Shakedown Street...

[JHolmesJr]

29 minutes ago, berybert said:

Mate of mine left a bar in soi 11 not long ago. Got approached by an African, told him he wasn't interested. 

At the end of the road he was stopped by the cops and told they had seen him doing a deal with the African. 

Long story short, it cost him 40,000 baht.

Don't even think about stopping and talking to people you don't know.

 

you serious?

did he buy 'something' from the African?

[madmen]

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

[richard_smith237]

14 hours ago, bbi1 said:

How did you acquire a friend from the Royal Thai Police? Do you need to pay him a monthly bribe so he's available on call to tell other cops to back off or is it a free service?

You ‘acquire’ your friends and pay them to be your friends?

 

 

 

 

 

[berybert]

No he didn't. You don't tell someone you are not interested then buy something off them.

[JHolmesJr]

2 minutes ago, berybert said:

No he didn't. You don't tell someone you are not interested then buy something off them.

so what happened when he turned out his pockets and showed the cops he had nothing?

[richard_smith237]

4 minutes ago, berybert said:

No he didn't. You don't tell someone you are not interested then buy something off them.

Curious why he’d pay out 40,000 baht for just walking down the street and saying ‘no thanks’ to an African guy.

 

How could the BiB charge him for anything? Shakedowns exist, but only for those who have flirted with the regulations (I.e. the grey area of not carrying a passport etc and that’s not 40,000 baht fine!).

 

A 40,000 baht fine / bribe is for something serious.

 

That said: good advice, don’t talk to anyone you don’t know in similar circumstances.

Edited November 17, 2019 by richard_smith237

[berybert]

Just now, JHolmesJr said:

so what happened when he turned out his pockets and showed the cops he had nothing?

They work together, he never got the chance to prove he had nothing. 

40,000 baht or they would make it hard to stay in the country, being as he has a senior position at a decent company he didn't need the hassle.

So don't talk to people you don't know. 

I wasn't there so am not 100% sure what went on. So I will say no more ????

[berybert]

2 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Curious why he’d pay out 40,000 baht for just walking down the street and saying ‘no thanks’ to an African guy.

 

How could the BiB charge him for anything? Shakedowns exist, but only for those who have flirted with the regulations (I.e. the grey area of not carrying a passport etc and that’s not 40,000 baht fine!).

 

A 40,000 baht fine / bribe is for something serious.

 

That said: good advice, don’t talk to anyone you don’t know in similar circumstances.

Not carrying a passport is not a grey area, it is something you don't have to do.

 

[timendres]

I have been pulled out of cabs on Sukhumvit at least 5 times in the past two years. Both at the checkpoint in front of the Emporium (btw, that has moved down closer to Soi 38 now), and the checkpoint on the other side just past EmQuartier. Each and every time I was asked to show the contents of my pockets, and a couple of questions, then sent on my way. Not one of these times have I been asked to produce my passport. I am always polite, but never let the officer put his hands in my pockets. A few have tried, and I am quite concerned about something being planted, so I immediately state that I will deal with emptying my pockets. This is the Thong Lo BIB, and their reputation is notorious! 

[richard_smith237]

17 minutes ago, berybert said:

21 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Curious why he’d pay out 40,000 baht for just walking down the street and saying ‘no thanks’ to an African guy.

 

How could the BiB charge him for anything? Shakedowns exist, but only for those who have flirted with the regulations (I.e. the grey area of not carrying a passport etc and that’s not 40,000 baht fine!).

 

A 40,000 baht fine / bribe is for something serious.

 

That said: good advice, don’t talk to anyone you don’t know in similar circumstances.

Not carrying a passport is not a grey area, it is something you don't have to do.

 

I actually agree with you. I have read the announcements from the Chief of Police (previous one a couple of years ago).

 

But really, good luck arguing that with a Policeman.....  so if a Policeman expects to see your passport, its become a ‘grey area’... 

Its the same for the IDP with a foreign licence - its not required if your licence is in English (language), but try telling that to a traffic policeman if stopped.

Understanding of the Thai law has been passed down from Policeman to Policeman, they work off what they have learned on the job rather than any legal text, hence the reason for the ‘sh$t show’...

 

I never carry my passport, but have copies on my phone. If that doesn’t work, I have the ‘phone a friend’ option. That said, I’ve been stopped once in the past 5 years or so, as such, this is not an issue I ever worry about. 

