Forang Tourist Police Helpers

[BigC]

Forang volenteer police helpers mis behaving and bullyingMy personal experienceI was driving my car on the highway coming from the airport.

A big bus forced me to change land or i would hit the bus.

Straight beinde my i had a pick up truck beeping and swearing at me.

I noticed he was a forang so i slowed down.

I was quite angry. if he had been watching the road i would have known that i only swerved to avoid a collission.

He then over took me and as i tried to under take him he tried to push his car into mine to push me off the road.

then he slammed on his brakes trying to make me hit the back of him. then we hit the traffic lights and he had the check just to show my his cap that said royal thai police on it.

Now i am not just a tourist i have been here a long time.

What is he going to do call the police ( the real police ) and tell them that there was no accident but hthe forang volenteer tried to make one.

I wanted to get out my car because these people have no powers but i was in a hurry.

I caught up with a gang of 3 of them later on and spotted that they were carrying something that is illegal for any foreigners to carry.

when i told the man he told me he does not sepeak enhlish. So i toldhim in Thai. The gang slowly walked away.

becarefull volenteers make sure you are all legal because i am watching you. i am back home now but i live in thsiland.

i am sure people know roughly where i live due to my other postings on here.

good luck :jap:

[richard_smith237]

Wooo....

You had to take avoiding action when a bus pulled out in front of you... Fair enough we all do. The guy in the another vehicle was just being a dick by hitting his horn...

If you'd let it go there, that would be the end of the story......

You have however got into an ego fight and tried to undertake, or prevent the over taking vehicle from passing.

You then followed the guy and in your own words caught up them (albeit later) and tried teach them a verbal lesson - they avoided further confrontation by walking away....

You did all this because he showed you a cap and you didn't like it ?....

It appears as though after an initial response poor response from the other guy that you continued to be the aggressor, at any point in that spell of aggression you could have backed off.....

Chill, you can't re-educate the whole world.

Edited October 14, 2011 by richard_smith237

[grumpyoldman]

BigC, did you have some drinks under your belt when you posted this (?) as it is sort of confusing.

Bottom line is, road rage is getting worse in Phuket.

Let it go my friend.

[stevenl]

BigC, did you have some drinks under your belt when you posted this (?) as it is sort of confusing.

Bottom line is, road rage is getting worse in Phuket.

Let it go my friend.

Judging from his story the main culprit of road rage was BigC.

[BigC]

Yes i was angry after he tried to ram me off the road.

So of coarse i am going to say something to him and yes to be honest i would have loved to exchange a confrontation with him seeing as though i have 2 kids and he was trying to kill me.

I was fuming.

I am just going to do things the legal way.

I get very angry but i can control my anger and use it in the proper way.

If for example he did call the police what is he going to tell them.

That he tried to kill me because he was angry.

The thing that really annnoys me is that he thinks he can hide behinde a police cap.

He thinks that because he has that then he has the right to try to ram me off the road then slam on his brakes to tryi to force me to go into the back of him

the fact that he is a forang volenteer makes me more angry than if it was just a straight forward agrement.

for real he is supposed to set example and show restrant.

He does not have the correct behavier qualties to become have a police uniform and badge

[ludditeman]

Some Thai children play dress-up in Nazi uniforms.

Some foreign males play dress-up in Tourist police uniforms.

PS

You could have just stopped your car and waited 10 minutes.

Playing car tag, with your children in the car was your choice.

Edited October 14, 2011 by ludditeman

[grumpyoldman]

for real he is supposed to set example and show restrant.

And you are not in front of your kids?

Wouldn't have been smarter to take his car model + plate number and once home call the Tourist Police and report?

In the future BigC, I would advise pulling over, breath in some fresh air, count to ten, and then get back on the road instead of endangering people in your vehicle as well as others on the road. Good luck mate.

[PattayaPhom]

Under taking and playing cat & mouse while your kids are in the car............you really need to take stock of a few things.......what was he carrying that was illegal???........a sex toy?

[taninthai]

If you know the make and model off car hr was driving I'm sure he could be identified on here I'm sure most of tpv are members on here always claiming to be wanting to help make Thailand a better place wonder if they would have done the same to a thai driver. They were probably on their high horse having a power trip thinking you were just another stupid tourist brake testing the car behind is not a thing that is usually done over here and is a sure way to cause a accident.

