Police again extorting foreigners that dont carry passport

[atyclb]

Anyone else experience this?  Have copy of passport but police at roadside checkpoint say the fine at station is 5000 baht (BS) and do not honor request to go to police station. 

[tonray]

Where ?

[atyclb]

13 minutes ago, tonray said:

Where ?

 a checkpoint leaving sukumwit nana area heading for petburi road towards asoke

 

 

ps; as passenger in tuk tuk

Edited September 16, 2017 by atyclb

[dfdgfdfdgs]

What type of police?  Immigration police or normal police?

[jackdd]

How exactly are they extorting money? Ask you to pay an on the spot fine? Do they pressure you somehow besides of saying that at the police station you would have to pay 5000thb?

You have to carry your passport, if you don't carry it you can probably be fined, i don't know for how much, but you would of course pay this at the police station.

[sinbin]

3 minutes ago, jackdd said:

You have to carry your passport, if you don't carry it you can probably be fined,

Not true. Just refuse to pay. They'll back down. You haven't broken a law.

Edited September 16, 2017 by sinbin

[thaibeachlovers]

If it's a published law it's not extortion.

[dfdgfdfdgs]

OP says they refused to allow him to pay at police station.  I'm sure if he had insisted they would have had to allow him to pay it at the police station, but this sort of 'persuasion' when in a position of authority is tantamount to extortion.  If they didn't then they would either have to let him go or arrest him, and if it were the latter the fine would likely be very low or non-existent (assuming he could produce his passport and was not on overstay).

[tonray]

Likely working with the tuk-tuk operator too.

[thaifoodruns]

Read this

 

Know ur rights

 

I always start filming when they do their shit

 

http://www.richardbarrow.com/2014/12/know-your-rights-if-a-policeman-stops-you-in-bangkok/

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

 

[atyclb]

14 minutes ago, dfdgfdfdgs said:

What type of police?  Immigration police or normal police?

 

normal traffic stop police that try to get cash from motorists

 

 

i asked them what station they are from and they said phaya thai but would not take me there.

 

they play the "inconvenience you" game .    finally one asked for money to buy "cola" as in coca cola.

Edited September 16, 2017 by atyclb

[dfdgfdfdgs]

It's also the law for Thais to carry their ID cards.  Do you think the police would ask them for 5000 baht if they didn't have it with them?  Of course not.  So they're profiling you based on your race or nationality and using their power to threaten to ruin your day if you don't give  them money.  It's basically them saying,

 

"pay 5000 baht or we might arrest you but probably won't but even if we do you will be out before the end of the day and you won't have had to pay anything like 5000 baht, so how much is your time worth?"

 

That to me is extortion.

[sinbin]

Quote

The actual wording of the law states that you need to be able to produce your passportwhen asked to do so by an authority entitled to demand to see it. In practice, it's normally acceptable tocarry a photocopy of the passport details page AND the page showing the current stamp giving you entry to Thailand.

 

 

Quote

 

Thailand police: Foreigners not required to carry passports at all times

by Siam Voices | 17th December 2014 | @siamvoices

 

image: https://cdn.asiancorrespondent.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/ThailandTourismBangkok.jpg

image: https://cdn.asiancorrespondent.com/wp-content/themes/correspondent/library/images/facebook-f.png

image: https://cdn.asiancorrespondent.com/wp-content/themes/correspondent/library/images/share-twitter.png

image: https://cdn.asiancorrespondent.com/wp-content/themes/correspondent/library/images/share-pinterest.png

A tourist walks past a street vendor in Bangkok, Thailand. Pic: AP.

By James Martin

A police spokesman has said that foreigners in Thailand are not required to carry their passports with them at all times, according to reports.

The statement follows reports of tourists and expats in central Bangkok being extorted by police for not carrying passports.

Asian Correspondent ran a story on the  ‘Bangkok shakedown’ last week, which was followed the next day by a notably similar story in the Sydney Morning Herald.

The Bangkok Post reported Tuesday that police were looking into the matter after the media attention.

Pol Lt Gen Prawut Thawornsiri was responding to an article published by The Sydney Morning Herald on Dec 12, which said a growing number of foreign tourists are being stopped, searched and harassed by Thai officials on busy Sukhumvit road.

