The following is a firsthand account from a Chinese national living and working in Thailand. He has kindly given me permission to share it here. I've removed a few identifying details to protect his privacy.

Recently I using Grab get a motorbike to run errands. While the motorbike was driving, another motorbike suddenly sped up behind me with two police officers on it. These police caught up and asked the motorbike driver

"Who are you with??? Where are you going? Do you know each other? Please pull over immediately!"

I didn't do anything at the time; I was just looking at my phone texting!!!

When the motorbike stopped, I only had a briefcase with me.

The two policemans immediately got off and searched my bag, but there were only some documents and a pen inside nothing else.

They then asked me to show them my passport, but I didn't have it with me. You can't expect a foreigner to carry their passport all the time, right?

I said my passport was at home.

The two officers said, "Then please show me your passport photo."

I showed them my passport on my phone. After looking at it, they asked me to show them my visa page, my latest visa page! I had backed up all this information on my phone, and I showed it to them.

Then the two policemen asked me, "How come you speak Thai? Please show me your work permit!" Then I showed them my work permit again! Which is very small and I always carry it with me. After seeing it, they gave me a forced smile and asked why I wasn't carrying my passport. They said I should always keep my passport with me!

I said I couldn't just go out with my passport every time, because it's difficult to get a new one if I lose it! Then the two policemen told me, "Okay, that's fine, you can go now!"

I've lived in Thailand for many years, and this is the first time I've encountered something so absurd. This is my personal experience today, and I'm sharing it with you.

 

Now I thinking about it and I'm a little scared. I regret not recording a video when the two policemen searched my bag. If they had framed me, and secretly put drugs in my bag when I wasn't looking, it would have been a huge problem.

 

I've lived in Thailand for so many years, and this is the first time I've encountered something like this. I think this kind of thing will become more and more common, and even worse.

It's absurd and embarrassing to be harassed and questioned by the police for no reason at a transportation hub in downtown Bangkok, with so many cars waiting at a red light and the possibility of being photographed.

Personally, I can understand why he was shocked. I think most of us would probably feel the same if we were suddenly stopped, questioned and searched while simply riding on a GrabBike.

At the same time, this may not necessarily be something new or evidence of an increase in police checks. It may simply be that this was the first time it happened to him.

Has anyone else experienced a similar random police check in Bangkok recently?

There were random checks like this a lot in the past, between around 2011 and 2015 or so, in the area between Asoke and Emporium and a lot of the side sois. It was always two cops on a bike who would stop random foreigners walking and sometimes also stop foreigners on a bike - be it those who were riding their own bike or a passenger on a "win" motorbike. A lot of people wrote online that this had happened to them and eventually it all made it in to the mainstream media at which point the checks stopped.

What area was this Chinese fellow stopped? I wonder if it as in that same area.

1 hour ago, daejung said:

Random police check on GrabBike

Chinese national living and working in Thailand

I reckon there should be more of these checks on foreigners, lots Dodgy guys here.

I'm sure similar things go on in his home country China

Edited July 14Jul 14 by SAFETY FIRST

11 hours ago, daejung said:

Has anyone else experienced a similar random police check in Bangkok recently?

I had one two days ago, in Pattaya. I was driving my motorbike alone in the evening, when two police officers on a bike came up on the side and told me to stop. No erratic driving from my side, just normal driving.

Same questions, starting with searching my pockets (without consent), and my bike. Clearly looking for drugs (never done drugs in my life). After not finding anything, they wanted to see my passport, and my visa. Asked if I had overstay, how long I've been here etc. Showed them a copy on my phone. No questions about why I didn't carry my actual pp, because that is not needed. A copy is always sufficient.

After checking it all, I was "free to go".

Didn't think about it at the time, but if they wanted to place drugs on me, or "find" drugs on my bike, they certainly could have done so. But I think better of the police than that.

I'm actually glad they do these random checks, so they can weed out someone who shouldn't be here (drugs, overstay etc).

Maybe they were hoping to get a payment at late night, if I had something to hide?

Edited July 15Jul 15 by thaibreaker

10 minutes ago, thaibreaker said:

I had one two days ago, in Pattaya. I was driving my motorbike alone in the evening, when two police officers on a bike came up on the side and told me to stop. No erratic driving from my side, just normal driving.

Same questions, starting with searching my pockets (without consent), and my bike. Clearly looking for drugs (never done drugs in my life). After not finding anything, they wanted to see my passport, and my visa. Asked if I had overstay. Showed them a copy on my phone. No questions about why I didn't carry my actual pp, because that is not needed. A copy is always sufficient.

After checking it all, I was "free to go".

Didn't think about it at the time, but if they wanted to place drugs on me, or "find" drugs on my bike, they certainly could have done so. But I may be naive, and think better of the police than that.

Maybe they were hoping to get a payment at late night, if I had something to hide?

Interestingly, I saw something similar to what you describe. What looked like a middle aged foreigner and his wife getting pulled over on their scooter, by two policemen on a motorbike. They were both wearing helmets if I remember correctly, which made me ask myself why they were being pulled over, on Sukhumvit.

