Highway Police To File Lawsuit Against Thai Land Transport Federation

[mattpatt]

Back in about '95 I got stopped by the old bill outside the 'Made in Thailand' market in Pattaya. I'd pulled a major wheelie on my bike for some distance along second road.

They took me to the police station where I got off with a 100 baht fine for dangerous driving. Then congratulated me on a "good wheelie"

Another incident around the same time was speeding on my 1100cc Suzuki. Highway police nabbed me, but I got off with a promise to buy them some Marks & Spencers shampoo and shower gel from London. I never did of course.

Anyhow, most of the time now, if I get stopped I just give the knowing smile and discreetly hold the 100B note under the door sill of the wagon. Never be blatant as it's not good form to be seen taking a bribe even though they're happy and willing to do so (allegedly).

And to you blokes handing over 300, 400, 500 baht....what are you thinking? You're ruining it for the rest of us!

Can you refuse to pay the bribe? Yes of course. If you want to sit there and argue the toss for the next hour that is.

One occasion that springs to mind was four or five years ago. Riding the ped down central road, it'd been raining and PC copper rides past me just at the wrong time as I rode through a puddle and splashed his shiny booties. Blimey, I thought he was gonna lynch me!! He held his hand out demanding 1000B.......1000B? you must be mad.....Let's go to the station, I said. Of course he's having none of this and drops the price to 500B. No way I said, let's go to the station seeing at it's just over there. After much wailing and gnashing of teeth he waggled a finger at me and rode off. I didn't part with a bean.

Oh yeah, you can argue it out, and on a couple of other occasions when I've been feeling less than generous, I've put my foot down with a firm hand and got away with doing nothing wrong. But is it worth it?...sometimes.....usually not.

[Schauerte]

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:

Agree 100%

[kropotkin]

Back in about '95 I got stopped by the old bill outside the 'Made in Thailand' market in Pattaya. I'd pulled a major wheelie on my bike for some distance along second road.

They took me to the police station where I got off with a 100 baht fine for dangerous driving. Then congratulated me on a "good wheelie"

Another incident around the same time was speeding on my 1100cc Suzuki. Highway police nabbed me, but I got off with a promise to buy them some Marks & Spencers shampoo and shower gel from London. I never did of course.

Anyhow, most of the time now, if I get stopped I just give the knowing smile and discreetly hold the 100B note under the door sill of the wagon. Never be blatant as it's not good form to be seen taking a bribe even though they're happy and willing to do so (allegedly).

And to you blokes handing over 300, 400, 500 baht....what are you thinking? You're ruining it for the rest of us!

Can you refuse to pay the bribe? Yes of course. If you want to sit there and argue the toss for the next hour that is.

One occasion that springs to mind was four or five years ago. Riding the ped down central road, it'd been raining and PC copper rides past me just at the wrong time as I rode through a puddle and splashed his shiny booties. Blimey, I thought he was gonna lynch me!! He held his hand out demanding 1000B.......1000B? you must be mad.....Let's go to the station, I said. Of course he's having none of this and drops the price to 500B. No way I said, let's go to the station seeing at it's just over there. After much wailing and gnashing of teeth he waggled a finger at me and rode off. I didn't part with a bean.

Oh yeah, you can argue it out, and on a couple of other occasions when I've been feeling less than generous, I've put my foot down with a firm hand and got away with doing nothing wrong. But is it worth it?...sometimes.....usually not.

Yeah.

Right.

Corruption is fun.

Just a game, nothing wrong with it.

[mattpatt]

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:

Agree 100%

If I don't have 100B notes when I leave the house (or wherever) I'll stop at the nearest 7 11 and buy something just to get the loose change in case of emergencies.

[Mosha]

Thai police are honest. Pigs can fly. H'mm bad analogy given what police are called in Farang land

[Silom]

Lets hope it will get better.

I saw some signs recently. They stayed at a good point in the afternoon

and without the intention of only cashing in, they forced the wrong doing motorists to aboard their

behavior. I gave them a thumb up and even thought to give them a 100 Baht…

For us, compare to the West it's still some kind of anarchy.

If the infrastructure of the roads would be better, much less traffic, wouldn’t it be wonderful to drive here ?!

[chmiroau]

Ferrari have just announced that they are going to build a micro car, to rival the Mercedes built Smart car. It will be built here in Thailand by Thairung It will be the most powerful micro car in the world as they will use the 5.3 litre V12 that they have often been famous for. It will retail for about 50 bart and everyone will want one...

Um, I thought that this was the I'm dreaming page,, sorry.

