"I'll never set foot in Thailand again" - damning review by Taiwanese celeb "extorted by Thai police"

[Snig27]

6 hours ago, Boomer6969 said:

A bit difficult, as I remember the pre-Covid Thong Lor, pee tests and body searches...

Indeed, that is exactly what came to mind. It took the front page of BP to get those stopped. There is quite some naïveté with those saying ‘but she had done nothing wrong’. 

[Bangkok Barry]

6 hours ago, nigelforbes said:

The story makes no sense. She showed her visa passport so she had no basis to pay anything, for any reason, she should have stood her ground.

Would you stand your ground if the same thing happened to you? And what do you think the consequences of that might be, macho man? Surely you know that the rules in Thailand are whatever someone says they are.

[nigelforbes]

Just now, Bangkok Barry said:

Would you stand your ground if the same thing happened to you? And what do you think the consequences of that might be, macho man? Surely you know that the rules in Thailand are whatever someone says they are.

You have to remember we live in the North, it's all a bit different up here than in Bangkok. Plus I tend not to go out clubbing and ride in taxi's at 1 am, at that hour all our cops are fast asleep, as am I, I'm 73 this month. But would I stand my ground, yes, and I have, but only with fairly minor things. A traffic stop cop wanted me to pay a fine for being in the wrong lane, I told him I'd take a ticket but he wasn't getting any cash. It took some backwards and forwards but he soon gave up and waved me on. Apart from that one time, I have to say that any time I've been stopped is because I'd done something wrong, usually speeding and that's a fair cop so I pay.

[Bangkok Barry]

It doesn't matter how far this travels on social media, nor any other little incidents such as murder on a certain island. People still flock to Thailand in their tens of millions every year, so no-one in authority in Thailand actually cares.

[findlay13]

6 hours ago, nigelforbes said:

I am in a foreign country and I have been stopped my police. We were stopped whilst driving from Chiang Mai to Sukhothai and a hoard of police swarmed my car and inspected our lugage. They found nothing, they planted nothing, an officer supervised and was very professional, we even split some pizza with me whilst the work was underway!

He split some pizza with you while a search of your stuff was underway.LOL very professional

[Bangkok Barry]

2 minutes ago, nigelforbes said:

7 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

Would you stand your ground if the same thing happened to you? And what do you think the consequences of that might be, macho man? Surely you know that the rules in Thailand are whatever someone says they are.

You have to remember we live in the North, it's all a bit different up here than in Bangkok. Plus I tend not to go out clubbing and ride in taxi's at 1 am, at that hour all our cops are fast asleep, as am I, I'm 73 this month. But would I stand my ground, yes, and I have, but only with fairly minor things. A traffic stop cop wanted me to pay a fine for being in the wrong lane, I told him I'd take a ticket but he wasn't getting any cash. It took some backwards and forwards but he soon gave up and waved me on. Apart from that one time, I have to say that any time I've been stopped is because I'd done something wrong, usually speeding and that's a fair cop so I pay.

If you were a woman in a strange country and in a police station you might have a different approach. And yes, not being in Bangkok does help although that's no guarantee of not being shaken down.

[nigelforbes]

3 minutes ago, findlay13 said:

He split some pizza with you while a search of your stuff was underway.LOL very professional

No, AS SAID, we shared OUR pizza with him, we offered it to him. 

[Snig27]

47 minutes ago, JimmyJ said:

Sample size of...one.

 

And this is meaningful to you...

You forgot the pizza. That makes it admissible in court surely. 

[nigelforbes]

7 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

If you were a woman in a strange country and in a police station you might have a different approach. And yes, not being in Bangkok does help although that's no guarantee of not being shaken down.

If the reason (as stated) was that I didn't have the right visa and in fact I had a visa on arrival stamped in my passport (as said), I haven't done anything wrong (as said). Would I stand my ground on that, absoferkinlutely I would, who wouldn't?

[Bangkok Barry]

2 minutes ago, nigelforbes said:

If the reason (as stated) was that I didn't have the right visa and in fact I had a visa on arrival stamped in my passport (as said), I haven't done anything waring (as said). Would I stand my ground on that, absoferkinlutely I would, who wouldn't?

And how would you do that, exactly? Call a lawyer? Tell them they don't know what they're talking about? Therefore obstructing them in their 'duty' so they would then have grounds for arresting you for that? Tell me, how would you beat the shakedown? We'd all love to know. You know, just in case...

[proton]

6 minutes ago, nigelforbes said:

No, AS SAID, we shared OUR pizza with him, we offered it to him. 

Sounds like a bit of grovelling more than standing your ground then????

[nigelforbes]

1 minute ago, Bangkok Barry said:

And how would you do that, exactly? Call a lawyer? Tell them they don't know what they're talking about? Therefore obstructing them in their 'duty' so they would then have grounds for arresting you for that? Tell me, how would you beat the shakedown? We'd all love to know. You know, just in case...

I'm not certain but I'd probably invite them to do whatever they felt they had to do and let's see how the chain of command views things, at some point I'm likely to come across somebody sane wh will say whoa, wait a minute, this isn't worth it. Failing that it's call a lawyer and I have a good one we've known for a long time, she'd love this.

[pedro01]

Just now, proton said:

Sounds like a bit of grovelling more than standing your ground then????

No - it's smart. 

 

When you get stopped by the police here, you need to put on your friendliest face and be nice to them. 