3 hours ago, thaibreaker said:

Same questions, starting with searching my pockets (without consent)

Is it legal in Thailand to serach without consent ?

13 hours ago, SBNZ said:

What area was this Chinese fellow stopped? I wonder if it as in that same area.

I just asked him on LINE : sathorn area

13 hours ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

I'm sure similar things go on in his home country China

Your opinion or your experience ?

He answered me :

The police won’t never stop a foreigners in China except he is a criminal

10 minutes ago, daejung said:

hours ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

I'm sure similar things go on in his home country China

Your opinion or your experience ?

My experience, I've watched all the Jackie Chan movies

11 minutes ago, daejung said:

The police won’t never stop a foreigners in China except he is a criminal

Maybe the Thai cops thought your friend was a criminal.

7 hours ago, daejung said:

Is it legal in Thailand to serach without consent ?

I don't know, and I didn't object, since I had nothing to hide. In the West it can't be legal if they have no cause, but this is Thailand..

I don't know if I would consent to a search of my person, without cause. I would likely ask to be taken to the station to talk to a superior officer. That is such an over reach of power, draconian, invasive, and downright hostile toward a foreigner and I would tell them so to their faces. And I might try to videotape the exchange. Would be fun to post it.

No wonder why tourism is dropping here. Yikes. East Berlin in 1952?

10 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

That is such an over reach of power, draconian, invasive, and downright hostile toward a foreigner and I would tell them so to their faces.

I've been searched in many countries. It never felt invasive, hostile, or draconian, it was no big deal. Raise your arms, spread your legs, let them do their thing, and then be on your way. Why waste time refusing, and going to the police station when it could be done and over in three minutes?

The same thing has been reported on and off for as long as I can remember. The Thonglor police station in particular used to be quite notorious for this.

They usually seem to be looking for drugs, and while I can understand the fear of being framed when searched by two random police officers in the street, I've never seen a credible report of that actually happening.

5 hours ago, ColeBOzbourne said:

I've been searched in many countries. It never felt invasive, hostile, or draconian, it was no big deal. Raise your arms, spread your legs, let them do their thing, and then be on your way. Why waste time refusing, and going to the police station when it could be done and over in three minutes?

LawEnforcement

It's because he's a keyboard tough guy.

2 hours ago, Caldera said:

The same thing has been reported on and off for as long as I can remember. The Thonglor police station in particular used to be quite notorious for this.

They usually seem to be looking for drugs, and while I can understand the fear of being framed when searched by two random police officers in the street, I've never seen a credible report of that actually happening.

Yep. I've had it happen to several friends over the years. They are not aggressive, they do a search, they let you on your way.

It's not a fun experience but they don't plant anything.

On 7/14/2026 at 9:29 PM, SBNZ said:

There were random checks like this a lot in the past, between around 2011 and 2015 or so, in the area between Asoke and Emporium and a lot of the side sois. It was always two cops on a bike who would stop random foreigners walking and sometimes also stop foreigners on a bike - be it those who were riding their own bike or a passenger on a "win" motorbike. A lot of people wrote online that this had happened to them and eventually it all made it in to the mainstream media at which point the checks stopped.

What area was this Chinese fellow stopped? I wonder if it as in that same area.

It happened to me circa 2013 outside Ekkamai station. I was on foot and so were the two cops. They started telling me I had to follow them for an ID check. It felt off immediately and I thought they were going to try to extort money from me. I told them I was going to call my wife's relative who is a cop and they disappeared.

I think a key issue here is that he doesn't mention whether he was wearing a crash helmet. Ok, with a motorbike taxi you're not generally expected to wear a crash helmet. However if it was a grab motorbike, perhaps the rider wasn't wearing the accepted WIN jacket?

That's possibly why the police ask whether they knew each other. Looks like the rest of the questions were just to justify the stop? But he did the right things.

On 7/16/2026 at 12:44 AM, spidermike007 said:

I don't know if I would consent to a search of my person, without cause. I would likely ask to be taken to the station to talk to a superior officer. That is such an over reach of power, draconian, invasive, and downright hostile toward a foreigner and I would tell them so to their faces. And I might try to videotape the exchange. Would be fun to post it.

LawEnforcement

No wonder why tourism is dropping here. Yikes. East Berlin in 1952?

I don't think I'd want to cause such a fuss, and waste my time in this way. I'd like to think I'd just answer their questions and hope to be on my way. Same in any country.

My interactions with Thai police have gone in this manner, and no issues or significant inconvenience. They've been polite, asked their questions, been satisfied with the answers, the photo of my passport & emails with flight details to show I'm not an overstay. A smile and I'm on my way. No need to inconvenience them by insisting on being taken to their boss. All similar to my limited interactions in China and the UK.

what is there to be shocked about?

they pulled over a foreigner they suspected was working here
and they were right.
They have very likely been observing this foreign Chinese man dressed for work.