Putting Thai Police Back In Line

[AleG]

Funny, where does anyone here say anything about the people that feed the corruption?

It's a two sided problem, and since corrupt officials are leeches that feed on society is the responsibility of the society as a whole to stop feeding them. You can't expect a crook to wake up one morning, look himself in the mirror and decide that it's time to stop being a crook. Either you jail them or never feed them bribes. And since by and large the people with the authority to investigate and prosecute corruption are just another brick in the wall so to speak, then it's left to a concerned society to try and fix the problem.

That of course leads to the answer of why corruption is so rampant and obscene here is because Thai society is OK with it, people pay up, condone and turn their eyes away from it. They may wail, they may tear their clothes and pull their hairs, but when push comes to shove they fold a few notes and pass them discretely under the table rather than bother with formalities or facing responsibilities for their infractions.

Foreigners in Thailand are also part of the problem (I mean, the ones that also feed the monster), traffic infraction, pay 200 Baht on tea money and get away. How many times have we read that in this forum? Koh Tao, a few months ago waiting for the ferry, I saw a tourist (Anglo as far as I could discern) trying to bribe a ferry employee with 200 baht to get his ticket without getting on the cue, insisted 3 or 4 times and my hat's off to the young man that refused.

Just examples, but small examples, every day, everywhere, from little more than pocket change to fortunes shoved down the beast's throat. People living and visiting Thailand, before getting outraged about this or that corrupt official should take a look at themselves and see if they are not also part of the problem.

I may well cast as many stones as I wish for in 4 years living here I haven't paid one single satang of tea money to anyone, so I don't think it should be that difficult to do.

Are you seriously suggesting that when pulled over for a bogus infraction and exploited by the police on scene it is better to waste 4 hours going to the police station to retrieve your license, and pay a higher fine, all for a moving violation that never existed in the first place?

Yes, seriously. The reason why there's a virtually institutionalized racket by the traffic police is because people pay them bribes.

[slapout]

That the police and others within the Thai government system take bribes is a given, accepted by the general population and the culprits peers/partners in crime. The bribes are a portion of the take as the all night venues that operate past the legal closing of the majority, are reputed to be owned by the same groups. The legitimate businesses which are fronts for the ill gotten gains are also ongoing blights on the honest part of society. As nonmembers of these groups, I doubt that we can fathom the multitude of methods/involvement that they are involved in.

One method for fighting corruption, that has worked somewhat, in the real world, is a tax enforcement/collection agency. When they come knocking and ask for proof of income, which was used to purchase autos, homes, businesses, stocks, bank accounts (domestic/foreign), etc in your and your family's names, it is oops time. To really make it effective offer a % of the monies collected to informants and the tax men, also. It has been reported that the police are paid a bonus for seizures. Do the same for tax evaders.

With the mistrust between crooks and the corruptible, I would venture to say that there are good sytems of income and cost accounting out there, even in a predominately cash society.

[ianbaggie]

After all if a top Army general can be murdered in full view of the world's press because he sympathised with the so called opposition, and nothing was done to try and find the perpetrator iI wouldn't rate the chances of an investigator very highly.

You make the assumption that the Government killed Seh Deng when numerous sources now point to the red shirts doing it after his public row with Thaksin 2 hours earlier - ill post you a thread. Possibly even shot by a pro red shirt Police gunman.

[ianbaggie]

Thai police have been heavily corrupted by Thaksin, and Thasksin alone. It is like a kind of illness.

It will take a while after Thaksin death for the corrupted police to recover.

The police in Thailand have been corrupt since the very beginning when they first realized that they had a lot of power, and this was before Thaksin was even born.

Thaksin was a police colonel - he made his 1st million selling them their computer system - his classmates were all polioce chiefs who he moved into the army to control their outrage at him.

Thaksin is very heavily involved with police corruption in thailand and very responsible for it!!

