Something has seriously changed here......

[gunderhill]

On 8/23/2019 at 12:19 PM, Isaanbiker said:

Please share your experiences. Thanks a lot in advance. 

I finance the local BIB 1000 baht every  month, have the local guys  phone  number, any problems he deals with it for me on the phone available 24/7, nice  guy, hates  his  job  just waiting for the pension says the corruption is  terrible but you have "no choice"  in the Police or they will transfer you out  of province and make your  life very difficult.

[RichardColeman]

On 8/23/2019 at 6:19 AM, Isaanbiker said:

but it seems that they have started to focus on foreigners in particular. 

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[gunderhill]

22 hours ago, Pilotman said:

I really don't recognise the Thailand that many speak of on TVF.  I hardly ever see a Policeman and if I do, they are usually in the coffee shop opposite their station, drinking coffee and shooting the breeze. Immigration I only see when I go to the airport, or the IO for my extension and 90 day reports. I saw more Police in my last visit to the UK, maybe not a good thing of course as they, the BiB, seem to do very little.  

Whats  does your labrador say about all this  though????

[TSF]

11 minutes ago, Isaanbiker said:

Of course, when leaving the province. But a copy of my PP and my DL should be enough when driving in my province.

 

   It's a bit ridiculous to carry my passport when going to have dinner in town. 

Exactly, they like checking foreigners for passports in Pattaya's Walking Street, and most of the arrests they make for foreigners not carrying passports are in the Walking Street. But what a seriously risky thing to do, carry your passport when going out getting plastered in a red-light district.

[Isaanbiker]

21 minutes ago, TSF said:

Exactly, they like checking foreigners for passports in Pattaya's Walking Street, and most of the arrests they make for foreigners not carrying passports are in the Walking Street. But what a seriously risky thing to do, carry your passport when going out getting plastered in a red-light district.

I'm not talking about Pattaya now. It's about a town in lower northeast.

 

 

[watcharacters]

On 8/23/2019 at 12:41 PM, Isaanbiker said:

 

    I've just made a photograph of my passport and will also make a copy I'll put in my bike, should they stop me.

 

  I won't be risking to lose my passport. 

 

   

 

 

I pay 35 THB to have a laminated copy of first page and current visa of my passport.  Two sided and the size of a credit card.

 

Problem solved!

[Isaanbiker]

1 minute ago, watcharacters said:

 

 

I pay 35 THB to have a laminated copy of first page and current visa of my passport.  Two sided and the size of a credit card.

 

Problem solved!

Thanks, that sounds like a great solution. 

[flexomike]

30 minutes ago, gunderhill said:

Whats  does your labrador say about all this  though????

lets go to the beach

[Pedrogaz]

I've never had a problem personally but I do think the climate has changed. Several of my mates who have been here for years have been 'harassed' by immigration over petty stuff and some long stayers have also been caught in the currency crunch. Whichever way you look at it, in the future we will all suffer more 'harassment'. The recent initial immigration raids focussed on Africans, now it seems to be Westerners. I now carry my ID and passport everywhere I go. I have never filed a TM30 despite travelling frequently as my local IO said they weren't checking them in march when I did my extension. I anticipate some aggro over this when I extend next March. Frankly I'd rather pay a 2000 baht fine once a year than waste about 20 days a year going to the IO to file TM30s.

[tandor]

On 8/23/2019 at 2:28 PM, fourpack said:

In my time here in issan and the rest of Thailand for that matter like lots of others who drive some distances I have been stopped many times (waved through more times mind I'd say 99% wave through 1% pulled over)

I used to just pass them there T money before it changed. I tried once to show my DL and Thai ID (pinko) which was not looked at and passed back to me instantly "not needed was muttered".

Never once so far have I ever been asked for my passport, that includes when I was pulled over not 1km from nong khai friendship bridge.

I don't and won't ever carry my passport unless I am leaving the country.

I do have a picture of main and latest visa/entry stamp.

...hmmm..why would they ask you for any licence of passport when you keep offering money..i dont get it..in fact it makes it much harder for the rest of us who are riding/driving legally..no need to support or encourage graft and corruption..IMHO.

