Amazing Thailand - Police Checkpoint is everywhere

[CH1961]

Maybe it's your look .. Mr. Kie ;-)

[robblok]

5 hours ago, Mr Kie said:

I used to live in Holland 5 years studying found no police checkpoint even one. i traveled crossed the border to Belgium i couldn't even notice it's a border except the road is better in Holland.

 

I've been to Sri Lanka 2 weeks for business trip out upcountry i didn't see any checkpoints  

I've been to Pakistan in Lahore 2 times, i visited farms outside the city couldn't see the police checkpoint only the military camp or checkpoint but that's understandable for other reasons 

I lived in Germany for 1 month i couldn't see the police checkpoint either. 

I been to Vietnaam in Ho Chi Min City but i was only in the City so couldn't see policemen too, but here in Bangkok is almost every corner. 

 

I'm Isaan guys, i'm driving Black Pickup car with Yasothon plate. when i travel to Western part of Thailand, i see some checkpoints but they never ask me for urine test, they seems nicer than policemen in Isaan. so my opinion they are treating people differently.   

Holland, there are almost never real roadblocks there because the police drives around and there are camera traps everywhere. The Dutch police also does not go after drug users (only drug sellers) like here in Thailand so no urine tests. (Dutch guy here)

 

I think it would be a lot safer here if the police drove around and really went after the idiots in traffic instead of those roadblocks. I have never had to pee but have been fined quite a few times on my big motorbike for not being in the left lane. In general I don't mind Thai police but I always dread going to immigration as who knows what new documents they want that day.

 

Now I must say that urine tests would be real bothersome if done a lot and I can understand your frustration. Its just how it is here.. the police don't want to do real work.. just cash in money fast (because it ads to their salary) instead of real policing on the roads. I think the money taken per hours is higher on a roadblock then on driving around actually catching people. So that is the reason. Maybe if they were paid more (but who knows they might just want more money then anyway). Besides the tax in Thailand is too low to pay for all the things we would expect in a first world country. Not a big enough tax base here. 

[Mr Kie]

Just now, CH1961 said:

Maybe it's your look .. Mr. Kie ;-)

not that look man... otherwise i not granted for scholarship studying aboard from Thai government. 

[wildewillie89]

57 minutes ago, Mr Kie said:

After you paid for the fine, here is the money goes

 

for example 400 bath = 50% goes to local government.

                                        = 5%  public income 

                                        = 45% pay the police that working at the checkpoint 

 

Remember this number is only when they issue the receipt. if no receipt then it all goes to the policemen who working at that checkpoint. this could possibly be one of the reason why there are so many police checkpoints in Thailand. 

 

And that is why people should always get the receipt if they have to pay. At least the majority of it goes back into something. Cant really blame the coppers setting up check points considering their shitty wages. Paying a decent police salary is considered one way to help prevent corruption. 

I am glad an actual Thai person has posted this image. I once posted it a few months ago and the TV members didn't believe it. Just goes to show how incredibly ignorant many on this forum are when it comes to different government processes. 

[Foozool]

2 hours ago, Mr Kie said:

do you know if there is corruption going on there within the organization ?

No, I don't know.

what I know is "no check points" in Vietnam does not mean

"no corruption". 

 

[Currumbin]

On ‎21‎/‎09‎/‎2017 at 11:08 AM, alocmrlj said:

stopped/checked probably over 500 times. Police very polite in most cases. Ticketed 2 times, always got a receipt. Never asked for urine check. Police checkpoints are much more often in North(Chinag Rai area) for obvious reasons. 

I have never been asked for a urine test over the 7 years I have been driving to and from Isaan. I must have been through a thousand checkpoints. I always have the window down and my Thai license to show. They just waive me through. Once I got pulled over for speeding. My Thai girlfriend acted as interpreter. She started laughing as the officer was writing the ticket and gave me a hug. When I asked what was so funny she said that the officer decided to give me a 50% discount because I was so handsome. A pleasant outcome.

[Currumbin]

I prefer logic. When I set out on a trip up to Isaan or elsewhere I put my money under the lambs wool seat cover on the passenger seat. I keep around 70-120 baht in my pocket. If I am stopped for some BS offence I tell them that I do not have the 400 baht fine but show them the notes and point to the baht coins in the ash tray. They are never happy but take what is on offer. Just one way of keeping my overheads down.