[scorpio]

i get stopped and asked for tea money at least once a month in isaan , pattaya and bangkok whilst driving, i remember i was stopped 3 times in 1 day...TRUTH !! 200 baht usually sorts it but when does it stop ? at the end of the day all they have to do is say you were speeding, you deny it and dont pay , they take you to the police station , they search you and they find 2 yaba pills in your pocket, get the picture

[rametindallas]

Anyone who has been to or lived in Thailand know it is a daily business. Get their gambling,drinking,whore money with these shake downs. I have been in several taxis that were pulled over. I pay the fine for the driver, they work 12 hrs a day for often just 300 or so baht a day after fuel and rent. I do not know how they ever smile. Do your part!

Maybe the motorists of Thailand should launch a class action against the police for decades of roadside shakedowns?

I've done the same. No way I'll drive myself in Thailand. Taxis are good insurance you won't personally have to deal with the police.

[Canexpat]

I can honestly say that I have never bribed the Thai Police. I have on occassion given them a tip for thier dedication to road safety and upholding the rights of the people and the laws of the land.

roflmao

[rametindallas]

It isn't april again... is it?

It's always April first in the LOS. It's one of the reasons I love it.

[clip]

If I say 'no, give me a ticket and I'll pay at the police station' to the clear request for unrecorded cash at road blocks my Thai wife gets annoyed at my cultural terrorism, beckons them around to her side and pays them off. Result!

call me coruptif you must but i kind of like the idea of having the option of paying now and not going down to the local office and wait in that awful line , pay it and be done with !

[overherebc]

Why has the old "fiver in a licence" trick disappeared? Because anti-corruption police started catching, charging, firing and jailing corrupt officers. If there is an Internal Affairs dept of the BIB, I have never heard of it. What would happen if every time we were stopped, a mobile phone came out and the proceedings were videoed?

They started with the same actions in Thailand about 10 years ago.It was all over the tv stations at that time with highway police officers caught on hidden camera's.

As usual in Thailand it lasted about 2 weeks.

Best one I had. We went to the garden centre near the house in BKK. Bought two wooden garden chairs put them in the back of the pick-up. On the way home got stopped at a road check and we were told "cannot do cost 200 baht" We started laughing so much he got pi22ssed off and let us go.

[noitom]

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 ?

Right, exactly. The Land Transport Fed broke protocol by going public with the scam. Good question, what exactly do they want? Obviously if you break the code and go public the highway patrol has to put up a defense. We need to know more about the Land Transport Fed's motives. Do you suppose that the highway patrol wanted to increase the "sticker" price to 5K and the LTF balked? Maybe this is the way to get it in the hands of the recognized arbitrator Don Somchai so that he can resolve a "fair" settlement and they both get what they want and of course, Don Somchai gets his increased vig too. All in a days work.

[overhaul38]

This is a very refreshing and welcome policy. And Madonna is a true blonde.

Edited September 16, 2011 by overhaul38

[blue eyes]

Yes I have bribed more then once.But to be fair about it,it was not a brib per say. I was in the wrong and I have only paid half of what I would have had to pay for the real fine at the station with a ticket.Once I was stopped going 80km on the Rama and the lighted sign said 50km.As I went thru the closed tool plaza I was stopped and asked for 1000THB!!!!!No way no how was that going to happen!I said give me ticket I go to station.Well that did not sit well with the bib.He called over another that spoke better english.They talked then decided I should pay 500thb.I say again give me ticket I go to station.Up to this point it has taken about 15 minutes of the one and about 5 on the others time.I am sure that they started to think this farang is costing them money.You see time with me is time away from other cash cows.They finnaly decided 200thb and they will pay fine for me later at station OK?No problem.

Once on my way to Roi Et I did finaly recive a real ticket.It was for passing in a no passing zone.How they knew I did it I have no real idea.Unless they hide in the paddy.You see I got stopped about 2km from the place that it happened.At a four way stop that had the station right there.I tried to pay with no ticket by saying I go to station and they said yes come.That is when I saw that the station was across the street.I walk in and there is this guy not in uniform speaks great english thats different(remember this is rural Issan)wants my licence tells me what I did and where, the fine was 400thb.Which is the correct amount with ticket.After I get back into the car the wife tells me"they good police".Why they good police I say,Her answer......They give you ticket not take money.She's right!!!dam_n woman.

[keemapoot]

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.

That "infamous" spot at the last toll gate leaving Bangkok is funny. Regular drivers know it is there and are particularly careful on that stretch leading up to it to behave. Last week, I was driving with my Thai wife seated next to me. No speeding, in the correct lane, etc., and as were we passing through I saw the cop hesitate, look at me, obviously a farang, and then flag me to pull over. He then tried this line on me: "have you been speeding?" I replied to him absolutely not, that I know this cop stop well, etc., etc... He gave up any shakedown attempt after that. I think it helps if you speak good Thai and they know you know the score.

Having said that, I've paid numerous "fines" on the spot around Thailand where I wasn't behaving so well..., and in my early years, where once or twice when I actually didn't do anything wrong, but my Thai was not so good then.