[Mavideol]

On 8/23/2019 at 2:38 PM, Vacuum said:

If they ask for your passport, that's what they want to see.

they don't know how to say ID..... boss only told them to say passport

[BoganInParasite]

Waved through checkpoints 8 times out of 10. Occasionally the wife is asked where we are from and going. Only once asked to show DL and only once at the checkpoint on the 101 before leaving Nan and entering Phrae province was asked for my passport by a guy in an immigration uniform.

 

[Brunolem]

Things change, but I think it has more to do with staff changes than political changes. 

 

Thailand employs a huge number of public servants, among which lots of police officers and affiliated. 

 

And these people rotate... a lot! 

 

What happens is that the freshly nominated little or big chiefs want to show a difference, that they are tough guys, tougher than their predecessor. 

 

The OP mentions Sisaket... well in small town Kanthararom (Sisaket province), there is a new chief of police, and he has decided to enforce the law to the letter when it comes to... parking violations! 

 

Hence an avalanche of parking tickets, at 400 baht a pip, distributed like candies by policemen riding their bikes all day long across the city. 

 

This is particularly infuriating, especially since for many Thais, 400 baht is a significant amount of money... and even the officers at the police station are complaining (on Line) because they are submerged with visitors and complaints. 

 

On the face of it, this could be interpreted as a war on drivers and bikers, but it is not, it is just the decision of one guy, made without second thought (or even first). 

 

In another province, or city, it is going to be "show me your papers" (papieren bitte) because this is what the local guy in charge has come up with to look tough. 

 

There is no conspiracy at a national level, against such or such group of people... just mindless local decisions that look like harasment, but were not initially made with that purpose... 

[NoshowJones]

On 8/23/2019 at 2:38 PM, Vacuum said:

If they ask for your passport, that's what they want to see.

Well as far as I am concerned they will just have to want, they can see my pink ID card

or my driving licence, but that's it.

[Danthai]

I have never had any problem with police stops. Here in Chiangmai, especially around most to go to market (lived outside area in PaDaet) I would get stopped on each side of the most for a drivers license check. I now just pull over when I see them them and pull out my drivers license and show them. They are always polite. Never ask for money for last 23 years. Last week I used canal road out just before turn to Gov Office. I had a poncho on because of looking rainy, wear n95 mask, and helmut. I pulled over. The friendly policeman looked at me and said "You have a license?" I said yes. He never looked and waved me on. I said here I'll show you. He said, "I believe you," smiled and waved me on. That eas a first! I've always found them friendly if your respectful. The good job they are doing is stopping the kids without helmets, licences, and registrations which is great. 

[NoshowJones]

On 8/23/2019 at 3:01 PM, Pilotman said:

I really don't recognise the Thailand that many speak of on TVF.  I hardly ever see a Policeman and if I do, they are usually in the coffee shop opposite their station, drinking coffee and shooting the breeze. Immigration I only see when I go to the airport, or the IO for my extension and 90 day reports. I saw more Police in my last visit to the UK, maybe not a good thing of course as they, the BiB, seem to do very little.  

"I saw more Police in my last visit to the UK,"  Are you sure it was actually police you saw? Anytime

that I'm in the UK (Glasgow) the police are non existent. 

[persimmon]

My GF told me that her friend`s husband was a cop who manned one of the check points , he made enough from it to make payments on a new car ...

[flbkk]

You never know, I’ve never been stopped in Thailand. I’m white, old. My Nepalese friend is stopped often. Once he was with thai GF in her nice car, pulled out and kept at police station till she fetched his passport. In USA there are issues sometimes, two women, us citizens, Hispanic appearance, were jailed in a 7-11 in USA, not near border, till 

their citizenship was proven 

[wwest5829]

Hmmm, observations of stricter enforcement are valid and a bit threatening to our status but it does make me pause to reflect. Higher feelings of nationalism and anti-immigrant feelings have been rising in many of our home countries for some time. While it wrinkles me, as I am a great guy, it should not surprise any of us that Thais are also being caught up in the current global outlook. I fear we are just not too accepting of ”law enforcement” and ethnocentric thinking when it is focused on us.