Edited September 22, 2017 by Currumbin

[BernieOnTour]

I think, they are doing it for a reason ...

 

Same as customs officers at an airport: you fit in a certain profile ( - Here: man, Thai, pickup, black color, what else...??? ) and you are acting in a way that makes them suspicious - as a result, you are up to an inspection.

 

That said: contrary to Northern Thailand, I have never ever seen before so many bad and reckless drivers like in Isaan, where I was often also asking myself, what drugs they were taking !

 

And: never had problems with roadblocks there in Isaan, just checking the papers.

Likely reason: other profile - doesn't drive a monster, also called pickup, slows down well ahead of the roadblock, and Farang - so unlikely on Yabaa or Ice to drive for 10 hours without break as many professional drivers are said to do.

[Mr Kie]

There are two simple reasons after the drug users and making money from there. if the police after the drug seller and destroy it all, there won't be so many drugs in Thailand. right now there are so many drugs seller but only few get arrested. 

 

Thai police is the number second in corruption, this starting from taking the examination to be the police. the entire organization need to be reformed. 

 

I will tell you, when i drive camry no police get me stopped. i'm the same guy. how comes this is just not fair. a friend of my put the military force logo in front of his car, no one get him stopped.  

 

In Thailand, i would say we have quite good law but the policeman is the one that broken the law. for example, normally in BKK it is not allow motobike using the overpass. some days you will see the policeman trying to catch the biker that using the overpass and some days the police don't do it. the simple reason is the policeman still need people to break the law so the police can make money when they need. if the police keep doing it for longer period, no one will do it again. this happen with all other illegal things in Thailand.  if the policeman after the drug seller and destroy all the drugs i believe drugs will be gone from Thailand. 

 

It's good that most of you don't have any issue with Thai police. 

but if you go to this https://www.facebook.com/groups/1095915527123869/  

you will see so many video with bad police in Thailand, people complain to the loyal police but most cases didn't workout that well, so they complain directly to this association and then having lawyer helps to get those bad police to the court. and i'm the one that will doing this too, filming the video it can be used as the evidence when we need it  

Edited September 24, 2017 by Mr Kie

[wildewillie89]

20 hours ago, Mr Kie said:

I will tell you, when i drive camry no police get me stopped. i'm the same guy. how comes this is just not fair. a friend of my put the military force logo in front of his car, no one get him stopped.  

 

If someone appears 'rich' (driving a Camry would indicate that), then the low ranking police official will believe the person has contacts with higher ranking people. So will let them go.

As for the military logo, police in general have to respect the army to a point, however, obviously more recently they have to show a great deal more respect. The reason is that members of the military can now target corrupt police. So a low ranking police official will generally not try to hassle a member of the military (or family member/friend driving the car) in the current political climate. However, I would not recommend putting up logos if you are not military. The police in my city are now requiring you phone the people you know to prove it as many people were starting to lie to get out of fines.

I think many of these issues don't really come down to the Thai police force, more just the education system in the country and the class based systems that the society allows for (maybe why Thai men are targeted more than farang for urine tests). Back home it doesn't matter as much who you are or what you drive, you get stopped. But that is because we got rid of our class systems. Obviously there are good and bad apples within every police force though. 

[bermondburi]

Isaan is a really big place so if the OP can narrow down exactly where all these roadside fruit stands are, it may help define where there's maybe a serious drug issue, either running or taking? I do recall taking a day trip down a minor road earlier this year, about 15 km from the city and was surprised at the amount of traffic check points they had dragged off to the side of the road and unmanned during the day. I was thinking if they man those at night, driving down this road would be a real pain in the ass. Maybe that's a major 'drug alley' or simply a valley with too many lao khao fueled late-night motorists?
 
FWIW, I live in Udon Thani, arguably the capital of Isaan and I drive a (white) pickup frequently to Bangkok, Pattaya and back. Beyond the regular 'security' stops, I haven't been singled out for any 'secondary inspection' expect once recently when a silly cop said the shrubs in the back of the truck were 'too high'. Told him he was being too funny.

Udon, the capital of Isaan, don't think so matey.....

