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

[proton]

20 hours ago, still kicking said:

Here is the list of possible fines for vaping in Thailand:

• Fine 4 times the value of the vaping equipment
• Fine of  up to 30 000 Baht (945 USD, 843 EUR, 720 GBP)
• Fine  of up to 100 000 Baht (3 152USD, 2 813 EUR, 2 403 GBP)
• Fine of up to 1 year in jail
• Fine of up to 10 years in jail

Cops could make a fortune on this at concerts, many vaping away like bonfires. Only Thais though so the law may only being applied to foreigners. Buy and smoke dope 24/7 but vaping, or even having the devise risks arrest, what a madhouse.

[spidermike007]

This is truly outstanding. The RTP cannot get enough bad press, as far as I am concerned. To call them derelict in their duties would be too diplomatic. They barely practice any law enforcement, and work the franchise, as if their future fortunes depended upon it, which it seems to. 

 

The RTP at it's inception seems to have been created with a status quo from the government. We will NOT pay you a living wage, but you have a franchise, and the limit of your income is based solely on your own creativity and initiative, and you will always be protected. Is that not the case? 

 

The RTP is a blight on the face of the nation. Kudos to Charlene An, for calling out these corrupt creeps. Keep it up guys. Hopefully you will get what is coming to you. One can only dream. 

Edited January 26, 2023 by spidermike007

[cheapcanuck]

Police just practicing their thainess. Nothing new here. 

[geisha]

8 hours ago, TheFishman1 said:

so you can pay for police escorts from the airport to your hotel if you’re from Taiwan and female they can bring you to the police station and shake you down for 20,000 bht when will it stop? When will the corruption in the police department stop is there anybody can clean up the police fire mall hire new people and if they lie, cheat or steal, don’t put them in an active pose send them right to jail TIT

And yet, whenever there is a headline naming  Pol Maj Surachate Hakparn , lots of foreigners on A Now get on their high horse and complain about him doing his job , which would be normal in any other western country and be welcomed. This is exactly what he’s trying to stop, potential corruption in this case ( until we know more) and definite corruption in the many other stories just this week.  A good few years ago, I was pulled aside leaving Thailand, and nastily told and warned that next time I need the correct visa, and why was I staying so long ? The younger immigration officer literally told me off loudly.  I’d had  one Tr visa 2 months from France, and the same from Penang. ! Completely legal, and I was leaving to France ! I’m not saying he was corrupt, but he was out of order !! An officer like this would really scare me if I was out in the night , pulled over, threatened . Anyhow, I’m a lady like these Taiwanese tourists, the police/ immigration behavior is disgusting. Should be stopped, quick . 

[bendejo]

The old chestnut: who do you go to when the police are the criminals?

 

I hope this gets headlines back in Taiwan. 

I suspect they did their own video so they can show off how they humiliated the pretty Chinese actress.  If it surfaces, the Big Joke will be on them.

 

 

[nigelforbes]

10 hours ago, Bundooman said:

Extremely attractive young woman, nervous about entering a Thai police station at 1am, being harrassed by 'x' number of police and you suggest                         she stands her ground at 1am in the morning - brilliant!

 

Of course, 'had it been you', Guv - you would have had the police grovelling at your feet and 'Graaping' forgiveness, eh?

 

She was a tourist for crying out loud - probably unaware of the rights and wrongs of Visas, etc - why imply the blame is on her for not defying them and standing her ground?

Bump! Well?

 

How about, 1am, you're a tourist and you get stopped by the police in Thailand. They inspect your passport and see you have a visa on arrival and they decide that's not good enough and that you need a different visa. They take you to the police station and decide to fine you 27k, you haven't done anything wrong. What do you do, ask if they prefer visa or Amex or do you ask if 27k is really enough and wouldn't they actually prefer more! Is that the correct approach, do tell?

[couchpotato]

Read other articles on this, and definitely 2 sides to this story. Apparently Initially singled out (with others) for openly vaping, which is against the law (whether Thai or Tourist?. Problem is with social media these type of stories have a life of their own.

[Artisi]

3 minutes ago, couchpotato said:

Read other articles on this, and definitely 2 sides to this story. Apparently Initially singled out (with others) for openly vaping, which is against the law (whether Thai or Tourist?. Problem is with social media these type of stories have a life of their own.

