Airwolf

2 hours ago, Jonathan Swift said:

Thai people actually getting arrested for crimes against foreigners. How many of you complainers does this prove wrong? Doesn't matter because you're not the sort that ever admits to being wrong, that would spoil the fun of complaining. 

Pointless unless they do proper prison time. Attempted murder here, should get at least 10 years. But I'm sure they'll get a small fine after a wai or 2. 

At the very least, you need to be a democracy to join NATO, so, no dice. 

41 minutes ago, Yorkshire Tea said:

 

There seems to be a lot more complaints on local Facebook pages about the pollution, so at least the locals are aware of the problem.   The problem is that those same people complaining will be buying the special mushrooms once they appear at the markets!

Complaining on FB is worthless. There needs to be 1000s on the streets protesting. If this was happening in a western city and the government did nothing, people would be on the streets demanding action.

If there was anything that warrents protesting, it's this issue. 

What an absolute disgrace. Free masks! Knowing Thailand, I'm sure they're cheap surgical masks. I rarely see a local wearing a proper N95 mask. 

They've just admitted that money is more important than their citizens and guests health. 

The Thai people are also accountable here, if they actually grew a backbone and actually protested this, then, maybe something will be done... but every year, they just bend over and take it, bar the odd protest with a dozen or so locals at Tha Pae Gate. 

Seeing as they're not willing to do anything about the arson/pollution, and put profit over peoples health, they need to offer, 

- 5+ N95 Masks
- 1 - 2 air purifiers per household
- 2 - 3 months of 1/2 price electricity (time spent indoors is double, with air purifiers and a/c running)

This is the least they can do until they become a developed country and fix this draconian issue. 



 

Talk is cheap.

3 minutes ago, Denim said:

 

Where is this ?

 

If you live in an area popular with tourists it is more likely to happen than in the boonies. A young policeman once told me that to get assigned to a tourist area in the first place , a bribe to the right person withing the police force is usually necessary.  Working in a tourist area is seen as more lucrative than in the back of beyond or worse still in the deep south. As a consequence , tourist areas have cops that are generally more venal than in other areas.

 

A policeman in Khon Kaen town once pulled me over for riding the entire length of a one way street the wrong way. I apologised and explained I hadn't seen the sign. He said mai pen rai but be  more careful then let me go.

 

Leaving Pattaya on the way to Sathaheep in a car a young cop pulled me over. I asked what I did wrong ?  He said I stayed in the righthand lane too long.  I told him I was driving on the left and only used the right lane to overtake a stationary coach !! You took too long was his feeble response. He offered me 2 options. Leave the car parked there and accompany him to the police station to file a report or pay 100 baht on the spot fine.

Yep, tourist area. They already had a farang, with no helmet. I get that.

3 minutes ago, darrendsd said:

The simple answer is they get more money out of farangs, we pay double or more the backhander to what Thais do

 

However to suggest Thais don't get stopped is untrue, I've seen plenty of them being pulled over

 

 

Ah, you get it!

That said, I've never seen a Thai wearing a helmet pulled over. Without a helmet, I have seen this happen. 

However, a farang with a helmet would trump a Thai with no helmet.

24 minutes ago, soi3eddie said:

We foreigners are an easy target. Just have to accept it. Be sure to wear a helmet and have all documents in order. No big deal.

 

Sure are, even with a helmet. I accept that's how it is here, it's still wrong.

3 minutes ago, JoseThailand said:

 

They just wanna make you wear a helmet for your own safety as a tourist. If you don't wanna give them cash, you can always get a receipt and pay at a police station, that's not the point.

Did you read my original post.

I was wearing a helmet.

You also get a receipt so you can drive around with no helmet for 3 days.

Nothing to do with safety.

14 minutes ago, Gecko123 said:

Racial "profiling" involves targeting people on suspicion of having committed a crime based on their racial features. Fining foreigners for not wearing a helmet, which is something that can clearly be observed and doesn't involve speculation, does not fit the definition of racial profiling.

 

Additionally, just because the police at a given moment in time were unable to pull over every single person not wearing a helmet  and a Thai person not wearing a helmet happened to have passed by while a foreigner was receiving a ticket, does not necessarily mean that the police were "targeting" foreigners for no-helmet violations.

I was wearing a helmet.

There was 4 or 5 of them. No Thais stopped. Obviously waiting for the next farang/easy money.

Why is this so hard to accept, it is what it is.

5 minutes ago, it is what it is said:

 

dear OP, please let us know which country you come from, i would love to visit a place that has zero racial profiling

I never said nowhere else has racial profiling. The difference is, it's rarely on a blatant institutional level as this, and if it is, it's usually condemned. 