 

 

Edited November 17, 2019 by richard_smith237

[FritsSikkink]

On ‎11‎/‎14‎/‎2019 at 5:59 PM, moontang said:

Load of BS, been there loads of times, never got stopped in a taxi, was in a bar with police in that area and he bought me a drink

[AlexRich]

1 hour ago, berybert said:

Mate of mine left a bar in soi 11 not long ago. Got approached by an African, told him he wasn't interested. 

At the end of the road he was stopped by the cops and told they had seen him doing a deal with the African. 

Long story short, it cost him 40,000 baht.

Don't even think about stopping and talking to people you don't know.

I was in Kuta, Bali a few years back. At night if you are walking around you are constantly approached by people trying to sell you drugs. I keep walking. I was reading the book “Snowing in Bali” about drug smuggling ... apparently some of these guys are paid by the police to set up tourists. Once you do the deal you get arrested at the next corner and then you’re paying to get released, and if you fight it and higher up people get involved so does the amount you have to pay. 

 

Let’s hope Thailand is not going the same way.

Edited November 17, 2019 by AlexRich

[fhickson]

i lived there for a couple years, walked by there daily at all hours. never once was stopped by police. was always on foot.

 

i think your overplaying the risks of being stopped as a pedestrian. traffic nets are a different animal.

[gamesgplayemail]

16 hours ago, bbi1 said:

How did you acquire a friend from the Royal Thai Police? Do you need to pay him a monthly bribe so he's available on call to tell other cops to back off or is it a free service?

 

he just has very smart friends from RTP and immigration, yes you got it, the smart kind that doesn't exist !!!

 

 

[gamesgplayemail]

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

You ‘acquire’ your friends and pay them to be your friends?

 

 

 

 

 

 

maybe we have too much face to have any of these ones as "friends"

 

555

 

 

 

[Nyezhov]

On 11/16/2019 at 3:11 AM, holy cow cm said:

So is it safe to say from Soi Cowboy going to Nana is safe walking ? I have a US guy coming in next week I will be showing around. And it will be a late night one. 

I dare say you have more to worry about from dips, ladyboys and your fellow drunks.

 

just curious when you have to pay the cops the shakedown bribe, is it okay to get a receipt? I mean when they ask you for your passport and say you don't have it, so then they tell you to pay him five thousand  can you just like smile and say okay dude,  can have a receipt so that I can show my old lady I gave the money to you instead of to some pocket picking boobcarrier in a g-string at Baccara? and if he doesn't offer a receipt, can you have him take you to the station to get one. After all, 5,000 baht is nothing to us boys, but my old lady, she'll beat me with a stick. 

[oldhippy]

On 11/14/2019 at 11:32 AM, sirineou said:

Stories is the operative word here. I agree with you, "where there's smoke there's fire" and there is fire. Thirteen years in Thailand I was polled over once, about seven years ago and paid 200 bht to the cop, I am sure it ended up in his pocket, or at least some of it. But I was speeding and I was glad to pay the $9 usd than the $180 I would had paid back home , and the increase in my insurance premium.

I know I am going to get a lot of flack over this, but personally, I like a litle corruption, especially when I am the one doing the corrupting LOL 

To reform wishing farang's I say the following. "Watch what you wish for, you just might get it"  someday they might not issue BS income certificates, why they might even require medical insurance. It could happen. 

QUOTE: personally, I like a litle corruption

 

Is that similar to making a girl a little bit pregnant?

[sunnyboy2018]

On 11/15/2019 at 8:08 PM, bkk6060 said:

Nothing much good happens after midnight.

I am always asleep by then so have no clue.

Perhaps you were conceived after midnight.

[sunnyboy2018]

These shake downs are seasonal sometimes. Christmas is coming up the cops and their families beed money You get the same fund raising shakedowns before ramadan in muslim countries. A pal of mine was dragged out of a taxi years ago on Silom. The cops found 20 Es. He had to pay 20k, surrender the pills and his girlfriend,  a thai pretty, had to give the cops her number so they could contact her for future use.

[sunnyboy2018]

4 hours ago, JHolmesJr said:

 

you serious?

did he buy 'something' from the African?

Same thing happened to my friend in Brixton years ago.

[sunnyboy2018]

4 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Curious why he’d pay out 40,000 baht for just walking down the street and saying ‘no thanks’ to an African guy.

