Gun To The Head!

[jitagon]

My English neighbour returned to Thailand for the Christmas holiday yesterday and that evening, he and his wife called into the local supermarket in Chalong. A police officer followed them into the store and announced he, my neighbour, had not 'indicated left' as he had turned into the parking area and demanded to see my neighbour's driver's licence. He then went outside to my neighbour's car and took his keys.

My neighbour's Thai wife told the policeman he was wrong, whereupon the policeman took out his gun and pointed it first at my neighbour's wife's head, and then at my neighbour's head. My neighbour's wife pulled the policeman's arm away, and the policeman lowered his gun and threw her to the ground. He then called for backup from the Chalong Police Station.

At the police station, the cop was told to shut up and my neighbour and his wife were told to leave.

My neighbour has been visiting Thailand for almost twenty years and has a house here, which he and his wife visit for holidays, and is used to the, shall we say, somewhat eccentric ways of the local constabulary.

But what if this had been a first time tourist?! Surely, with all the press regarding unsolved violent thefts against, largely, tourists on this island, they do without the local constables adding to the problem?

Whatever's to be said regards how things are different here than in the West, and having lived here for many years myself, I am still very shocked by this behaviour.

[jitagon]

My English neighbour returned to Thailand for the Christmas holiday yesterday and that evening, he and his wife called into the local supermarket in Chalong. A police officer followed them into the store and announced he, my neighbour, had not 'indicated left' as he had turned into the parking area and demanded to see my neighbour's driver's licence. He then went outside to my neighbour's car and took his keys.

My neighbour's Thai wife told the policeman he was wrong, whereupon the policeman took out his gun and pointed it first at my neighbour's wife's head, and then at my neighbour's head. My neighbour's wife pulled the policeman's arm away, and the policeman lowered his gun and threw her to the ground. He then called for backup from the Chalong Police Station.

At the police station, the cop was told to shut up and my neighbour and his wife were told to leave.

My neighbour has been visiting Thailand for almost twenty years and has a house here, which he and his wife visit for holidays, and is used to the, shall we say, somewhat eccentric ways of the local constabulary.

But what if this had been a first time tourist?! Surely, with all the press regarding unsolved violent thefts against, largely, tourists on this island, they do without the local constables adding to the problem?

Whatever's to be said regards how things are different here than in the West, and having lived here for many years myself, I am still very shocked by this behaviour.

[donna]

and its this kind of recklessness that makes me feel like im better off out of here.

[sbk]

Sounds like a cop with major mental health issues. The overstressed cops doing traffic in Bangkok often get sent to the provinces with the idea that they will somehow "get better".

We've had two crazies here. One was years ago, he had been a traffic cop in Bkk and flipped out from the stress etc so they sent him here. This was in the days of very little traffic and he would stand at an intersection in town and direct the 3-4 cars on the road. One time he gave a friend of mine a parking ticket. She went to the police station to pay, they tore it up and threw it away and apologized to her.

The second crazy was also from Bkk and was out drinking with some other cops (neither of these guys were allowed to carry guns btw), when he flipped out, grabbed another cop's gun and started shooting. He killed one policeman and wounded another before he, himself, was shot.

[lazeeboy]

and its this kind of recklessness that makes me feel like im better off out of here.

it does;nt happen everyday ,its still safer here than most places .

[londonthai]

if the cop has a problem they should put hom somewhere for the office work rather than daeling with people on the street.

[kangeroo]

well i have been in Thai a long time too and never seen anything like that . i find that very hard to believe, i think there might have been a lot more envolved than a problem with a left hand turn .

cheers

[jitagon]

well i have been in Thai a long time too and never seen anything like that . i find that very hard to believe, i think there might have been a lot more envolved than a problem with a left hand turn .

cheers

Well maybe you should (or should not) get out more. I have known these neighbours for eight years, and they are very much of the 'keep your head down' variety. The man is in his fifties and certainly doesn't need to go looking for trouble from the locals for kicks.

As to the 'mental health' issue, the cop was so drunk he could hardly ride his bike to the station, and fell off whilst dismounting. Why can you not simply accept that these things do happen, and are happening more and more frequently here cankeroo?

[Ping]

Kangeroo, I am surprised you haven't seen this sort of thing - and let's not forgot drunken farang. I was in a bar and this guy and his mate were as drunk as ten men and he started waving a pistol around. It may have been an imitation, but I couldn't get a close enough look to tell.

