Highway Police To File Lawsuit Against Thai Land Transport Federation

[Thaddeus]

When my region was being shelled by Cambodia in April, the police closed the roads for safety, but then would ask for 3k Baht from the truckers for safe passage.

[slipperx]

It happens in many under-developed countries where police need to supplement their income.

Would you rather pay a 'spot fine' or go to the hassle of a trip to the police station to pay a much larger fine?

Some posters need to get off their collective high-horses. We who pay the spot-fines exacerbate the problem but the solution may be found in paying police a decent wage. I say 'may' bacause corruption is so endemic in Thai society that increased salaries may not fix the problem.

Best to always keep a few 100 baht notes in front of the car.:jap:

I am not sure anyone is saying they would rather go to court - just astounded that the police say they don't receive any. Usually things that are uncomfortable to Thais or Thailand just don't get talked about but someone is rocking the boat with a legal case in this instance.

[samjaidee]

Here in Vietnam you're far less likely to be stopped if you're a foreigner than if you're Vietnamese.

[brianb1944]

re statement by Highway police Re poll, I answered No, because I never drive in Thailand, however I have regularly sat, in a restaurant, opposite popular stake out and watched Thai m/cycles consistently waved through, and Farang pulled over and baht changing hands

[Robbie Dye]

that's an outrageous statement, everybody knows they do. There seems to be a movement to just say the complete opposite of the truth, for what reason I don't know. At least they were correct in saying their are no gambling dens in Bangkok.

But are we driving cargo trucks? They haven't confirmed or denied ripping off farangs!!

[technologybytes]

If the highway police are the ones in the yellow and purple cars then I'd agree, they have never asked me for a bribe in the 10+ years that I have been motoring all over Thailand.

Every time I have been asked for a bribe it's been the regular brown uniform police and not the Highways police who rarely stop cars and motorcyles anyway.

[apalink_thailand]

It happens in many under-developed countries where police need to supplement their income.

Would you rather pay a 'spot fine' or go to the hassle of a trip to the police station to pay a much larger fine?

Some posters need to get off their collective high-horses. We who pay the spot-fines exacerbate the problem but the solution may be found in paying police a decent wage. I say 'may' bacause corruption is so endemic in Thai society that increased salaries may not fix the problem.

Best to always keep a few 100 baht notes in front of the car.:jap:

Actually in some ways, I do agree with this statement but to get stopped for a non-existent offence is just wrong. Instead of this stupid 300 baht a day minimum wage scheme, why not pay the cops a decent wage and punish all corrupt ones with immediate dismissal (not just a move to inactive post). The solution though, must start at the top and therein lies the problem.

[thailand49]

It happens in many under-developed countries where police need to supplement their income.

Would you rather pay a 'spot fine' or go to the hassle of a trip to the police station to pay a much larger fine?

Some posters need to get off their collective high-horses. We who pay the spot-fines exacerbate the problem but the solution may be found in paying police a decent wage. I say 'may' bacause corruption is so endemic in Thai society that increased salaries may not fix the problem.

Best to always keep a few 100 baht notes in front of the car.:jap:

I agree and disagree somewhat?

In the States where I live a rookie cop starting salary is $75,000 per year and that doesn't includes the other benefits like Medical and pension. Yet in certain departments like Vice and Narcotics there are many still on the take. As for Thailand the biggest complaints from many posters isn't whether they are paying the fine on the spot or not its that they are being stop and as soon as they see you are a Farang whether you have done anything wrong or not they have their hands out because they know 100 baht on the spot than having to come back is a drop in the bucket to Farangs.

As long as you don't have enforcement and a honest method to hold officiers accountable in this country things will never change no matter what they pay you. There is lots of lip service being given but as long as the politician neither have the well or fortitude to do enforcement things will continue as is even if you pay them triple. See human nature is the more you make the more you spend and as long as one knows this is the system and a honest person can't do anything himself to change it they have to go along with the system.

Can you imagine, if they triple the income gave them a motorcycle and car and even a place to live and everyone including your boss is out on the road taking bribes and you don't? In Hong Kong, the police make a good living and many get allowance for cars and housing and still corruption exist.

[AA1]

I feel that the pole is not worded correctly when compared with the Heading of the thread i.e. Highway police changed to Traffic police.

Most of the police roadblocks are manned by the local police who are raising money for their local station so hand over B200 (maximum) and no paperwork - These I would politely call Traffic Police. I have been stopped by them on quite a few occassions especially near the end of the month when they are short of their target!