[scania]

hahahahahahahahahaha good one. I´m gonna do the same repeating and see if I will believe it hahahahhahaaha

Everyone knows that cash will not get one out of a traffic violation.........now I will keep repeating this until I believe it myself! ha ha ha

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.

[ajarnmark]

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.

and that there are actually WMDs in Iraq...

Governments lie all the time, so whats the big deal, at least in this case they dont kill millions of innocent women n children as in the case of Iraq...

what they are saying is that they dont take bribes... however, there could be individuals who accept bribes... since when act of an individual becomes act of the whole department/nation etc.

One poster said he paid 100 baht... so my question is why to pay 100 baht? would u offer bribe in ur own country? he paid coz he did not want to get the ticket...

[captspectre]

Absolutely not and it's very unfair to say that they do

That's ok buddy I believe you but 100's don't

I WANT MY MONEY BACK!

[Travelman868]

Fines for speeding on the Highway are nornally 200 baht. I don't know if they fine for not speeding as I'm always a bit over the limit.

I look on this as a road toll, sometimes I get stopped sometimes not.

One area that the BIB could do more, is to sort out the vehicles without lights but of course when you stop working at night !!!!!!

[sandgroper2]

Maybe the motorists of Thailand should launch a class action against the police for decades of roadside shakedowns?

I'm 35, British, been here 4 years or so. An older (65) British friend was telling me about his youth in Manchester, where the police would regularly be bribable, and one would go out driving illegally for some reason (license, lights, whatever) knowing that if you were caught, you could hand over a fiver or something and be on your way.

Then the police wages were raised. Suddenly it wasn't worth the coppers' risking their jobs over such a payment, and the regime changed. The youth were pretty pissed off that their easy life was changed and they suddenly found themselves having to obey the law more, or of course hiding their violations better. My friend was pretty emphatic about it changing the way things worked forever.

Now traffic cameras automate the whole process in England, the police corruption in England is just at a higher level. It is a systematic corruption that goes hand in hand with other government agencies. It is to generate money for the state for the high level public workers' pensions and expenses. The UK police get their cut.

The low level officers are generally clean especially outside London, but there is a systematic corruption especially the "overtime and sick payments". Growing numbers of UK police have second jobs. Police are enforcers for the state, the police will deny all this of course, they are master liars, well UNTIL the newspapers use the freedom of information act to get the real behaviour out in the open.

in Australia, the epitome of the nanny state, your car can be taken by the police if you are caught speeding and of course they will sell them on to their mates .

But in Thailand the low level cops are "bribable" (good word) , they always seem to live in good houses in Thailand on new estates.

What a load of rubbish, confiscated cars in Australia that are not returned to the owners for no payment of fines are sold at public auctions.

[klauskunkel]

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 wonder what would happen if the police did not supplement their income, maybe they would starve? In that case I shall keep a few McDonald coupons in front of the car.

[thaiorchidsource]

Its everyday business as usual about the shakedowns, from motorcycles, passenger cars to big trucks. We x pats call it tea money, but to deny whats going on is quite funny.

[dude007]

Chalerm Yabamrung, where are you? There is more work to do! :unsure:

Edited September 17, 2011 by dude007

[LukDod]

Yep, no scam fees...who is kidding who????

Maybe if Highway Police Chief Police Major General Norabun Naen-na sent some of his business cards,

I could show them to the local cops and avoid paying the kickbacks!!!

[longtimepassed]

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 ?

Maybe they just want the Police to obey the law like many of the rest of us do and not be corrupt, Seems to be a reoccuring theme under the present Government

[Theo007]

There is also no prostitution in Pattaya, no crimes of violence and nobody every gets ripped off! Gosh! another pink elephant just flew past my window.

[Estrada]

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 have a friend who has been here 25 years, he always argues with the police, he never pays the on the spot fines, even when he is clearly in the wrong. Last week the traffic cops tried to get him for making a right turn where only buses are allowed to turn right which is on Thanon Lardprao. He was in a line of cars where Thai drivers were also making an illegal right hand turn. The BIB obviously knew that it was an easy way of getting money at that junction,they probably put the no right hand turn sign up. Anyway, as he has done on many occassions he refused to give the traffic cop the B400 and asked to go to the Police Station and see the Chief of Police. The Chief of police tried to get a nominal B100 which he still refused, and the Chief asked him how much he wanted to pay, and he said "I want to pay nothing" so he let him go. I believe that they do not want to waste time filling in paperwork or attending court because every minute they are wasting on my friend they could be trapping more suckers. To them it is a money making business and they have daily financial targets to meet. As I recall, some years ago the Government allowed the police to retain a percentage of the on the spot fines to make it legal.

Amazes me how many times he has gotten away with it.

[tropo]

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

Only 100 baht? You did very well.