A Night in the Thai Police Station

[Hellfire]

We've all read and seen films about Thai prisons. We all know it's not the most pleasant place to spend your time. And yet, nothing compares to personal experience—what you go through yourself...

From the very start, I'll admit that I fully recognize my guilt for the violations I committed. First, I drank about 70-80 grams of Thai 35% whiskey and got behind the wheel. Second, I drove without having either Thai or international driver's licenses. Did I deserve the punishment I received? According to many grumpy, old men from this forum—yes, I deserved to be quartered. From my point of view, however, I was treated unfairly and even in a dirty way.

That day, my Thai wife was with me. We went for a short drive around the city, and during it, I had a little whiskey. A police patrol stopped us when we were about 200 meters from our condo. It was around 11 PM. I should mention that I felt 100% sober at that moment, and I'm sure I looked that way too. I didn't refuse to blow into the breathalyzer. The result was 27 "milligrams percent"… As the young officer explained, it was a full 7 points above the legal limit. About 15 minutes later, a young Thai man breathed into the same device, and his result was 120 "milligrams percent". He looked, by the way, quite respectable.

They kept us there for about an hour and a half, right where we were stopped. All this time, through my wife, the police explained that they would process us at the station, we'd pay a 20,000 baht bail, and most likely, we'd be in court the next day. At the station, they kept us for at least another hour (together with the 120%-Thai). There's no need to explain the discomfort of being in a police station: various rude, ignorant men of different ages take pleasure in making you feel small, desperately exaggerating their importance. If there's anywhere that the meaninglessness of human nature fully reveals itself—it's during close interaction with police officers (or "dogs," as they're commonly called in Russia).

Just when it seemed that the cheap spectacle was about to end, a higher-ranking officer (which means the most immoral of them all) declared that I could escape the country, and the 20,000 baht bail wasn’t a guarantee for such a horrible criminal as me. The conclusion—I'd spend the night in jail.

I didn't argue, handed my personal belongings to my wife, and, together with the 120%-Thai, walked into the police cell.

There were about 15 other Thai prisoners already in the cell (although among them were also Burmese and some other Asians). The surprising thing was that they were all fast asleep. Another surprising part was that they were sleeping on the completely bare stone floor. It finally hit me where I was. The room smelled strongly from the toilet located within the cell. The floor, on which the prisoners were sleeping, was not just stone, but also quite dirty. I sat in a corner and immediately realized I wouldn’t be able to sleep here. My Thai companion also sat in a corner, and initially, it seemed like he, too, wouldn't sleep (by the way, he was sent to jail only because he didn’t have the money for bail). However, I was wrong. Half an hour later, he dozed off while sitting, and an hour later, he comfortably stretched out on the dirty floor and began snoring.

And here I was, alone in this terrifying room, surrounded by 15 sleeping Asians. Just a few hours ago, I had been expecting a very different end to my evening. I noticed a small window near the ceiling of the cell. Now, it became my main point of reference for the coming hours. I had to wait for dawn.

I won’t go into the details of my thought process. Naturally, it was a tough night for me—both physically and mentally. What I didn’t know was that at the same time the officer who sent me behind bars was interrogating my wife. He asked her about me, how I earned a living, whether I had broken the law before... When he saw my wife’s reluctance to turn me in, he started yelling at her, reminding her that I was a foreigner and that by defending me, she was betraying her country and her people. In the end, he promised her that I’d be deported. Such a nice guy, a true son of a land of smile.

Meanwhile, I kept changing positions: I sat when my back hurt, then stood, then walked. I did this all night. The thing that bothered me the most was the fear that they wouldn’t let me go in the morning and would keep me for another day or two. The fifteen Asians peacefully and soundly slept on the floor the whole time.

Finally, it started to get light. The birds began singing. My cellmates started to wake up. They treated me quite amicably, but without any excess.