 

How could the BiB charge him for anything? Shakedowns exist, but only for those who have flirted with the regulations (I.e. the grey area of not carrying a passport etc and that’s not 40,000 baht fine!).

 

A 40,000 baht fine / bribe is for something serious.

 

That said: good advice, don’t talk to anyone you don’t know in similar circumstances.

The filth always have drop down drugs to plant.

[Salerno]

5 hours ago, berybert said:

Long story short, it cost him 40,000 baht.

 

4 hours ago, berybert said:

I wasn't there so am not 100% sure what went on. So I will say no more ????

 

Only thing I would say is ... utter <deleted> 

[sunnyboy2018]

3 hours ago, AlexRich said:

I was in Kuta, Bali a few years back. At night if you are walking around you are constantly approached by people trying to sell you drugs. I keep walking. I was reading the book “Snowing in Bali” about drug smuggling ... apparently some of these guys are paid by the police to set up tourists. Once you do the deal you get arrested at the next corner and then you’re paying to get released, and if you fight it and higher up people get involved so does the amount you have to pay. 

 

Let’s hope Thailand is not going the same way.

Its the midnight express syndrome and CM was famous 30 years ago for dealers,  often Tuk Tuk drivers working with the police. Never buy off Thais, Nigerians or Arabs..

[sunnyboy2018]

On 11/16/2019 at 8:11 AM, holy cow cm said:

So is it safe to say from Soi Cowboy going to Nana is safe walking ? I have a US guy coming in next week I will be showing around. And it will be a late night one. 

It is not safe if you are carrying anything. You should have a good copy of your passport. My copy is laminated to ID card size. You should carry sufficient bribe money at least 10k. I stopped doing the Nana to Soi Cowboy walk years ago when they started the urine tests AND when they cleared away all the hawkers, traders, food stalls etc. In the immediate aftermath of the social cleaning of this part of lower Suk it was easy to spot plain clothes police every 15 feet. They radio ahead to uniformed police to extort you. Since the coup the police are more hungry, the army more greedy and corruption has increased massively. I avoid Bangkok now. The prescription medicine I use for pain control registers a false positive opiate and can lead to a lot of trouble.

[Skallywag]

Pretty simple.  Obey the law.  Foreigners must carry passports is the law.

Not sure why people come here, don't read the laws, then complain about getting caught breaking them

[RedPill]

4 minutes ago, Skallywag said:

Pretty simple.  Obey the law.  Foreigners must carry passports is the law.

Not sure why people come here, don't read the laws, then complain about getting caught breaking them

Are you carrying your passport around at all times?

 

Well, I don't ... I'm already constantly losing my sunglasses.

Imagine I would always carry my passport, it's a PITA to get a new one. 

 

But to be more real, I've never in years been asked to show my passport, the driving license always did it.

 

Not saying it could happen ... but I trust a picture I have on my phone if I really need to show it. If not sufficient, I will see 

where it goes to get my passport from home.

Edited November 17, 2019 by RedPill

[Skallywag]

5 minutes ago, sunnyboy2018 said:

6 minutes ago, sunnyboy2018 said:

It is not safe if you are carrying anything. You should have a good copy of your passport. My copy is laminated to ID card size.

I avoid Bangkok now.

So how many laminated copies have you had stolen?  You carry cell phone?  Room keys? All those items have been stolen from you?

 

[RedPill]

1 minute ago, Skallywag said:

So how many laminated copies have you had stolen?  You carry cell phone?  Room keys? All those items have been stolen from you?

 

Come on, no one carries his passport with him at all times ... you can't compare this to all the other stuff you have with you.

 

It's just a too important of a document to lose ... especially when you travel a lot around.

 

[Skallywag]

4 minutes ago, RedPill said:

Not saying it could happen ... but I trust a picture I have on my phone if I really need to show it. If not sufficient, I will see where it goes to get my passport from home.

But if "anything" can get stolen, I bet first thing they will steal is your cell phone.  

I have never been stopped to check either and no I do not always carry my passport. 

Could happen to anyone.  Yet to bribe police with 10K when a new passport is 3K seems stupid. 

Just carry it if going into "tourist" areas where you know police will be on the look out

[Skallywag]

4 minutes ago, RedPill said:

It's just a too important of a document to lose ... especially when you travel a lot around.

 

Dont travel around a lot