Chiang Mai check stops

[dcnx]

16 hours ago, elektrified said:

The police say he is like a brother who may as well have been born here, as he understands and thinks like Thais.

1) To tell someone they think like a Thai is perhaps one of the most offensive things you can say.

 

2) It wouldn’t be hard to do. Just think of the most common sense reaction in any situation and do the exact opposite, then try to find a way to cheat someone during the process. 

 

[worgeordie]

25 minutes ago, dcnx said:

But it doesn’t make the road safer. Day time stops are not looking for drunk drivers. Only some stops check insurance, most don’t. All check helmets, most will check for a license. 

 

It is a useless cash grab, nothing more. If it was improving road safety I’d also support it.

Not even a tiny little bit ?

regards Worgeordie

[Jdiddy]

I dont mind the checkpoints, the adrenaline and fun of successfully running them or narrowly avoiding them improves my mood

[Burma Bill]

3 hours ago, StevieAus said:

The sad people are the ones who cannot see the benefit of giving up your own time to help your fellow mankind, and they do not experience the reward and satisfaction it brings.

Since living in Thailand I have done volunteer work locally including growing and planting trees along the local roads planting gardens at the local temple etc etc.

I get a lot of waves, smiles and thumbs up from the locals which is a good enough reward.

For the knockers no I don’t have a work permit I told the local Immigration office years ago what I was doing and they said don’t worry.

Many congratulations, and like yourself I do not have a work permit. Officialdom was "officially" waived when I became a volunteer for the Tourist Police.

[ToddinChonburi]

Must be that time of the month

 check points all over Thsiland.

[EricTh]

18 hours ago, Jdiddy said:

I dont mind the checkpoints, the adrenaline and fun of successfully running them or narrowly avoiding them improves my mood

In addition, they are eye-candy for female riders with their tight uniforms.

Edited January 12, 2019 by EricTh

[Kelsall]

On 1/10/2019 at 8:06 PM, jonwilly said:

"What a sad life for these people that could never be a police officer in their own country so they come here in hopes of acceptance.. "

 

I understand that he was quite a senior officer in Australia before coming to live here, he wants to help the the Frangs here if and when they have problems with local law.

Do some checking on You Tube, there are vids on frangs assisting tourist police.

 

john

That is my understanding as well. 

[Kelsall]

post deleted

Edited January 12, 2019 by Kelsall

[HaleySabai]

On 1/10/2019 at 5:47 PM, lust said:

What a sad life for these people that could never be a police officer in their own country so they come here in hopes of acceptance.. 

Perhaps he's getting a 'cut'....??

[lipflipper]

Regardless of this Bogans intentions he is still IMO a first class Tosspot aiding and abetting the Thai Police to extort money from the tourists. I have seen this Joker on numerous occasions at the checkpoint just down the road from Tae Pae Gate, there he struts about in his too tight fitting uniform, the requisite sunglasses assisting the Police to pull over victims of their scam. How you can look your fellow Expats in the eye and justify your actions is beyond my comprehension. Whenever I see this Bogan I raise my visor and let him have an earful of expletives.

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[sharktooth]

On 1/11/2019 at 2:44 PM, dcnx said:

1) To tell someone they think like a Thai is perhaps one of the most offensive things you can say.

 

2) It wouldn’t be hard to do. Just think of the most common sense reaction in any situation and do the exact opposite, then try to find a way to cheat someone during the process. 

 

Funniest post I’ve seen for a long time ????

[tifino]

3 minutes ago, sharktooth said:

Funniest post I’ve seen for a long time ????

Be twice as funny to see that Thai react to reading it! 

[aremesal]

That would be fine if they are pulling random ppl over and checking for everything but they are just pulling foreigners and strickly for a IDP. That is where the easiest access to cash on these checkpoints is. Nothing to do with safety.

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Not true.

Almost every time they stopped me there're one or more locals being fined, and not only for license but for helmet and taxes too.

Even in the "farang magnet" checkpoint at Thapae they pulled a helmetless Thai guy riding just next to me while the cop said to me "go, go".

So not. They're not just pulling farangs nor only for IDP.

[FolkGuitar]

4 hours ago, aremesal said:

Not true.

Almost every time they stopped me there're one or more locals being fined, and not only for license but for helmet and taxes too.

Even in the "farang magnet" checkpoint at Thapae they pulled a helmetless Thai guy riding just next to me while the cop said to me "go, go".

So not. They're not just pulling farangs nor only for IDP.

