Not recommended in any event.

Just to comment on a number of points raised .... Immigration do not track Thais - if indeed the driver was Thai. Even if a police report was made and forwarded to Phuket, the fine is only 500 baht for punching someone and police are unlikely to put it on any nationwide priority list. I feel this is very rare case in its specifics but forms of road rage are indeed wide spread - among Thais and among some foreigners here.

It should be pointed out that foreign police volunteers are there to bridge language gaps, give advice and help explain procedures in the stations but are not - repeat not - authourised to decide outcomes of any case - criminal or civil. That is the sole responsibility of Thai police officers.The case mentioned above would lead to dismissal of a volunteer and hopefully he is no longer part of any such group.

If they were married in Thailand then the normal practice here is to divide any combined assets gained between all family members - husband, wife and children if no other agreement can be reached. But in any circumstances she should get legal representation and gather any documents related to assets in Thailand to show lawyers.

For a long time - and since 2009 at least - foreign police volunteers were strictly forbidden to get involved in jet ski cases for a variety of reasons. That has recently been relaxed to a point where they take details and offer the same options as Thai inspectors of which one is as described above. No one is defending anyone here but stating what has been observed within a station environment where police are not involved at all in monetary settlements.

As of this point in time, just who is a victim is only possible to establish on the beach when it happens. The police at the station (and those are the only ones I can comment on) may suspect a scam but proving anything that either party says is hardly possible and they themselves offer that court case option if agreement cannot be reached between parties. I like it less than you I suspect because I have been in the middle of these cases but the jet skis guys are the ones with damage photos (doctored or otherwise) and most victims do indeed admit damage but disagree on settlement issues. City Hall were supposed to have patrols to deal with these cases on the spot or at City Hall and not police station officers.

The police cannot compel anyone to pay on the spot to resolve a civil case even if they might suggest that to resolve an issue. The one claimed against can dispute things but the damages' claimant can make a police report that could compel the other party to appear in court at the next court session. A copy of passport is taken (but no confiscation of passport) and leaving the country is stopped until court's decision to award any damages to claimant but then any non settlement of awarded damages after that can bring more grief and potential jail. It is not uncommon for the cases to get dismissed when the jet ski operators fail to turn up in court. But this is a big claim and no way was that settled on the beach in cash in my view.

I confess to not being very tolerant with poor food or service in restaurants - at least in those who charge higher prices for expected higher quality. Once I have had a bad experience in such a place, I spend my money elsewhere next time.

It's a place that we chose to live in and not one that chose us so I have no issue with whatever local ways we face. Past drunken clashes during elections led to these rules and we can debate them as much as we like but they are likely to stay in force. But then it is not hard to circumvent them if we really want to drink and prepare for the days that have plenty of advance notice.

Jayman, I sent you a message.

Sorry, but I had enough attacks for mentioning the second item so I am not going down that road again.

Maybe news coverage will mention something.

As reported "He then entered the room and used one of their suitcases to remove the safe-box from the room."

I can only pass on what they said, and have no way of knowing what they may or may not actually do ...

I wonder if they might tackle the ongoing Jetski scammers as their first order of business, would let people know they are serious???

Not first on their list, but second according to the briefing given.