[Kernow86]

Yes i was angry after he tried to ram me off the road.

So of coarse i am going to say something to him and yes to be honest i would have loved to exchange a confrontation with him seeing as though i have 2 kids and he was trying to kill me.

I was fuming.

I am just going to do things the legal way.

I get very angry but i can control my anger and use it in the proper way.

If for example he did call the police what is he going to tell them.

That he tried to kill me because he was angry.

The thing that really annnoys me is that he thinks he can hide behinde a police cap.

He thinks that because he has that then he has the right to try to ram me off the road then slam on his brakes to tryi to force me to go into the back of him

the fact that he is a forang volenteer makes me more angry than if it was just a straight forward agrement.

for real he is supposed to set example and show restrant.

He does not have the correct behavier qualties to become have a police uniform and badge

Many don't.

[surangw]

good reason to invest in one of those low cost wind screen mounted digital video recorders, records time and gps info also.

hard to dispute a recording

[thaiIand]

first you did not have to swerve to avoid the bus, you could of slowed down first keeping a safe distance and when the bus did a bad maneuver you could of used your BRAKES (which is exactly what all thais do not do)

and second you've been living here and speak thai yet still use "forang".. What does that say about you?

Theres 2 side to every story and im guessing theres a few volunteers talking about a crazy low class drunk driving like a crazy guy and using made up word like forang.

[ScubaBuddha]

I'm sure you felt like you were more in the right than he was, but when other drivers do stupid shit that pisses me off, I try to consider the situation from their perspective before flying off the handle like you did. (Especially with your kids in the car. <deleted> were you thinking?) But I'm not always successful. I have even posted about a similar situation that happened to me. I'm sure the guy in the Thai police hat would have a very different account though. Kinda sounds like you decided to go around the bus which was merging into your lane Thai style (which you should have anticipated as this is what buses, taxi's etc routinely do) From the other guys point of view you didn't like being inconvenienced so you inconvenienced him. Something that from his farang perspective had you committing a grievous act. If the other driver thought you had no other option, he probably wouldn't have honked at you.

I will admit I do share your frustration with people abusing their power. One recent story of my own...the other week I saw an older civilian plated gold Toyota salon with large "Tourist Police Volunteer" across the entire back window. This guy ran every red light between Town and Hayak Chalong in afternoon school time traffic, sometimes slowly, sometimes at speed, undertaking or overtaking the que at every red light as motorbikes do. Using the center "VIP" lane making oncoming cars move over. Insane stuff. I wanted to snap a pic with my phone, but all the windows were mirrored, even the windshield! That was the closest I came to making an official complaint.

Your story begs a few more questions. I believe you have made some inaccurate assumptions.

Firstly, why did you feel the need to "slow down" (i.e. brake in front of him to teach him a lesson) only after you determined he was falang? I guess I kind of understand how you can be more irritated with a farang. It's by in large not considered rude in this society to tailgate, overtake unsafely, speed, or cut up other drivers. Thai's don't know any other way. No training, no enforcement, very few incidents of road rage, thus no consequences. It just is how it is. But a western trained driver presumably knows better. The catch with that is many western drivers once faced with the freedom to drive with impunity take it to the extreme. By far the the top 4 or 5 worst, most dangerous drivers I can recall seeing over the years in Phuket were farang.

And what makes you so sure he was a tourist police volunteer? The hats they wear are not the same as the regular Royal Thai Police hats such as you have described.

As you can see their hats are colored and say "Tourist Police" in Thai and English. The immigration police volunteer hats are also different. Royal Thai police foreign volunteers are rare. I only know of the one stationed in Chalong. His uniform is identical to a regular officer, just no sidearm. The RTP hat you describe is common and available for purchase in many places. I would not be surprised if this was just your regular run of the mill nut job loser expat that was trying to intimidate you with his hat he bought at the market. I once saw a non-volunteer expat thrust an empty leather Highway Police badge/ID holder he bought at a bike event in the face of a Thai that challenged him as he was crossing through a clearly marked "employee only" kitchen of a hotel to get to the beach. People can get a thrill from the smallest amount of power.

