petercool

The disturbing aspect is that someone can report you dead and be believed to a point of issuance of a death certificate when no proof exists other than a few years of absence and lack of contact. The implications for any insurance or property claims are worrying !

(WalkingMan and I must have been typing at the same time !)

OOps ! I misread it.... !

Refusing to give personal details like name etc. to police is hardly conducive to getting assistance in following up a situation like this. But car jacking seems to be a recent trend and easy money for someone who knows the chop-shops where it will get stripped for parts etc. Rarely is a complete car ever recovered. A warning to all who drive lonely roads at night in popular car models !

^^^

Just what evidence do you have for that ?

If the teller - for whatever reason - dropped the charges, then police have little choice.

They themselves may not be equipped to check currency validity but get kudos for catching the suspect quickly.

Farang done up like a Kipper. (as always)

You probably don't get to read about the Thais who get caught.

Just watch the large parade of handcuffed Thais going to court from Soi 9 police station each morning.

The majority are drug related.

Anyone having difficulty connecting from an 084 or 082 prefix mobile number to an an 089 number in town today ?

For many, perception is in the eye of the BEERholder ....

oops. double post

I would be interested to know what firing range in Jomtien uses shot-guns and where that might be exactly.

It is a different penalty system than the UK but can be very severe here - as it is there.

20k is relatively cheap compared to some court awarded fines or even jail terms, let alone what the Police might decide to fine you.

The reality is, though, that whatever the penalty there are so many that just don't think or if they do think, then some kind of view set in that says being a foreigner they might bluster their way out of any situation when caught. Don't bet on that ! The money paid may just be a pre-court guarantee bond and if you can't rustle that up at 2am in the morning you could spend a night a jail.

If you must get drunk, then why not take a taxi ? And if you wouldn't risk your own life and other lives back home, why do it here ?

dont they have anything better to do ???????????

So ... they are blamed if they do something and blamed if they don't ....

They're not authorised to be 100% policemen but "wannabees" that "play cop" ?

They're not authorised to be policemen at all, which is why they have no police powers.

The Royal Thai Police and Highway Police each have both Thai and Foreign volunteers assisting them in Pattaya and Banglamung and when in the company of, and instructed by, a Thai police officer, they do have powers in cases where provable evidence is there of a crime or misdemeanor. The respective Thai Superintendents might disagree with your blanket statement - as I do.

Please, no more off topic discussion about dogs all right?

I agree. The fact is that a man tried to rob another and was caught.

Whatever nationalities are involved do not change that key fact.

It is a another warning to be aware both of what you are doing and who is around you when you do it.

why are immigration raiding the place? , are the foreign nationals??

Farang police volunteers! Why would anybody want to stay in a place like Pattaya and play cop? In my opinion these idiots are more twisted than those partaking of the services on offer in the said bar. What brought these wannabes to Pattaya in the first place one wonders?

Just why is helping Thai Police and Tourist Police " twisted " ? Volunteers in both forces are normally longer term residents giving something back to their adopted country. They do so in a variety of ways that help non-Thais. They're not authorised to be 100% policemen but "wannabees" that "play cop" ? When you grow up, what do YOU want to be ?

How can you generalize ?

Some see some of us as prey.

Some see some of us as employers.

Some see some of us as driving their living costs up.

Some see some of us as dangerous on the road.

Some see some of us as drunken bums.

Some see some of us as family.

The list could go on and on.

I worked for decades in advertising in Thailand and have - where I could - tried to point out these silly errors but conversely I have seen, and still do, many expats whose Thai is just as silly to any Thai as some English may be to the expats. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing etc. etc. but it works both ways .... just a thought.

There is no fact supporting any extortion by the police even if the woman may be framing him. Like most places in the world, evidence is required in Thailand before he can be officially charged and sentenced. A good lawyer is needed. There is only going to be a possibility of corruption if evidence is found and he tries or is offered a way to buy his release. Let's see what else is reported before judging him or the police .... PLEASE.

