Beware Police At Ekkamai Bus Station

[gemdealers]

A friend of mine wrote about this awful experience. A sign of the times I would think:- Has this happened to anyone else?

Beware of Thai police at Ekamai bus station!

I arrived in Thailand early on 16 Sept and after a business meeting in Bangkok I took the BTS to Ekamai bus station to catch a bus to Pattaya. As I was walking from the BTS station to the bus station I had to pass by the Police Box situated just outside the entrance. As I approached a policeman came outside and asked me where I was going. I told him I was going to Pattaya. He asked me to see my Passport which I showed him and then he told me to come inside the police box. I reluctantly obliged and found there were two more cops inside. The first one told me they were searching tourists for illegal drugs especially heroin and I told them I don’t do drugs. He told me not to worry and that if I didn’t have any they would let me go. At this point I did start to worry because knowing the reputation of Thai police I thought that they might plant something on me and I was alone with no witnesses.

They proceeded to search my pockets and then my backpack and everything was fine until they found two packs of Viagra. The first cop told me that it was illegal to have Viagra in Thailand without a Doctors certificate and that they would now have to take me to the police station. I asked him if we could just settle it here and I’d pay the fine to which he responded “Oh no, that corruption”. He then proceeded to explain to me that he would really like to help me out but he could do nothing without his boss’s authority, so I asked him if I could talk to his boss. He asked me to wait and he would try to contact his boss by phone. He then dialed a number on his phone and stepped outside the police box.

At this point the younger of the other two cops began to speak to me very friendly and told me that he didn’t think that they could help me but they would like to.

The older one then started to butt in and play the bad cop saying things like “You go to station, you go jail”. So I was getting the good cop, bad cop routine and was getting seriously worried.

The first cop then came back and said that he couldn’t contact his boss and that they would soon take me to the station. The whole situation was made worse by the fact that I couldn’t call anyone because my phones battery was dead.

After sometime of waiting and worrying the first cops phone rang and he stepped outside to take the call. When he came back he told me that his boss said it would be ok if I just paid the fine.

I felt relieved but also shocked when they told me the fine was 15,000 Baht but I agreed to pay just to get the hel_l out of there.

I gave them the money and was allowed to go at which point I pretty much knew I’d been scammed since I was not issued a receipt.

I have since found out that you can buy Viagra anywhere in Thailand over the counter and that it is illegal for cops to search you for drugs unless a special drugs officer is present.

These cops probably pull this off several times a day with unsuspecting tourists taking the bus from Ekamai. It’s a shame that the Thai police let their Country down like this, and are allowed to do more damage to their Country's already tarnished reputation. I am writing this as a warning to others so please pass it on.

Edited October 3, 2009 by gemdealers

[H2oDunc]

.Once again we have a farang breaking the law by buying illegally, a prescription drug and transporting it around the country then whining about the fact he has been saved from prison by police relieving him of money. far from it giving the Thai police a bad image it to me gives the tourists visiting the Country a bad image. Like the farang crying foul for having to pay the police money for not wearing the required crash helmet ? It would be a different story if they had planted the viagra on your friend but they didn't. Your friend has learnt a valuable lesson and needs to think himself lucky I think!

[imaneggspurt]

This will be good, i cant wait for captain magoo to come galloping over the hill to defend the thai cops,,,,,,,,,! oops, dunc beat him to it !

Edited October 3, 2009 by imaneggspurt

[geronimo]

A Friend of mine mentioned this to me a few weeks ago.

[imaneggspurt]

.Once again we have a farang breaking the law by buying illegally, a prescription drug and transporting it around the country then whining about the fact he has been saved from prison by police relieving him of money. far from it giving the Thai police a bad image it to me gives the tourists visiting the Country a bad image. Like the farang crying foul for having to pay the police money for not wearing the required crash helmet ? It would be a different story if they had planted the viagra on your friend but they didn't. Your friend has learnt a valuable lesson and needs to think himself lucky I think!

