Ever Been Fined For Smoking In Bkk?

[Duality]

my last week in bkk on a steaming hot day walking in the silom area i sat down on the steps of what i think is called "the silom complex" a large shopping mall. i drink my 7-11 big gulp and spark up a cig and gaze at the uni girls handing out leaflets. i finish my cig and flick it away then go to the public phone to call a friend.

when i finished my call a police officer blocked my path and said something in thai then pointed behind me to another officer who beckoned me towards the steps of the mall. he then picked up my cig stubb which was still on the bottom step and showed it to me...i didn't put up any resistance

i was escorted to one of them little jail cells they have right there on the sidewalk infront of all the giggling uni girls. the officer pointed to a sign in the jail booth that said in thai script i was to pay a 2000 baht fine for littering !

i only had 500 baht on me in cash so i told them i could go to the atm in the mall and get some more. they agreed and just let me walk off by myself into the mall.

i thought about legging it but i couldn't find another exit ! i tell you that place is air tight. i sensed that the police would know this too so i went back and payed the full fine.

the thing that pissed me off the most is that i had to wait 15 minutes in the booth before the same officer that had dealt with me returned i refused to give it to the undercover "taxi rider" officer or his partner. and when he did come back he just took my money and didn't ask for anything to be signed then he said " i like your ring" jesus i thought he was going to take that from me too, but he just smiled and winked at me....Bstard

the real kick in the balls is this, i had only just started to smoke again after quitting 3 years ago. i vowed that would be my last cigarette...

[the scouser]

Bad luck mate. I got done in similar circumstances a few years ago but they only extorted 200 baht from my wallet.

Scouse.

[bkk_mike]

It's basically a tourist scam - they only have the signs up in tourist areas, and only ever apply the fine (more than a week's wage to the average Thai) to tourists.

In fact, if you read some other posts, you'll find one farang who got off simply because he spoke Thai.

[lingling]

If my memory serves me right the official fine is B1000. That said, you deserved it. Stop littering. (And next time, ask for a receipt).

[Dakhar]

Imagine if someone came to your house and dumped a dirty diaper on your porch.

How would you react.

This is what you did, you came to someone's country/home, dumped your trash, and now you are shocked about a 2000 baht fine?

[theviking]

If my memory serves me right the official fine is B1000. That said, you deserved it. Stop littering. (And next time, ask for a receipt).

The fine is 2000 baht!

[daveh]

The same thing happened to me before. But the fine was reduced to 1000baht, and I was given a receipt. If you didn't get a receipt, I think you simply paid a bribe.

[Axel]

When the action started the fine was set to Baht 200 - 2000, depending on the financial situation of the culprit.

OK, 'you farang all rich'. No fellow in brown would lower himself to go after 200.

[MadFranky]

chances are you could quite easyly got away with giviing him the 500 if it was off the books

[PvtDick]

2,000 baht...for doing such a vile thing, you got off cheap! You probably wouldn't dream of throwing a used tissue on the street, but you casually flick a cigarette butt. How rude can you be?

[Duality]

no problem with paying the fine i did deserve it...YEAH RIGHT if i smoked diapers maybe. think about this, the money i paid won't do nothing to improve the silom area. that copper probably went straight to the whorehouse with my money. i hope he gets knob rot

[PvtDick]

It'll make you think twice before littering again, though, won't it? That's the purpose of the fine.

[350torana]

How hard is it to dispose of ciggie butts in a decent way ? an empty can or bottle, or if not around, just stub it out on your shoe and find a bin(trash can) I know it is a scam to make money from tourists, but it does detere one, right? it does me anyway when my smoke is finished.

[Dakhar]

If you smoked diapers, you would probably be healthier!

So you first come to someone's country, polute their air, and then their polute their land....

Yes, Thailand is not my idea of heaven and perfectly clean... the point is, it ain't yours to polute. Despite if it was a bribe or not, I hope the experience will deter you in the future from flicking your cig anywhere you please.

