Police deny extorting money from Taiwanese actress

[metisdead]

A post with a trolling image has been removed. This is trolling, this is a discussion forum not a cartoon forum, nor is it Twitter or Line, if you disagree with a post then please either move on or discuss.

[Caldera]

Of course they'd deny it, no matter what the actual facts may be. Just how much credibility do they have left these days?

[richard_smith237]

2 hours ago, Neeranam said:

8 hours ago, geisha said:

The police have given the best story they came up with. Hot air. Any interrogations should be carried out under camera at the police station. 

Why should interrogations be filmed?

Nonsense.

Recorded for the protection of both the Police and the interviewee. 

 

Most (if not all) developed nations record their interviews for this purpose and the purposes of transparency and collection of evidence. 

 

It seems you have been in Thailand way too long Neeranam... your logic has seen a complete reversal.

 

The question most would ask is ‘why wouldn’t any interrogation be filmed ?’   !!!!

 

 

[Taboo2]

Hmmmm, so, got off with the VAPE pen with a "warning".

 

I think she may be right...something went down.

[hotchilli]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

AFTER A TAIWANESE actress accused Huai Khwang police of taking a 27,000 baht payoff from her during New Year holiday visit to Bangkok, the seven policemen at a checkpoint where she and her friends were stopped denied the extortion allegations

As if they would admit it?

[richard_smith237]

3 hours ago, IamNoone88 said:

What is interesting is the reference to e-cigarettes which were found in her bag. E-cigarettes are illegal in Thailand as is vaping since 2014 - which I understand carries a THB 30,000 fine and up to 10 years in jail .... of course smoking pot is legal. An interesting news report here of a French woman who chose to go to court vs pay a THB 40k demand in Phuket in 2019; https://www.thephuketnews.com/frenchwoman-deported-for-vaping-70535.php She elected to go to court and was fined a small amount and then deported.

 

Seems strange that Ms An claims all the fuss was about a valid visa shakedown and avoids the e-cigarettes discussion..... which she was let off with a warning.

Yet millions of people don’t wear a helmet. 

 

How did they know she had an e-cigarette ??? 

They searched her. 

Why did the search her ?

 

This is the issue...   why would the police stop a taxi and start searching people ?....

 

Answer: Obvious shakedown - they were looking for anything they could use to extort money out of the tourists. 

 

 

3 hours ago, IamNoone88 said:

Vaping is bad for your health ..... and illegal.

So is speeding, not wearing a helmet, not wearing a seatbelt etc... yet the police do nothing. 

So, why is vaping such an issue ?

 

The legality of vaping etc is a complete distraction from the reality of what happened at this stop. 

 

On what grounds did the police carry out a search ?... Isn’t it illegal to carry out a search without grounds or reason to believe someone was carrying something illegal ???

 

The police had no grounds for suspicion, they were acting illegally themselves and hoping they’d find anything they could use to charge the tourists.

 

The police used to do this at Ekammai bus station, search guys baggage (heading to Pattaya on the bus) and hope they’d find Viagra, they extort the tourist out of $$ for a fine. 

 

NONE of this is about policing - its about getting cash, nothing else at all no matter how some may try and dress this up. 

 

 

[rudi49jr]

“Police deny extorting money from Taiwanese actress”

 

Of course they deny it, what else would you expect from such an honorable and honest institution? The RTP would deny it even if there were pictures of police officers holding a gun to her head and the actress handing over the 27,000 baht. 

[renaissanc]

I see from the TV news that the Thonglor police are fighting back with a denial. Unfortunately for them, when you have a reputation for behavioral "naughtiness", you lose your credibility and people don't trust or belive you anymore.

[richard_smith237]

If their lips are moving.... 

 

So the BiB are not denying that that they stopped a taxi full of tourists... 

They are just denying they took 27,000 baht off a tourist... 

 

They then claim the tourist had illegal e-Cig... But there is no evidence of that, no charge, no fine receipt, no confiscation of illegal e-cig...  hmmmmm.... 

 

Of course, we all have a very good idea of who to believe here...  

 

The BiB are not even explain why they searched the tourists....  

Thats the first thing that is wrong about all of this...  searching without any legal reason (other than the illegal reason of trying to find anything they could use to extort the tourists). 

 

 

[Dazkkk]

Not guilty mlud I was nowhere near there, I was extorting 10,000 Baht from a little old lady 10k away. 

[pedro01]

5 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Yet millions of people don’t wear a helmet. 

 

How did they know she had an e-cigarette ??? 

They searched her. 

Why did the search her ?

 

This is the issue...   why would the police stop a taxi and start searching people ?....

 

Answer: Obvious shakedown - they were looking for anything they could use to extort money out of the tourists. 

 

 

So is speeding, not wearing a helmet, not wearing a seatbelt etc... yet the police do nothing. 

So, why is vaping such an issue ?

