LivinLOS Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 As reported on another forum by someone whose not a BM on here. Long Story ShortLast night some tourists got shaken down by Bangla police for not carrying their passports. One did not pay enough and spent the night in jail. One was asked by the police after they emptied his passport to give them the pin for his ATM card! Worst thing is these guys are agents for a tour company here to enjoy Phuket then go back and promote the island as a tourist destination!!! More details to follow when I have time... Seems the person helping them works for a major tourist co here and boss works for the TAT.. Could you pick worse people to target in petty shakedowns ?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiddlehead Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 As reported on another forum by someone whose not a BM on here. One was asked by the police after they emptied his passport to give them the pin for his ATM card! . That should be a headline in a newspaper somewhere! Amazing Thailand and it's Amazing Police Corruption! Where will it stop? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doodee Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 The coppers only wanted to help him spend his money,whats wrong with that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScubaBuddha Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 Unreal. I hope the PG and Post jump on this one quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pagallim Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 Unreal. I hope the PG and Post jump on this one quickly. OK, let's see if they actually do that. I think we've all experienced instances of 'selective' journalism, see if this one hits the pages tomorrow. Hard to see of course, it took the PG four days to report another drowning (33+ in total so far this year?). When is the Governor (the official one) going to step in and start using his authority to control both corruption and incompetence? For me, the real irony is that the local people don't fully comprehend the publicity that these practices are generating. Sure, there's a downturn of visitors due to the global economic situation, but for those that do have the means to travel/vacation, they are being more selective. For those of us who live here full time, I'm sure we've all had exposure to the variances of quality/standards/pricing etc. The further west you go (or from the north to the south), the more expensive/prevalent it is, not only amongst the bars/restaurants, but the stall holders as well. Sad. There are some roadside fruit sellers who are almost giving their produce away (15 baht for 3 kilo of good fruit!!), whilst a walk around Tops/Village Market doesn't bear any relation to the local economy. There's another more serious consideration during these times, that I became aware of a couple of days ago. A friend's family are visiting and ate at an average restaurant ( west coast - seafood), and became very ill (hospitalised). Thinking about it, restaurants/stalls etc, in these times of uncertain client numbers, how often is their food going to be frozen/de-frosted/frozen/re-heated etc. Seriously, there has to be a few health risks out there caused by lack of customers. Really worth thinking about folks before you choose your food venue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orosee Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 As reported on another forum by someone whose not a BM on here. One was asked by the police after they emptied his passport to give them the pin for his ATM card! . That should be a headline in a newspaper somewhere! Amazing Thailand and it's Amazing Police Corruption! Where will it stop? Ummm, how exactly do you "empty a passport"? A wallet maybe, but I sure never carry anything "in my passport". Plus, how can they charge someone with NOT carrying his passport and then "empty" what is not there? That should be under the headline "Not posting while drunk". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelepulse Posted August 5, 2009 Share Posted August 5, 2009 (edited) What is the penalty for not carrying your passport? I never carry mine nor do I plan to, but a copy of the passport is doable. Edited August 5, 2009 by steelepulse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScubaBuddha Posted August 5, 2009 Share Posted August 5, 2009 As reported on another forum by someone whose not a BM on here. One was asked by the police after they emptied his passport to give them the pin for his ATM card! . That should be a headline in a newspaper somewhere! Amazing Thailand and it's Amazing Police Corruption! Where will it stop? Ummm, how exactly do you "empty a passport"? A wallet maybe, but I sure never carry anything "in my passport". Plus, how can they charge someone with NOT carrying his passport and then "empty" what is not there? That should be under the headline "Not posting while drunk". I think it's pretty clear the poster meant "empty his wallet." It would be nice to find the original source of this story so we can pass it on to the "news" agencies for them to follow up on. I would really like to see something about this in the mainstream outlets, if it's true. The OP is a reliable source, but he's quoting a third person. Once the victims are safely back home in their home country I'm sure they would be willing to share their stories. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevenl Posted August 5, 2009 Share Posted August 5, 2009 I don't believe this story until I here more about it than some second hand information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LivinLOS Posted August 5, 2009 Author Share Posted August 5, 2009 Am quoting someone I know whose not prone to hyperbole.. But cannot provide more information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevenl Posted August 5, 2009 Share Posted August 5, 2009 (edited) In my experience, things that look to good or bad to be true are exactly that: not true. And this story looks over the top to me. With this information also being third hand at best, I simply don't trust it. Edited August 5, 2009 by stevenl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LivinginKata Posted August 5, 2009 Share Posted August 5, 2009 I don't believe this story until I here more about it than some second hand information. Have to agree with that. But more details were promised. So I'm still waiting before I can judge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_Pat_Pong Posted August 5, 2009 Share Posted August 5, 2009 Once we get authentication we can reopen it, Meanwhile CLOSED. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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