Dunc,. if that isnt tongue in cheek id be very surprised, you can buy viagra in any pharmacy and a prescription is never asked for,.so shall we all buy whilst secretly fiming the transaction and take the sellers down with us, next you will be saying you have never paid for a "bit of entertainment" ,.come on, you are beginning to sound like a pipe and slippers person, not a biker ! .this nicking was nothing better than extortion from a farang, period, !

[Asianrider]

it was a shakedown, but carrying these items around with you on your travels is not helpful either !

[John86BKK]

Of course it was a shakedown and I bet you, had you said "OK" lets go to the station, those cops would have become suddenly very generous and let you off with a warning.

However, be aware, and most here are not, that if you really piss them off, they might slip you something and you'll find yourself in court where you are guilty until you can proof yourself innocent. This will be very difficult since there is no such law as "disclosure" - meaning the prosecuter does not share any evidence with the defense. "Disclosure" is the foundation of what is known as a fair trial. Also, the word of an "official" will always be taken over yours.

If you ever look at a Thai court calendar you will find many "sentencing" dates but very , very few or no trial dates because everybody will eventually plead guilty, innocent or not, once they have realized they haven't got a chance in hel_l to win and if they loose at trial they get the full whammy while when pleading guilty they get only half the usual sentence.

[Bpraim1]

I love it, Just finished a busniess meeting, two boxes a blue stiffies and off to Pattaya.

Looks like he needed on to goto Ekimi station to fufill his dream of a nice slow screw.

Look at the bright side, he never had to worry about what he was gonna catch, and 15,000 was probably cheaper then the rent he would have paid to use his blue bombers.

[gemdealers]

I love it, Just finished a busniess meeting, two boxes a blue stiffies and off to Pattaya.

Looks like he needed on to goto Ekimi station to fufill his dream of a nice slow screw.

Look at the bright side, he never had to worry about what he was gonna catch, and 15,000 was probably cheaper then the rent he would have paid to use his blue bombers.

Is it illegal to buy viagra here??? And truly is posession a crime?

[Bpraim1]

I love it, Just finished a busniess meeting, two boxes a blue stiffies and off to Pattaya.

Looks like he needed on to goto Ekimi station to fufill his dream of a nice slow screw.

Look at the bright side, he never had to worry about what he was gonna catch, and 15,000 was probably cheaper then the rent he would have paid to use his blue bombers.

Is it illegal to buy viagra here??? And truly is posession a crime?

Sorry I don't know if it is illegal to buy viagra here, or posess it. You will have to ask one of the older members ( pardon the poun)

Though I do know you can buy it in just about and Pharm without a doc's note.

I'm not in the year yet were I need these stiffners,

I just love that he was off to Pattaya with viagra,................... Does that make him a sex tourist?

Should ask him why he didn't buy it in Pattaya, they should have it in bulk bins in the local markets.

And remind him to swallow the pill quickly with plenty of liquids, or he could have a stiff neck!

[samran]

simple rules, don't do anything in thailand that you wouldn't do at home.

[bobbin]

It's a stich-up and has been reported on before.

Not illegal to possess ED medication.

The OP's friend had a guilty conscience about what use he had in mind for the medication and paid because of it.

Baby.

Should have said "Let's go to Police Station"

[Maigo6]

This will be good, i cant wait for captain magoo to come galloping over the hill to defend the thai cops,,,,,,,,,! oops, dunc beat him to it !

No need to defend the Thai cops, anyone who has been in country for a while knows the score. I would have bargained with them though.

I'll leave it up to you to defend the Farang if you want to.

There is a reason they stop Farangs at Ekamai, and they have been stopping Farangs at Ekamai for years and years, just as they have been stopping Thai people at Ekamai for years and years, and I know for a fact that they have caught people with drugs going to Pattaya/ Koh Chang / Samet etc, during those stops.

Police on the take seems to be the norm in so many developing countries, we all know that, same as we know that the generic Cialis and Viagra coming from China or India are dealt by Farangs, and guess what, the Thai cops know this also.

