Police Stop Check

[person]

Sorry to bump an old thread, but I had a bit of a bad experience with being stopped and searched early yesterday evening.

First of all, I would describe myself as a respectable clean-looking 45 year-old man.

I was just going out for the evening and I was walking down Sukhumvit Soi 20 when two policemen on a bike approached me and asked where I was going and could they see my passport. I always carry a copy, so I showed them it. They then asked if they could search me. I asked whether they had warrants to which they replied no. I said they can, but not there, but I would be happy to go to Thonglor police station and do it there.

They said I was a good man because I knew the law and suggested we go to that police booth on the corner of Asok junction. This was the big mistake I made because I should have insisted on going to the police station.

After we arrived at the police booth, they gave me a thorough search. They literally had their hands inside my pants feeling my bare ass. When all that was over they showed great interest in some ATM receipts in my wallet. They wanted to know how I had so much money in the bank (don't get me wrong, I don't have that much) and they said they want to go and search my room. I obviously refused and said they can't without a warrant and I want to go to the station. They radioed two more of their colleagues, who arrived and closely examined my ATM receipts. They too wanted to go and search my room. I refused and kept saying I want to go to the station.

The newly arrived police officers then wanted to search me again and at this point I thought they were going to try and plant something or set me up, so as to extort some money. Again I refused, saying I had already been thoroughly searched and I kept insisting I wanted to go the station. A few times I was threatened with being handcuffed, but throughout the whole procedure I kept polite, but was obviously very nervous.

It became a stalemate with them wanting to search me again, go to my apartment, and me wanting to go to the station and to now speak to the captain. They told me the captain was coming down to see me, which I didn't believe.

Luckily in talking to the head honcho, I was able to get out of the door and we were standing by the road and I was insisting we get a taxi to the station. He told me gently he just wanted to search me. Then I refused to go back into the booth, so one of the other officers put me in an arm lock, whilst making threats, such as police will kill me.

At this point I thought the only thing to do would be to draw attention to myself from passers-by, so I faked a collapse and lay unconscious on the floor. At this point the police panicked a bit and were shouting something which I couldn't understand, but it was about the embassy and how I had attacked the police.

After a while I picked myself up off the ground and an English guy came over and asked me if I needed any help. I said please help me, probably in a rather rambling way, and he said he had a Thai friend who was a lawyer. He called her and she spoke to the police and we agreed to let the head honcho search me again with the English guy watching closely. After it was over, I was allowed to go and I was so grateful to the guy who came to my assistance. I would hate to think what would have happened otherwise.

Incidentally, a friend returned to the booth about 30 minutes later to try to find out their names. He knew it wouldn't be much good and by then he had just missed them. He spoke to the lone traffic policeman in there, who wasn't involved in anyway. The policeman did actually say he felt quite sorry for me and if I want to make a complaint, I should go to the station. On reading this thread, I see that would be a futile effort and will probably create more problems than it's worth. Also I don't have their names or numbers.

Anyway, I just thought I'd share a rather nasty experience I had.

Edited November 26, 2011 by person

[tamsom]

Dear Person,

I feel ashamed what you were put through in a country that is a democracry. Checks a t Asoke have been going on for years; they are looking for drugs to meet their quota, and to raise some loot. Police start off at 6000 baht a month...hello? Starving teachers subsist on 30,000 baht a month. One could argue that police in the Western world are paid too much. I am glad that you stood your ground and realized your mistake(I have made thousands). It is that it issuch a different way of thinking that can trap someone quite easily....this is the source of many problems that some people feel here. Thanks for sharing and I pray that it never happens again. Adios

[pauljones]

I know several people rthat have been jerked out of a taxi & searched in the Thong Lor Police district.

Several others stopped on the Soi.

It's a terrorist shakedown.

The posts here should be enough reason for immediate dismissal of the chief and arrest of the police officers involved.

[bkkjames]

Somebody should ask the bma to put up a sign at asoke on sukhumvit "caution, entering shakedown district".

[hughben]

About a year ago I was stopped while in a taxi.

It was on Soi Wattana (soi 19) which is like a back road to Asok from Suk. I used it to bypass any police checks at the top of Asoke.

Low and behold the Police had cottoned on to that.

I was with a woman and we were both taken out of the taxi. One officer was with her another was with me.