[ianbaggie]

I was drawn to this story because while riding my Harley past on nut Weds morning i was pulled over and charged for overtaking a bus in the first lane that had STOPPED!! i was told i have to stay left even if the bus stops. I then got to Thong Lo and was pulled over and told by another policeman 5 minutes later - "BIG BIKE HAVE TO STAY RIGHT" if i hadnt bribed both of them with 100 baht i would have had my license taken and been charged 4oo baht at the station - WHAT WOULD YOU DO?? I took the 2nd policemans number and reported him at Lumphini police station - and was told - "if you complain he make big penalai for you" !!

Dont ever ask me why i dont respect Thailand - how can anyone respect a country that allows their police to behave this way - they earn 11,000 baht a month and should be paid more.

Its very simple - pay them a decent wage - tell them if they are found guilty of corruption they are fired - EASY!!!

[way2muchcoffee]

Yes, seriously. The reason why there's a virtually institutionalized racket by the traffic police is because people pay them bribes.

That's ridiculous as when you try this you end up paying a higher bribe at the station. You have also wasted several hours of valuable time. Yes, it is still a bribe as they are holding your license for a false citation and will not return it until you pay. Don't be daft.

Edited October 20, 2010 by way2muchcoffee

[Pi Sek]

Yes, seriously. The reason why there's a virtually institutionalized racket by the traffic police is because people pay them bribes.

That's ridiculous as when you try this you end up paying a higher bribe at the station. You have also wasted several hours of valuable time. Yes, it is still a bribe as they are holding your license for a false citation and will not return it until you pay. Don't be daft.

Well, sorry, I disagree. You end up paying no fee and getting your license back, but you're right, you will spend 2-3 hours sat around.

One way is to send your lawyer down who will tell them (if he has any ability at all), "No. I make problem for you - give me license now and I won't bill you for my time. Mess around and I make big money and you go Pattani." Better still is to ask the public prosecutor to call the station and tell them there will be an investigator down in 20 minutes unless they behave themselves.

[craigt3365]

Yes, seriously. The reason why there's a virtually institutionalized racket by the traffic police is because people pay them bribes.

That's ridiculous as when you try this you end up paying a higher bribe at the station. You have also wasted several hours of valuable time. Yes, it is still a bribe as they are holding your license for a false citation and will not return it until you pay. Don't be daft.

When I was caught speeding on the tollway in Bangkok, the guy told me it was a 400 or 500B fine at the station. Wifey asked if there was anything we could do. He looked around, and said if we paid now, it was 1/2. I was not in a hurry, but also not interested in trying to find the police station and then trying to find my way back to get my license. I was speeding for sure...so I paid up.

We got nabbed in Phuket for driving without a seat belt. Yes, it's illegal, but as we were stopped, we pointed out to the cop scooters with 3 people on the all without helmets. He didn't care. And would not take a bribe. NO WAY. Took my license and said I had to go to the station. There was a line of 10-15 farangs paying their fine. Must have been an upcoming party for the police chief and HE needed some cash. But we did get a receipt.

I now have a new license from the US and have kept my old one. If stopped again, I'll just give him that license and keep on going....

[canuck1941]

"Corruption is endemic in Thailand", so said the retiring British Ambassador 40 years ago! When the Mexican police chief was asked how long it would take to eradicate corruption in his force, he talked in terms of generations of policemen not years. I think a similar timescale will apply in Thailand. At least this new chap is making a start. Good luck to him.

Yes, chook dee to him. He'll need it with all the naysayers about who are clueless to their self interests. Support the guy.

BTW, I had an encounter with the Thai tourist police in Chiang Rai when a dealer tried to pass off a used computer as new, and when I objected, bodily threw me out of his shop. You should have seen him whine when he arrived at the police station and even before he was told what the problem was, called me a thief. All negotiations were strictly in English. Ninety minutes later, I had a new computer. Hats off to responsible Thai cops.

[TheyCallmeScooter]

If "there is no proof one way or the other" and "a case of your word against his", the court is unable to punish you. I realise this may sound naive, but I can personally assure you it is not.

Umm, no.

That's probably how it should be in a just world, but there would be tens of thousands more drug dealers cruising in public if that was the case.