As to the boys in brown, you often see them at bars drinking their freebies and playing pool. Just what you need if one of them has got a loose wire - a gutful of booze.

Donna, I don't quite follow what you mean by 'better off out of here', given that you have got that interest in Patong?

[donna]

the hotel doesnt belong to me ping. i work for the management company who has the contract to run it. i dont have permanent ties with it at all thank goodness. the way its going at the moment im not sure i want to hang around to be honest.

[seonai]

I have often had policemen fire off a round or two in my bar in Thailand

[kelvinj]

I was sitting in a little restaurant in Bangkok early this year, around 2-00 a.m. suddenly there were two loud bangs in quick succesion from somewhere nearby, a few people had a look but nothing to be seen. The next day I discover that there had been an argument over a girl in a Karaoke bar about 40 yards away from the restaurant. One of the men was a policeman the other was the girl's boyfreind, the policeman fancied her and was trying to take her away from her boyfreind, the boyfreind was protesting. The policeman settled the argument by pulling his gun and firing two rounds into the ceiling.

[stevenl]

Kangeroo, I am surprised you haven't seen this sort of thing

Neither have I seen this sort of thing.

Well maybe you should (or should not) get out more.

I am out every day, and have never seen this kind of thing.

Why can you not simply accept that these things do happen, and are happening more and more frequently here cankeroo?

I seriously doubt they are happening more frequently. I just think that with the internewt we know much better what is happening, and make a fuss over things we would not have heard about a few years ago.

[sriracha john]

the policeman took out his gun and pointed it first at my neighbour's wife's head, and then at my neighbour's head. My neighbour's wife pulled the policeman's arm

That was an EXTREMELY dangerous thing to do with a gun-wielding, drunk policeman who's leveled a pitol at the husband's head.

[Wranklefrankie]

Kangeroo, I am surprised you haven't seen this sort of thing

Neither have I seen this sort of thing.

Well maybe you should (or should not) get out more.

I am out every day, and have never seen this kind of thing.

Why can you not simply accept that these things do happen, and are happening more and more frequently here cankeroo?

I seriously doubt they are happening more frequently. I just think that with the internewt we know much better what is happening, and make a fuss over things we would not have heard about a few years ago.

It's amazing, but every post I have read that is geared to making people aware of just how dangerous the place CAN be, there is always someone who "can't believe it" or "or has never seen it". Just because you haven't seen it, doesn't make it a lie. I have seen it but in moderation. It is not an everyday occurance, but it does happen. I have seen Thai Cops with 50 Caliber Desert Eagles in their holsters. If you have ever seen what a 50 cal. bullet does, you would wonder why would there be such a need for such a weapon, except for charging rhinos. Thai police are very good and brave men. They probably had every intention of being a good cop, but the system makes them do these bad things. There are many who are forced to do things that they don't want to do, and are expected to just deal with it. I know a few cops through a friend, but none very well. I know that most mean well, but alcohol can make even the best person do bad things.

Arguing with a cop, regardless of the situation, is asking for trouble. Your friend should have just paid the fine, and told his wife to shut up. Sounds like she was way out of place, and this casued the incident to get worse. He was probably broke, and was looking for a "farang traffic fine" so he could continue drinking. Notice I said probably. These guys are paid hardly anything compared to what they subject themselves to. Arguing with him was stupid. He says the offense, just say "I PAY FINE NOW, HOW MUCH?"

Otherwise, you might get crossed, especially if you have a loud mouthed Thai wife that would have normally kept her mouth shut had she no been married to farang. This is a big problem with a Thai wife. She thinks she has justification to wrestle and argue with the police. She is lucky he didn't do her worse.

As for Thai Police as a whole, put yourself in their shoes. And show some respect, or you might get a gun in your face.

[jitagon]

the policeman took out his gun and pointed it first at my neighbour's wife's head, and then at my neighbour's head. My neighbour's wife pulled the policeman's arm

That was an EXTREMELY dangerous thing to do with a gun-wielding, drunk policeman who's leveled a pitol at the husband's head.

But a truly understandable gut reaction to someone pointing a gun at your loved one's head don't you think?