 

The legality of vaping etc is a complete distraction from the reality of what happened at this stop. 

 

On what grounds did the police carry out a search ?... Isn’t it illegal to carry out a search without grounds or reason to believe someone was carrying something illegal ???

 

The police had no grounds for suspicion, they were acting illegally themselves and hoping they’d find anything they could use to charge the tourists.

 

The police used to do this at Ekammai bus station, search guys baggage (heading to Pattaya on the bus) and hope they’d find Viagra, they extort the tourist out of $$ for a fine. 

 

NONE of this is about policing - its about getting cash, nothing else at all no matter how some may try and dress this up. 

 

 

Police do have the right to stop you, request id and search you here. If you refuse, you can be arrested.

 

It seems they do need cause but they could simply make that up after the fact. Dilated pupils, red face would be a sign of drug use for example and after the fact, who could argue that these physical signs were not there?

 

More on it here: https://www.khaosodenglish.com/opinion/2018/03/14/stopped-by-police-in-thailand-what-you-should-do/ and this is worth a read too - https://www.thailandbail.com/thai-police-search-what-you-should-do-if-the-police-want-to-search-you/

 

 

 

 

Edited January 27, 2023 by pedro01

[richard_smith237]

41 minutes ago, pedro01 said:

Police do have the right to stop you, request id and search you here. If you refuse, you can be arrested.

 

It seems they do need cause but they could simply make that up after the fact. Dilated pupils, red face would be a sign of drug use for example and after the fact, who could argue that these physical signs were not there?

 

More on it here: https://www.khaosodenglish.com/opinion/2018/03/14/stopped-by-police-in-thailand-what-you-should-do/ and this is worth a read too - https://www.thailandbail.com/thai-police-search-what-you-should-do-if-the-police-want-to-search-you/

 

Agreed... they have the right, but they have to have ‘cause’. But, as you noted, they can just make this up.

 

Why would they make up cause ?... because they are corrupt and want to find something, anything, so they can extort someone.

 

They certainly have no valid grounds at all to stop a taxi and ask everyone to get out so they can search them. When I’ve been stopped in a taxi I was simply sat in there, seatbelt on... there was no cause whatsoever - other than I was a foreigner.

 

 

In this case, the BiB did what?... looked through a window of a taxi and tell everyone to get out so they can search them.... Why ? where is the cause  there ??...   being a foreigner is the only cause. 

 

What possible other cause could they have ????.....  The answer is a clear and obvious none.. Just people in a taxi, drunk is not cause to be searched. 

 

 

 

 

[herfiehandbag]

10 hours ago, IAMHERE said:

She had 27K in her purse? If she withdrew money at an ATM then there'd be some CCTV from the ATM. Doesn't prove much but would lend credence to her version of what went on.

I believe that 20k is the maximum you can withdraw from an ATM in one hit?

I suppose that she may have had 7k on her, and she "offered" to withdraw another 20k. Do all ATMs have CCTV? I was under the impression that only the ones outside banks did.

[richard_smith237]

Just now, herfiehandbag said:

I believe that 20k is the maximum you can withdraw from an ATM in one hit?

I suppose that she may have had 7k on her, and she "offered" to withdraw another 20k. Do all ATMs have CCTV? I was under the impression that only the ones outside banks did.

There’s nothing stopping you putting your card in more than once.... 

 

Besides... many tourists carry more cash around with them.

 

This will be proven in the coming weeks when the Police find 100,000 baht and return it to a Taiwanese tourist !!! 

 

-------

 

Additionally, having proof that money was withdrawn from an ATM only proves that money was withdrawn from an ATM....   unless of course the policeman was stood in shot !!...  

[herfiehandbag]

9 hours ago, Blumpie said:

Thank god, that's settled it.

Who wants an iced coffee in a bag and a lobotomy?  

A frontal lobotomy, or a bottle in front of me?

[herfiehandbag]

37 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

this case, the BiB did what?... looked through a window of a taxi and tell everyone to get out so they can search them.... Why ? where is the cause  there ??...   being a foreigner is the only cause. 

 

What possible other cause could they have ????.....  The answer is a clear and obvious none.. Just people in a taxi, drunk is not cause to be searched. 

 

 

 

 

At the risk of being accused of being a conspiracy theorist, I would suggest that the police were aware that she and her friends were in that taxi - likely having had someone outside the club identifying suitable targets - that may also account for the.presence.of a group of South Korean women in the police station. After all, a quick random look inside at a check point in both cases would only reveal a group of female Asian passengers.

 

They probably didn't know that she was a well known actress, just that she was one of a group of well dressed affluent foreigners leaving an expensive nightclub, possibly returning to an upmarket hotel, and therefore worth shaking down. The same is likely true of the reported Koreans.