Whos dealing the majority of the Coke and E's in Thailand, Thai people or Foreigners ? We also know the answer to that. So do the Cops.

[imaneggspurt]

This will be good, i cant wait for captain magoo to come galloping over the hill to defend the thai cops,,,,,,,,,! oops, dunc beat him to it !

No need to defend the Thai cops, anyone who has been in country for a while knows the score. I would have bargained with them though.

I'll leave it up to you to defend the Farang if you want to.

There is a reason they stop Farangs at Ekamai, and they have been stopping Farangs at Ekamai for years and years, just as they have been stopping Thai people at Ekamai for years and years, and I know for a fact that they have caught people with drugs going to Pattaya/ Koh Chang / Samet etc, during those stops.

Police on the take seems to be the norm in so many developing countries, we all know that, same as we know that the generic Cialis and Viagra coming from China or India are dealt by Farangs, and guess what, the Thai cops know this also.

Whos dealing the majority of the Coke and E's in Thailand, Thai people or Foreigners ? We also know the answer to that. So do the Cops.

Rubbish,its the thai taxi drivers and security that try to sell it to you at foodland and other places, and ask anyone who frequents walking st who walks up to you and offers any narcotics, thais,...in fact i have NEVER been approaced by a farang offering me drugs,.....the sad truth is that the thais dont like competition, dont beleive me, ?. i wonder who grassed the old boy selling viagra in foodland car park a few months ago,. Edited October 3, 2009 by imaneggspurt

[Robert2006]

The same thing happened to me and a friend about 6 months ago. We were coming from Pattaya to Ekkamai to visit my cousin, then to Suvarnabhumi to fly up to Udon Thani for a week of relaxing. They said they were looking for drugs and took our passports then checked through all of our things. Of course we had nothing on us but we were afraid of a setup.

I think they are looking for tourists that are confused by the system and the language. I can speak Thai very well and understand most of what they were saying and so can my friend, they could tell we are not newbe tourist. We have the ability to speak for ourselves and I don't think they want to deal with that if they don't have too. They gave us back our passports and sent us on our way. I believe they let us go because they think we “know too much” as they say here.

Be careful if you use the Ekkamai bus station.

[Maigo6]

i wonder who grassed the old boy selling viagra in foodland car park a few months ago,.

A concerned law abiding citizen maybe ?

[Maigo6]

I believe they let us go because they think we “know too much” as they say here.

No, they let you go because you had nothing illegal on you.

[imaneggspurt]

i wonder who grassed the old boy selling viagra in foodland car park a few months ago,.

A concerned law abiding citizen maybe ?

Wrong answer, a greedy thai was the correct answer, back of the class, sorry,

[Maigo6]

Rubbish,its the thai taxi drivers and security that try to sell it to you at foodland and other places,

I'm not on about weed or Yabaa, I'm on about Coke & E's, you've been offered coke or E's at foodland ?

I have had a place in Pattaya since before Foodland was built and have never been offered any drugs there or in that area, only place was walking street or beach road, and that was Ganja and that was by Thai guys.

[Maigo6]

i wonder who grassed the old boy selling viagra in foodland car park a few months ago,.

A concerned law abiding citizen maybe ?

Wrong answer, a greedy thai was the correct answer, back of the class, sorry,

So the old boy that was dealing in illegal drugs was just an innocent bystander while the evil Thais set him up ?

If you think there are no Farangs involved in drug dealing in Thailand, you really don't have a clue.

[Tod Daniels]

I have walked past that police booth at Ekami many number of times yet I have NEVER EVER been stopped, questioned or detained even once. In fact I have walked past the police who are watching the bus station entrance and they never even acknowledged me. I even stood there once to see if in fact the police were targeting foreigners coming off or going into the bus station more than targeting thais. It seemed they questioned just as many thais as foreigners in the 30 or so minutes I stood around the area.

Realize that VAST quantities of drugs and illegal things are moved by the bus system here as its far better than the train service for most areas. Given Ekami is the southern bus terminal, it is only logical if you are going to try to stem the flow of things to the south which come by way of the north, that's where you'd set up shop.