And reported / promoted  /twisted for the benefit of the media's bottom line. 

Edited January 26, 2023 by Artisi

[jerrymahoney]

15 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Why are you here on a forum designed specifically for discussion ?

Yes -- with an emphasis on 'dis' and such words as

 

incompetent
corrupt
dinosaur
franchise

trough
offshore-bank-account
Thailand-center-of-the-universe
etc.
 

[nigelforbes]

5 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

This is truly outstanding. The RTP cannot get enough bad press, as far as I am concerned. To call them derelict in their duties would be too diplomatic. They barely practice any law enforcement, and work the franchise, as if their future fortunes depended upon it, which it seems to. 

 

The RTP at it's inception seems to have been created with a status quo from the government. We will NOT pay you a living wage, but you have a franchise, and the limit of your income is based solely on your own creativity and initiative, and you will always be protected. Is that not the case? 

 

The RTP is a blight on the face of the nation. Kudos to Charlene An, for calling out these corrupt creeps. Keep it up guys. Hopefully you will get what is coming to you. One can only dream. 

Can you remember the last time you read a police positive article in the mainstream media? No, me neither.

[jacko45k]

12 hours ago, Bundooman said:

She was a tourist for crying out loud - probably unaware of the rights and wrongs of Visas, etc - why imply the blame is on her for not defying them and standing her ground?

I agree.....In the OP it is stated..

Quote

but was "on her knees apologising" in the two hour ordeal with her friends.

She was subjected to a body search and I expect felt very vulnerable....hard to stand your ground when on your knees. Poor young woman apparently being severely bullied!

Edited January 26, 2023 by jacko45k

[thailand49]

She Chinese, must be a triad mistress,  here on a Grey visa, or to attend to her grey business even a grey holiday ????

Where is the joke when you need him? 

[herfiehandbag]

20 hours ago, still kicking said:

Here is the list of possible fines for vaping in Thailand:

• Fine 4 times the value of the vaping equipment
• Fine of  up to 30 000 Baht (945 USD, 843 EUR, 720 GBP)
• Fine  of up to 100 000 Baht (3 152USD, 2 813 EUR, 2 403 GBP)
• Fine of up to 1 year in jail
• Fine of up to 10 years in jail

All presumably fines or sentences supposedly imposed by a court once the offence had been proved to have occured by the police. Presumably the penalties vary depending on the circumstances and location, laid down by the laws?

 

Not "fines" levied at 1am in a dark corner of a police station by a gang of policemen who had searched and ascertained how much money was available.

[herfiehandbag]

20 hours ago, still kicking said:

Here is the list of possible fines for vaping in Thailand:

• Fine 4 times the value of the vaping equipment
• Fine of  up to 30 000 Baht (945 USD, 843 EUR, 720 GBP)
• Fine  of up to 100 000 Baht (3 152USD, 2 813 EUR, 2 403 GBP)
• Fine of up to 1 year in jail
• Fine of up to 10 years in jail

All presumably fines or sentences supposedly imposed by a court once the offence had been proved to have occured by the police. Presumably the penalties vary depending on the circumstances and location, laid down by the laws?

 

Not "fines" levied at 1am in a dark corner of a police station by a gang of policemen who had searched and ascertained how much money was available.

[Lee65]

12 hours ago, khaowong1 said:

Looking at that young lady, I might be coerced into doing a body search myself.. 

Hilarious.

[internationalism]

5 hours ago, couchpotato said:

Read other articles on this, and definitely 2 sides to this story. Apparently Initially singled out (with others) for openly vaping, which is against the law (whether Thai or Tourist?. Problem is with social media these type of stories have a life of their own.