Probably better than killing them though, ahem. Them and a 1000 or so not-related-to-drugs Drug War killings. hmm

(edit: I see you've phrased your claim to be true, yet utterly valueless. I trust I have given an example of why that is the case?)

Edited October 20, 2010 by TheyCallmeScooter

[Pi Sek]

If "there is no proof one way or the other" and "a case of your word against his", the court is unable to punish you. I realise this may sound naive, but I can personally assure you it is not.

Umm, no.

That's probably how it should be in a just world, but there would be tens of thousands more drug dealers cruising in public if that was the case.

Probably better than killing them though, ahem. Them and a 1000 or so not-related-to-drugs Drug War killings. hmm

(edit: I see you've phrased your claim to be true, yet utterly valueless. I trust I have given an example of why that is the case?)

Whilst I respect your skepticism - not everything gets to the courts - as I said above, I can personally assure you that the courts are unable to punish you on hearsay. It's the very last clause of the Thai Criminal Code of Justice. I am only able to personally assure you as I have bene through the process and had a couple of cops reprimanded over it.

Sure, Thai cops believe they are not accountable to the Law, but a quick word above their heads and they are indeed very accountable, much more so than civilians.

PS/ not sure where you get your "tens of thousands of drug dealers" and "1000 or so not-related-to-drugs" - the recently-reopened investigation found that of those c. 2,500 killed, approximately 1,400 people were not involved in narcotics. But I get your point

[way2muchcoffee]

When a police officer says he saw you commit a crime that is not hearsay. Eyewitness accounts are not hearsay. I don't know what you are on about.

Now, you may have sent in your lawyer to make threats. You may have pulled an influence card. You should realize that this too is a form of corruption as it is an attempt to circumvent the law through influence. It is exactly what the wealthy and/or connected Thais will do, innocent or otherwise.

Edited October 20, 2010 by way2muchcoffee

[aussiejosh]

fire half of them, double their wages. Thats some of the issue fixed. I mean if your making a few hundred $'s per month and you pull over a mercedes you can barely dream of affording what will you do, write your ticket or try to get something for yourself?

[TheyCallmeScooter]

PS/ not sure where you get your "tens of thousands of drug dealers" and "1000 or so not-related-to-drugs" - the recently-reopened investigation found that of those c. 2,500 killed, approximately 1,400 people were not involved in narcotics. But I get your point

The reference to 0,000's was not related to Thaksin's human rights abuses. I merely segued into that.

It was a reference to the (alleged) tendency for some Thai police to BYO evidence.

Certainly a lot handier. And a great deal more efficient (than the alternative, which is always a pesky headache).

For all that accountability you believe they have, I choose to believe the majority of Thai Police aren't even remotely as bad as some would have you believe. I wouldn't be surprised if 1/3 or even 1/2 didn't make a habit of expressly collecting tea donations. The logic I use to come to this conclusion is the awareness that, for all of Thaksin's lying, he does occasionally tell the truth. And he was telling the truth when he said: "There is nothing under the Sun a Thai policeman cannot do."

If they were 10% as bad as some would have you believe, Thailand would be simply uninhabitable.

[GarryP]

Interersting post. Negative about the present Government but throwing Kudos to Thaksin. Considering you have only been a member here for nine months you seem to have intimate knowlledge of events five to ten years ago.

Your post certainly seems to lack logic here. Just because someone has only been posting here for a short while does not necessarily mean they are new to Thailand. I am sure there are many foreigners who have been in Thailand for decades who have absolutely no interest in TV.

As to corruption in the police, from what I have seen, the higher up they get the greedier they become. The average patrol copper is a nice enough fellow (not to be confused with the traffic police).

Edited October 20, 2010 by GarryP

[jackr]

I say bung em all in the Gulf of Thailand and start afresh. On that note, could also lump tuk-tuk drivers (and their tuk-tuks)in with them, along with red shirts. That'd be a step in the right direction for our beloved Muang Thai.

[TheyCallmeScooter]

As to corruption in the police, from what I have seen, the higher up they get the greedier they become.