I thank you for your post, it is a reminder to me of how we should treat our host's property.

[Ajarn]

You're a naughty boy for littering

You're a silly boy for not bargaining

[cojones]

looks like you got off lightly , a guy was fined in london recently 80 pounds for discarding

a matchstick after lighting up .

= 5840 bahts

so it looks like this is a global trend targeting smokers and their debris

[chanchao]

> You're a naughty boy for littering

> You're a silly boy for not bargaining

Perfect!! I love these high-efficiency posts that sum it all up in 10 words or so.

Cheers,

Chanchao

[abdulrahman]

Paid the 2 thou in Bkk last month,with receipt,of course,it was littering,so I should not complain;BUT I walked 50 metres with the,spent, kipp in my hand,and did NOT find ANY rubbish container!The police were very friendly and showed me the law I had infringed(in English,not in Thai).Bangkok klongs are apparently choked by the cigs stubs of the b***** farangs.

The law is the law,same for all,and everyone in Thailand must respect it!

Or not?

[Ajarn]

Why should it only be farangs who have to respect Thai laws?

[PvtDick]

Who said it is? Thais get nabbed, too.

[Pepe']

no problem with paying the fine i did deserve it...YEAH RIGHT if i smoked diapers maybe. think about this, the money i paid won't do nothing to improve the silom area. that copper probably went straight to the whorehouse with my money. i hope he gets knob rot

I have paid to be "smoked" 1000 bhat for one hour.

Seemed fair to me...

[Gleen_tea]

Only yesterday did I walk past the area in Siam Square where minivans are parked, waiting for passengers. The Thai driver got ready to leave and dropped his cigarette on the ground. Only four meters away was a Tetsakit and he had seen the whole thing. I could tell as he was basically staring at the driver. I stopped for a moment to see what action would be taken by the Tetsakit. You gussed it: none. But I have seen numerous foreigners get fined. Only once have I seen a Thai get caught for littering. He put on a good show. He was determined not to pay any fine, whatsoever. Two Tetsakit grabbed one arm each and told him that if he doesn't pay the fine, it's off to the police station. He reassured them that he would never pay any fine. So, they hauled him off.

[padma]

I am alsolutely against littering....but I must say that Bangkok is one of the filthiest cities besides India I've very seen. There is trash everywhere, the rivers are filthly and if you try to find a trashcan to put our litter you end up carrying for blocks. If anyone the Thais should be charged for littering their own country...can't blame the filth on the small percentage of Farang that live here or visit.

BTW....I work outside the city where there are hardly any farang probably close to none. ...and it's filthier than the city or any of the tourist areas I've been....so it's not the Farang that are responsible for the mess.

[PvtDick]

If Bangkok is the filthiest city you've ever been to, you certainly haven't been many places!

[Dakhar]

Padma,

I would agree with you, Thailand is filthy...

But the point is, it is theirs to filth up. Two wrongs don't make a one right.

Rather than adding to the filth, the farangs should take the high road and make sure that they do not contribute to such filth.

Maybe it is just the way I was raised, I was taught to respect the land... This is not to say I am not perfect... I am far from it.

[padma]

I agree Dakhar...Thailand is for thais to mess up.

It's just the double standard again.

It's like going over to someone's very dirty house as a guest with dirty shoes on. You mess up their front doorstep but are blamed of messing up the whole house and are asked to contribute to the services of a maid (that will never be hired) to clean up the mess.

[meemiathai]

Just where did it say that farangs are to be blamed for the filth in thailand?

[padma]

I sometimes carry around empty bottles and trash for hours (like an idiot) trying to find a trashcan.

I see thai throwing bottles, cans and bags onto the street, into the river, etc. It frustrating to me that I respect their country more than they do.

[padma]

Farangs may not be blamed but why are we targeted for the huge fines. If littering is illegal in Thailand as it should be then Thais should be subjected to the same fines.

[DJ Pat]

My mate got fined 2000 Baht on the spot. then again he wa slap bang in the middle of Silom and theatrically threw his fag away.