As to the last poster, I find your comments racist in the extreme. 'Loud mouthed Thai wife' indeed! So if she'd been white, she would have simply slunk off into a corner and hoped for the best? And hey! Why wait for a cop to take the trouble to follow you into a store before paying up. Let's all just converge on Chalong circle any morning of the week and present them with a nice crispy 500m baht note. Oh, wait, I forgot, a lot of us already do.

PS Respect must be earned.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

the hotel doesnt belong to me ping. i work for the management company who has the contract to run it. i dont have permanent ties with it at all thank goodness. the way its going at the moment im not sure i want to hang around to be honest.

Hey Donna ... are the cops much better in Indonesia ? They have just charged a senior prison officer in Bali for drug dealing in the prison.

[sriracha john]

the policeman took out his gun and pointed it first at my neighbour's wife's head, and then at my neighbour's head. My neighbour's wife pulled the policeman's arm

That was an EXTREMELY dangerous thing to do with a gun-wielding, drunk policeman who's leveled a pistol at the husband's head.

But a truly understandable gut reaction to someone pointing a gun at your loved one's head don't you think?

Understandable if she wanted to have the gun go off.

Although we don't know the exact situation at that time, as it is described my mind pictures that scenario happening very easily.

My gut reaction would tell me to keep quiet and not escalate the situation of a drunk with a loaded pistol in a volatile moment by physically grabbing their arm, particularly if at the time it was pointed directly at a loved one's head.

[Wranklefrankie]

the policeman took out his gun and pointed it first at my neighbour's wife's head, and then at my neighbour's head. My neighbour's wife pulled the policeman's arm

That was an EXTREMELY dangerous thing to do with a gun-wielding, drunk policeman who's leveled a pitol at the husband's head.

But a truly understandable gut reaction to someone pointing a gun at your loved one's head don't you think?

As to the last poster, I find your comments racist in the extreme. 'Loud mouthed Thai wife' indeed! So if she'd been white, she would have simply slunk off into a corner and hoped for the best? And hey! Why wait for a cop to take the trouble to follow you into a store before paying up. Let's all just converge on Chalong circle any morning of the week and present them with a nice crispy 500m baht note. Oh, wait, I forgot, a lot of us already do.

PS Respect must be earned.

jitagon,

Please accept my apology as I meant no racism what so ever. I am married to a Thai and she has changed since we met. She runs red lights, cuts people off and ignores the police. When I met her, she was not doing these things, and it seems that she feels more apt to do them now that we are together.

If you believe that touching a cop, regardless of the situation, would help the situation improve any any way shape or form, then by all means. But I think it is foolish to even argue with them. What do you think you are going to do, WIN? With a Drunk Thai Police Officer, when he spots you, you have lost. Like Lions on the open plains. He sees you, you look worthy, and he moves in. Respect? Not the man, the badge, and the gun. Respect the gun. But reach for it?

I would rather fork out the 1-2K for the fine than fork out the 100-200k for the GSW at the hospital.

In this situation and many like it, you are better off to just PAY THE FINE.

To be honest, I carry a Siam Commercial ATM card that has like 10-20k. If I ever have a situation, that is what this ATM card is for. Nothing else.

Once again, sorry for offending you or any other readers. But I can't be racist if I too am married to a "Loud Mouthed Thai".

[g00dgirl]

Do the police here get proper training about firearms safety at all? Like one of the standard rules everyone should learn when carrying a gun:

Never point your gun at anything you are not willing to shoot.

[g00dgirl]

As for Thai Police as a whole, put yourself in their shoes. And show some respect, or you might get a gun in your face.

There is no excuse for police anywhere, who should be trained in use of force and how to handle a gun, to point a gun to someones head unless they reasonably believe that their life or that of another person is in immediate danger, for example if the husband had a knife in his hand and was threatening the police officer.

If this really happened it is a real shame for the Thai police and it would be an even bigger shame if the person was not suspended from duty, sent to training, or whatever to get him off the street.

Edited December 9, 2007 by g00dgirl

[slapout]

goodgirl; of course the police would never point a weapon at anything they would not shoot, you silly girl you. to answer your first question. Not sure they do, but probably included in their moyorcycle safety driving school.

