My wife and I were stopped at a routine highway police checkpoint and they thoroughly searched our car and everything in it, apparently just looking for whatever they might find. That started me wondering if the police could do the same thing at our house. Does anyone know if the Thai police need to have a search warrant or some kind of court order (assuming no "hot pursuit", emergency, etc.) before entering a private residence for a thorough search?

For home searches they are required to present a search warrant. The problem a farang may have is that it will be written in Thai and he/she may not fully know if it is a legal warrant.

Cloudhopper - Jesus, did that not make your arse cheeks go just a little? Granted, you had nothing to worry about and i have never heard a legitimate story of the MIB stitching up a ferang during a search, but that would have made me a little nervous.

Did they ask to see your passport, driving papers? Did you have them on your person?

Which highway was this?

Anyone else have simmilar stories of being stoped in car, bus, train and searched/asked for papers?

Cloudhopper - Jesus, did that not make your arse cheeks go just a little? Granted, you had nothing to worry about and i have never heard a legitimate story of the MIB stitching up a ferang during a search, but that would have made me a little nervous.

Did they ask to see your passport, driving papers? Did you have them on your person?

Which highway was this?

Anyone else have simmilar stories of being stoped in car, bus, train and searched/asked for papers?

It was on the main hwy S out of CM. I'm 50+ and clean cut so doubt I fit any drug smuggler profile; but they kept asking my wife in Thai where my ganja stash was. They wanted to see my passport but no DL (good thing 'cause my int'l has expired years ago altho my US DL is current; need to get around to getting a Thai DL one of these days I guess). It was the first time in 7 years here that happened...

Of course they need one. But I'm sure they could just write one up afterwards and back date it if necessary.

I've had the car searched at a road block near the house - looking for whatever - probably mostly weapons and maybe drugs. Also had the truck stopped with the wife driving back from near the Cambodian border - I expect looking for smuggled goods.

Like in many western countries, there's a big difference between searching a vehicle on a public road and a house.

Regarding being asked for papers (which Cloudhopper doesn't mention but someone else seems concerned about) I was told by the police that technically we must carry our passports at all times, I don't mean just when driving, I mean always. By law, you do normally need a driver's license to drive a vehicle. Thai police have a problem with international driver's licenses, but that is a whole other thread.

Peter

My wife and I were stopped at a routine highway police checkpoint and they thoroughly searched our car and everything in it, apparently just looking for whatever they might find. That started me wondering if the police could do the same thing at our house. Does anyone know if the Thai police need to have a search warrant or some kind of court order (assuming no "hot pursuit", emergency, etc.) before entering a private residence for a thorough search?

Cloudhopper - Jesus, did that not make your arse cheeks go just a little? Granted, you had nothing to worry about and i have never heard a legitimate story of the MIB stitching up a ferang during a search, but that would have made me a little nervous.

Did they ask to see your passport, driving papers? Did you have them on your person?

Which highway was this?

Anyone else have simmilar stories of being stoped in car, bus, train and searched/asked for papers?

It was on the main hwy S out of CM. I'm 50+ and clean cut so doubt I fit any drug smuggler profile; but they kept asking my wife in Thai where my ganja stash was. They wanted to see my passport but no DL (good thing 'cause my int'l has expired years ago altho my US DL is current; need to get around to getting a Thai DL one of these days I guess). It was the first time in 7 years here that happened...

I got stopped on the same road out of Chiang Mai about three weeks ago and the same thing happened. A very thorough inspection of the vehicle, bags inspected in detail and told to empty my pockets etc. - was expecting the rubber glove treatment for a while but thankfully things did get to that point. At that particular check I noticed that they didn't stop and inspect any Thai drivers, just me. Guessed they were looking for a farang who was up to mischief? Also noticed that the police contingent included local and provincial police and a lot of officers with much scrambled egg on hats etc.

My wife and I were stopped at a routine highway police checkpoint and they thoroughly searched our car and everything in it, apparently just looking for whatever they might find. That started me wondering if the police could do the same thing at our house. Does anyone know if the Thai police need to have a search warrant or some kind of court order (assuming no "hot pursuit", emergency, etc.) before entering a private residence for a thorough search?

They probably have the right to search vehicles and their occupants but they don't have the right to search premises without a warrant. Nevertheless, police burst into the homes of ordinary Thais and often claim they were given permission to come in a search. Sometimes it may be true as the terrified occupants may believe they had no choice. I know of one case where police came into a Thai family's home without a warrant during the war on drugs and planted a speed pill on their teenage son. He was dragged off to the police station and the family had to borrow what for them was a large sum of money to pay off the police and get him back without charges. In another case police came into a foreign company's office to investigate trumped up charges with a search warrant. The foreign company's lawyers managed to find a techical flaw in the way the warrant had been issued (by the wrong district) and the police backed off, having not found anything because there was nothing to find.

TIT

In 20 years that I have lived in Thailand fifty percent every month, I have never been even asked for any

ID card or passport. Now maybe I'm just lucky or whatever. I drive once a month from Bangkok to Korat

and at the police traffic stops the last couple of months since the new goverment took over they take one look

at me and usually smile, wave me through and thats it. I am the only white face in the car with about 6 or 7 thai

also in the car (free ride from the farang to the village). When I roll down the window at the traffic stop and

the cop starts talking I dont say a thing, the GF and the car load of thais start chatting and all is well

TIT

I've seen this (TIT) many times....but what does it mean?

In 20 years that I have lived in Thailand fifty percent every month, I have never been even asked for any

ID card or passport. Now maybe I'm just lucky or whatever. I drive once a month from Bangkok to Korat

and at the police traffic stops the last couple of months since the new goverment took over they take one look

at me and usually smile, wave me through and thats it. I am the only white face in the car with about 6 or 7 thai

also in the car (free ride from the farang to the village). When I roll down the window at the traffic stop and

the cop starts talking I dont say a thing, the GF and the car load of thais start chatting and all is well

I have stopped by police a few times and been in a couple of accidents where the police. Each time they asked only for driving licence not passport. Mostly Thais I was in collisions with seemed not to have driving licences and get fined. The police didn't seem to care if they had a driving licence but had left it at home or were driving unlicensed but things may have changed. I would not be surprised if they now demand passports from foreign drivers as well as driving licenses. As part of the charm offensive towards foreigners under Thaksin they were arresting people for not having their passports in bars after locking the doors and making everyone pee into bottles. Yes, it is the law that every one must carry a Thai ID card, alien book or passport, however impractical that may be for those who don't have Thai ID cards.

TIT

I've seen this (TIT) many times....but what does it mean?

This is Thailand - from Bernard Trink's now extinct column in the Bkk Post.