Police Say Taiwanese Actor Might Have Been Held Up For Possession of E-Cigarettes

[Aussie999]

4 hours ago, Crossy said:

Police Say Taiwanese Actor Might Have Been Held Up For Possession of E-Cigarettes

 

Surely the written report from the checkpoint would detail all charges, fines etc. and the confiscated vapes would be in evidence?

 

Oops, sorry, I forgot where we are and who we are dealing with

Exactly, "might" can go both ways, also the rest of the article really said nothing.

[roquefort]

22 minutes ago, PremiumLane said:

You will find meanings of words can do change. And who is this new police force? What law is preventing you from saying that word? You sound scared

You are either exceedingly naive or trolling.

[klauskunkel]

A litmus test for Thailand's authorities

Without knowing any facts, who would you rather believe:

a visitor you don't know from a foreign country,

or this uniformed person

[fusion58]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

The Metropolitan Police chief said the head of Huai Khwang police station, responsible for the checkpoint, has been told to look into the matter. CCTV camera footage from January 3 to 5 will be inspected. The taxi driver will also be asked to come in to provide his account. Witness testimonies will also be collected from the hotel where the tourists were staying.

Conclusion: “We investigated ourselves, and we found we were innocent of all charges.” 

[PremiumLane]

25 minutes ago, roquefort said:

You are either exceedingly naive or trolling.

Or maybe I think that whole "WoKE pOliCE" stuff is just laughable nonsense made up by grifters to make old people scared of stuff. And I hope the actor sorts everything out... damn, I must be a wokeist or something ????

[pedro01]

12 minutes ago, klauskunkel said:

A litmus test for Thailand's authorities

Without knowing any facts, who would you rather believe:

a visitor you don't know from a foreign country,

or this uniformed person

At this point, I would go for "neither". We all know how it works here - you do something that is wrong according to the law, you can pay your way out.

 

I'm not defending it - but I find it hard to believe a bribe was paid without the threat of a stronger punishment. After all, what will the police do - keep her there forever if she doesn't pay? That's not how it works here. 

 

The ecig explanation does make a lot of sense, certainly much more than her version of doing nothing against the law but still needing to pay her way out. 

[Bangel72]

Its an interesting one as it was an official police check point.

 

There seemed to be more stop and searches as part of a crack down on meth amphetamines, if you are caught carrying you will likely be the one offering a small bribe.

  

Not heard of anyone yet getting fined for carrying weed though smoking in public opens you to a hustle.

 

Vapes are a grey, area walk 50 yards on sukhumvit and you could pick up 50 people for possession.  They don't though but tourists with big pockets are fair game it seems.

 

Local expats if opted to go to court would likely just get a few hundred baht fine and a warning but as someone else mentioned its the risk and time factor that it is actually easier to pay a small gift on the spot, if they had fixed on the spot 500 baht fines this would remove the hustle potential. They know tourists will not take the court risks so have been targeted in the past.

 

This one seemed to be a combination of no ID and a vape, the amount may have been far too much but I suspect many people would much prefer to pay a small fine and go on their way.

 

The publicity could go both ways, might reduce the hustle but could also reduce that small no hassle opportunity of on the spot payments. 

[Liverpool Lou]

4 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

- Why were they stopped and asked for ID in the first place?

- What purpose does it serve for the safety of anyone that a taxi of tourists is stopped and they are searched ?

 

This was a shakedown from start to finish...

- The Police clearly hoping at first that they did not have their passports with with them, as most tourists wouldn’t... and then they could give an ‘on the spot fine’ but they had passports. 

- The Police accused them of having false stamps... attempted extortion. 

- The Police found e-cigs... crime of the century !!!...   a winning opportunity to extort the tourists. 

 

But as crossy wrote, IF the  BiB found something illegal, where is the official receipt for the fine, where is the report? where are the confiscated illegal items ??? (rhetorical - we know the answer).

Her (drunk and argumentative) story has been refuted by the taxi driver involved.

[pomchop]

These cops sure do have a lot of different versions of what happened....it's not rocket science...just tell the truth...why did you stop her, why was she detained, how much was her "fine" and what was it for, where is the receipt for said payment, is it on camera,  etc etc...basic police report 101 that barney fife could handle...

[Liverpool Lou]

1 hour ago, pedro01 said:

Not to mention that paying a bribe is a crime too.

 

She had 2 options - the courts, or an illegal bribe. She took the latter. 

She had a third option... not posting a false story on social media.

[2baht]

Just now, Liverpool Lou said:

How much trust would you have in a drunk, argumentative tourist at one in the morning on New Years Day?

More than I'd have for a local cop!

[Mr Meeseeks]

 

4 hours ago, bamnutsak said:

"held up". Classic.