 

If this is a regular "sting operation" then it would be worth having a "dicker" at the nightclub - perhaps the doorman or whoever fetches the taxis? Unlikely, on reflection, that the taxi driver was in on it - very difficult to ensure that he gets the right passengers. Quite lucrative though - pull it off two or three times a night, with a take of 20k ore more a hit, and the team ( and quite possibly their bosses) are on a good little earner! 

 

Bad luck hitting on someone with a high enough social media profile to get noticed. Still, keep your heads down for a week or so and it will all die down.

Edited January 27, 2023 by herfiehandbag

[Lorry]

10 hours ago, Neeranam said:

Annoys me how the Chinese have English names. I don't have a Thai name and it would be silly if I did

All people in Taiwan learn English in school (not necessarily successfully).

In class,  they chose an English name.  They will use this English name when they communicate with foreigners because foreigners would not be able to pronounce or to remember Chinese names. Their clerical staff cannot even correctly spell them.

Taiwan's economy is built on trade,  mostly with America,  Americans are not known for their proficiency in foreign languages. You want to trade with them, you better learn English and have a name Americans are able to handle. 

 

Thais, in interactions with Westerners, use their nicknames which are easy enough. 

 

BTW foreigners living in Taiwan sometimes need a (self-chosen) Chinese name

[tgw]

8 hours ago, hotchilli said:

As if they would admit it?

they eventually would, just to get their sentence halved.

[chickenslegs]

10 hours ago, Kalasin Jo said:

Interesting point you make there. Does Thailand recognise Taiwan as an independent state or consider it part of China?

Taiwan (Republic of China) is not recognised by Thailand. There are only about a dozen countries that do.

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/countries-that-recognize-taiwan

[PingRoundTheWorld]

Confidence level: the elections were fair.

They should've however arrest and fine her for vaping - this has quickly become a menace to the rest of society who doesn't like sucking on embalming fluid. Literally it contains embalming fluid, paint solvent, and various other toxic gasses. And the worst part is *****s think it's harmless candy and will blow it right in your face without even realizing it's poison.

[hotchilli]

6 hours ago, tgw said:

they eventually would, just to get their sentence halved.

Sentence... hahaha?

[jacko45k]

20 hours ago, Neeranam said:

Why should interrogations be filmed?

Nonsense.

I disagree..... it might deter them putting plastic bags on heads to force confessions!

[nigelforbes]

I love the way the dynamics of this story have mutated from her being fleeced of 27k for having the wrong visa, to, being fined 27k for illegally vaping in front of them. Interestingly, posters views haven't really shifted that much along with the change in story, everyone is still trying to bash the police. Big sigh.

[daveAustin]

On 1/27/2023 at 5:28 AM, mania said:

Until this banana republic starts actually prosecuting such actions it will continue as usual

 

Not Prayuth will look into it...Not they have been transferred.. But instead prosecute & jailed for X amount of years

That’s only a part of the answer. It’s the whole police system that needs to change. They buy their way in and then, just like the mafia, are required to ‘bung up’. It’s essentially a Ponzi scheme and the more you bung the higher you will go for a proper piece of the action. 

[ujayujay]

...."...the Taiwanese actress had E-cigarettes with her but the seven policemen admitted they did not arrest or fine her on this charge; she was only warned her that they are illegal....".... OK, for 27000 baht they do a lot????

[internationalism]

1 hour ago, nigelforbes said:

I love the way the dynamics of this story have mutated from her being fleeced of 27k for having the wrong visa, to, being fined 27k for illegally vaping in front of them. Interestingly, posters views haven't really shifted that much along with the change in story, everyone is still trying to bash the police. Big sigh.

All those contradicting stories come from police itself, they are given to media at press conferences. 
We can only comment on what media reported. 
If police was clean they would not change their story every day and they would make public cctv recordings, to support their side. 
They are under pressure from Prayuth, who is trying to force them to come up clean. 
That taiwanese actress has made another social media post lashing at police for fabricating all those stories 

[nigelforbes]

19 minutes ago, internationalism said:

All those contradicting stories come from police itself, they are given to media at press conferences. 
We can only comment on what media reported. 
If police was clean they would not change their story every day and they would make public cctv recordings, to support their side. 
They are under pressure from Prayuth, who is trying to force them to come up clean. 
That taiwanese actress has made another social media post lashing at police for fabricating all those stories 

I think not! I think the story about the visa on arrival came from the young lady herself.

[kevin612]

Oh yea, she needed to pay more money when she was in the police station.

[FinChin67]

On 1/27/2023 at 11:56 AM, Kalasin Jo said:

Interesting point you make there. Does Thailand recognise Taiwan as an independent state or consider it part of China?

Thailand supports the "One China Policy." Thailand is (IMO) province of China.

[Puccini]

On 1/28/2023 at 10:37 AM, kevin612 said:

Oh yea, she needed to pay more money when she was in the police station.

Was she brought to the police station?

 

There are so many topics running on this, I find it impossible to double-check what is what.