 

I'm afraid that you will never convince some people that these check points catch plenty of Thais, too. But the foreign tourists are more visible, and around the moat, there are plenty of them. It IS true that they are catching lots of foreign tourists who do not have an IDP or Thai license, as well as catching everyone, Thai and foreign, for not having a helmet. Whether this improves road safety is doubtful, and certainly we'd (drivers and passengers alike) be better served with mobile police stopping speeders, illegal lane changers, traffic-light jumpers, and most of all, the Red Trucks making random stops and starts with no regard for the traffic around them, but this isn't going to happen any time soon.  But if a tourist produces an IDP along with his/her home license, is wearing a helmet, and the bike is registered, they are sent on their way without a problem. No 'scam' going on. The only ones paying are the ones in violation of Thai law.

[Loaded]

Volunteering for the most corrupt police force in the world isn't something to be proud of imo especially as the whole point of those check points is to take cash illegally from tourists and members of the public.

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[FolkGuitar]

3 hours ago, Loaded said:

Volunteering for the most corrupt police force in the world isn't something to be proud of imo especially as the whole point of those check points is to take cash illegally from tourists and members of the public.

 

Would please explain how paying fines for violation of Thai laws is illegal?

If you aren't breaking any laws, you pay nothing.

[Loaded]

15 hours ago, FolkGuitar said:

 

Would please explain how paying fines for violation of Thai laws is illegal?

If you aren't breaking any laws, you pay nothing.

Come on, you aren't that dumb. You know that payments are usually unrecorded cash payment bribes going into pockets to avoid the legal process.

 

And you think that not breaking the law protects you being extorted for cash by representatives of the law!!!

 

I know you always jump to the defense of these volunteers but come on...

[FolkGuitar]

16 minutes ago, Loaded said:

Come on, you aren't that dumb. You know that payments are usually unrecorded cash payment bribes going into pockets to avoid the legal process.

 

And you think that not breaking the law protects you being extorted for cash by representatives of the law!!!

 

I know you always jump to the defense of these volunteers but come on...

 

To begin with, I've only seen ONE volunteer helping at check stops; the older Australian fellow who does NOT wear the Tourist Police Volunteer uniform, but instead, regular brown police garb. That he prefers to do some work, rather than get loaded in the bars by 10am actually speaks well for him.

 

Next... no I do not 'know' that the payments are usually unrecorded cash payment bribes going into pockets. I see the law breakers lined up at the table getting receipts for their payments. I see this every day at the check point across from Chiang Mai Ram hospital. And when I stop there to have clothing altered by the sewing lady whose stall is behind them, I see and hear plenty of Thais mixed in with the foreigners bitching about how they are being abused and extorted simply because they have broken the law. What a ridiculous reason to have to pay a fine, right?  Hey... "if you can't do the time, don't do the crime." - Beretta

 

As for extortion by representatives of the law...  I'm sure it happens here just as it does in the USA, the UK, the EU, and every other country. But in 17 years here, and on the roads most every day, I've certainly never encountered it. And not one member of my circle of friends has ever mentioned having it happen to them. But we've ALL heard from 'the friend of the Thai sister-in-law's ex-housekeeper's nephew' that it happened to them. And of course, being really intelligent creatures, we believe them...  After all, it gives us something else to complain about.

[dvg]

A couple off weeks ago I was stopped by 4 policeman at a roadblock,all waering facemasks and sunglasses,for not having my helmet(yes I know)showing a coloured laminated paper with fines 1000(thousend baht) for no helmet,1000 baht for no license enz.I did tell them i have no money with me and will pay at the  policestation,they took my driverslicense an I did pay at the station 400 baht!!!!

[neeray]

On ‎1‎/‎10‎/‎2019 at 8:22 AM, CNXexpat said:

If the police do nothing, everybody say that they have to work more and do something for the road safety. If they check the driver licenses and insurances and if the people wear helmets it´s also not good. So what do you want?

Personally, I would like to see them out on the roads, in-town, out-of-town catching the maniacs who conceivably cause the horrific accidents. We all see drivers do a host of dangerous maneuvers on a daily basis. Do some proactive policing, don't just operate multi-checkpoints in the city where most regular drivers know they are and can avoid. Try being a real traffic cop for a change.

[bkk6060]

On 1/18/2019 at 11:02 AM, neeray said:

Personally, I would like to see them out on the roads, in-town, out-of-town catching the maniacs who conceivably cause the horrific accidents. We all see drivers do a host of dangerous maneuvers on a daily basis. Do some proactive policing, don't just operate multi-checkpoints in the city where most regular drivers know they are and can avoid. Try being a real traffic cop for a change.

That is a common naive comment from those who have no clue how traffic enforcement works.

Gee, it would be great if they could just pick the maniac drivers out of a bunch of cars driving down the road

Traffic cops do not just ride around wasting their time looking for this and that.

Like it or not It is all about revenue.  Here and in every city in the world.

They set up in areas that are easy tickets.  Speed traps, posted signs, etc.

And you would be surprised how many tickets they write here in those ¨well known¨ areas.

I think the check points are good.  Would like to see more of them. 