I would also like to know what item warn by the Tourist Police Volunteers you spoke to you feel is "illegal to posses for a foreigner." You're obviously not talking about a firearm, so that statement doesn't even make sense, as there are not laws specifically targeting none Thai citizens regarding possession of handcuffs, mace/pepper spray, or ASP's (collapsible batons).

Lastly, the comment about volunteers not having any powers is not entirely correct. When I recently researched the difference between US laws and Thai laws on citizens arrest, I was surprised to see how similar they are. No they are not sworn police officers and do not have a sworn police officers powers unless they are under direct supervision with a police officer following his specific instructions. Volunteers do have limited arrest powers under Thai law, but it's the same as you or any other person in Thailand. Contrary to it's name, you don't need to be a citizen to make a citizens arrest. It's a little known fact that in most countries the arrest powers of police do not vary that much from the arrest powers of a private citizen. Without going into to much detail, generally, the advantage cops have is they can detain people without arresting them in order investigate a crime, civilians generally cannot. Cops also have more discretion when arresting for felony's not committed in their presence. A citizen pretty much needs to witness the felony to make a citizens arrest. And of course only cops can cite you for traffic infractions.

Since you got a good enough look at him to see an emblem on his hat, it should be no problem picking him out of the following pictures, although as I said I doubt he was a Tourist police volunteer. If he is there, let us know how the complaint goes. Just make sure you don't post his name publicly as that would constitute libel under Thai law and you could be charged with a crime.

http://www.phuket-tourist-police-volunteers.com/team.html

.

Edited October 14, 2011 by ScubaBuddha

[thaiIand]

dont you think this guy is just a drunk troll? 3600post of reading farang and falang and still writing forang.. just sounds like someone trying to annoy others.

[BigC]

for real he is supposed to set example and show restrant.

And you are not in front of your kids?

Wouldn't have been smarter to take his car model + plate number and once home call the Tourist Police and report?

In the future BigC, I would advise pulling over, breath in some fresh air, count to ten, and then get back on the road instead of endangering people in your vehicle as well as others on the road. Good luck mate.

My kids were not in the car. Though i doubt they would be happy if they had the news that there old man was killed by some wanna be police officer over some petty road rage. The only reason he is a copper is because he could be one back in England because he probably is a menice. They said it in the application to be a tourist police forang helper. they do not want ex police officers. so what does that tell you about all the old forang helpers out here on ritirement visas who dream of being a real police man but they were just not good enough.

[BigC]

dont you think this guy is just a drunk troll? 3600post of reading farang and falang and still writing forang.. just sounds like someone trying to annoy others.

If you a re refering to me. i do not drink. i had an incodent that i was angry about. i have posted allot of threads on this site over many years i do not have time to be a troll and i cannot be bothered. i am just telling it how it is. yes it might sound like a troll. you can twist what i say any way you want. it does not change the fact that some <deleted> tried to push me off the road then thought he could wave his polcie cap at me.

he wanted to call the police. for what.

i agree i should hav got his car reg. but i would not go down to the police station.

therre is nothing to report.

This is not england where u can file a complant and it would be investigated.

all i have is an few words that might or might not have been said and no collision..

if he had hit my car then that would have been another matter.

I am not that stupid. he is he wanted to call the police and what was he going to tell them.

There has been no crime. there nearly was. there was no whitness apart from my word against his

all that would have happened is the the police would have asked if anyone had hit any one. the answer was no. then they would have shrugged their shoulders and walked off.

I wish he had hit my car as i am fully comp. and he would have been in my lane when we collided and he done itwould have done it on purpose.

i suppose it is just a reaction when someone purpose swerves into you to manover out the way.

then next time which i dount there shall be one i shall just let him hit me.

i am not a troll.

[merijn]

I'm sure you felt like you were more in the right than he was, but when other drivers do stupid shit that pisses me off, I try to consider the situation from their perspective before flying off the handle like you did. (Especially with your kids in the car. <deleted> were you thinking?) But I'm not always successful. I have even posted about a similar situation that happened to me. I'm sure the guy in the Thai police hat would have a very different account though. Kinda sounds like you decided to go around the bus which was merging into your lane Thai style (which you should have anticipated as this is what buses, taxi's etc routinely do) From the other guys point of view you didn't like being inconvenienced so you inconvenienced him. Something that from his farang perspective had you committing a grievous act. If the other driver thought you had no other option, he probably wouldn't have honked at you.