 

Interesting how the police version of events has evolved over time, starting with "this didn't happen" through "it may have happened" to "Visa problem", to "fine for illegal vaporizer".

 

It's like dealing with pre-teen children that have been caught being naughty.

 

Really.

Edited January 27, 2023 by Mr Meeseeks

[Liverpool Lou]

"Nothing happened to back Taiwanese actress’s extortion claim, says cabbie"

 

https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024392

[ignore it]

Police say that it wasn't a shake down.

 

It was a hold up.

 

(A rare bit of honesty from the RTP)

[Mr Meeseeks]

17 minutes ago, pomchop said:

These cops sure do have a lot of different versions of what happened....it's not rocket science...just tell the truth...

Telling the truth is antithetical to what their culture demands unfortunately. 

 

Lie, obfuscate, lie some more, feign ignorance...

 

Anything but man up and take responsibility.

[richard_smith237]

21 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Of course, you would, this is Thaivisa.   The taxi driver has refuted her story.

Do you really believe a Thai Taxi driver any more than the Thai Policeman ????

 

Firstly, we’d have to believe this is the actual taxi driver in the first place !!!!! 

 

Anyone would be extremely naive at this stage to expect the taxi driver to tell anything other than the story the police tell him to tell....  

 

 

IF the facts support the Taiwanese tourist its of no advantage whatsoever for the Taxi driver to impart this information, quite the contrary, it could be dangerous for him to do so... 

 

 

And no, I can’t back that up with ‘link’, a ‘scientific study’ or ‘factual report / another news article’.... you’ll just have to rely on common sense to work that one out !!! 

 

 

 

[richard_smith237]

13 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

How much trust would you have in a drunk, argumentative tourist at one in the morning on New Years Day?

One who has no reason whatsoever to make up a story that she was extorted by Thai place of 27,000 baht ????.....  

 

You really believe the police over her story ?.... You really believe they have the ‘actual’ taxi driver ?... you really believe the taxi drive would tell anything other than what the police have told him to tell ????

 

Hmm......   I know you like to live in the black and white world of facts and what can be proven or disproven or printed in an article, but even you are pushing the boundaries of absurdity if you believe the police were acting in an honest, respectful and legal manner.......   why weren’t the tourists permitted to film? 

 

 

 

 

[pedro01]

23 minutes ago, pomchop said:

These cops sure do have a lot of different versions of what happened....it's not rocket science...just tell the truth...why did you stop her, why was she detained, how much was her "fine" and what was it for, where is the receipt for said payment, is it on camera,  etc etc...basic police report 101 that barney fife could handle...

This is also normal here. The full truth won't come out from that side as it would implicate them. Instead there will be lots of versions of the story come out and you can pick which one to believe, although I still prefer "none of the above".

[pedro01]

1 minute ago, richard_smith237 said:

One who has no reason whatsoever to make up a story that she was extorted by Thai place of 27,000 baht ????.....  

 

You really believe the police over her story ?.... You really believe they have the ‘actual’ taxi driver ?... you really believe the taxi drive would tell anything other than what the police have told him to tell ????

 

Hmm......   I know you like to live in the black and white world of facts and what can be proven or disproven or printed in an article, but even you are pushing the boundaries of absurdity if you believe the police were acting in an honest, respectful and legal manner.......   why weren’t the tourists permitted to film? 

 

 

 

 

What we do know - police bribes are your classic carrot and stick scenario here. 

 

The stick - going to court for a committing a silly crime.

 

The carrot - making it all go away with a payment.

 

Admittedly, that's not much of a carrot. But without the stick, the police don't have leverage.

 

Same with traffic police. In that case, stick number 1 is a trip with them to the police station to "sort things out" - you get a chance to pay a bribe and not go to the police station. If you DO go to the police station, you are offered the chance to pay a higher bribe because you've inconvenienced them. The stick used then is the sentence for the crimes (no matter how silly) you committed. 

 

At a guess, I'd say she refused to pay a bribe on the spot because the police don't want to go to the police station - it takes their time away from bribing others. 

[richard_smith237]

10 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

"Nothing happened to back Taiwanese actress’s extortion claim, says cabbie"

 

https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024392

‘Says cabbie’.....    its not in his interest to suggest anything else !!...

 

I’ve seen foreigners involved in accidents and Taxi drivers (and other Thai’s) tell out right lies to protect another Thai or their interests. 

 

Because a taxi drivers statement has made it into print does not provide any authenticity to the taxi drivers statement.

 

 

That said: I very much believe the group did argue with the police 

When the police stop you, tell you to get out of a taxi for no reason, plenty of people would argue, I would. 

When the Police stop you, tell you t get out of a taxi and try you search you, plenty of people would argue, I would. 

When the Police take your passport and tell your arrival stamp is fake, plenty of people would argue, I would. 