The problem here is education and engineering and management of the roadways.

 

 

[Jdiddy]

On 1/18/2019 at 2:38 PM, dvg said:

A couple off weeks ago I was stopped by 4 policeman at a roadblock,all waering facemasks and sunglasses,for not having my helmet(yes I know)showing a coloured laminated paper with fines 1000(thousend baht) for no helmet,1000 baht for no license enz.I did tell them i have no money with me and will pay at the  policestation,they took my driverslicense an I did pay at the station 400 baht!!!!

 

I dont mind paying 200baht cash for no helmet if the policeman is polite and chatty but that sort of tourist trap behaviuor is along the lines of a hot girl who knows it at Zoes asking for 10,000baht

 

Its just not on

 

 

Edited January 19, 2019 by Jdiddy

[colinneil]

1 hour ago, Jdiddy said:

 

I dont mind paying 200baht cash for no helmet if the policeman is polite and chatty but that sort of tourist trap behaviuor is along the lines of a hot girl who knows it at Zoes asking for 10,000baht

 

Its just not on

 

 

What!! The craziest comment i have see in a long time.

I dont mind paying for not wearing a helmet, absolutely crazy, any person not wearing a helmet here is crazy.

Yes i had a very serious accident, the only part of my body not damaged was my head, because i was wearing a helmet.

[Trujillo]

"... getting receipts for their payments..."

 

Um...yes, but not to put too fine a point on it, I am not at all confident that a handwritten piece of paper directly relates to monies actually deposited in the police fines bank account. 

[bluesofa]

1 hour ago, colinneil said:

What!! The craziest comment i have see in a long time.

I dont mind paying for not wearing a helmet, absolutely crazy, any person not wearing a helmet here is crazy.

Yes i had a very serious accident, the only part of my body not damaged was my head, because i was wearing a helmet.

Absolutely.

If I hadn't been wearing my helmet twelve years when a pickup ran over me in Udon, I wouldn't be writing this now.

Still, not wearing a helmet is your right to remove yourself from the gene pool.

[FolkGuitar]

On 1/18/2019 at 11:02 AM, neeray said:

Personally, I would like to see them out on the roads, in-town, out-of-town catching the maniacs who conceivably cause the horrific accidents.

 

13 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

That is a common naive comment from those who have no clue how traffic enforcement works.

 

 

I'm sure there have been more absurd comments made in TV over the years, but in my 13 years as a member, I don't remember any...

 

In the US, if you drive like a maniac, you get taken off the roads quickly, and kept off the roads. This happens because police are actively stopping them and the courts are removing them. That's how good policing works; mobile police units ON the roads, stopping the illegal driving behavior where and when it happens. It's called "Police Presence," and it's used in areas that wish to reduce traffic accidents. Why is it used? Well, because having a policeman standing on a street stopping any and every driver and giving citations for not having helmets or an IDP doesn't solve the problem of drivers who run red lights, make illegal lane changes, stop or pass on blind curves, etc., etc.

[Trujillo]

I don't think I have ever seen a policeman stop anyone for a moving violation. Here or anywhere in Asia. 

It's always the "fish in a barrel" shoot. 

In fact, the static "traps" of cameras at intersections seem to make no difference whatsoever regarding running red lights. 

But thankfully, we can't buy alcohol in major shops during 2pm to 5pm. That certainly cuts down on drunk driving to an almost infinite degree....   >..<

[William C F Pierce]

On 1/10/2019 at 10:47 AM, lust said:

What a sad life for these people that could never be a police officer in their own country so they come here in hopes of acceptance.. 

The guy is married to a Thai and the guy is entitled to the lifestyle of Thailand the same as any other foreigner. Including doing legal work of his choice. He is attached to the police station in the middle of the old city and has been here for quite a number. You find he speaks fluent Thai and I found that he makes things easier to sort out when I visited the city police station. Finally, when he is around, no Thai copper will ask for tea money.

[tabarin]

Nothing new and relatively easy to avoid:
1) On the corner on huay kaew road (kad sun keaw mall).
2) At the intersection with MAYA Mall towards Doi Suthep (the most stupid one as it is after the traffic lights).
3) Thapae gate (inner moat) = Most famous and daily now it seems.
4) Elsewhere around old city but easy to spot on distance, sometimes corner moat of the park or outside where you turn left to the airport.

Most times they are gone by 2-3PM (3PM is my safe time). They caught me 3 times only last year but each time it was my own mistake for ignoring above.
I told the Australian guy to piss off (he threatened to fine me double and I explained he can't).

It is a big money machine focused on tourists who can't be legal, also immigration says you need a 2 month valid entry / visa to get the paper for the driving license making it virtually impossible for tourists to be legal in time. 

Edited January 20, 2019 by tabarin

[Bill97]

Tourist can arrive with IDP and be legal, can't they?


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