I should mention that aside from the stone floor, another problem was drinking water. They gave me a small bottle when I entered, but only after my wife insisted. I stretched it out throughout the night. Surprisingly, my Thai neighbors didn’t seem too bothered by the lack of water—they drank very little. However, when they brought some kind of food (rice and something wrapped in paper), everyone sat down happily and ate with gusto. From this, I concluded that, after a night on the stone floor, everyone’s mood was surprisingly good.

Around noon, they loaded us into a van and took us to court. Dirty and unwashed. I was fined 10,000 baht.

Did my attitude towards Thailand change after all this? Definitely.

Be careful—you really don't want to end up in jail here, even for just one day. And don't forget, we're all guests here (in the worst sense of the word).

[Patong2021]

I don't  understand what your  concern or complaint is? Read to me like you were treated nicely and no differently than the other detainees.  If one removes all the fluff the  event can be summarized as follows;

- You were inebriated and stopped while driving.

- You were taken to a police station, processed and put in the drunk tank with other people.

- You were arraigned, adjudicated and  assessed a fine.

- No one assaulted you or extorted you.

 

All of this is remarkably mild compared to other countries. In many EU countries,some US states  and Canada, if it was a weekend, you may have stayed in detention until the next  working day. It having been Easter and if you were stopped on a Friday, that could have been 4 days in custody. Elsewhere your trial might not have been  for 6-12 months during which time you might have been subject to a mandatory driving suspension for  72 hours to 30 days. And if found guilty seen your license suspended for a period of time and a very  large increase in your insurance premium. In the USA, a conviction would be grounds for  deportation with some states requiring a mandatory jail sentence, e.g. Arizona @ 10 days. In Canada, it is a felony offence and so you would be then be barred from entering many countries, In  Norway, you get dinged for a fine that is proportional to your monthly salary. You got off lucky, especially since you did not harm anyone.

 

[Hellfire]

10 minutes ago, Patong2021 said:

I don't  understand what your  concern or complaint is? Read to me like you were treated nicely and no differently than the other detainees.  If one removes all the fluff the  event can be summarized as follows;

- You were inebriated and stopped while driving.

- You were taken to a police station, processed and put in the drunk tank with other people.

- You were arraigned, adjudicated and  assessed a fine.

- No one assaulted you or extorted you.

 

All of this is remarkably mild compared to other countries. In many EU countries,some US states  and Canada, if it was a weekend, you may have stayed in detention until the next  working day. It having been Easter and if you were stopped on a Friday, that could have been 4 days in custody. Elsewhere your trial might not have been  for 6-12 months during which time you might have been subject to a mandatory driving suspension for  72 hours to 30 days. And if found guilty seen your license suspended for a period of time and a very  large increase in your insurance premium. In the USA, a conviction would be grounds for  deportation with some states requiring a mandatory jail sentence, e.g. Arizona @ 10 days. In Canada, it is a felony offence and so you would be then be barred from entering many countries, In  Norway, you get dinged for a fine that is proportional to your monthly salary. You got off lucky, especially since you did not harm anyone.

 

  They have beds and water in US and Europe prisons. Believe me - that is a huge difference. Another thing - did the police officer had a right to interrogate my wife about me, to shout at her and threaten her? After all - I did not sell drugs or killed anybody! And, by the way, I was told just yesterday by some Thai driving instructor that the allowed limit for driving drunk is 50 milligram percent. Probably - this limit is for the Thais only.

 

[stuarty]

Having said that, the boss cop's rationale is suspect, as you would be unlikely to fly the coop if the going sentence is only 10,000 baht or similar, and you have a Thai wife.  Did they also make you pay the 20,000 at the station?

[Hellfire]

2 minutes ago, stuarty said:

Having said that, the boss cop's rationale is suspect, as you would be unlikely to fly the coop if the going sentence is only 10,000 baht or similar, and you have a Thai wife.  Did they also make you pay the 20,000 at the station?

Yes, that is my point - if the fine was less than 10000, how could anybody expect me to leave the country? A classic example of abuse of power. (No, I did not pay 20k).

[Patong2021]

There was no abuse of power.