When (if) the police found an item you see people using all day up and down all the streets of Thailand and tell you its illegal, you’d argue. 

When the the police want to extort you for money and pay and excessive fine for said item, you’d of course argue.

 

Of course the people argued with the Police - they were being extorted... Who wouldn’t argue in this situation ????????

[pedro01]

9 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

‘Says cabbie’.....    its not in his interest to suggest anything else !!...

 

I’ve seen foreigners involved in accidents and Taxi drivers (and other Thai’s) tell out right lies to protect another Thai or their interests. 

 

Because a taxi drivers statement has made it into print does not provide any authenticity to the taxi drivers statement.

 

 

That said: I very much believe the group did argue with the police 

When the police stop you, tell you to get out of a taxi for no reason, plenty of people would argue, I would. 

When the Police stop you, tell you t get out of a taxi and try you search you, plenty of people would argue, I would. 

When the Police take your passport and tell your arrival stamp is fake, plenty of people would argue, I would. 

When (if) the police found an item you see people using all day up and down all the streets of Thailand and tell you its illegal, you’d argue. 

When the the police want to extort you for money and pay and excessive fine for said item, you’d of course argue.

 

Of course the people argued with the Police - they were being extorted... Who wouldn’t argue in this situation ????????

Getting stopped.searched is inevitable if you go out late in Bangkok and take a taxi back. It's not all roads - but roads like Petchaburi often have checkpoints where they check EVERY car looking for drunks/drugs. 

 

Their first assessment of you is when they first talk to you in the taxi. They are watching your demeanour, they are looking at your pupils, they know what people on drugs look/sound like. If you are drunk, you will probably get searched. 

 

The absolute best thing to do is to simply comply with a smile on your face, be friendly with the cops, crack a joke or two. Arguing with them will simply be taken as a sign you have something to hide. You cannot prevent a streetside search by arguing with them, it simply escalates the situation.

 

Arguing is simply feeding your ego and pitting your ego against that of the cop. You need to park your ego in these situations. 

Edited January 27, 2023 by pedro01

[richard_smith237]

4 minutes ago, pedro01 said:

What we do know - police bribes are your classic carrot and stick scenario here. 

 

The stick - going to court for a committing a silly crime.

 

The carrot - making it all go away with a payment.

 

Admittedly, that's not much of a carrot. But without the stick, the police don't have leverage.

Why do the police need leverage ???? I can think of only one reason...  to take money.

 

 

4 minutes ago, pedro01 said:

 

Same with traffic police. In that case, stick number 1 is a trip with them to the police station to "sort things out" - you get a chance to pay a bribe and not go to the police station. If you DO go to the police station, you are offered the chance to pay a higher bribe because you've inconvenienced them. The stick used then is the sentence for the crimes (no matter how silly) you committed. 

Take the details and give the ticket - just like it is in any other country.

 

I was stopped at a traffic lights for speeding (further back along the road) ....  the BiB couldn’t tell me the speed, but said a police officer further back had caught me on camera - I asked them to prove it, they couldn’t even tell me how fast I was going.... I told them to write me a ticket...  they didn’t and waved me on...  they were just trying it on and realised I was going to be too awkward. 

 

Thailand does have ‘roadside check points’ where ticketed payments can be made, legally. Thats fine, if a law has been broken, no licence, no helmet etc... 

 

However, your description above polishes the ’turd’ of corruption, the knock on effect is the news we see here. 

 

4 minutes ago, pedro01 said:

At a guess, I'd say she refused to pay a bribe on the spot because the police don't want to go to the police station - it takes their time away from bribing others. 

I'd suggest she definitely refused to pay the bribe - they ended up with 27,000 baht, so I wonder what they started at. 

 

And of course the Police didn’t want this to go to the police station... as soon as its logged officially, something like this is a slap on the wrist and negligible 500 baht fine at most.... The Police at the scene stand to pocket far more money if they embellish and extort... 

 

 

 

[Bangkok Barry]

If the problem was e-cigarettes, then instead of fining the tourists wouldn't it have been good pr to simply warn them that, unlike in the rest of the world, such items are illegal in Thailand. And if they want to make a few more baht from those using such items then I suggest they go to RCA in Bangkok any night of the week where they will find a very large number of people, mostly women, vaping away. But they are Thai, so.....

[richard_smith237]

4 minutes ago, pedro01 said:

Getting stopped.searched is inevitable if you go out late in Bangkok and take a taxi back. It's not all roads - but roads like Petchaburi often have checkpoints where they check EVERY car looking for drunks/drugs. 

 

Their first assessment of you is when they first talk to you in the taxi. They are watching your demeanour, they are looking at your pupils, they know what people on drugs look/sound like. If you are drunk, you will probably get searched. 