The officer spoke reasonable English and asked for ID. I had a copy of my passport. I had heard the stories of being fined without the original document.

But I was OK. I was asked to empty my pockets and then the other officer felt the pockets and down my legs. The girl - he had finished with.

I always stash a 1000 baht note in my socks for pick pocket emergencies and thought what will they think should they find that? Luckily they didn't notice it.

And non of my money was taken. I never carry a wallet or cards.

I did think though, what if the girl I was with had something dodgy? Is it she who would be in the shit or both of us in that scenario?

The girl was well aware of people having things planted on them.

And 'Person' I'm glad you got through your ordeal OK.

I seem to remember hearing of the two policemen on a bike shakedown on Soi 20 a few years ago.

One reason I haven't been near that Soi in 4.5 years and over 20 visits to Bangkok.

[meom]

Somebody should ask the bma to put up a sign at asoke on sukhumvit "caution, entering shakedown district".

It’s not limited to Sukhumwit and they’re looking for Thais as well.

It’s a shakedown all right which can be good or bad depending the way you look at it.

Girl I know got stopped two months ago at about 4am in the morning. She was as high as can be so initially the police asked for 5000 baht. She did not have that much money on her so she asked for some time to get the money.

They agreed, took her to the police station and gave her until noon to come up with the money. She could not and was subjected to a urine test which came out positive and she was scheduled to appear in court a week later unless she could come up with 20,000.

In the end she was able to arrange the money, 20 thou was negotiated down to 15 thou after payment of which her record was wiped clean and she was free to go.

[JohnnyFeelIt]

Don't carry ATM receipts, they've seen you have easily obtainable cash in the bank and were looking for any excuse to take it.

[person]

Don't carry ATM receipts, they've seen you have easily obtainable cash in the bank and were looking for any excuse to take it.

Exactly!

From now on I'm not going to carry them again. I'm not even going to carry a wallet. Just the very bare essentials for an evening out. It's crazy that it has to be this way. You should be doing this from fear of criminals not the police, although there's obviously a thin line, if any, between the two here.

What do you think the likelihood is of having anything planted on you in a situation like that? I've read stories of intimidation, but not heard of anyone having that happen to them, unless it goes unreported.

Edited November 27, 2011 by person

[andrew55]

The first time it happened to me I was on my way to a sports bar to watch some football. Police wanted to know where I was going and why. Told them, they asked me to write down the name of the sports bar. I said I couldn't remember it, so I just wrote down "Some Sports Bar". The policeman looked at it and said "Oh yes, I know that place."

I was gunna look for a 'belly-laugh' emoticon but maybe there is a sports bar of that name??

[Murf]

Bloody hell Person... That sounds like a terrible ordeal!

You were really lucky that someone came to help you and you managed to get away physically unscathed, although not mentally.

Take care out there people (and person)

[Heimdallr]

I'm sorry for anyone who had a bad experience.

Are the point of these searches to drive away the tourists or to ensure the freedom and safety of who exactly? It seems rather terrible waste of resources for little or no benefits what so ever.

[EvilDrSomkid]

Horrible stuff. Another reason to never drive through Asoke junction.

Our car has 60% mirrored window tint, so they cannot look inside easily.

[impulse]

Interesting stuff- but pretty disturbing to an old guy on several perfectly legal medications.

On a related note, I went to Bumrungrad Hospital today to get a prescription filled. While he was writing the prescription, the doctor suggested I stay away from "young people' bars" because the medicine he was prescribing could give a false positive on a drug screening urine test. He said that the follow-up tests would differentiate the medicine from the illegal drugs, but he said I really, really didn't want to go that far. To me, just the idea that hanging out in a bar minding my own business could subject me to a urine test is a little unnerving.

I've passed through quite a few roadblocks on Asoke and Suk, usually between 4:00 and 5:30 AM when I'm on my way to the airport for an early flight. So far, my taxis have just been waved on. I'm not looking forward to the first time I have to pull my blood pressure medicine, high power antacids and aspirin out of my pocket to show the nice men. I keep the label from the prescription boxes in my wallet just in case, but that's mostly for when I pass through customs and airport security where I expect reasonable, (and very public) treatment.