Sometimes, foreigners who are arrested are later discovered to be  engaged in other  criminal activities or are on overstay.

[Hellfire]

Just now, Patong2021 said:

There was no abuse of power.

Sometimes, foreigners who are arrested are later discovered to be  engaged in other  criminal activities or are on overstay.

Yes, of course. Maybe they should subject all the arrested individuals and their companions to interrogation with electric shock. Your views are on the level of a guard at a Stalin's gulag camp. I wonder how people like you slipped into the 21st century—it's a mystery!

[Patong2021]

14 minutes ago, Hellfire said:

  They have beds and water in US and Europe prisons. Believe me - that is a huge difference. Another thing - did the police officer had a right to interrogate my wife about me, to shout at her and threaten her? After all - I did not sell drugs or killed anybody! And, by the way, I was told just yesterday by some Thai driving instructor that the allowed limit for driving drunk is 50 milligram percent. Probably - this limit is for the Thais only.

 

 

Instead of making assumptions, you should learn what the laws are first.

The legal blood alcohol limit for licensed drivers is  0.05%, and applies to both Thais and and foreigners equally.

As in other  countries, a lower limit  applies for new drivers  - those holding a license for less than five years, the limit is 0.02%

The 0.02% limit applies to drivers under the age of 20, provisional license holders, and those without a valid license.

You did not have a valid drivers license , so your limit was 0.02%.

And yes, the allow allows for a 6 month imprisonment for first offenders, although it is typically used  when there is serious injury.

 

Jail isn't supposed to be nice. It is supposed to be a deterrent. You were in Thailand, not in the UK or Eu where detention centers are comfy and a nice sojourn for the criminal class. You are not going to gain any sympathy for being DUI.

[Patong2021]

6 minutes ago, Hellfire said:

Yes, of course. Maybe they should subject all the arrested individuals and their companions to interrogation with electric shock. Your views are on the level of a guard at a Stalin's gulag camp. I wonder how people like you slipped into the 21st century—it's a mystery!

 

You were not interrogated with electric shock, nor were you at a gulag and nor were you abused. You were  stopped as  a DUI and treated appropriately. You are now behaving as if you are some sort of entitled person. Take responsibility for your poor choices and learn from it. No one is going to feel particularly sorry for a DUI, considering the  amount of  hurt they needlessly cause.

[richard_smith237]

19 minutes ago, Hellfire said:

I was told just yesterday by some Thai driving instructor that the allowed limit for driving drunk is 50 milligram percent. Probably - this limit is for the Thais only.

 

The limits for DUI in Thailand: 

 

0.02% BAC (20 milligrams per deciliter) is the legal limit for individuals under 20 years old, those with provisional licenses, and drivers without a valid license. 

0.05% BAC (50 milligrams per deciliter) applies to all other drivers (regular 5yr driving licenses).

 

You blew: 0.027% BAC (27 milligrams per deciliter) - so you were under the DUI limit for a standard driver with a full driving license, but 7 milligrams / 0.007% over the limit for someone without a valid license (or someone who has a temporary 2 year license)

 

 

 

While I am every vocal against those who DUI, your BAC indicates the equivalent of about 2 beers (less than).

 

The treatment you received does seem very harsh - there was no valid reason for them not to let you go, I'm guessing they were 'digging' for a bribe to let you go home for the night.

 

Speaking to your wife like that was also pretty obnoxious, good on her for standing by you.

 

 

Get a driving licence !!!  

 

Question for others: Whats the DUI limit for those on foreign drivers licence (i.e. a UK license, and for sake of avoiding argument of whether its necessary - with an accompanying IDP) ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[josephbloggs]

8 minutes ago, Patong2021 said:

 

Instead of making assumptions, you should learn what the laws are first.

The legal blood alcohol limit for licensed drivers is  0.05%, and applies to both Thais and and foreigners equally.

As in other  countries, a lower limit  applies for new drivers  - those holding a license for less than five years, the limit is 0.02%

The 0.02% limit applies to drivers under the age of 20, provisional license holders, and those without a valid license.