True...  I’ve been through numerous check points...  I hardly even look up from my phone now !!... 

They don’t seem interested in me... But I’d like them to breathalyse more taxi drivers !!

 

I’m not sure they can tell if someone is on drugs or drunk through a window... and at that time of night most will be drunk - thats why I’m not the one driving !!

 

 

4 minutes ago, pedro01 said:

The absolute best thing to do is to simply comply with a smile on your face, be friendly with the cops, crack a joke or two.

Comply yes... but I’m not going to get friendly unless they are with me...  I get that they are just doing a job..... that is until they aren’t....  

 

In this case, getting a load of tourists to step out of the taxi so they can search them is not doing their job....   Its just looking for leverage to extort them for money - the tried with the passports accusing them of fake stamps, but the tourists argued back...  they then found the e-cigs... bingo !!!  

 

 

 

 

4 minutes ago, pedro01 said:

Arguing with them will simply be taken as a sign you have something to hide. You cannot prevent a streetside search by arguing with them, it simply escalates the situation.

I refused to get out of the taxi when asked...  twice they didn’t push it... Another time they wanted my Passport and pushed it further - so I had to call a friend....   There was no reason for them to pull me over at all at that time, it was 7pm. 

 

 

4 minutes ago, pedro01 said:

Arguing is simply feeding your ego and pitting your ego against that of the cop. You need to park your ego in these situations. 

Agreed...  We don’t need to argue and should remain polite...   but we don’t need to be so accommodating when they push the boundaries... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[BritScot]

No one seems to be mentioning the fact of the Chinese Embassy and any correlation to a Taiwanese group of people being stopped! Doing the bidding of big brother came to my mind but coincidence is a possibility, maybe!!!

[Walker88]

If cops are stopping cars to check for Criminal Vapers, they might also go to all the street stalls in Bangkok selling e-cig equipment. Surely they'd meet their quota of catching Criminal Vapers that way.

 

I never understood the random stopping of taxis. It isn't as if they test the driver for booze. It's always the passengers who are checked. I've been stopped many times riding in a taxi at night. I have to get out produce my passport and empty my pockets. I haven't been shaken down for money in BKK, but the whole thing just seems odd.

 

I've been stopped at a massive checkpoint on the highway before, where cops just went up to every vehicle and said simply "Two hundred baht". That was a shake down, a kind of dunamic toll booth for the Police Welfare Fund.

 

One time my taxi was stopped riding between Maesai and Chiangrai, a cop came and sat next to me in the back seat, put his face right into mine, and told me he was going to go through all my possessions. I told him to have at it and stared back at him. He smiled, and then climbed back out. I sort of understand that check, given the region of the country, but the other random stops are just odd.

[StayinThailand2much]

May, might, could...

 

Still doesn't explain the story about 27,000 baht, and the right/wrong visa. Do I need a particular visa when possessing E-cigarettes?? And what was it about the Korean girls, were they possessing them to?

[cheapcanuck]

E cigs or not, that is no excuse for the corruption of Thai police. 

 

[pedro01]

5 minutes ago, Walker88 said:

If cops are stopping cars to check for Criminal Vapers, they might also go to all the street stalls in Bangkok selling e-cig equipment. Surely they'd meet their quota of catching Criminal Vapers that way.

 

I never understood the random stopping of taxis. It isn't as if they test the driver for booze. It's always the passengers who are checked. I've been stopped many times riding in a taxi at night. I have to get out produce my passport and empty my pockets. I haven't been shaken down for money in BKK, but the whole thing just seems odd.

 

I've been stopped at a massive checkpoint on the highway before, where cops just went up to every vehicle and said simply "Two hundred baht". That was a shake down, a kind of dunamic toll booth for the Police Welfare Fund.

 

One time my taxi was stopped riding between Maesai and Chiangrai, a cop came and sat next to me in the back seat, put his face right into mine, and told me he was going to go through all my possessions. I told him to have at it and stared back at him. He smiled, and then climbed back out. I sort of understand that check, given the region of the country, but the other random stops are just odd.

My experience with checkpoints in the evening is that they stop every car. 

 

Private vehicles yield drunk driving bribes, taxi's yield possession bribes. If the bribes weren't there, they would have stopped wasting time stopping taxis years ago. I think that is the "why" to these checkpoints.

 

I remember years ago scoring a .77 when the limit was .80. The police went mental - they were jumping up and down, laughing their heads off, patting me on the back saying "lucky man, lucky man" and asking me dumb questions like what lottery number I fancied. It was one of my most bizarre experiences in Thailand. I can tell you, I had a sweat on watching those numbers go up.

[Bobtheblob]

"Might have" says it all they have no idea no records. They should be able to say has been, if there was any record of a fine being given to an individual, whose name and nationality should have been writen on the ticket.