The obvious example is racially profiling Middle Easterns at airports. This is wrong and there's plenty of media exposing and condemning it.

Set up a traffic stop in a US city and stop only Asians. It would blow up the internet.

2 minutes ago, Purdey said:

.Yes, it is much worse in the 

3 minutes ago, Purdey said:

.Yes, it is much worse in the US, I agree.

 

I'm sure you do. 

5 minutes ago, scorecard said:

Really... seems to me there many many cases of African American folks suffering police discrimination all over the US all the time and nothing happens. And it's not new. 

Source? I guess Tiktok?

23 minutes ago, Purdey said:

I guess white cops in the US never discriminate against blacks and Latinos but I could be wrong. If you are wearing a helmet, then having a license is the next thing to check. Lots of tourists hire bikes without a valid license.

You can't compare a police check point targeting a specific race to rogue, racist cops in The US. 

6 minutes ago, LikeItHot said:

I know the deal by now so try to be prepared for checkpoints.  Once I came to stop at a red light and my front wheel touched the crosswalk.  You know, where all the Thais pull up in front of the cars waiting at the light? A crosswalk in an area that would never be traveled by pedestrians mind you.  A squadron of police jumped in front of me and started shouting and pointing.  I thought my bike was on fire from the drama.  I finally realized it was the front wheel touching paint causing all the fuss.  I didn't fight, handed over my license and was actually joking around with the cops who all had a laugh.  I then asked the boss how much the ticket was and the mood suddenly changed.  He threatened to charge me with bribery and demanded to search my bike.  He was obviously furious that I didn't care about the 500 baht and didn't bow down and beg.  You can't win with the brown clowns. 

Yeah, I know how it works here. I wish it was exposed more though, like the jet ski shake downs. 

17 minutes ago, JoseThailand said:

 

You don't get it. They give tourists special treatment to ensure their safety. They don't need tourist deaths on the roads. That's why they check for helmets, license, etc. If some Thai crashes to death, that's their own problem. But every foreigner death is a bad publicity for Thailand.

They give you a receipt after they've got their money so you can drive around with no helmet for 3 days with no helmet or license.

So they can literally stop you while wearing a helmet, and you can drive without it for 3 days if you like.

Maybe your reply was a joke? Hard to tell sometimes on here.

2 minutes ago, Photoguy21 said:

Of course, in the West there are a lot of snowflakes who are offended by a change in weather but that doesn't make it right. I have been stopped in a car in the UK for no reason and I had no problem with that. If you look for problems you will find them.

I wouldn't consider being offended by racial profiling as being woke, but each to their own I guess.

8 minutes ago, stoner said:

 

i fail to see what the issue is.......

 

last week on phuket i encountered 3 check points in 2 days. heres how they all went.

 

me...riding up to check point i see it set up. down goes my sun visor on my helmet. as i approach police guy looks at me and waves me through. all 3 times. 

 

keeping in mind at the time i was wearing 

 

faded hoodie from thousands of hours in the sun riding 

cheap finger cut out grab driver gloves

raggedy ass jeans

adda flip flops

 

so yes i was profiled and loved every minute of it. 

Not sure a local disguise would even work, I work out and am twice their size.

Maybe if I had a family on the bike with no helmets...

22 minutes ago, Photoguy21 said:

The police can do random checks on people same as they can in every other country. If you are totally legal what is the problem?

Yes, but if police in Western countries targeted a specific race, that wouldn't be tolerated.

10 minutes ago, ezzra said:

Wherever you go now days there's some kind of 'racial profiling' and preferences and not only in Thailand, That's what the world, unfortunately has become..

The difference is, when there's racial profiling in the West, it's usually discussed and condemned, whether that's in the media or social media. 

Stopped again by the cops at a checkpoint. Wearing a helmet. They had another farang, no helmet.

Meanwhile, Thais driving on by, no problem, some with no helmets.

I'm sure this type of racial profiling is all over Asia, just weird that they get a pass.

Can you imagine setting up a checkpoint in The US and stopping only Asians!

At least stop a few locals so it's not so blatant.

Anyway, I know, TIT. 

What a joke.

Ha ha, yeah, no scams here!

49 minutes ago, Etaoin Shrdlu said:

Sections 362 through 366 of the Thai Criminal Code describe the offense of trespassing.

Thanks, this would be the particular law, 
 

Whoever, entering into the immovable property belonging to the other person so as to take possession of such property in whole or in any part or entering into such property to do any act disturbing the peaceful possession of such person, shall be imprisoned not out of one year or fined not more of two thousand Baht, or both.

That said, having a law, and having it enforced are 2 different things. Hopefully it doesn't have to come to that, but we'll see if it does.