When stopped a few times by the Highway Police I have always been given a receipt.

[atyclb]

Multiple times they have pulled my taxi over, making me get out for a "body check" wasting my time and hoping they will find something illegal to then be able to extort money.

Many of them are "low lives". I think 99.9% of Thai people feel the same.

[spermwhale]

Don't take kickbacks or bribes my arse. I can assure you 100% they do. I have been pulled over 1/2 dozen times for nothing and booked. Got the option if you want a receipt (infringement notice) then you pay 200 baht fine if you not want receipt then 100 baht fine. Get stopped at those highgway roadblocks and they see you are farang so the dollar signs light up and they ask you to pull to the side of the road. We know where they all are now between Chiangmai and Nakon Sawan so when we get close I change driving with the wife proceed through the stops and no shakedown.

My experience in BKK has been completely the opposite. I can honestly say I've driven through 100s of checkpoints and have never been stopped. I've only stopped when I have genuinely done something wrong (unfortunately right in front of a cop or a group of cops) and then I paid my bribe and was off. But I've never been stopped or hassled for nothing.

[apalink_thailand]

If the highway police are the ones in the yellow and purple cars then I'd agree, they have never asked me for a bribe in the 10+ years that I have been motoring all over Thailand.

Every time I have been asked for a bribe it's been the regular brown uniform police and not the Highways police who rarely stop cars and motorcyles anyway.

Same here actually. Except for the fat coppers hanging around at the tollbooths exacting imaginary fines on farangs. One trick is to keep a second wallet in the car with only 100 baht in it. Show this and tell them that is ALL you have unless there is an ATM nearby.

[USExpat]

I have been stopped for speeding on many occasions.(justified)...they would rather have me give them 200 baht verses writing a ticket and give theThai government 400 baht. I have been pulled over for driving in the left lane too much...(the cruising lane)...I knew it was BS so I showed him my embassy badge and it was sorry you can go...I got pulled over at a check point for no drivers license even after I gave him my Texas license with the international endorsement and a US military ID w/ my US military drivers license which is accepted as a legal drivers license in Thailand under the Status of Forces Agreement, I paidbthe 400 baht ticket and told him I wanted the ticket he did not want to write the ticket until I told him to get his supervisor because I wasn't leaving untili got the ticket...I turned the ticket over to the US embassy...2 months later I got a refund from the Thai government and a letter of apology. Stating they would inform the police department to accept Military licenses. P.S. I don't have an armrest full of 100 baht notes for nothing.

Edited September 16, 2011 by USExpat

[renaissanc]

Someone said it best above ... Thailand is becoming a Hub of Denial.

The Red Shirts denied everything, the Police denied there were gambling dens, the government denies it is working to bring The Fugitive back, etc., etc.

[apalink_thailand]

Multiple times they have pulled my taxi over, making me get out for a "body check" wasting my time and hoping they will find something illegal to then be able to extort money.

Many of them are "low lives". I think 99.9% of Thai people feel the same.

I wouldn't let them stick their hands in my pockets for fear they will drop a pill in there and frame me. I have been frisked like this once or twice and asked them to show me their hands before they put them in my pockets. I don't trust them further than I can throw them.

[ericthai]

Been stopped don't know how many times in the last 11 years. Sometimes had to pay, many times look at my license and ok go.

I was stopped one time at night about 2-3am coming from BKK going up north, I gave the cop 200B, he looked at me, my wife, her sister and 3 kids and gave me back 100B, could not believe that. A few times I have refused to pay and told the cop to give me the ticket they got pissed and told me to go.

Now when i drive I take all the cash out of my wallet except for 100B, if the cop wants some cash this is all I have, what are they going to do? i told the one cop let's go to a ATM he said no ok, 100B.

Still I don't think it's that bad, many times I drive over the limit and know if I see a police all I have to do is pay 100-200B and be on my way, instead of like in the US getting a ticket with a high fee $100 USD+, points and insurance increase, I think it's much better this way.

[Insight]

Most recent incident Thai cop said he could accept 100 baht because that would be a bribe. But he would "reduce" my "fine" down from 400 to 300.

[tommet]

Yeh right I have had to pay off one guy only 100baht for driving in the right hand lane.

I got "fined" 100 baht for not wearing a shirt while driving down a country B-road. Apparently this was "disrespectful to Thailand."

Of course the cops couldn't see I had no shirt on until they made me wind down my tinted windows.

To be fair most local cops in my area are no problem and never ask for money. It is usually only the yellow-striped highway cops passing through the area who set up a stop-point to shake people down.

