Police Questioning Single Males Travelling To Thailand

[taxexile]

last week a friend of mine travelled to thailand from heathrow.

after the passport/boarding pass check at the gate , he was called aside by one of a group of 6 or 7 police officers and questioned as to why he was going to thailand , was he single or married , where would he be staying in thailand , had he been before etc.

all males on their own were called aside and similarly questioned.

after the questioning , he was given a "stop" form with his name , address , passport number and confirmation that he had been spoken to by the police officers.

he is a respectable looking chap , mid fifties and his wife was following him out to thailand the next day.

has anybody else encountered this , and any ideas why it happened.

Edited December 16, 2008 by taxexile

[bkkjames]

last week a friend of mine travelled to thailand from heathrow.

after the passport/boarding pass check at the gate , he was called aside by one of a group of 6 or 7 police officers and questioned as to why he was going to thailand , was he single or married , where would he be staying in thailand , had he been before etc.

all males on their own were called aside and similarly questioned.

after the questioning , he was given a "stop" form with his name , address , passport number and confirmation that he had been spoken to by the police officers.

he is a respectable looking chap , mid fifties and his wife was following him out to thailand the next day.

has anybody else encountered this , and any ideas why it happened.

Un-related I am sure, but wasnt it a day or two ago a few brits about that age got done up for some porn charges here?? Maybe he fit the description.

Kinda funny as usually these types of questions are only asked upon returning to the home country from here.

[boneidlegit]

Personally I would tell them to mind their own business.

[mommysboy]

last week a friend of mine travelled to thailand from heathrow.

after the passport/boarding pass check at the gate , he was called aside by one of a group of 6 or 7 police officers and questioned as to why he was going to thailand , was he single or married , where would he be staying in thailand , had he been before etc.

all males on their own were called aside and similarly questioned.

after the questioning , he was given a "stop" form with his name , address , passport number and confirmation that he had been spoken to by the police officers.

he is a respectable looking chap , mid fifties and his wife was following him out to thailand the next day.

has anybody else encountered this , and any ideas why it happened.

I'm always getting stopped by customs/airport police regarding smuggling, etc. When I finally complained an officer just shrugged and said 'you fit the profile'. Now, next time I hear that I'm inclined to say "Oh well better than fitting the profile of being a complete @%** like you". I doubt whether I'll pluck up enough courage. Further, I have to admit they are not that far from the truth anyway.

So in short I'd say your friend fitted the profile.

But the profile for being what???

[Mosha]

Yes I can see that being a good way to miss your flight, until they were satisfied with your explanation.

[TJAN]

Personally I would tell them to mind their own business.

And personally they would turn you around and put you back on the first avialable flight back where you came from,you think your God almighty.

[mommysboy]

Personally I would tell them to mind their own business.

And personally they would turn you around and put you back on the first avialable flight back where you came from,you think your God almighty.

Strongly disagree.

[angiud]

Land of Freedom

[PhilHarries]

Personally I would tell them to mind their own business.

That is precisely the wrong attitude and one that will get you untold grief and the opportunity to come on this forum complaining about the police, the procedures, the coffee and just about everything. No matter how much you'd like to tell them that you have to remember these people in these times have the power and capability to <deleted> you upside down, inside out and back to front.

The best approach is to politely answer their questions exactly as asked, offer them no additional information and remain calm.

Yes you might consider this approach to be demeaning and an affront to your manhood but, given that the alternative might be a missed flight and a night in custody, it's worth putting up and shutting up.

[sharecropper]

Flying out from Manchester earlier this year, I was pulled aside and closely and seriously questioned about where I was going, where I lived, what was my business in Thailand, how much currency was I carrying, how was I funding my trip? It was a serious, close combat grilling.

When I had recovered enough from my total surprise at being verbally mugged like this to tell him I was a solicitor (even though I didn't look like one), he backed off, apolgised for delaying me and explained they were enforcing currency export regulations, which I knew was rubbish, but I was happy to be on my way.

Still I was seriously rattled for some time after it. Maybe that is what they try to do - to flush out people who they believe for whatever reason may have something to hide. But not many people have anything to hide on their way out from the UK, surely - except a huge sense of relief!

[mommysboy]

Your mate !! I hope his initials aren't GG.

I'm guessing they suspected him of being a pedophile then, or a sex slave trafficker. Not very flattering! But then the Old Bill not known for their diplomacy.

[mrtoad]

Personally I would tell them to mind their own business.

And personally they would turn you around and put you back on the first avialable flight back where you came from,you think your God almighty.

Might be a bit difficult if he lived in Swindon.

[bkkjames]

You could just answer them with...

I am going to Bang Kok, then over to Chaing MY for a little chug wow before heading down to Phu Get and hope I don't end up in Kra Be or it won't be Ray ong before I have to Ko Sam Moo EEe for a some Tom Yum Talay. After that its up to Kon Ken out of a little land and put it in his sister's name called Sue Wanna Poom on the edge of Bag Na for a couple of cobras before heading back to the UK. Why,,, you wanna come?

[skippybangkok]

all males on their own were called aside and similarly questioned.

2/3 rds of the plane ? Waow

Had that in Huston Texas, was dressed in a suit ( just from my last meeting - heading back to BKK ).

My conclusion, if thats your method of proactively profiling people, god help us all. (cause they have not got a clue what they are doing ).

[bunnaag]

About 10 years ago I went to New Zealand for a holiday and on the immigration form they wanted to know if you are single,widowed ,married or never been married.I never encountered these questions on immigration forms of other countries and I travelled a lot.

