My son and his friend accousted/held by stranger

[bubblehead]

My son and his friend (both 15 years old) were cycling outside our village on a quiet lane. It was about 7pm, it had just got dark.

Out of the blue a stranger on a motorbike tried to stop them.

They thought he was some kind of nutcase so swerved around him and tried to get away.

My son's friend got caught, he grabbed him by the arm and wouldn't let him go.

My son went back to help his friend and this stranger started asking them all sorts of questions like where they were from, where they lived and what nationality they were. etc.

They are both half Thai and half European.

They explained to him in Thai that they were Thai with European Dad's.

This guy was having none of it and told them that they must show him where they lived.

All this happened outside a little Thai owned shop. The lady there sees them everyday but said nothing and never intervened.

The guy then escorts them to our village (about 50m away). My son said the security guard at our village was no help. He let this stranger in and offered no assistance.

At our house the stranger announces himself as the district head and demanded to see some ID and passports.

The wife called the neighbors out for some moral support. Half the street came out and they all stuck up for my son and his friend.

The wife produced the ID and passport for my son. My son's friends Mum came with ID and passport for her son.

At this stage the stranger had already called the police. A policeman came who happens to be the same policeman that checks on our village daily.

He took the side of this stranger and said our sons should not be out riding their bikes after dark. He said there was a lot of drug addicts about and it was dangerous.

The stranger kept saying they tried to get away. When I told them to stop they should have stopped.

The wife and son both say this man appeared a little drunk. At no stage did he show any ID but the wife thinks the policemen knew him.

I was out at the time, which probably turns out to be a blessing in disguise. I am not sure how I would have reacted to all this.

Our sons have been riding their bikes on that lane for the past 8 years.

 

[Denim]

Unseen Thailand.  Going from bad to worse.

[richard_smith237]

I sounds like a local village head or someone who tried to do the right thing in a very wrong way... 

 

I would have likely reacted quite firmly had I been in the situation you were nearly in (if you were home), but given your explanation I don't think they were accosted, rather they were being protected... OR the guy thought they were up to no good in a community policing, neighborhood watch kind of way.

 

He now knows who they are. I personally would just ignore it for now. If it happens again, hope you are home and deal with it firmly. Leave instructions with your Wife to find out who it is If it happens again and you aren't home, and then you can go and see him and find out what he is up to. 

 

[Vacuum]

24 minutes ago, bubblehead said:

At our house the stranger announces himself as the district head and demanded to see some ID and passports.

At this point, you should've kicked his nuts.

[bubblehead]

27 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

I sounds like a local village head or someone who tried to do the right thing in a very wrong way... 

 

I would have likely reacted quite firmly had I been in the situation you were nearly in (if you were home), but given your explanation I don't think they were accosted, rather they were being protected... OR the guy thought they were up to no good in a community policing, neighborhood watch kind of way.

 

He now knows who they are. I personally would just ignore it for now. If it happens again, hope you are home and deal with it firmly. Leave instructions with your Wife to find out who it is If it happens again and you aren't home, and then you can go and see him and find out what he is up to. 

 

Yes I will definitely ignore it for now. I am not expecting anything else to come of it.

I don't think he was there to protect them. I believe it was more a case of him pushing his weight around.

 

 

 

[pgrahmm]

Anybody think to start taking pictures of the guy in case future action is required? Hard to imagine nobody did..... 

I'm not sure how I would have handled it either if it were my child....

Video or pics along with a demand for his credentials coupled with direct questions might have stood him back on his heels a bit.....Done in a directly nice way.....

 

Now, he may feel emboldened.....

[Kwasaki]

I had all my sons & daughters from 12 years old learn self-defense. 

[bubblehead]

10 minutes ago, pgrahmm said:

Anybody think to start taking pictures of the guy in case future action is required? Hard to imagine nobody did..... 

I'm not sure how I would have handled it either if it were my child....

Video or pics along with a demand for his credentials coupled with direct questions might have stood him back on his heels a bit.....Done in a directly nice way.....

 

Now, he may feel emboldened.....

Good point.

No video or pictures taken unfortunately.

[Just Weird]

1 hour ago, Denim said:

Unseen Thailand.  Going from bad to worse.

You're claiming that based on one uncorroborated Thaivisa complaint?  Geez...

[katana]

Next time video it and put it up on Youtube to embarrass him.

Edited June 21, 2019 by katana

[observer90210]

Put CCTV cameras that film the scene with sound and if the jerk comes back, show him the video after his show and tell him next time it goes on line with a copy sent to a well known Bangkok newspaper !....

Edited June 21, 2019 by observer90210

[Traubert]

Before taking all this nonsense advice most of which will only serve to make things worse, i.e. creating a local enemy, ask the local copper who this bloke is and how much weight he carries in local policing. Better still, get your missus to find out.

 

As people on here like to make crap quotes, here's one, 'know thine enemy.'

[bubblehead]

14 minutes ago, Traubert said:

Before taking all this nonsense advice most of which will only serve to make things worse, i.e. creating a local enemy, ask the local copper who this bloke is and how much weight he carries in local policing. Better still, get your missus to find out.