Edited September 16, 2011 by tommet

[esbkk]

Yeh right I have had to pay off one guy only 100baht for driving in the right hand lane.

Lucky you - they charge me always baht 200.

[wlcart]

bribes what bribes... just a few over the years.. in fact i would call it extorsion not a bribe as if you don't pay waht recourse do you have ? its nto as if you get an option to go to court and argue that you were not speeding , or that the fact you were in the outside lane was that you were overtaking the lorry doing 30kmh !

200bt .. driving with no shirt !!

400bt .. (3 times) outside lane on motorway

400bt at least 5 times.. over speedlimit when not over limit

400bt over speed limit (twice) , when really over ... the amazing part is when you sometimes see the policeman up a tree calling ahead !

1 Ciggerete . the one time a argued and told them i was not speeding, was not in the outside lane, it still cost a ciggy

400bt.. illegal u-turn

300bt - overtaking while on a dual carriageway while traveling over a bridge . not even a real bridge !

in at least 10 back handers... only once a ticket and that was still 400bt lol

despite all this its still a better system than a fine with court and points on your licence.. its just annoying that the times you really did nothing that they extort the money regardless

on saying that .. is there a system where you can disagree with there acusation ?

I think your paying too much in bribes, should only run you 100-200 baht.

[scotbeve]

He said the CIB has given his agency 7 days to forward their findings, but say they may be unable to meet the deadline, so he is asking that the investigation be extended.

An extention in the range of " forever " springs to mind.

Thailand, "Extension Hub"....

[Tatsujin]

It's not the first time I hear about these stickers.

But I don't understand what the Land Transport Federation is complaining about.

They want the police to be more strict in giving fines to drivers who don't respect the weight limit ?

Or they want the right to break the law without consequences ?

I think they are complaining because the "amount" of the bribes has increased and they don't like it.

[laurentbkk]

in 20 years here I have spent a few thousand bath in tea money for police ..... specially at the toll gate after don muang ..they usually stopped me with fake report of speeding , and now I refuse to pay if I did nothing wrong , sometime they let me go ,sometime they want to bring me to the police station ( for god knows what) . a bunch of liars and corrupted people nothing else . :angry:once I was with a diplomat in the car ,he couldnt believe what he saw,police asking for money for nothing .... just because 2 foreigners in the car ... They should keep Amazing Thailand campaign.

[USExpat]

[

I agree and disagree somewhat?

In the States where I live a rookie cop starting salary is $75,000 per year and that doesn't includes the other benefits like Medical and pension.

Where do you live in the States??? Of the 5 different states I have lived in and friends of mine who work in Departments in other states a Sergent won't make that even with overtime.

[cowboydog]

and while we're at it...why on earth are the Tourist police moving in on kickbacks in the Pratunam Center (now Palladium) targeting foreign business partners demanding money or problems...the Tourist police??! Thai & Farang officers involved .. never happened before.. why start now? " we know you have a work permit we know you have a real business ..but we want money "

[thaimite]

I have certainly never bribed or paid any official in Thailand.

However on occasion my wife have given them some small amount of cash in recognition of their leniency or for expediting the service that was required

[mgjackson69]

I think I have paid a traffic fine (given paper, went to police station to pay and retrieve my license) two or three times.

I have bought beer for my good friend many times.

[Nowhereman60]

You get fined if you drive in the right hand lane, but if you drive in the left hand lane you destroy your car with all the pot holes from the overweight trucks. So you take the chance that you will not be caught. It's only 100 baht or so, This is a win, win situation for the police they get money from the overweight truck drivers and from the driver who stay in the left hand lane.

Edited September 16, 2011 by Nowhereman60

[pepi2005]

In Pattaya, police fines are usually 400 Baht for most traffic violations (no helmet etc.) by motorbikes, driving with no insurance is even 700 Baht!

However, I have learned that even if you officially pay at the police station, the rate is 400 Baht for foreigners and - DOUBLE PRICING AGAIN!! - 200 Baht for Thais.

On top of this official ripoff, I have never seen any police checkpoint also checking cars during all the years I have been living here. It's just the motorcyclists they are hunting.

[arthurwait]

When should people start think about consequences here. Overloading the truck gives much higher maintenance costs on the equipment. The overloaded trucks destroys the roads, for the public's annoyance, and giving the government unexpected maintenance costs on the roads. Its a win-win for all parts in the long run to start to follow the rules. Increased safety as well, as an overloaded truck will have much longer braking distance..

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a= F/m

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Where constant C = constantly pissed.