Edited August 24, 2019 by wwest5829

[Pilotman]

30 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

"I saw more Police in my last visit to the UK,"  Are you sure it was actually police you saw? Anytime

that I'm in the UK (Glasgow) the police are non existent. 

yep and plenty of them. Mind you, I was in London. so not really surprising. 

[chrissables]

On 8/23/2019 at 3:01 PM, Pilotman said:

I really don't recognise the Thailand that many speak of on TVF.  I hardly ever see a Policeman and if I do, they are usually in the coffee shop opposite their station, drinking coffee and shooting the breeze. Immigration I only see when I go to the airport, or the IO for my extension and 90 day reports. I saw more Police in my last visit to the UK, maybe not a good thing of course as they, the BiB, seem to do very little.  

Seen the police in a coffee shop, i don't think that is normal, after work it is beer, i see all the time near my place. Mind you i don't go in coffee shops too ????

[CGW]

55 minutes ago, Danthai said:

The good job they are doing is stopping the kids without helmets, licences, and registrations which is great. 

Not where I live, they never set up road stops when the kids are going to or leaving school, they are allowed to do as they wish, they know there is no point stopping them as they will not have any money!

[Pilotman]

18 minutes ago, chrissables said:

Seen the police in a coffee shop, i don't think that is normal, after work it is beer, i see all the time near my place. Mind you i don't go in coffee shops too ????

There is often one or two of them in the Amazon Coffee place across the road from their station, in a petrol station retail area. 

[Issannative]

I once got stopped in a buss station in yasso imm every where they asked for my pp was lucky had it on me as I was going to amnat to do my 90 day no need to do that no more as new office in yasso but ya imm getting a bit mental

[riclag]

The police asked me for my passport once,I pulled out a folded 8-1/2 by 11 copy of my visa page and picture page that I have in my phone wallet!

I would never leave my Passport in the car or take it everywhere I go unless I'm going to the bank or a government office.  

[Isaanbiker]

22 minutes ago, riclag said:

The police asked me for my passport once,I pulled out a folded 8-1/2 by 11 copy of my visa page and picture page that I have in my phone wallet!

I would never leave my Passport in the car or take it everywhere I go unless I'm going to the bank or a government office.  

I get it. My point being is that something has happened just recently, these guys are totally different.

 

 I didn't have problems with them, but I know of some people who just recently did have some weird experiences with the coppers.

 

  Aeeh, sorry, BIB. Teletubbies with their cams on the helmet. 

[Isaanbiker]

1 hour ago, flbkk said:

You never know, I’ve never been stopped in Thailand. I’m white, old. My Nepalese friend is stopped often. Once he was with thai GF in her nice car, pulled out and kept at police station till she fetched his passport. In USA there are issues sometimes, two women, us citizens, Hispanic appearance, were jailed in a 7-11 in USA, not near border, till 

their citizenship was proven 

I think it doesn't matter now if you're white, green, yellow, or black. They seem to have new orders. 

[hereforgood]

On 8/23/2019 at 2:38 PM, Vacuum said:

If they ask for your passport, that's what they want to see.

does your pink ID card have your visa info on it ?

[emptypockets]

On ‎8‎/‎23‎/‎2019 at 1:43 PM, Patriot said:

Pink ID is all that’s necessary 

Unless its immigration police wanting to see your permission to stay date.

[Isaanbiker]

24 minutes ago, Brer said:

But something is happening and you don’t know what it is.

Do you?

You raise up your head and you ask, "Is this where it is?"
And somebody points to you and says, "It's his"
And you say, "What's mine?" and somebody else says, "Well, what is?"
And you say, "Oh my God, am I here all alone?"

Are you kidding? It was meant as a warning. The times are over where you could drive around hammered without any kind of ID.

 

   That was my only message and Immigration was never out at night to check on foreigners. Sisaket is a town a bit different to Pattaya,. methinks.