 

As people on here like to make crap quotes, here's one, 'know thine enemy.'

It turns out he is some local head of something or other. It appears he was drunk and giving it the big "I am".

It is highly unlikely we will be hearing from him or seeing him again, that is not my concern.

He never suffered any "loss of face" from what I can gather. He asked for ID and passports and was shown them.

He then pi$$ed off on his merry way to harass somebody else.

It is the whole manner in which this happened that annoys me.

Imagine pulling a stunt like that in the UK!

[Gracas]

So this man was the Thai version of the UK's Ronnie Pickering.

Lucky you were not at home.

[bubblehead]

16 minutes ago, Gracas said:

So this man was the Thai version of the UK's Ronnie Pickering.

Lucky you were not at home.

Yep sounds about right

[dotpoom]

18 hours ago, Denim said:

Unseen Thailand.  Going from bad to worse.

Warning children to not be out riding their bikes after dark is..."going from bad to worse".

   Should try some of this back home?

[DavisH]

Village headmen = local gangster....they are usually the richest and most corrupt in the village. They are in thick with the police. Thy lend money to poor people and whey they cant pay they take their land. Avoid them at all costs. I'm in a large gated village and would not allow my son to ride in the local areas, especially at night time. Too many crazies out there. 

[Denim]

9 minutes ago, dotpoom said:

Warning children to not be out riding their bikes after dark is..."going from bad to worse".

   Should try some of this back home?

What , aggressively going to peoples homes, demanding to see passports and calling the cops. 

Yea right.

[neeray]

15 hours ago, Traubert said:

Before taking all this nonsense advice most of which will only serve to make things worse, i.e. creating a local enemy, ask the local copper who this bloke is and how much weight he carries in local policing. Better still, get your missus to find out.

 

As people on here like to make crap quotes, here's one, 'know thine enemy.'

Or, "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer".

 

Making a big fuss may only make you an enemy.

And taking a picture or video of him may really piss him off.

I had an incident one time (not in Thailand) and I took a picture of the aggressors car plate. He ripped my late model iPhone out of my hand and threw it a hundred feet in the air.

Police were of no help. Cop said I had the legal right to take a picture but he'd be pissed off too if somebody took a picture of him. No charge possible as no witness. A case of his word against mine. END

[dorayme]

The boys should have called the police right then. To bad the shop woman didn't call them.

 

He is probably lucky they didn't practice muay thai.

Edited June 22, 2019 by dorayme

[mercman24]

if he was the village head surely some thai would have known this, ??

[mercman24]

and of course some stupid comments on here as per thai visa, give him a beating, are you for real, ok if you want to get stabbed or shot if in fact he was the village head, still i bet you feel safe in Jomtien now the Russians have gone home

Edited June 22, 2019 by mercman24

[atyclb]

1 hour ago, Denim said:

1 hour ago, dotpoom said:

Warning children to not be out riding their bikes after dark is..."going from bad to worse".

   Should try some of this back home?

What , aggressively going to peoples homes, demanding to see passports and calling the cops. 

Yea right.

 

 

wonder if immigration gives commissions to those who find people on overstays or without proper visa ?

[Olmate]

15 minutes ago, atyclb said:

 

 

wonder if immigration gives commissions to those who find people on overstays or without proper visa ?

Of course they do, what’s the issue with that?

[bubblehead]

2 hours ago, mercman24 said:

if he was the village head surely some thai would have known this, ??

We live in a gated village. This guy apparently was head of a whole district covering many square miles and many other gated villages.

None of the neighbors have seen him before.

My son and his friend don't look 100% Thai that is the reason he detained them.

[atyclb]

1 hour ago, Olmate said:

1 hour ago, atyclb said:

 

 

wonder if immigration gives commissions to those who find people on overstays or without proper visa ?

Of course they do, what’s the issue with that?

 

perhaps you can figure it out?

[NoshowJones]

21 hours ago, bubblehead said:

Yes I will definitely ignore it for now. I am not expecting anything else to come of it.

I don't think he was there to protect them. I believe it was more a case of him pushing his weight around.

 

 

 

A Thai pushing his weight around and not wearing some kind of uniform?? Very unusual.

[NoshowJones]

3 hours ago, mercman24 said:

and of course some stupid comments on here as per thai visa, give him a beating, are you for real, ok if you want to get stabbed or shot if in fact he was the village head, still i bet you feel safe in Jomtien now the Russians have gone home

The only time you give someone a beating is if they try or even threaten you or any of your family with violence. Thai people in general are really very non confrontational.

[myjawe]

So you do not teach to your kids to kick any stranger that talk to them ? It's not safe, you should teach them how to become a man.

[Bangkok Barry]

I find it rather sinister that someone stops a couple of kids because they don't look Thai enough and demands to see their passports. And then is backed up by the police. We already know that many Thais are all too ready to blame foreigners for anything and everything, or pile into a fight against a foreigner as soon as a perceived opportunity arises. Perhaps they have been reading a bit of history and taking tips from the Germany of the 1930s.