[g00dgirl]

“Any complaints against a government office can be filed at the Damrongtham Center at Provincial Hall on Narisorn Rd, Phuket City. The office is open from 8.30 am to 4.30 pm. Call 1567 or 076-213203.”

found this on the Phuket Gazette website

[terryp]

So many really naive long times here that know nothing…Thailand your so beautiful paradise is in fact the no3 in the World gun crime statistics FACT

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_mur_...s-with-firearms

I had a gun put against my head in Patong FACT….I left & never will return to that mafia Island

Thailand is run by gun crazed lunatics…. ex-Police are allowed to keep their guns as are ex military

Almost all hit men in Thailand are ex police/military

Most gun related Tourist deaths in Thailand are police related very few are not

[LivinginKata]

After many years living here, I too thought the gun problem was over-rated. That idea came to shattering end when I was involved in a road rage incident on Nanai Rd. I was on my m/bike, on the receiving end of some bad driving by a big Gold coloured Fortuna. I gave a mild tut tut to indicate I was about to be run over, no hand or eye contact (I was too busy trying to survive). The guy turned round and raced after me, and tried twice to run me off the road. When I stopped he pulled a gun out of the car pocket, pointed the gun at my head (some 3m away), and ranted like a mad man. Even pulled the clip to dispaly the bullets. I was sure he would shoot, and I patiently calmed him down. Now this guy is a well known Tesiban foreman, is well known as a crazy, and he considers himself an 'honorary' policemen, so he carries a gun in his car.

I'm much much more careful now, with a much more jai yin yin attitude, at all times.

[LivinLOS]

Kangeroo, I am surprised you haven't seen this sort of thing

Neither have I seen this sort of thing.

Well maybe you should (or should not) get out more.

I am out every day, and have never seen this kind of thing.

Why can you not simply accept that these things do happen, and are happening more and more frequently here cankeroo?

I seriously doubt they are happening more frequently. I just think that with the internewt we know much better what is happening, and make a fuss over things we would not have heard about a few years ago.

Nonsense... In 6 or 7 years here I hadnt heard of any random gun crime / muggings until this year.. Since spring of this last spring its 3 (gun)..

If you wish to state its not increasing then I have a nice bridge for sale..

[mikethevigoman]

My English neighbour returned to Thailand for the Christmas holiday yesterday and that evening, he and his wife called into the local supermarket in Chalong. A police officer followed them into the store and announced he, my neighbour, had not 'indicated left' as he had turned into the parking area and demanded to see my neighbour's driver's licence. He then went outside to my neighbour's car and took his keys.

My neighbour's Thai wife told the policeman he was wrong, whereupon the policeman took out his gun and pointed it first at my neighbour's wife's head, and then at my neighbour's head. My neighbour's wife pulled the policeman's arm away, and the policeman lowered his gun and threw her to the ground. He then called for backup from the Chalong Police Station.

At the police station, the cop was told to shut up and my neighbour and his wife were told to leave.

My neighbour has been visiting Thailand for almost twenty years and has a house here, which he and his wife visit for holidays, and is used to the, shall we say, somewhat eccentric ways of the local constabulary.

But what if this had been a first time tourist?! Surely, with all the press regarding unsolved violent thefts against, largely, tourists on this island, they do without the local constables adding to the problem?

Whatever's to be said regards how things are different here than in the West, and having lived here for many years myself, I am still very shocked by this behaviour.

Thats terrible and a misuse of power and his weapon,.its the sort of thing that would traumatise a lot of people and after that im sure id be contemplating geting out, especiallly if my dear wife had been thrown to the floor, if this assault, and it was an assault, was reported and noted id feel inclined to take it all the way, like someone else said heres a cop with serious other issues,ie unstable,very dangerous, lets say this had happened in a remote area, very scary, needs addressing,.

[mikethevigoman]

and its this kind of recklessness that makes me feel like im better off out of here.

it does;nt happen everyday ,its still safer here than most places .

Most places? care to elaborate ?, if we cant trust the cops and the qualifications to join seem to be greed surely that makes this not too high up on the safe places to live,.

[mikethevigoman]

I have often had policemen fire off a round or two in my bar in Thailand

Please give us the name so that we dont accidently stumble in there !

[ade100]

Personally I side with the policeman. Turning left without indicating is downright rude and shows a basic lack of common courtesy. OK, I might not have held a gun to the guy’s head but I might have sighed or even gone so far as to have rolled my eyes. I say hats off to the policeman for upholding good manners and common decency!

Just kidding (in case it wasn’t clear :-))