You did not have a valid drivers license , so your limit was 0.02%.

And yes, the allow allows for a 6 month imprisonment for first offenders, although it is typically used  when there is serious injury.

 

Jail isn't supposed to be nice. It is supposed to be a deterrent. You were in Thailand, not in the UK or Eu where detention centers are comfy and a nice sojourn for the criminal class. You are not going to gain any sympathy for being DUI.

This is the correct answer.

[jts-khorat]

43 minutes ago, Patong2021 said:

I don't  understand what your  concern or complaint is? Read to me like you were treated nicely and no differently than the other detainees.  If one removes all the fluff the  event can be summarized as follows;

- You were inebriated and stopped while driving.

- You were taken to a police station, processed and put in the drunk tank with other people.

- You were arraigned, adjudicated and  assessed a fine.

 

While I understand that the OP might have been far out of his comfort zone, indeed he has been treated quite well. I know in Phuket, the police used the method of the holding cell quite effectively in deterring tourists likely to be caught with a DUI again (eg longer term visa holders), just to make sure that they got the message. Those cells were small, so 15 people in it would not have given all of them the room to sleep; and as far as I know, no breakfast for those who would be released anyway...

 

The law has changed by now, DUI is a criminal offense, so no laughing matter any more. Indeed the OP could have just as easily been deported, and would have for sure if there would have been an accident.

 

In cases that the police would take a backhander, I have heard quotes of a large multiple of what the OP had to pay in the end.

 

I think the OP paid just a little bit of learning money, has a story to tell, and can be happy that he got off really lightly (I am assuming THb 10,000 barely hurts him). He should be thankful for that and think twice, if he want to subject his wife one more time to the same routine in case he re-offends.

[Hellfire]

20 minutes ago, Patong2021 said:

 

You were not interrogated with electric shock, nor were you at a gulag and nor were you abused. You were  stopped as  a DUI and treated appropriately. You are now behaving as if you are some sort of entitled person. Take responsibility for your poor choices and learn from it. No one is going to feel particularly sorry for a DUI, considering the  amount of  hurt they needlessly cause.

I don’t claim to be innocent. Still, I believe I was treated unfairly. Which, in turn, is something anyone who violates the law should expect, especially in a country like Thailand. And with this post, I want to warn other foreigners in Thailand.

Personally, you have no sympathy from me since you don’t seem to have any empathy for others yourself.

 

[Hellfire]

10 minutes ago, jts-khorat said:

 

While I understand that the OP might have been far out of his comfort zone, indeed he has been treated quite well. I know in Phuket, the police used the method of the holding cell quite effectively in deterring tourists likely to be caught with a DUI again (eg longer term visa holders), just to make sure that they got the message. Those cells were small, so 15 people in it would not have given all of them the room to sleep; and as far as I know, no breakfast for those who would be released anyway...

 

The law has changed by now, DUI is a criminal offense, so no laughing matter any more. Indeed the OP could have just as easily been deported, and would have for sure if there would have been an accident.

 

In cases that the police would take a backhander, I have heard quotes of a large multiple of what the OP had to pay in the end.

 

I think the OP paid just a little bit of learning money, has a story to tell, and can be happy that he got off really lightly (I am assuming THb 10,000 barely hurts him). He should be thankful for that and think twice, if he want to subject his wife one more time to the same routine in case he re-offends.

I am more focused on the part where the officer sent me to a cell and then interrogated my wife. This behavior mirrors the tactics used by secret police forces around the world, including the NKVD and the KGB. Many of you Westerners don’t seem to see the fine line between enforcing the law and violating basic human rights. It's easy to overlook this because you’re used to living in a free society. However, this is a dangerous trend, one that I’ve personally witnessed more and more lately.

[jts-khorat]

8 minutes ago, Hellfire said:

I believe I was treated unfairly. Which, in turn, is something anyone who violates the law should expect, especially in a country like Thailand.

