farang000999 Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 So i have read about this over and over again. anytime someone has a problem and calls the tourist police their advice to the farang is to pay and to pay whatever is being demanded of them no matter what the circumstances. is their job to provide directions to the nearest ATM? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzaa09 Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 Tourist Police. Just another added layer of repression in the Land That Once Smiled A Lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdnmatt Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 is their job to provide directions to the nearest ATM? Yep, seems like it. It's one big club, and we're not in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geriatrickid Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 I wonder how many of the people griping and making snide remarks have had a legitimate interaction with the tourist police or even know what some of the typical tourist/visitor interactions with the tourist police involve? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingthing Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 Kapo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 I once met a Norwegian in the hospital waiting room who is a volunteer on the local Tourist Police -- I asked of him what did he do as there are not many tourists up this way... he said almost all of his work is related to settling domestic disturbances amongst married Scandinavians and their Thai spouses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdnvic Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 One post removed that made a serious uncorroborated accusation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lite Beer Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 A post containing a deleted quote has been removed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dananderson Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 It would be helpfull for the sake of a rational discussion on this topic if members of the TP would come to this board and respond directly to this subject. In some areas of LOS they have been helpfull in mitigating disputs in past years. Mostly I see them giving directions and advice in Pattaya. I am however curious to their lack of help regarding the jet-ski scam.:jap: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
transam Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 Imagine the BiB arrest you for some reason, you are say Swedish, no BiB speaks Swedish to listen to your woes, so who do you call, no, not Ghost Busters but a Swedish speaking Tourist Policeman, who via perhaps his wife can help with the language barrier to help, or for a TP man to calm the farang down as we know getting angry here produces negative results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon43 Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 OK, I'll bite. I previously worked as a volunteer TP (5 years in total), in Bangkok (not many jet-skis), Pattaya and Phuket. The official policy (when I worked - it may have changed now), was that we should not become involved in any type of 'brokering' of financial payment in jet-ski disputes, and that we should direct both jet-ski owner and tourist to the police station where mediation could be undertaken with witnesses present. In practice, when asked to assist at jet-ski disputes, it was often clear that the jet-ski owner had no wish to go to the police station, and prefered to obtain a settlement there and then, (you can maybe guess the reasons). The foreign volunteer TPs have no authority to insist that mediation takes place at the police station, and I am sure that other volunteer TPs felt pressured by some jet-ski 'gangs' not to get involved. (I was certainly pressured on occasions). It's also clear from the many reports of jet-ski incidents that some Thai police officers do encourage on-the-spot financial settlements, for reasons that can be guessed. It may also be possible that some foreign volunteer TPs are not totally honest in the manner in which they deal with these types of disputes. Please remember that jet-ski disputes are but one type of incident that TPs have to deal with. The majority of incidents and assistance go unreported because they are mundane and not worthy of newspaper headlines, yet the TP assistance can be invaluable for those victims of such incidents. As Transam mentioned, foreign TPs can be of great assistance if you do not speak Thai, or where your knowledge of English is minimal Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderpuff Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 Tourist Police. Just another added layer of repression in the Land That Once Smiled A Lot. They are still smiling. They are smiling at us, the rubes that get extorted so easily. This is the one I dream about. You are in a line waiting to visit the Grand Canyon. A friendly Ranger is chatting to the folks in line. He sees a few Asians & begins to talk to them. Where are you folks from he asks? "Thailand" they reply. That's nice he says that will be $200.00 EACH to get inside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carmine Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 It would be helpfull for the sake of a rational discussion on this topic if members of the TP would come to this board and respond directly to this subject. In some areas of LOS they have been helpfull in mitigating disputs in past years. Mostly I see them giving directions and advice in Pattaya. I am however curious to their lack of help regarding the jet-ski scam.:jap: Basically they are a tourist information service. With regards the serious stuff of jet sea scams, assaults being ripped off after a traffic accident, forget it. In that case they have as much authority as any other "farang" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokie36 Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 I'm confused as to what the OP is referring? If its the actual Thai Tourist police then I would say they were very effieient in providing a police report when I was robbed a few years ago. Other than that never spoken to one....or a foreign volunteer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dananderson Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 Simon, thanks for the insight and taking the time to respond. It woud be helpfull for a current member of the TP to update some of the topics discussed here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nocturn Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 (edited) It would be helpfull for the sake of a rational discussion on this topic if members of the TP would come to this board and respond directly to this subject. In some areas of LOS they have been helpfull in mitigating disputs in past years. Mostly I see them giving directions and advice in Pattaya. I am however curious to their lack of help regarding the jet-ski scam.:jap: there are no members of the tourist police on this board. there are a few tourist police volunteers here, but i do not recall the OP asking about the duties of these self-styled paramilitary candy stripers. edit: there is at least one tp volunteer on this board that can be excluded from the above remarks, but given the input of some others on various threads derision is the only justifiable response. Edited April 23, 2011 by nocturn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mario299 Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 I'm confused as to what the OP is referring? If its the actual Thai Tourist police then I would say they were very effieient in providing a police report when I was robbed a few years ago. Other than that never spoken to one....or a foreign volunteer. I had one experience with the actual Thai Tourist Police in 2004, while visiting Chiang Mai. I lost my wallet containing credit cards and about 3000 baht somewhere while visiting pubs/restaurants, so I went to the Tourist Police office the next day. They filled out a report about where I had been, and I was contacted later that evening with the news they had recovered my wallet. An officer (a Thai) came to my hotel with wallet and credit cards, no money. He asked for 10,000 baht for the return. I offered 5000 and he accepted. End of story. I had already cancelled all credit cards. mario299 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubin Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 tourist police is a light version of the main police and their goals are the same Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzaa09 Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 I wonder how many of the people griping and making snide remarks have had a legitimate interaction with the tourist police or even know what some of the typical tourist/visitor interactions with the tourist police involve? They have their place, surely. But couldn't we reconsider a different tact aside from the deeper consciousness of "another police themed entity"? I have had, in the years past, decent and positive inter-face with the fine upstanding civil servants for one reason or another. But that certainly wouldn't dismiss my anxiety that attaches itself with a para-military sort of authority. 'Taint civilised to be overburdened with the romantic notion of unnecessary "soldiered" authority every which way one turns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wonderboy Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 (edited) I am sure the TP can be helpful at times. I guess their whole existence is based on that most Thai police don't speak English. I speak English, but my Thai is rather limited. So explaining the issue to TP is fine, but not at all helpful when the TP guy can not relay the case to the real police simply because he cannot speak Thai either. So there you are stuck. TP understands your case, but the Thai police have no idea what it is all about. Maybe some interpreters would come in handy supplementing the Tourist Police? WB Edited April 24, 2011 by Wonderboy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glomp Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 Assuming all situations can be mediated over the phone by the word of some worked up farang calling in in a froth is a bit of a stretch would you not say? They can not see if those gems you bought are fake or not over the phone. They can not see if the tuk tuk demanded 50 bath instead of 30 or not and so on. If they think you will get turned in to dog meat if you don't pay they will say pay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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