I will admit I do share your frustration with people abusing their power. One recent story of my own...the other week I saw an older civilian plated gold Toyota salon with large "Tourist Police Volunteer" across the entire back window. This guy ran every red light between Town and Hayak Chalong in afternoon school time traffic, sometimes slowly, sometimes at speed, undertaking or overtaking the que at every red light as motorbikes do. Using the center "VIP" lane making oncoming cars move over. Insane stuff. I wanted to snap a pic with my phone, but all the windows were mirrored, even the windshield! That was the closest I came to making an official complaint.

Your story begs a few more questions. I believe you have made some inaccurate assumptions.

Firstly, why did you feel the need to "slow down" (i.e. brake in front of him to teach him a lesson) only after you determined he was falang? I guess I kind of understand how you can be more irritated with a farang. It's by in large not considered rude in this society to tailgate, overtake unsafely, speed, or cut up other drivers. Thai's don't know any other way. No training, no enforcement, very few incidents of road rage, thus no consequences. It just is how it is. But a western trained driver presumably knows better. The catch with that is many western drivers once faced with the freedom to drive with impunity take it to the extreme. By far the the top 4 or 5 worst, most dangerous drivers I can recall seeing over the years in Phuket were farang.

And what makes you so sure he was a tourist police volunteer? The hats they wear are not the same as the regular Royal Thai Police hats such as you have described.

As you can see their hats are colored and say "Tourist Police" in Thai and English. The immigration police volunteer hats are also different. Royal Thai police foreign volunteers are rare. I only know of the one stationed in Chalong. His uniform is identical to a regular officer, just no sidearm. The RTP hat you describe is common and available for purchase in many places. I would not be surprised if this was just your regular run of the mill nut job loser expat that was trying to intimidate you with his hat he bought at the market. I once saw a non-volunteer expat thrust an empty leather Highway Police badge/ID holder he bought at a bike event in the face of a Thai that challenged him as he was crossing through a clearly marked "employee only" kitchen of a hotel to get to the beach. People can get a thrill from the smallest amount of power.

I would also like to know what item warn by the Tourist Police Volunteers you spoke to you feel is "illegal to posses for a foreigner." You're obviously not talking about a firearm, so that statement doesn't even make sense, as there are not laws specifically targeting none Thai citizens regarding possession of handcuffs, mace/pepper spray, or ASP's (collapsible batons).

Lastly, the comment about volunteers not having any powers is not entirely correct. When I recently researched the difference between US laws and Thai laws on citizens arrest, I was surprised to see how similar they are. No they are not sworn police officers and do not have a sworn police officers powers unless they are under direct supervision with a police officer following his specific instructions. Volunteers do have limited arrest powers under Thai law, but it's the same as you or any other person in Thailand. Contrary to it's name, you don't need to be a citizen to make a citizens arrest. It's a little known fact that in most countries the arrest powers of police do not vary that much from the arrest powers of a private citizen. Without going into to much detail, generally, the advantage cops have is they can detain people without arresting them in order investigate a crime, civilians generally cannot. Cops also have more discretion when arresting for felony's not committed in their presence. A citizen pretty much needs to witness the felony to make a citizens arrest. And of course only cops can cite you for traffic infractions.

Since you got a good enough look at him to see an emblem on his hat, it should be no problem picking him out of the following pictures, although as I said I doubt he was a Tourist police volunteer. If he is there, let us know how the complaint goes. Just make sure you don't post his name publicly as that would constitute libel under Thai law and you could be charged with a crime.

http://www.phuket-tourist-police-volunteers.com/team.html

.

One correction, The Immigration volunteers are NOT police volunteers but work only for the immigration department and where sometimes hats which mentions Immigration.

The immigration volunteers have nothing to do with the tourist police volunteers. ( but immigration is officially part of the Royal Thai Police )

Edited October 14, 2011 by merijn

[thaiIand]

i dont know but personally someone writing forang or falong to annoy people online is much worse than any driver trying to to make someone fall off the road after they just swerved around instead of slowing down. And those drivers annoy me pretty hard.

let's just agree that both of you are trying to cause problems.