I'm purely being a nit, but I suspect it's the other way around. In that the greedier the are, the higher they rise. From what I understand of the bidding process for plum postings, promotions, desired career paths etc...the amounts get up to levels too ludicrous to believe. Or repeat. Which leads me to suspect they're in the ballpark.

If this is the case, it would be close to impossible for a decent fellow to rise up the ranks beyond X level (I don't know X obviously, but I suspect it's relatively low). Perhaps if he had family money or something, but it would seem for honest cops, the Business of Policing simply isn't worth Investing into.

The logic is pretty sound I think...and it leads to some pretty scary obvious extrapolations.

[jayjay0]

PS/ not sure where you get your "tens of thousands of drug dealers" and "1000 or so not-related-to-drugs" - the recently-reopened investigation found that of those c. 2,500 killed, approximately 1,400 people were not involved in narcotics. But I get your point

The reference to 0,000's was not related to Thaksin's human rights abuses. I merely segued into that.

It was a reference to the (alleged) tendency for some Thai police to BYO evidence.

Certainly a lot handier. And a great deal more efficient (than the alternative, which is always a pesky headache).

For all that accountability you believe they have, I choose to believe the majority of Thai Police aren't even remotely as bad as some would have you believe. I wouldn't be surprised if 1/3 or even 1/2 didn't make a habit of expressly collecting tea donations. The logic I use to come to this conclusion is the awareness that, for all of Thaksin's lying, he does occasionally tell the truth. And he was telling the truth when he said: "There is nothing under the Sun a Thai policeman cannot do."

If they were 10% as bad as some would have you believe, Thailand would be simply uninhabitable.

I am not sure if I agree with the 10% more like 20%. But I could be wrong.

That being said have you noticed how most all of the posters just use this as a dumping ground for there pet peeves. There has been a few who suggest pay them more money but with out rereading all the posts I would have to say only three have given them any credit at all. Most just want to feel good about themselves by putting others down who can not defend themselves. Some have talked about it being a matter of convenience to pay the tea money and others talked about fighting it but they still wont give credit or any positive suggestions to help end the problem. Do you think these nimrods would post there drivel on a Thai police forum. LOL::

[Puccini]

Typically, it is the police with the rights and duties to chase and apprehend societies wrong-doers, but with a change of leadership to Thailand's finest, this paradigm may be shifting. It seems Commander of the Central Investigative Police, Police Lieutenant General Pongpat Chaiyapun has decided to do some housekeeping in the hopes of cleaning up the tarnished image of his officers.

People should take note of the name of this police officer and write to him when they are asked for a bribe or extortion money. What is the mailing address of the Central Investigative Police? What is the email address of Police Lieutenant General Pongpat Chaiyapun?

[craigt3365]

PS/ not sure where you get your "tens of thousands of drug dealers" and "1000 or so not-related-to-drugs" - the recently-reopened investigation found that of those c. 2,500 killed, approximately 1,400 people were not involved in narcotics. But I get your point

The reference to 0,000's was not related to Thaksin's human rights abuses. I merely segued into that.

It was a reference to the (alleged) tendency for some Thai police to BYO evidence.

Certainly a lot handier. And a great deal more efficient (than the alternative, which is always a pesky headache).

For all that accountability you believe they have, I choose to believe the majority of Thai Police aren't even remotely as bad as some would have you believe. I wouldn't be surprised if 1/3 or even 1/2 didn't make a habit of expressly collecting tea donations. The logic I use to come to this conclusion is the awareness that, for all of Thaksin's lying, he does occasionally tell the truth. And he was telling the truth when he said: "There is nothing under the Sun a Thai policeman cannot do."

If they were 10% as bad as some would have you believe, Thailand would be simply uninhabitable.

I am not sure if I agree with the 10% more like 20%. But I could be wrong.

