Thai Policemen Can Open Fire--when?

[haybilly]

With regard to the news that the 'War on Drugs' is to be re-instated--can anyone tell me what are a Thai Police Officer's 'Rules of Engagement' regarding the use of ultimate force--i.e. shoot to kill?? Perhaps when the Officer feels that his life is in danger? When a victim's life is in danger? When someone has told the Officer that a suspect sells drugs? Or, when a perceived loss of face to the Officer has occurred? Anyone got any ideas?

[sakaew]

When he's C&D--cantankerous and drunk...seems to sum up a prime reason

[Heng]

When they pull the trigger.

[submaniac]

I wouldn't hazard a guess here, as, even with the rules, the cops wouldn't follow them anyways. The police will do what they will do, and then they will justify it later, claiming that you attacked them or whatnot. Kind of hard to argue when you are dead. There's a dead Canadian in Pai shot by an off duty officer that is an example of what can happen.

[Briggsy]

You can forget "Rules of Engagement" because, for one reason, the police will not admit publicly to carrying out any killings in either the last round of extra-judicial killings or in any future round. So, since "they didn't do it", the rules are moot.

There were patterns. Eye witness reports of killings from the last round always spoke of a group of armed men always wearing black and often arriving in unmarked pick-ups. They routinely spoke of the fact that the men did not appear to worry about the get-away but just calmly left the scene. The uniforms then arrived and found an old firearm in the victim's hand and a pack of pills in his pocket. Case closed.

[calibanjr.]

No real rules, AFAIK. Stay away from the police. Stay away from drugs. Stay away from Canadians! (a la "The Jerk", which we are all capable of being, I think)

Edited February 24, 2008 by calibanjr.

[haybilly]

No real rules, AFAIK. Stay away from the police. Stay away from drugs. Stay away from Canadians! (a la "The Jerk", which we are all capable of being, I think)

Oh shit--my brother and wife, from Vancouver B.C., are arriving for a month's stay with us in Chiang mai in 1 week--anyone selling any secondhand body armour?

[calibanjr.]

No real rules, AFAIK. Stay away from the police. Stay away from drugs. Stay away from Canadians! (a la "The Jerk", which we are all capable of being, I think)

Oh shit--my brother and wife, from Vancouver B.C., are arriving for a month's stay with us in Chiang mai in 1 week--anyone selling any secondhand body armour?

Thanks for the humor back-up and hope you and they have a great time!

[submaniac]

No real rules, AFAIK. Stay away from the police. Stay away from drugs. Stay away from Canadians! (a la "The Jerk", which we are all capable of being, I think)

Oh shit--my brother and wife, from Vancouver B.C., are arriving for a month's stay with us in Chiang mai in 1 week--anyone selling any secondhand body armour?

Silly Farangs. Don't you guys read the travel guides? In Thailand, it is "Canadian hunting" season right now. Wait 3 weeks--then it's open season on the French. I guess if you are FRENCH Canadian, well, wow...you are really really screwed.

Edited February 24, 2008 by submaniac

[LoveDaBlues]

No real rules, AFAIK. Stay away from the police. Stay away from drugs. Stay away from Canadians! (a la "The Jerk", which we are all capable of being, I think)

Oh shit--my brother and wife, from Vancouver B.C., are arriving for a month's stay with us in Chiang mai in 1 week--anyone selling any secondhand body armour?

Silly Farangs. Don't you guys read the travel guides? In Thailand, it is "Canadian hunting" season right now. Wait 3 weeks--then it's open season on the French. I guess if you are FRENCH Canadian, well, wow...you are really really screwed.

Wrong. Always open season on the French. Heck they don't even like themselves.

[Ricardo]

When they pull the trigger.

and provided they had a budget, of at least 10,000 Baht, with which to buy a bullet.

[Thaiboxer]

"Why do they call it tourist season if we can't shoot at them?" Saw this on a bumper sticker in the States, and from what I remember, the French Canadians were the most abundant game. You could easily spot them in their early 80's Cadillacs doing 5mph in a 50mpg zone then speeding up to 90mph when you attempt to pass them.

When an officer is allowed to shoot has to be dictated by the situation at hand. Technically, the handgun serves as an emergency weapon when there are no better alternatives. I guess a lot of cops these days are trigger happy.

[sayitaintso]

No real rules, AFAIK. Stay away from the police. Stay away from drugs. Stay away from Canadians! (a la "The Jerk", which we are all capable of being, I think)

Oh shit--my brother and wife, from Vancouver B.C., are arriving for a month's stay with us in Chiang mai in 1 week--anyone selling any secondhand body armour?

tell them to sew american flags onto their backpacks

[micksterbs]

I remember having an interesting conversation with an American policeman in Pennsylvania back in '85. At one point, I asked him if he or any of his colleagues had ever shot someone believing them to be armed, only to discover that they were not. He answered in the affirmative and added that, in those cases, they invariably used a "drop gun"; i.e. a "clean" gun that they would plant on or near the victim in as convincing a way as possible. I'm sure that the American posters would be far more familiar with this than me. I shouldn't be surprised if the BiB do the same here. In fact, from another poster's comments re the "war-on-drugs", it appears that they do.

