Oh Those Obnoxious Road Blocks.....

[mizzi39]

Anyone who drives here has come up on a road block at one time or another. although the police may be looking for illicit activity, sometimes there pockets are a little thin, and they need a few extra baht. Usually the man in brown seeing that you are a farang will give you a salute and send you on your way. This is pretty standard out in the sticks, but i know that BKK and the major tourist areas are different so, my suggestion does not apply to BKK or any major tourist area.

If you happen to get stopped at a road block (in the sticks) and the police ask you to pull over and go talk to the commanding officer sitting at his makeshift "office" on the side of the road collecting bribes, Here is a suggestion:

Lock your car, and pull up the emergency break. Casually walk away and call your wife, girlfriend, or friend and tell them where you can be picked up. Leave your car overnight, since the men in brown are clueless when it comes to towing.

The police automatically assume that you are going to go over to their commanding officer and pay the "fine" Don't! By the time you walk over to the bribe station there will probably be 2-3 people in line, so don't even get in line. He is expecting you to approach him. Talk to nobody. At this point you have not been charged with any infraction. This works. A friend of mine has done it twice. The police pack up their barriers and leave not even noticing that the car on the side of the road is a car that they pulled over 2-3 hours before. My second suggestion is to just pay the bribe!

[Soutpeel]

Slow day Mizzi39 ???.. or have you started on the Chang earlier than usual..??....LOL

[onnut]

better just to pay the 200 baht and then be on your way with your car.

[mizzi39]

Slow day Mizzi39 ???.. or have you started on the Chang earlier than usual..??....LOL

[/quote

I had a very productive day thank you! I Washed the car,2 motorbikes, and the dog, all before i started on the beer. I was surprised that I could actually fit this in.

[Heng]

Also a great way to find cars to ship off to Burma for resale at around half the market value. It's all profit anyway.

[Scott]

Why ship them off to Burma. If you leave them, the Burmese will come and just take them!

[DP25]

Unless you have a warrant out for your arrest I think it'd be better to just pay the money and drive home.

[TerryLH]

"...since the men in brown are clueless when it comes to towing."

What do you think they do with cars or trucks that have been in accidents and can't be driven?

They know exactly what to do.

[tartempion]

I speak French, works all the time

[lioness]

Whats obnoxious about the road blocks? They are not aimed at you, everyone goes through them.

I drive through regularly, if you have all your paperwork in order for your car and your drivers license then there shouldn't be a problem.

I have never been asked to leave my car or pay any money just by going through a roadblock.

[idrankwhat]

If you haven't broken any laws and all of your paper work is in order I doubt you will have a problem, I never have anyway and I don't know anyone that has other than posts on here which I take with a grain of salt.

[mizzi39]

If you haven't broken any laws and all of your paper work is in order I doubt you will have a problem, I never have anyway and I don't know anyone that has other than posts on here which I take with a grain of salt.

Yes, and this post should be taken with a grain of salt, since it was not meant to be taken literally. I to drive everyday without a problem, I also know farangs that have had problems, even with their paperwork all in order.

[PeaceBlondie]

If you park your bike wrong (for example on Niemanheimen during rush hour), police will wrap it in 113 kilos of chains and make you get to and from the police station to pay your fine. But roadblocks outside the border areas are easy; never been stopped except when helmetless.

[Heng]

Heng Wrecker Service was on my list of businesses to start when I first moved here a decade ago. No charge to the city or private property owners. 2,000 Baht (on par, and in many cases cheaper than back home) to get your car returned to you from our private lot after we towed it (tow truck business SOP). Pay our wrecker drivers 200 Baht per day and an additional 20-30 Baht per car/truck towed back to our lot. Decided against it when my 'less confrontational' (for my employees) businesses got off the ground though.

Anyone else with the drive, have at it! Anyone ever annoyed by double parked and whatever dozen of other parking type offenses the locals do on a daily basis knows the market is there.

[samran]

Whats obnoxious about the road blocks? They are not aimed at you, everyone goes through them.

I drive through regularly, if you have all your paperwork in order for your car and your drivers license then there shouldn't be a problem.

I have never been asked to leave my car or pay any money just by going through a roadblock.

As well as this: Stay in the left lane, indicate for the entire time you are overtaking in the right lane. Don't speed. Follow the road rules.

Went down to Rayong on the weekend in a car packed full of white people. I was waved though the road block, while the car behind me was pulled over for doing none of the above.

I'm sure someone will figure out how that constitues anti-farang sentiment, somehow.

[t.s]

Why ship them off to Burma. If you leave them, the Burmese will come and just take them!

bigotry is so much funnier when it comes from a mod.

[Travel2003]

Why ship them off to Burma. If you leave them, the Burmese will come and just take them!

bigotry is so much funnier when it comes from a mod.

Agree.

I think and hope the Mod regretted it as soon as it was posted.

Anyhow, it reminded me about the guy in England somewhere that didnt want to pay for garbage removal, and wrapped the garbage in some old gift wraps (and cartons), and left it outside his property.

Anyhow, almost 10 years in BKK, and I only got a fine once for throwing a cig on the street, and I fully deserved that fine.

Never did it again.

[t.s]

i doubt it, no apology offered.

i would also like to point out that i am not discussing moderation issues, but rather a comment by someone who happens to be a mod.