That being said have you noticed how most all of the posters just use this as a dumping ground for there pet peeves. There has been a few who suggest pay them more money but with out rereading all the posts I would have to say only three have given them any credit at all. Most just want to feel good about themselves by putting others down who can not defend themselves. Some have talked about it being a matter of convenience to pay the tea money and others talked about fighting it but they still wont give credit or any positive suggestions to help end the problem. Do you think these nimrods would post there drivel on a Thai police forum. LOL::

I would find it hard to believe anything Thaksin said. I love Thailand, and I do respect some police. My wife has several uncles who are policemen or who are in the army. I've heard some crazy stories. Corruption is rampant, especially regarding promotions or transfers. Which means everybody is involved in "tea" money. It's just the way it works right now.

jayjay0: I understand your comments, but IMHO, many of Thailand's current woes can be traced directly to an incompetent police force. Improperly trained, improperly supplied, improperly paid, improperly managed. If you notice, I did not say they are all bad. Just not managed properly. The problem is at the top.

If the police force was fixed, this country would be drastically different. No damaging red rallies. No child porn on the streets. No highway mafia. No encroachment on national parks. Better driving standards. Etc. And of course the one that will get everybody's attention....a change in the current attitudes towards prostitution. The police are the ones dealing with massage parlor licenses. It should be the health department. They tried to move it to them but the higher ups would not allow it to happen...for obvious reasons...loss of money!!!!

For sure there are many good cops out there. Just need to give them the proper incentives to perform and things will change. Again, that starts at the top.

[brahmburgers]

Sorry to hear of the extortionist traffic stops in Bkk and elsewhere in south Thailand. Totally believable. I've never driven down there (except motobike). I gotta say, that crap doesn't happen in northernmost Thailand. The closest I've experienced, was when I traveled south to C.Mai and a crooked cop pulled me over for seatbelt. I had one on, but my passenger didn't. Cop wanted 200 baht. I paid, because my passenger was my hill tribe g.f. who wasn't legally allowed to be away from her village without hard-to-get official papers. Other than that, the only cop harassment up here in C.Rai is if you park illegally within 5 blocks of the main police station.

I want to stick a few words in edgewise about Newin, (and didn't find a specific topic on him), so here goes:

Ok, we all know he's one of the 51 or so politicians banned from politics for 5 years. And we all know he's still very active politically - no surprise there. But he's got to get the award for doing the most politicking in Thai gov't. Ok, a lot of high paid professions yield no useful products (unless you count bribe money as a 'product'). Some prime examples: stock brokers, bankers, money managers, witch doctors, politicians, metaphysicians. And it's known that political life would grind to a halt were it not for deal-making. However, Newin seems to do nothing else but political dealing - all his waking hours. I've never heard of any policy he espouses, or him contributing anything to society.

What does the man stand for? Perhaps he should at least articulate a political stance on something - perhaps start a political party called "Deals R Us" - whose platform would be: "We don't legislate or propose/debate policies, in fact we don't give a hoot about anyone outside the halls of power. All we do is back room dealing - to make as much money for ourselves as possible - and to maintain our iron grip on power. Vote for us, and you're guaranteed we'll spend all out time doing deals. If you're concerned about silly things like cleaning up the environment, or about disadvantaged people getting shafted, vote for the other party, because we're too busy doing deals to concern ourselves with banality."

[TheyCallmeScooter]

However, Newin seems to do nothing else but political dealing - all his waking hours. I've never heard of any policy he espouses, or him contributing anything to society.

I swear to god I was thinking on this exact same 'peculiarity' last night and intended to ask someone to explain the nature of Bums Jai Thai to me; although I suspect I already have it sussed.

If I'm not wrong, they do sfa apart from collecting on their lucrative aisle-jumping last time around. Abhisit continually has to slap their hands out of the till whilst he scrapes B in from every corner to pay Isan's hostage demands (cheaper than rebuilding the economy and the CBD every year).