[samuibeachcomber]

just more police state tactics,cant see the point of asking those kind of questions,different upon arrival in BKK,then those type of questions would be more valid,and anyway what would you reply to the UK cops,yes officer am going on a sh-gging holiday!

[Boater]

i got stoped 3 years back at heathrow by a plain clothes guy after passport and he asked me where i was going, for how long and for why... i told him straight and that was it.. bit strange at the time, but was just happy to be getting out of the UK again

[jdinasia]

It would seem that unless it were questioning in an official investigation that you would indeed have the right to not be pestered by them.

[technocracy]

Well personally before answering any questions I would ask to know exactly why I was being questioned.

Sorry but I wouldn't be telling them nothing unless they told exactly what reason and on what authority they were acting to question me.

I was questioned one time flying out of Sydney - this was explained for anti-terrorism measure which was explained up front before any questions were asked.

[PoorSucker]

I smell a poll coming.

Do you fir the "profile"

[churchill]

I was asked if I had a snake in my pocket....

[jdinasia]

I have been asked questions, that I considered to be inappropriate, at an airport in the USA. I respectfully declined to answer and that was the end of it.

(I also am the type that does not allow the police to 'search' my vehicle in a traffic stop in the US etc. Never an issue of having any contraband in a vehicle, I just do not think that allowing oneself to be subjected to random queries and searches is a good thing to do.)

[Kharzi]

The questioning of passengers reflects legislation and those charged with its enforcement.

It's a variation on Parkinson's Law, in that work expands to fill the time available.

Britain has seen, like many other western countries, an explosion in the numbers employed in security following on from Bush's rallying cry that we must all engage in the war against terror. In Britain this spawned draconian laws that empowered the police to ask anyone practically anything at any time citing national security as the excuse. Failure to provide information is not an option and could lead to incarceration pending further investigation.Terrorism requires funding and crime is a likely source. Money laundering is a consequence and to evade detection the physical transference of currency is often seen as a solution to those anxious to avoid electronic capture. Within the EU anyone carrying more than 7000 Euros ( I think ) across a non schengen border must declare it and be prepared to explain its provenance.

Child trafficking and paedophilia is quite in vogue now and numerous agencies have funding to target it.

Travelling to Thailand ticks so many boxes for so many agencies according to their own remits that it is unsurprising embarkation controls are quite popular. Of course, the intelligence of those actually operating the control is inevitably of a lower order since they are the foot soldiers translating a cudgel of a policy into the clumsy profiling that inevitably causes offence to many of us.

But that's the way of the world now, ticking boxes in lieu of judgement and discretion.

[GuestHouse]

Why go to all the bother of stoppuing individuals when they can gather almost all the information they want from your booking, and your credit card?

Child trafficking and paedophilia is quite in vogue now and numerous agencies have funding to target it.

Well if these things are indeed in vogue, it's something to be aplauded that funding is being provided to tackle these problems.

[Mosha]

I was asked if I had a snake in my pocket....

,,and you replied "No I'm just happy to see you"

As for profiling

Q. Are you a male?

A Yes

OK you fit the profile.

[Jingthing]

This is a surprising new wrinkle. In the US, they do of course profile RETURNING single male travelers FROM Thailand. However, I have never heard of anyone being question before going to Thailand, except in cases where they already have an arrest warrant for a specific individual.

Another incentive to travel to Thailand, ha ha.

Edited December 16, 2008 by Jingthing

[OxfordWill]

how does that personal policy work for you here in thailand, jd?

[Kharzi]

Why go to all the bother of stoppuing individuals when they can gather almost all the information they want from your booking, and your credit card?

That would only work if they knew about one....... they imagine by profiling at the gate they might gain fresh intelligence, I suppose.

Child trafficking and paedophilia is quite in vogue now and numerous agencies have funding to target it.

Well if these things are indeed in vogue, it's something to be aplauded that funding is being provided to tackle these problems.

Mmmm. The logic seems to be: males practise paedophilia ergo all males travelling to Thailand where, thanks to the gutter press, vice was invented , are suspect and paunchy, sleazy looking males travelling alone aged over 30 - 40 are more so. Of course the fact that the skin trade involving anyone in Thailand is organised by the Thai with the connivance of the Thai authorities and for the benefit of anyone including the Thai themselves seems to escape the crusaders who doubtless actually think their inept interrogation of passengers leaving Uk ports will somehow reduce the level of that form of abuse in Thailand.

Quite childish, don't you think but I suppose it 's all down to perception and what one is prepared to believe.

[chiang mai]

Sniffer dogs at Heathrow checking for cash over £1,000 and if they find it, wanting chapter and verse of why/from where etc and then police checking why you are going to Thailand in the first place and what you will do when you get there. Seems like a lot of aggravation to go through just to start a vacation, don't the UK police have more important things to do such as catching active criminals rather than trying to see if someone, just on the off chance, might going to become one!

Edited December 16, 2008 by chiang mai

[mommysboy]

It would seem that unless it were questioning in an official investigation that you would indeed have the right to not be pestered by them.

This indeed appears to be the crux of the matter. Some say that the police/security have every right to question a person in the name of anti-terrorism, and that evasiveness is in itself suspicious. Whereas others feel quite justified in thinking "sawd awf" none of your business. Trouble is there are consequences.

Yes I suppose you could politely say "Excuse me officer is it really any of your business what I do in my personal life?"