[IsaanUSA]

Just checking in....I was stopped and thoroughly searched by the two cops on the bike a few years ago. After they saw my ticket stub for the show I was coming back from they turned all smiles and let me go. It was scary, but it makes me sad to think that this same thing happens every day in my country as well for people who are of a different race (non-whites). It's not just a Thai thing, but in Thailand farang are the minority.

EDIT : Talking about Asoke

Edited November 28, 2011 by IsaanUSA

[pauljones]

If you can get past the Thong Lor Police Thugs unscathed be aware of the Cigarette Butt "Litter Police" Shakedown, furthur down Sukhumvit.

Google "litter police bangkok" if you don't know about this police scam on tourists.

[carlsum1986]

If you can get past the Thong Lor Police Thugs unscathed be aware of the Cigarette Butt "Litter Police" Shakedown, furthur down Sukhumvit.

Google "litter police bangkok" if you don't know about this police scam on tourists.

I had an experience with the thonglo police thugs a week back............they realised i was a foreigner and they just waved me on after that.......followed me right into my friends apartment drop off area.....

disgraceful and disgusting

[vpi78]

If you can get past the Thong Lor Police Thugs unscathed be aware of the Cigarette Butt "Litter Police" Shakedown, furthur down Sukhumvit.

Google "litter police bangkok" if you don't know about this police scam on tourists.

You know that is just bullshit, I.e., the "Cigarette Police" are not cops.

Regardless, anyone caught littering next to spots with visible warnings of the consequences deserves to have their wallet lightened.

The fine for similar of fences in the UK is considerably more than the 2,000 Baht the fake cops try to get. Anyone dumb enough to get caught and pay more that 500 baht is not just stupid but too incompetent to be walking alone and unsupervised. Hopefully they are not breeders.

[vpi78]

Bloody hell Person... That sounds like a terrible ordeal!

You were really lucky that someone came to help you and you managed to get away physically unscathed, although not mentally.

Take care out there people (and person)

Actually it sounds entirely made up from an over active imagination burned out on Google searches about Thai police.

Just bullshit, especially the pretending to have a seizure and collapsing on the ground, way over the top.

[Kilgore Trout]

Bloody hell Person... That sounds like a terrible ordeal!

You were really lucky that someone came to help you and you managed to get away physically unscathed, although not mentally.

Take care out there people (and person)

Actually it sounds entirely made up from an over active imagination burned out on Google searches about Thai police.

Just bullshit, especially the pretending to have a seizure and collapsing on the ground, way over the top.

In addition to double posting, we have to read the utter tripe he wrote

[Suikki]

I would like to share my bad experience with Thong Lo Polices at Asok intersection.

Week ago on Tuesday night me and my friend got stopped by those scumbags and searched. It was late around 5am and luckily we weren't that drunk. Just few beers and hanging out with friends in a sports bar and a street bar at sukhumvit.

They took both of us out from the taxi and there were 3 officers searching us. 1 wanted to see what I have in my pockets and 2 other officers checked my friend. He looked in my wallet and bag and put me back in the taxi. While I was sitting in there waiting my friend I realized something is wrong. Other police was checking my friends pockets and wallet while the other police was looking into his laptop case. When my friend was keeping eye on the police checking his wallet the other one "found" a short straw from my friends bag which wasn't in there. They asked me back to the street and kept asking us what is it. We were calmly saying that we don't know and it doesn't belong to us.

After that the real show started. They accused us taking cocaine whit that straw, which we of course denied all the time. Then they cutted the straw half with their knife and tasted with finger like they do in the TV series and said it is cocaine for sure. We denied everything. Another officer then said that he needs to call to his boss. We just said that go on because we haven't done anything illegal or wrong. He took his phone, opened the keylock and put the phone on his ear. I saw that he didn't even search for the number or anything, so he was trying to bluff us. After that they said that we need to go to station. We said that we can go because we haven't done anything. After that they said that we need to take urine test over there, and we again replied that lets go then. They just kept asking that are we sure so many times that I almost got bored of answering to that question. At the end my friend got searched inside his shoes and everything. After 30min of that show they just put us back into the taxi and probably got ready for the next victim who might be easier money for them.

Be carefull with Thong Lo Police and keep your eyes on their hands all the time when they search your belongings. If they try to scam you be calm and polite, deny everything and don't panic. They are trying to get easy money and probably waited us to pay ourselves out from the situation.