Nam-Thip, that was a very useful link. Thank you !!

Sad. It reminds me to advise all retirees here to make some arrangement whereby someone knows who to call should illness or death occur.

Giving a neighbour or friend a contact name and number of your relative or someone overseas costs nothing and really helps in these cases.

So often someone dies here with no one knowing who to contact.

Just out of interest, does anyone know where to get of copy of the Thai Penal Code ? and perhaps even a copy of any Traffic Code ?

If we knew the laws ourselves, we could challenge any spurious ticketing as it does seem that few police actually know themselves what the law says specifically.

Please don't offer remarks about these not existing as I know they do.

I've seen the former in Thai and English recently in the hands of a Thai lawyer and should have asked him at the time.

There are lots of these "so called foreign police helpers or volunteers" I would guess 100% of them are on the take just as their Thai brothers are. Actually I would say they are downright dangerous.

If that includes the FPV, you would be guessing wrong.

Everyone can can have an opinion but yours is bordering on being libel.

I would be interested in why you feel threatened by them and why they are "downright dangerous".

To add a bit more here, after feeling I wouldn't ....

It is very rare - if even possible - for a foreigner to get a work permit to manage a bar. He normally can own it in partnership with Thais but not work in it without risk of breaking Labour Laws and then being fair game for undercover guys and gals working with police for an incentive, be they Thai or foreign. A bar and/or restaurant that does not offer ladies or ladyboys for on premise sex is way safer than that one that does. That's why it seems like "some bars" are raided and "some bars" aren't. They are not operated the same way.

Are there some that are "protected" ?- of course.

Are there some that gave someone the finger and have problems later ? - of course.

Are there other categories ? - of course.

It is extremely hard to generalize when it comes to these issues but at the end of the day, if laws are broken you can expect to have problems.

It is no defense anywhere in the world to state that "another person did it also and is not yet arrested" and then ask "so why am I ?"

And if you think that the UK (for example) would not use other nationalities to inform on their own immigrant communities, think again.

You may be right about other countries not having anything akin to FTPA or FPV.

I do not know, but I do know more than one country in S.E. Asia that uses foreign nationals in covert military, police and security ops. beyond just training.

Probably NOT volunteer residents though.

It might be worth pointing out that many FPV - at least - have specialist Police, regular Police, Armed Security or Military backgrounds - but admittedly not all.

While useful, that is not as needed as much as local knowledge and calm common sense in duties here.

I am not condoning anything nor applauding anything and the issue of work permits is intriguing but I can add little more to this discussion.

I do thank you for your courteous approach to my posts. Cheers.

It should be pointed out to those who decry foreigner involvement in any Police matter here that many Embassies have their own people doing work of a nature that could be called undercover and covert to track and apprehend (with local Police involvement) criminals of many types. In other words, your own government has people doing what you find so abhorrent for some reason. There are also non-Embassy foreign agencies that focus on human trafficking and drugs (in particular) that additionally work undercover for obvious reasons. This is not unique to Thailand. Almost all countries have operatives in place that it makes sense not to have openly discussed and transparent. That is a reality that modern society must live with.

One can live and work here - as I have - for many decades and never have to deal with Police outside of routine road checks.

Or one can volunteer as an FPV to do what one can within given circumstances to make things a little better for people in trouble and give something back - as I have - and I am open in stating so.

I can and do understand some criticisms of certain individuals in the organizations that have been discussed here but like all generalisms some are well founded and some are not and without specific details of any person or activity I am not able to comment other than to say bar talk is one thing and supported fact is another.

I doubt that the 2 referred to local volunteer organizations will tell you more than I have - or even as much - and in reality they are not answerable to you nor to me on aspects of their status.

They are, as I stated, set up by - and thus answerable to - sections of the Royal Thai Police.

I have outlined some of what I know and if you want more than that, please feel free to contact either the Royal Thai Police, the Labour Department or the Foreign Ministry.