 

The one who was treated unfairly was your wife, I give you that point.

 

But you were treated by the letter of the law, there was no corruption, no deviation from normal procedure, you got a fair hearing and also a fair penalty reflecting your offense.

 

You had a place to sleep like all the others, and even breakfast -- not quite half board, but what did you expect?

 

Where is this unfairness you speak of?

[JoseThailand]

Still better than Russian jails. Or is it?

[Hellfire]

3 minutes ago, jts-khorat said:

 

The one who was treated unfairly was your wife, I give you that point.

 

But you were treated by the letter of the law, there was no corruption, no deviation from normal procedure, you got a fair hearing and also a fair penalty reflecting your offense.

 

You had a place to sleep like all the others, and even breakfast -- not quite half board, but what did you expect?

 

Where is this unfairness you speak of?

Well, how exactly do you define "a place to sleep"?  Is a stone floor such a place? I don’t think it is for at least 95% of the people in the civilized world. For me personally, it was almost like being in torturous conditions. In fact, I was deprived of the ability to sleep. Did I do something to deserve being subjected to such conditions?

[Hellfire]

9 minutes ago, JoseThailand said:

Still better than Russian jails

No. In Russian prisons, there are beds. The conditions in a Thai prison can be loosely compared to the conditions in which Russian prisons place inmates who violate the rules within the prison itself.

One important point I want to emphasize: As seen from my main post, all of my cellmates, who were Asians, seemed to be quite comfortable in this prison. For most Thais, sleeping on a bare floor is not a problem. This is nothing more than cultural and civilizational differences. While that night was torture for me, for the 15 people in my cell, it was more like staying in a 2-star hotel. My only complaint is with that "bad person" who, fully understanding everything I’ve mentioned above, sent me behind bars for the night and even tried to extract compromising information about me from someone close to me.

[jts-khorat]

5 minutes ago, Hellfire said:

Well, how exactly do you define "a place to sleep"?  Is a stone floor such a place? I don’t think it is for at least 95% of the people in the civilized world. For me personally, it was almost like being in torturous conditions. In fact, I was deprived of the ability to sleep. Did I do something to deserve being subjected to such conditions?

 

Yes, you did: you drove under the influece, while thankfully not hitting anybody with your car.

 

And yes, as everybody had the same floor, you were treated fairly. I really do not know about what you are complaining.

 

"Deprived of the ability to sleep"... what are you, a child?

 

Would you have preferred being deported at your own cost? Boy oh boy, do I have to tell you a story about how IDC in Bangkok looks on the inside.

[JoseThailand]

3 minutes ago, Hellfire said:

Well, how exactly do you define "a place to sleep"?  Is a stone floor such a place? I don’t think it is for at least 95% of the people in the civilized world. For me personally, it was almost like being in torturous conditions. In fact, I was deprived of the ability to sleep. Did I do something to deserve being subjected to such conditions?

 

That was a truly horrifying experience. Thai jails is not the place where you want to end up. Thai law enforcement may be lenient most of the time, but when they do enforce it against you, you're in trouble

[JoseThailand]

4 minutes ago, Hellfire said:

No. In Russian prisons, there are beds. The conditions in a Thai prison can be loosely compared to the conditions in which Russian prisons place inmates who violate the rules within the prison itself.

 

But in Russian jails beatings are quite common. Not so much in Thailand

[richard_smith237]

20 minutes ago, jts-khorat said:

Where is this unfairness you speak of?

 

There was no reason to Jail him - he is married and lives here, he'd already been processed and was obviously not a 'flight risk' and the BiB knew it.

 

Its clear (to me at least) from the Ops story that they wanted the 20,000 baht not as bail, but as 'fee' not to be jailed for the night.

[Hellfire]

3 minutes ago, JoseThailand said:

 

But in Russian jails beatings are quite common. Not so much in Thailand

This definitely doesn’t apply to someone who drove a car after drinking a glass of vodka.