For their part, BJT will return to Isan having done nothing positive for the country. But they will be cashed up from their hilarious efforts at embarrassing Thailand and stretching the legitimacy of the Unholy coalition to the brink. Which - in Isan, bastion of FREEDOM and DEMOCRACY and SELF-DETERMINATION and BALLOT BOX RULE - means they are guaranteed to INCREASE their 32 "friends of Newin" party into a GENUINE force (rather than just a swinging free agent allowing whomever offers them the best shot of siphoning Thailand's politics for cash...to form government).

That's more or less correct, right?

Tight democracy, Isan! Well worth putting your kids up on barricades for! Keep on keeping on, to Freedom and Beyond!

[GarryP]

As to corruption in the police, from what I have seen, the higher up they get the greedier they become.

I'm purely being a nit, but I suspect it's the other way around. In that the greedier the are, the higher they rise. From what I understand of the bidding process for plum postings, promotions, desired career paths etc...the amounts get up to levels too ludicrous to believe. Or repeat. Which leads me to suspect they're in the ballpark.

If this is the case, it would be close to impossible for a decent fellow to rise up the ranks beyond X level (I don't know X obviously, but I suspect it's relatively low). Perhaps if he had family money or something, but it would seem for honest cops, the Business of Policing simply isn't worth Investing into.

The logic is pretty sound I think...and it leads to some pretty scary obvious extrapolations.

I tend to agree with you. They get promoted from time to time but tend to stop at a certain level if they do not have good connections and money. So yes, I agree that honest cops for the most part would get nowhere unless they had a patron. It should be noted that some of those super cops that are claimed to be whiter than white in the media are also on the take. One shining knight in particular is well known for having his wife handle the "business side of his job" so as to maintain his squeeky clean image.

[thomo]

A family neighbour borrowed and paid a million baht very early in his career to speed up the promotion process.

He now has Bangkok and Phuket properties worth quite a few million more.

Saw a copper riding a brand new 1200cc Harley last week, sunnies on and looking as cool as possible, king of his domain, stopping at the lights you could see the fear and intimidation in the other Thais eyes, which he was feeding off and loving.

Edited October 21, 2010 by thomo

[craigt3365]

A family neighbour borrowed and paid a million baht very early in his career to speed up the promotion process.

He now has Bangkok and Phuket properties worth quite a few million more.

Saw a copper riding a brand new 1200cc Harley last week, sunnies on and looking as cool as possible, king of his domain, stopping at the lights you could see the fear and intimidation in the other Thais eyes, which he was feeding off and loving.

I'm amazed at all the rich army and police officers in this country. And like you mentioned, we mean rich! They had a meeting of Ferrari owners here a few weeks ago...the article mentioned several police colonels were part of the group. My father was a colonel in the USAF and could NEVER afford anything like that....

[jayjay0]

PS/ not sure where you get your "tens of thousands of drug dealers" and "1000 or so not-related-to-drugs" - the recently-reopened investigation found that of those c. 2,500 killed, approximately 1,400 people were not involved in narcotics. But I get your point

The reference to 0,000's was not related to Thaksin's human rights abuses. I merely segued into that.

It was a reference to the (alleged) tendency for some Thai police to BYO evidence.

Certainly a lot handier. And a great deal more efficient (than the alternative, which is always a pesky headache).

For all that accountability you believe they have, I choose to believe the majority of Thai Police aren't even remotely as bad as some would have you believe. I wouldn't be surprised if 1/3 or even 1/2 didn't make a habit of expressly collecting tea donations. The logic I use to come to this conclusion is the awareness that, for all of Thaksin's lying, he does occasionally tell the truth. And he was telling the truth when he said: "There is nothing under the Sun a Thai policeman cannot do."

If they were 10% as bad as some would have you believe, Thailand would be simply uninhabitable.

I am not sure if I agree with the 10% more like 20%. But I could be wrong.