[pauljones]

If you can get past the Thong Lor Police Thugs unscathed be aware of the Cigarette Butt "Litter Police" Shakedown, furthur down Sukhumvit.

Google "litter police bangkok" if you don't know about this police scam on tourists.

You know that is just bullshit, I.e., the "Cigarette Police" are not cops.

Regardless, anyone caught littering next to spots with visible warnings of the consequences deserves to have their wallet lightened.

The fine for similar of fences in the UK is considerably more than the 2,000 Baht the fake cops try to get. Anyone dumb enough to get caught and pay more that 500 baht is not just stupid but too incompetent to be walking alone and unsupervised. Hopefully they are not breeders.

Thats the problem. They are not police...they just tell tourists they are police.

They took away the trash bins and follow every farang that smokes.

The dozen or so "police" in the Sukhumvit area are extorting/entrapping/terrorizing tourists for personal profit.

[rgs2001uk]

If you can get past the Thong Lor Police Thugs unscathed be aware of the Cigarette Butt "Litter Police" Shakedown, furthur down Sukhumvit.

Google "litter police bangkok" if you don't know about this police scam on tourists.

You know that is just bullshit, I.e., the "Cigarette Police" are not cops.

Regardless, anyone caught littering next to spots with visible warnings of the consequences deserves to have their wallet lightened.

The fine for similar of fences in the UK is considerably more than the 2,000 Baht the fake cops try to get. Anyone dumb enough to get caught and pay more that 500 baht is not just stupid but too incompetent to be walking alone and unsupervised. Hopefully they are not breeders.

Thats the problem. They are not police...they just tell tourists they are police.

They took away the trash bins and follow every farang that smokes.

The dozen or so "police" in the Sukhumvit area are extorting/entrapping/terrorizing tourists for personal profit.

I believe the litter bins were taken away years ago after a bomb incident at Pratunam one New Years eve, about 2006 if I recall.

There is a large litter bin right next to where these guys sit, directly opposite Suk soi 12, between soi 15 and 17, right next to the bin is a large sign written in English.

Follow every farang that smokes?

"extorting/entrapping/terrorizing tourists for personal profit.", really, please enlighten us.

I sat with these guys for at least 30 minutes laughing and joking with them and didnt once see them threaten or terrorise anyone, for personal profit, they will give you a receipt, and they are employed by the local area.

You really shouldnt believe everything thats written here.

[smokie36]

If you can get past the Thong Lor Police Thugs unscathed be aware of the Cigarette Butt "Litter Police" Shakedown, furthur down Sukhumvit.

Google "litter police bangkok" if you don't know about this police scam on tourists.

You know that is just bullshit, I.e., the "Cigarette Police" are not cops.

Regardless, anyone caught littering next to spots with visible warnings of the consequences deserves to have their wallet lightened.

The fine for similar of fences in the UK is considerably more than the 2,000 Baht the fake cops try to get. Anyone dumb enough to get caught and pay more that 500 baht is not just stupid but too incompetent to be walking alone and unsupervised. Hopefully they are not breeders.

Thats the problem. They are not police...they just tell tourists they are police.

They took away the trash bins and follow every farang that smokes.

The dozen or so "police" in the Sukhumvit area are extorting/entrapping/terrorizing tourists for personal profit.

I believe the litter bins were taken away years ago after a bomb incident at Pratunam one New Years eve, about 2006 if I recall.

There is a large litter bin right next to where these guys sit, directly opposite Suk soi 12, between soi 15 and 17, right next to the bin is a large sign written in English.

Follow every farang that smokes?

"extorting/entrapping/terrorizing tourists for personal profit.", really, please enlighten us.

I sat with these guys for at least 30 minutes laughing and joking with them and didnt once see them threaten or terrorise anyone, for personal profit, they will give you a receipt, and they are employed by the local area.

You really shouldnt believe everything thats written here.

Well put....and if you throw your rubbish on the ground then you are asking for it....

[thaipod]

Last Thursday I was walking across Asok intersection and three police were checking a couple of tourists behind the police box . They were searching them and going through their personal stuff , they looked really frustrated and angry . also last week saw police get off their motorbike wanting to search a guy opposite Sukhumvit 22 .