So now not vaping equipment in her bag, but openly vaping?

if such, most probably she was not aware of ban of vaping. It's a very questionable law, likely pushed by tabacco industry (which I would imagine is highly monopolistic, similar to alcohol brewing and licesing). She be repealed. 

thai people are vaping openly everywhere, police don't bother them at all. 
so she was singled out because she looked as a foreigner, another xenophobic act which originates from the very top of ruling class. 
 

the most she should be given a warning

 

 

 

 

[nigelforbes]

5 minutes ago, internationalism said:

So now not vaping equipment in her bag, but openly vaping?

if such, most probably she was not aware of ban of vaping. It's a very questionable law, likely pushed by tabacco industry (which I would imagine is highly monopolistic, similar to alcohol brewing and licesing). She be repealed. 

thai people are vaping openly everywhere, police don't bother them at all. 
so she was singled out because she looked as a foreigner, another xenophobic act which originates from the very top of ruling class. 
 

the most she should be given a warning

 

 

 

 

Your journey from, she was openly breaking the law in front of the police, to, she should be given a warning and let off, encompassed ignorance of the law, xenophobia and unjust laws imposed by the elites....hmmmm! Are you available for hire as a defense lawyer, in case I ever get arrested for a serious crime? You may not be able get me released but the show will at least be entertaining. ????

[mrboatbkk]

The accusation has to be verified. It does not mean that what said by model or actor or actress has to be true. Investigation must be made to to prove what really happened. If it is true then action must be taken but if not true then action must be taken also as perjury is a crime.

On 1/26/2023 at 9:01 AM, jacko45k said:

Rotten to the core.....

 

[Artisi]

3 minutes ago, mrboatbkk said:

The accusation has to be verified. It does not mean that what said by model or actor or actress has to be true. Investigation must be made to to prove what really happened. If it is true then action must be taken but if not true then action must be taken also as perjury is a crime.

 

Welcome to Thai, seems the learning curve is a little steep. 

[zzaa09]

9 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

This is truly outstanding. The RTP cannot get enough bad press, as far as I am concerned. To call them derelict in their duties would be too diplomatic. They barely practice any law enforcement, and work the franchise, as if their future fortunes depended upon it, which it seems to. 

 

The RTP at it's inception seems to have been created with a status quo from the government. We will NOT pay you a living wage, but you have a franchise, and the limit of your income is based solely on your own creativity and initiative, and you will always be protected. Is that not the case? 

 

The RTP is a blight on the face of the nation. Kudos to Charlene An, for calling out these corrupt creeps. Keep it up guys. Hopefully you will get what is coming to you. One can only dream. 

The most numbing aspect of this story, too many others like it and their [coppers] continued exploits on foreigners as well as Thais - they don't give a rat's backside, as all of these nefarious activities are an accepted way of life....hardwired. 

[richard_smith237]

16 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

On 1/26/2023 at 4:57 AM, webfact said:

"I will never set foot in Thailand again".

Good, we don't want your type here. 

What is her type ???...

 

... Do you mean someone who speaks out publicly when extorted by the Police ?

... Or, do you mean someone who commits such heinous crimes as carrying a vape ?

 

And... when you say ‘we’ [don’t want your type’e]... are you speaking for all Thai’s ? or everyone in Thailand?...    

If just speaking for yourself, why don’t you want ‘her type here’ what has she done that is so wrong that offends you so much you don’t ‘want her type here’ ????

[Artisi]

3 minutes ago, zzaa09 said:

The most numbing aspect of this story, too many others like it and their [coppers] continued exploits on foreigners as well as Thais - they don't give a rat's backside, as all of these nefarious activities are an accepted way of life....hardwired. 

And those who do give a rat's ar&e soon get sorted..... 

[Mickmouse1]

On 1/26/2023 at 10:02 AM, 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.

Easy to say...ladies are not as aggressive as you might be,I wonder if you would have done 555

[Mickmouse1]

If Vaping is illegal or carrying a vape is ,why the Thai authorities do not inform airlines to inform tourists prior to coming to Thailand ?

Also if prostitution incl soliciting if ILLEGAL let us know 55

[Neeranam]

On 1/26/2023 at 8:57 AM, webfact said:

Now a Taiwanese celebrity called  An Yu Ching in Chinese and known as Charlene An in English has taken to Instagram to relate her experience just after New Year. 

Celebrity, my bottom. Try typing any of those names into YouTube and you'll find nothing. 

She's just another entitled Chinese, thinking she can do whatever she likes in Thailand, an inferior country. 