[Thaiboxer]

micksterbs...I'm not surprised some cops in the USA would do this, as there have been many cases of police shooting an unarmed suspect which could get them fired or even jailed. The old house defense scenario (now a joke) was to shoot the burglar then place a butcher knife in his hand.

One of the toughest things about policework must be evaluating if and when to fire. Back in the 80's, there were many cases of bad guys using toy guns that looked real for robberies and other crimes. Many were shot by the cops who thought they were armed with the real thing. Toy companies now make guns which use bright colors and won't be mistaken for a real gun.

With all the dirty badges running around out there, many "bad guys" have probably wound up dead with a gun or other weapon planted on them. It's like those guys in Pattaya who managed to "commit suicide" by shooting themselves in the head, cutting both wrists and hanging themselves with their hands tied behind their backs.

[LivinLOS]

I remember having an interesting conversation with an American policeman in Pennsylvania back in '85. At one point, I asked him if he or any of his colleagues had ever shot someone believing them to be armed, only to discover that they were not. He answered in the affirmative and added that, in those cases, they invariably used a "drop gun"; i.e. a "clean" gun that they would plant on or near the victim in as convincing a way as possible. I'm sure that the American posters would be far more familiar with this than me. I shouldn't be surprised if the BiB do the same here. In fact, from another poster's comments re the "war-on-drugs", it appears that they do.

A contact of mine wanted to own a gun, he went and discussed it with the police, was social, went to the gun club, made himself a little known, they gave him the OK to have it in his wifes name at home with the full knowledge it would really be his.

The above bit of advice was what they told him when he asked them the exact rules about self defense in his own home and when / if he was allowed to use deadly force. They said get a second gun, unregistered, and if you do shoot anyone put it with the body. that was what the police told him to do !!! TiT.

[micksterbs]

Thaiboxer and LivinLOS, it's a shame there's no emoticon for shaking one's head in disbelief.

Imagine it here: " "

[gunnyd]

You don't even need a "drop piece" anymore in Arizona, Texas, South Carolina, Florida, and a few other states. The law is if they are on your property and you kill them, no questions asked. In Arizona, where I live, there was enough of an outcry from the citizens to get the laws changed. Before you could get serious jail time for defending your family inside your own home, or at the least spend tens of thousands of dollars on lawyers to keep you out of prison.

[Nignoy]

I remember having an interesting conversation with an American policeman in Pennsylvania back in '85. At one point, I asked him if he or any of his colleagues had ever shot someone believing them to be armed, only to discover that they were not. He answered in the affirmative and added that, in those cases, they invariably used a "drop gun"; i.e. a "clean" gun that they would plant on or near the victim in as convincing a way as possible. I'm sure that the American posters would be far more familiar with this than me. I shouldn't be surprised if the BiB do the same here. In fact, from another poster's comments re the "war-on-drugs", it appears that they do.

In my miss spent younger years, I was helping out a mate, who was having a few problems on his farm in Botswana, I was surprised to find a box of knob kerries ,spears and bows and arrows in the landrover , on the dash board was an instruction sheet for driving after dark, section 2 read as follows,If stopped or approached after dark, open fire immediately, if later subject is found to be unarmed, place knobkerrie or spear in hand of corpse, if more than 1 corpse leave an assortment of local weapons, you are personnally liable for the costs of replacing these weapons,Ijust keep away from any policemen wearing a gun, it does not matter where in the world you are police have a bad day and someoneusually gets shot, luckily living half the year in Queensland we are pretty safe, here the police shoot themselves in the thigh or the foot trying to draw their weapons Nignoy

[Heng]

I remember having an interesting conversation with an American policeman in Pennsylvania back in '85. At one point, I asked him if he or any of his colleagues had ever shot someone believing them to be armed, only to discover that they were not. He answered in the affirmative and added that, in those cases, they invariably used a "drop gun"; i.e. a "clean" gun that they would plant on or near the victim in as convincing a way as possible. I'm sure that the American posters would be far more familiar with this than me. I shouldn't be surprised if the BiB do the same here. In fact, from another poster's comments re the "war-on-drugs", it appears that they do.

Hardly economical to do that here. Here the norm is the "drop knife," many police folks even recommend it to civilians in cases where you have to shoot intruders in or near your home. Wipe and place in intruder(s) hand and THEN call the police. "Oh my, I seem to have shot several intruders in my home, one on my property wall, and finally the last one trying to attack me from underneath my SUV.... by the way, they were all armed with identical *Buy Five for 150 Baht!* kitchen knives from Carrefour."

"Should I worry about my fingerprints or the lack of the intruder's fingerprints on the knife?" The standard answer is along the lines of "well, you can try for a Hollywood style planting of the weapon, but to be honest we probably wouldn't even check if it was in your own home."