[richard_smith237]

4 minutes ago, jts-khorat said:

Yes, you did: you drove under the influece, while thankfully not hitting anybody with your car.

 

Had he had the same driving license many of us carry - he would not have been over the limit. 

 

4 minutes ago, jts-khorat said:

And yes, as everybody had the same floor, you were treated fairly. I really do not know about what you are complaining.

 

"Deprived of the ability to sleep"... what are you, a child?

 

Would you have preferred being deported at your own cost? Boy oh boy, do I have to tell you a story about how IDC in Bangkok looks on the inside.

 

He'd never be deported for being over the limit by such a small amount.

 

I'm also surprised he wasn't charged for not having a driving license. 

[jts-khorat]

5 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

There was no reason to Jail him - he is married and lives here, he was not a 'flight risk' and the BiB knew it.

 

Its clear (to me at least) from the Ops story that they wanted the 20,000 baht not as bail, but as 'fee' not to be jailed for the night.

 

I would say: there was no reason for him to drink and then drive -- especially if he had his wife with him. If she also drank, a Bolt taxi is so cheap to basically cost nothing to a westerner.

 

Don't do the crime, if you cannot do the time.

 

Edit: and he would have been in real danger of severe repercussions if that would have been an accident and not a police checkpoint, so I stand by my point that a night in a cell is really nothing harsh at all.

[MangoKorat]

56 minutes ago, Patong2021 said:

 provisional license holders

There is no provisional licence in Thailand.

[Hellfire]

3 minutes ago, jts-khorat said:

 

I would say: there was no reason for him to drink and then drive -- especially if he had his wife with him. If she also drank, a Bolt taxi is so cheap to basically cost nothing to a westerner.

 

Don't do the crime, if you cannot do the time.

As I sat there that night, I thought to myself—if they catch a serial killer, they would place him in exactly the same room I was in. Me, drinking 10-20 grams of alcohol in excess, and him—killing dozens of people. It seemed like, for the system, there’s no difference. It’s either a 1 (violated the law) or a 0 (did not violate the law).

Do you think such an approach should be accepted in the 21st century? With all our knowledge of history, our technological superiority, and other so-called "civilizational achievements"? Are we really civilized, or are we just pretending to be?

[Packer]

Interesting report, thanks for the write up.

 

But you sound like a baby. 

 

Man up. 

 

If the 'Thai wife' allows you to. 

[MangoKorat]

8 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

There was no reason to Jail him - he is married and lives here, he'd already been processed and was obviously not a 'flight risk' and the BiB knew it.

 

Its clear (to me at least) from the Ops story that they wanted the 20,000 baht not as bail, but as 'fee' not to be jailed for the night.

Yes, that was also my conclusion Richard.

 

I am not making small of drink driving, not in any way, shape or form. However, this has to be put into context.  We are talking about a country where under the new points system (if they ever ger around to introducing it), a drink driver would not lose their licence until they got caught for the third time.

 

If someone gets caught, for any crime, it is not the police's job to issue punishments, the courts do that. Being made to stay in such a place is a form of punishment.  Remember that the disgusting ratholes that the police keep prisoners in contain both the guilty and the innocent.

[richard_smith237]

Just now, jts-khorat said:

5 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

There was no reason to Jail him - he is married and lives here, he was not a 'flight risk' and the BiB knew it.

 

Its clear (to me at least) from the Ops story that they wanted the 20,000 baht not as bail, but as 'fee' not to be jailed for the night.

 

I would say: there was no reason for him to drink and then drive -- especially if he had his wife with him. If she also drank, a Bolt taxi is so cheap to basically cost nothing to a westerner.

 

Don't do the crime, if you cannot do the time.

 

While I agree with your sentiment - the Ops BAC measurement was apparently equivalent to 0.027% BAC  - which places him a grey area of being over the limit for someone without a license (or a temp license), but well under the limit of someone on a full licence. 

 

As a comparison - the DUI limit in the UK is 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath (0.08% BAC equivalent) - the Op was still under the UK DUI limit.