That being said have you noticed how most all of the posters just use this as a dumping ground for there pet peeves. There has been a few who suggest pay them more money but with out rereading all the posts I would have to say only three have given them any credit at all. Most just want to feel good about themselves by putting others down who can not defend themselves. Some have talked about it being a matter of convenience to pay the tea money and others talked about fighting it but they still wont give credit or any positive suggestions to help end the problem. Do you think these nimrods would post there drivel on a Thai police forum. LOL::

I would find it hard to believe anything Thaksin said. I love Thailand, and I do respect some police. My wife has several uncles who are policemen or who are in the army. I've heard some crazy stories. Corruption is rampant, especially regarding promotions or transfers. Which means everybody is involved in "tea" money. It's just the way it works right now.

jayjay0: I understand your comments, but IMHO, many of Thailand's current woes can be traced directly to an incompetent police force. Improperly trained, improperly supplied, improperly paid, improperly managed. If you notice, I did not say they are all bad. Just not managed properly. The problem is at the top.

If the police force was fixed, this country would be drastically different. No damaging red rallies. No child porn on the streets. No highway mafia. No encroachment on national parks. Better driving standards. Etc. And of course the one that will get everybody's attention....a change in the current attitudes towards prostitution. The police are the ones dealing with massage parlor licenses. It should be the health department. They tried to move it to them but the higher ups would not allow it to happen...for obvious reasons...loss of money!!!!

For sure there are many good cops out there. Just need to give them the proper incentives to perform and things will change. Again, that starts at the top.

You posted

"jayjay0: I understand your comments, but IMHO, many of Thailand's current woes can be traced directly to an incompetent police force. Improperly trained, improperly supplied, improperly paid, improperly managed. If you notice, I did not say they are all bad. Just not managed properly. The problem is at the top."

No you don't understand my point. If you will reread the OP you will see that they have taken a step forward to eradicate the corruption. (not that they or any one could ever get it all)

My whole point has been to try to get the people to see reality in the over all situation not jut the time they were abused by one cop.. Most of these nimrods believe all cops are on the take. Most of the sane people know that is false but what do you expect from people who can't see past the nose on there face

[SergeiY]

I'm amazed at all the rich army and police officers in this country. And like you mentioned, we mean rich! They had a meeting of Ferrari owners here a few weeks ago...the article mentioned several police colonels were part of the group. My father was a colonel in the USAF and could NEVER afford anything like that....

It needs also some intelligence to get rich ...

or it is family inheritance like in the case of politicians like Abhisit.

Being rich as Thai doesn't mean these people are all corrupt.

[craigt3365]

I'm amazed at all the rich army and police officers in this country. And like you mentioned, we mean rich! They had a meeting of Ferrari owners here a few weeks ago...the article mentioned several police colonels were part of the group. My father was a colonel in the USAF and could NEVER afford anything like that....

It needs also some intelligence to get rich ...

or it is family inheritance like in the case of politicians like Abhisit.

Being rich as Thai doesn't mean these people are all corrupt.

For sure it is family inheritance. If you don't have the bucks to get going, it is hard to play. Like Thaksin who came from a rich family up North. And then made all his family and friends richer!

[Max4243]

Thai police have been heavily corrupted by Thaksin, and Thasksin alone. It is like a kind of illness.

It will take a while after Thaksin death for the corrupted police to recover.

Pointing your finger at Thaksin alone is extremely bias. Police corruption is century old. Which finger would you be pointing at prositution here, which is many century years old.

Seems you are no supporter of Thaksin, but be non bias in your comments please. BTW I am also no supporter of Thaksin too.

[canuck1941]

Typically, it is the police with the rights and duties to chase and apprehend societies wrong-doers, but with a change of leadership to Thailand's finest, this paradigm may be shifting. It seems Commander of the Central Investigative Police, Police Lieutenant General Pongpat Chaiyapun has decided to do some housekeeping in the hopes of cleaning up the tarnished image of his officers.

People should take note of the name of this police officer and write to him when they are asked for a bribe or extortion money. What is the mailing address of the Central Investigative Police? What is the email address of Police Lieutenant General Pongpat Chaiyapun?

And how about the snail mail address, too?

Success needs to be reinforced. I hope the good general is obsessive-compulsive when it comes to cleaning up the tarnished image of his officers, despite all the usual naysayers. Chook dee, General.

Edited October 21, 2010 by canuck1941