 

I was in Thong Lor police station after being in a 3-way accident with an Ikea van, a motorbike and my car. The Ikea insurance company sent a lawyer and our job was to assign blame.

 

Anyway - I got the coffee's in for the cops, we all had a laugh and a joke during the proceedings and the Ikea driver was found at fault, their insurance company kept going on about my wheel being over the line, which it was - but had I been 6 inches to the left, the van and bike (and rider) would have still hit me. So to shut them up, the police gave me a 300 baht fine for being over the line and told the insurance lawyer that this settled the over the line issue. I was very happy with that and I have no doubt that if I'd been an <deleted> with the cops, it would have turned out differently.

 

You gotta play the game here. 

[nigelforbes]

3 minutes ago, proton said:

Sounds like a bit of grovelling more than standing your ground then????

Don't troll me! It was a spontaneous thing, I had a half eaten piece of pizza in my hand when we stopped (wife was driving), I was also being half heartedly humorous. The cops have jobs to do, I understand that, standing outside in the sun amidst all the fumes, dealing with the public and all that entails, it's not always fun. I've worked all my life, I understand that, how about you, ever had a job!

[nigelforbes]

The thread is too funny. Half the posters haven't read or understood the thread and don't know why she was taken to the police station, they're so busy wrapped up in slagging off the cops and trying to fight with me...hahahahah, you funny!

[Spock]

40 minutes ago, proton said:

Are you claiming to have been in a prison cell in Thailand? other than a visit from the outside.

I have been inside one and can testify that cells are hideously overcrowded but surprisingly clean. 

[Spock]

35 minutes ago, proton said:

Police Station is nothing like a prison, that is another world with 40 crammed in cells meant for 20. knowing a lot of piggies makes no difference.

In fact guys who have been in prison and return to society via a police station cell claim that the latter is luxury compared to prison. Still crowded but able to get food from outside and have visitors who are not seated behind glass screens or yelling at you from maters away.

[Myran]

Something tells me there's more to this story than she's letting on.

[proton]

9 minutes ago, nigelforbes said:

Don't troll me! It was a spontaneous thing, I had a half eaten piece of pizza in my hand when we stopped (wife was driving), I was also being half heartedly humorous. The cops have jobs to do, I understand that, standing outside in the sun amidst all the fumes, dealing with the public and all that entails, it's not always fun. I've worked all my life, I understand that, how about you, ever had a job!

Grovelling, bribe or call it what you will it was not standing your ground was it.

[Davedub]

7 hours ago, nigelforbes said:

The story makes no sense. She showed her visa passport so she had no basis to pay anything, for any reason, she should have stood her ground.

Stood her ground? 

 

Having been shaken down in BKK for completely false 'traffic offences' twice recently, I can attest that when you're being intimidated by corrupt police you have one thought - how do I get out of this situation as quickly as possible?

 

The feeling of powerlessness is deeply unsettling. Standing my ground against someone who has so much power over me and has already made it abundantly clear they have no respect for the law did not feel like a wise move.

[thenewgoo]

7 hours ago, RandolphGB said:

One suspects there is more to this story. 

 

There would have been a reason for cops to demand payment. Yes, police carry out random stop and searches but they don't ask for cash unless they find something. 

 

What did police find on her or her friends?

I thought the same - a little 'evidence disappearance fee' and on your way. But I don't know why she would then go on social media about it? If you are a celeb, wouldn't you want it hushed. Or is she a celeb? Or a bad celeb? Are the police really that dodgy? so many questions......

[ChrisKC]

We have only the story here to read. No police or witness statements for us to dissect, so we believe or not believe.

 

Waste of time to speculate on the numerous possible precise scenarios - so I won't!

[ikke1959]

This is just a normal person, who happened to have luck that she is famous in Taiwan... But not neede for a VIP treatment.... She not Royal and need therefore act according the normal rules.. Yes she can have a luxury cab, and a bottle of wine and fruit in her chambre but that is it... No police escort, that everybody has to move for her.. In no other country she can do that 

[freedomnow]

Should put QR codes on the uniform of cops and be legally allowed to scan it...haha..

that will soon stop these soi dogs and their antics.

[PETERTHEEATER]

7 hours ago, ezzra said:

She should have gone with the ' Don't you know who I am' phrase coupled with few brown kind banknotes and she would have been good to go...

No need. She was 'On her knees apologising'........

[cnx101]

8 hours ago, ozfarang said:

Good to see the AN detectives are onto this case.

 

Should go to 2 or 3 pages ????

Yeah but it makes fun reading 

[proton]

 If only she had stood her ground by giving them pizza and nipping into 7/11 to buy them all a beer this could all have been avoided. ???? I would like to hear their explanation for stealing all that cash off her.

[animatic]

8 hours ago, RandolphGB said:

One suspects there is more to this story. 

 

There would have been a reason for cops to demand payment. Yes, police carry out random stop and searches but they don't ask for cash unless they find something. 

 

What did police find on her or her friends?

They found a wad of cash on her and they wanted a cut, or all of it says tge he shakedown was working well. To them it’s a huge suspicious sum, to her it’s just prepared for a HiSo night out with friends 

[digger70]

It's about time we get someone who Can run this country and clean up all the rotten apples .

This is bad news for,Los this will do some damage to the tourist industry,But than Who cares That's just the way Thais are ,rotten from the top Down.

[MrJ2U]

8 hours ago, RandolphGB said:

they don't ask for cash unless they find something

It's happened many times.   RTP corruption knows no boundaries.