I don't know whether the O/P is relating a true story or not, nor do I care. Does it happen, probably, does it happen more to foreigners than thais.... hmmm from my experience and observation, nope. ..

Now for an off-topic but important public service announcement;

I wish the illustrious posters on this forum would actually take a minute to discern if someone's screen name is actually a play on thai words.

Let's take for example the resident expert on all things thai that posters refer to as "mr maigo".. NOW if someone were to actually have even half a brain cell, they would see that the screen name is actually "MAIGO6". I will break this down for the people wading in the shallow end of the gene pool. It is a play on the thai word "ไม่ โกหก" (mai-go-hok) which means "to not lie".

I am no fan of his penchant for foreign bashing but I am equally sure he is not a fan of my penchant for thai bashing either (although I have reigned in my errant behavior somewhat). Even though we are on opposite sides of the proverbial fence; on some issues we share the same opinion much to our mutual dismay.

Anyway, if you're going to quote someone or refer to someone at least get their frickin' screen name right..

End of this important public service announcement.

[harrry]

I believe that to posess viagra legally in Thailand you had to have a prescription form a urologist not just a doctor. I understand that a couple of weeks ago this was revised by the Thai FDA so that a doctors prescription is required.

[beejoir]

simple rules, don't do anything in thailand that you wouldn't do at home.

errr like carry a packet of Viagra in your bag?

Seems pretty innocent to me!

[bobbin]

. I will break this down for the people wading in the shallow end of the gene pool. It is a play on the thai word "ไม่ โกหก" (mai-go-hok) which means "to not lie".

Nicely spotted!

BTW, i wasn't wading in the shallow end. I was sunning myself on the deck-chair! Honest!

[SpoliaOpima]

I've been taking buses in and out of Ekamai station for 20 years. I've been searched by the police there twice, and both times it was when I was getting off a bus from Pattaya. The most recent time was about two months ago. I'm deducing they watch the Pattaya buses in particular, since it hasn't happened when I got off other buses.

Both times they found nothing and let me go.

[webfact]

I believe that to posess viagra legally in Thailand you had to have a prescription form a urologist not just a doctor. I understand that a couple of weeks ago this was revised by the Thai FDA so that a doctors prescription is required.

You should have a prescription from a cardiologist. If you suffer from high blood pressure (heart related/high cholesterol) this stuff can easily kill you.

Lot of folks out there doesn't seem to be aware of that suicide bomb they swallow.

Edited October 3, 2009 by webfact

[imaneggspurt]

Rubbish,its the thai taxi drivers and security that try to sell it to you at foodland and other places,

I'm not on about weed or Yabaa, I'm on about Coke & E's, you've been offered coke or E's at foodland ?

I have had a place in Pattaya since before Foodland was built and have never been offered any drugs there or in that area, only place was walking street or beach road, and that was Ganja and that was by Thai guys.

"you've been offered coke or E's at foodland ?" No, but in walking st and other areas, only by thais. ,what is it with you and thais, are you one ?......

[RubbaJohnny]

You show me yours and I'll show you fine

While Nos races etc are impossibel to prove

15000 is unlikely to be extracted from most Thai bus passengers

So our OP got a stiff one

How fitting perhaps hel_l jus take a tuktuk next time

Many of the drivers are most obliging open to negotiation and from photos and services proffered to me in the past able to render all sensation seekers in to the thrall of almost any pleasure or vice imagined by Tarantino and few extra

I trust OPs horn was repaired on the costa pundenda

[aka_jack]

15000 baht fine = scammed, how many thais have instant access to 15000 baht when they are a catching a bus ? And what happens to all these ladies in pattaya who are caught with sleeping pills trying to drug foriengers are they made to pay high fines or go to jail ? I would not think a fine of 15000 baht is the real fine for not having a prescription!!

[lopburi3]

Given Ekami is the southern bus terminal,

The real Southern Bus Terminal will be surprised to find that out.

Edited October 3, 2009 by lopburi3