[Neeranam]

 

[Rimmer]

Off topic baiting post and a reply have been removed

[nigelforbes]

1 hour ago, Mickmouse1 said:

Easy to say...ladies are not as aggressive as you might be,I wonder if you would have done 555

You haven't read the thread, we already had that discussion 

[pedro01]

2 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

You've over cooked your response with excessive ‘Thainess’... completely ignoring the wrongs and defending the indefensible (corruption) at all costs with unrelated issues... 

 

That abhorrent actions have occurred in ‘her’ own country is completely irrelevant to this person being extorted for 27,000 baht....   You write as if she deserved this treatment because of something her government or unrelated business did in her home country... as if it its some form of valid revenge.

 

You are usually smarter than this in your arguments - for some reason you are presenting utterly illogical and unrelated points.

 

Some get wound up about nothing, but you seem to be sweeping anyone with anything negative to say about Thailand into the same bracket not matter how relevant or accurate the comments are. 

Some people over react and make pathetic complaints, others have highly valid points to discuss... 

 

Criticisms of Thailand do not all fit in the same ’Thailand bashing box’ - many people have extremely valid comments that highlight the imperfections of a country they still enjoy living in. 

 

In this case, there is criticism of Police corruption...  

Do you think its a Thai bash to comment on Police corruption here?

Is it a Thai Bash for people to recognise that the Police in Thailand operate outside of the law and have been know to extort foreigners ?

Is it a Thai-bash to present first hand and second hand examples of this ?

 

 

You seem to want to defend the police in this example?... I’m not sure why? 

 

I have been in a Taxi’s stopped by the Police - I know exactly what is going on... they are looking for a ‘weakness’ and the slightest ‘glimmer’ from which they can attempt to extort you for a bit of money...  This is not a wholly uncommon occurrence. 

 

Why are the Police stopping taxi’s at a check point ???  there is no valid reason whatsoever, but they use the excuse ‘for security’.. but did a load of Chinese looking tourists escape from a nearby prison or something?...  

 

why do the police never breathalyse a taxi driver at these check-points ?? aren’t they interested in protecting the passengers ?

 

No disagreement... Yet the Golf courses and Thailand courts this influx of golfers - they want the money the tourist bring in.  I’ve played golf all over Thailand and have witnessed first hand the cultural differences in the way ‘groups’ play the game from slow Koreans, to drunk and loud westerners to Thai’s who don’t even wait for their playing partners to putt out before tee-ing off on the next hole...  

It's just different cultures....  

 

No, No and No....  The police are NOT doing their job....  Not at all. 

 

IF the police were doing their Job the roads would be a lot safer.

They would test drivers for alcohol and detain the ones who exceeded limits, instead they take the fine and let them continue...  

 

The Police only consider their job is to take money under the thin veil of law enforcement, the reality is they do not enforce the laws, they just take money from those who fail to follow it, then allow them to continue to break the law..... Thats not enforcement, its enablement for a fee.

 

Taking a video of the Police is not illegal at all. There have been numerous announcements regarding this.  The reality is, IF the police were not doing anything illegal there would be no issue with any video being taken. The Police were clearly behaving with nefarious intent. 

 

 

 

 

 

She did commit a crime, she paid a bribe which was less than the published punishment for that crime.

 

When she went public, she forgot to mention the vape, or the fact they are illegal here, so she's trying to garner a bit more sympathy than is due IMO.

 

The fact that the specific law in question is idiotic is somewhat irrelevant.  There's 2 sides to paying a bribe and in this case, she had a choice between being booked for that crime or paying off the police for a non-custodial, immediate exit. Let's be clear here - you have 2 choices in this situation:

- get arrested and take you chances with the courts

- pay the bribe and break another law (bribes aren't exactly legal, are they?)

 

For those advocating "standing your ground" - would you all risk going to court over a vape when there's a custodial sentence for it? I don't think so.

 

As for the police and their check points. They are looking for drunk drivers (yes, they don't check taxis generally speaking) and drugs. They have the right to do this, so might as well get used to it. 

Edited January 27, 2023 by pedro01

[Jonathan Swift]

On 1/26/2023 at 9:04 AM, 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?

A bank statement showing 25,000 baht in the account