The issue was also raised with Thailand tourism authorities by British Ambassador Mark Kent:

Read more at https://asiancorrespondent.com/2014/12/thailand-police-foreigners-not-required-to-carry-passports-at-all-times/#PSQGjI5SxSlURyUS.99

 

 

[atyclb]

6 minutes ago, tonray said:

Likely working with the tuk-tuk operator too.

 

possible but the tuk tuk ran the police checkpoint and 2 cops on a bike caught up with him. i heard one cop trying to extort 20000 from driver accusing him of using heroin

[dfdgfdfdgs]

2 minutes ago, atyclb said:

possible but the tuk tuk ran the police checkpoint

 

So therein lies the problem.  If the driver stopped then this would almost certainly not have happened.

[atyclb]

8 minutes ago, thaifoodruns said:

Read this

http://www.richardbarrow.com/2014/12/know-your-rights-if-a-policeman-stops-you-in-bangkok/


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

 

 

 

i basically know that and with that in mind requested to go to the station.  i can read thai and am very capable of speaking with them. 

[tonray]

1 minute ago, atyclb said:

 

 

 

i basically know that and with that in mind requested to go to the station.  i can read thai and am very capable of speaking with them. 

So what was the outcome....did I miss what you actually did ?

 

 

pay ? tell them to stuff it ? laugh and drive on ?

[atyclb]

ended up giving 500 baht to buy cola at 7 11.   they could have dragged it on for hours.  i was a passenger in tuk tuk.

Edited September 16, 2017 by atyclb

[tonray]

3 minutes ago, atyclb said:

ended up giving 500 baht to buy cola at 7 11.   they could have dragged it on for hours.  i was a passenger in tuk tuk.

Ok...a reasonable solution...I have a friend who gets pulled over on his bike about once a month...they always seem to find something (he is a bit of a scatterbrain...no license, no passport, no whatever) and he budgets 500 baht a month for that purpose. Coke....ha ha

[atyclb]

3 minutes ago, tonray said:

Ok...a reasonable solution...I have a friend who gets pulled over on his bike about once a month...they always seem to find something (he is a bit of a scatterbrain...no license, no passport, no whatever) and he budgets 500 baht a month for that purpose. Coke....ha ha

 

i could understand if i had actually done something wrong and needed a fast way out. police have lost a lot of turf to the army and seem to be hurting. all those night street bars are gone and rental income. army also controls many other businesses now

[Travel2003]

Didnt take many posts before the Tuk Tuk/Police conspiracy combo surfaced.

[Thian]

In Nana they did this to the negro's...so my question is: Are you a negro or African?

[tonray]

1 minute ago, Thian said:

In Nana they did this to the negro's...so my question is: Are you a negro or African?

What 1950's time machine did you just walk out of ?

[elliss]

Interpretation of the  law ,  varies  quite  a lot , in the kingdom .

[tonray]

5 minutes ago, Travel2003 said:

Didnt take many posts before the Tuk Tuk/Police conspiracy combo surfaced.

Sorry I forgot how honest, fair and trustworthy BKK tuk tuk drivers are....ha ha ha ha ha

[Travel2003]

Not claiming they all are trustworthy.

 

Surprised the word "mafia" has not yet been used in this thread.

 

 

 

 

[tonray]

2 minutes ago, Travel2003 said:

Not claiming they all are trustworthy.

 

Surprised the word "mafia" has not yet been used in this thread.

 

 

 

 

I'm actually surprised he didn't have to go to a tailor and get a suit made and then hang out in a gem shop until the pants were pressed....ha ha

[Travel2003]

1 minute ago, tonray said:

I'm actually surprised he didn't have to go to a tailor and get a suit made and then hang out in a gem shop until the pants were pressed....ha ha

True that.

Or to a special massage place.

[pumpjack]

take your smart phone out

start filming the scene

do not be cheeky or get aggresive

just politely refuse 

tell them you have not broke law and you will post the video to youtube

 

they will not be too long in letting you go

[atyclb]

24 minutes ago, Thian said:

In Nana they did this to the negro's...so my question is: Are you a negro or African?

 no