[Kwasaki]

On 9/21/2017 at 8:27 PM, Mr Kie said:

you're right...i driving black pickup with Yasothon plate. this is so true, a friend of my drives BMW never get stopped by police. so type of car is also a target here. my point here is if they keep the record in the system then next time they don't need to do it again for the urine test. i pass that checkpoint every weekend back to my home, but the police guys didn't remember my face. just wasting my time. imagine it's every weekend. 

Why not get yourself and all the checkpoint police with your glass of pee in a dated  selfie- phone picture.   

[Mr Kie]

1 hour ago, Kwasaki said:

Why not get yourself and all the checkpoint police with your glass of pee in a dated  selfie- phone picture.   

good idea! next time probably 

[fashionablesally]

On 9/21/2017 at 4:04 PM, Mr Kie said:

not that look man... otherwise i not granted for scholarship studying aboard from Thai government. 

But i have to say that the look does actually look nice...in another world though. The world without scholarships from the Thai government. Very impressive! you must be quite a smart pants?

[dpdp]

Be careful, they are also checking urine all around pattaya, everyday 1 different location, you should avoid small streets with empty land, this is where they usually do it.

My friend was caught positive and had to pay 5000 baht.

 

 

[OJAS]

50 minutes ago, dpdp said:

Be careful, they are also checking urine all around pattaya, everyday 1 different location, you should avoid small streets with empty land, this is where they usually do it.

My friend was caught positive and had to pay 5000 baht.

 

 

What's the likelihood that, had he been found negative, he would have been done for indecent exposure instead?

[dpdp]

On 9/21/2017 at 8:25 PM, NanLaew said:

English businessman buddy of mine does weekly trips from Bangkok doing deliveries all over Isaan before coming home to Udon. He has just posted on another forum that multiple police check points with piss testing is back with a vengeance. He had it explained by a senior officer at one of the traffic stops that he as a foreigner has the right to refuse the piss test but his Thai-born son who works with him doesn't have that option. If he refuses, he gets arrested.

 

 

Udon forum ? They shiiit in their pants to even publish people post on this forum !

 

 

[Mr Kie]

8 hours ago, dpdp said:

Be careful, they are also checking urine all around pattaya, everyday 1 different location, you should avoid small streets with empty land, this is where they usually do it.

My friend was caught positive and had to pay 5000 baht.

 

 

why that's only 5000 bath inexpensive fine, did he get the receipt. i guess possibly not. 

[EcigAmateur]

I read in the news that they won't do any traffic checkpoints anymore ?

 

 

[Lowryderen]

My personal experience, living in Issan, driving often between Nong Kai and Buengkan, is that most of the times, a police block will just take a glance thru the front window, see a farang driving, and wave me thru..

 

Sometimes I will get stopped and asked for drivers license, wich I allways have ready with a rolled down window. They just take a quick look, sometimes askes where I am going, and then hand it back and wave me thru.

 

Never had trouble, wether alone in the car or with the thai wife, or maybe my father and he's thai wife also.

The car is a Pajero sport, black.. 

 

In fact the only fines I have had was on motorbike. Once i drove with no helmet, on a bike with no plate and no papers (the mother in laws motorbike), and I had forgot my license and passport in home, got stopped at a checkpoint and got a 200 bath fine with a reciept, being told by the friendly officer that the reciept would work the rest of the day, so i would not get fined again for the same, should.I get stopped again.. (practically giving me a "day-pass" to drive on)

 

The officer seemed more focused on practicing he's english then fining me.

 

Second time was with the wife, on her old motorbike, both of us without helmets, and the bike had plates but no papers.. They never asked for paper or license, but gave us a combined fine of 100 bath for not wearing helmets, and a laugh that I should show my wife that i care, by having her wear a helmet .. (We did not get a reciept for that one)

[BudRight]

I disappointed to see that not a single poster agreed with the OP that these checkpoints should not exist.

 

Just smarmy comments about not checking foreigners. I mean if its not you, who cares right? 

[EcigAmateur]

6 hours ago, BudRight said:

I disappointed to see that not a single poster agreed with the OP that these checkpoints should not exist.

 

Just smarmy comments about not checking foreigners. I mean if its not you, who cares right? 

 

I agree, and I also think that cops should not exist anywhere.

 

 

 

[BudRight]

On 10/18/2017 at 7:46 PM, EcigAmateur said:

 

Edited October 22, 2017 by BudRight