[smokie36]

i dont know but personally someone writing forang or falong to annoy people online is much worse than any driver trying to to make someone fall off the road after they just swerved around instead of slowing down. And those drivers annoy me pretty hard.

let's just agree that both of you are trying to cause problems.

Its sad that you can't see past a few spelling mistakes. The meaning of the Op's post is quite clear.

Try responding to the content rather than your own agenda.

Cheers.

[smokie36]

dont you think this guy is just a drunk troll? 3600post of reading farang and falang and still writing forang.. just sounds like someone trying to annoy others.

If you a re refering to me. i do not drink. i had an incodent that i was angry about. i have posted allot of threads on this site over many years i do not have time to be a troll and i cannot be bothered. i am just telling it how it is. yes it might sound like a troll. you can twist what i say any way you want. it does not change the fact that some <deleted> tried to push me off the road then thought he could wave his polcie cap at me.

he wanted to call the police. for what.

i agree i should hav got his car reg. but i would not go down to the police station.

therre is nothing to report.

This is not england where u can file a complant and it would be investigated.

all i have is an few words that might or might not have been said and no collision..

if he had hit my car then that would have been another matter.

I am not that stupid. he is he wanted to call the police and what was he going to tell them.

There has been no crime. there nearly was. there was no whitness apart from my word against his

all that would have happened is the the police would have asked if anyone had hit any one. the answer was no. then they would have shrugged their shoulders and walked off.

I wish he had hit my car as i am fully comp. and he would have been in my lane when we collided and he done itwould have done it on purpose.

i suppose it is just a reaction when someone purpose swerves into you to manover out the way.

then next time which i dount there shall be one i shall just let him hit me.

i am not a troll.

Even the Phuket forum has little compassion....although those who suggested stopping and taking some time to calm down have hit the mark.

Jumped up little Nazi you met there BigC...testament to your self restraint that he's not eating through a straw!

[paulfromphuket]

Some Thai children play dress-up in Nazi uniforms.

Some foreign males play dress-up in Tourist police uniforms.

PS

You could have just stopped your car and waited 10 minutes.

Playing car tag, with your children in the car was your choice.

well at least the school girls did it sexy if a littlle uneducated and missguided. The tourist police um I think there serious!

[smokie36]

Some Thai children play dress-up in Nazi uniforms.

Some foreign males play dress-up in Tourist police uniforms.

PS

You could have just stopped your car and waited 10 minutes.

Playing car tag, with your children in the car was your choice.

well at least the school girls did it sexy if a littlle uneducated and missguided. The tourist police um I think there serious!

They take themselves way too seriously. One of these days a tpv will end up being seriously hurt. If this guy is a tpv then it says it all really.

I've met the type....the sort who should be prison wardens back home.

[paulfromphuket]

I am definantley not one of them but have met quite a few hence the comment. I aggree with your prognosses, If the Thai ploice were educated and had some language skills then they would be unnessesary, don't think you have the same exist in Mayalsia or Singapore

[ScubaBuddha]

One correction, The Immigration volunteers are NOT police volunteers but work only for the immigration department and where sometimes hats which mentions Immigration.

The immigration volunteers have nothing to do with the tourist police volunteers. ( but immigration is officially part of the Royal Thai Police )

Yes I am aware they are a separate entity which is why I listed them separately, and I have been told for the 3rd time now how important it is to them to distinguish themselves from the Tourist Police Volunteers.

As to the point of not being "police" volunteers however, I cannot see how that argument can even be made. For starters, while the hat may only say immigration (Big C please take note of that) both shoulder patches and chest emblems clearly say "Royal Thai Police" across the top. You'll notice that the chap on the left also inexplicably has a tourist police logo on his belt which says "Tourist Police" under it in Thai and English. The guy on the right's belt buckle also has the RTP logo on it. Sorry, but if they are volunteers who work for the RTP, Immigration Division, they are police volunteers by definition even if they aren't doing any actual "policing."

But this quote from their website would seem to contradict you merijn:

PIV [Phuket Immigration Volunteer] officers man the Phuket Town Immigration Office and when necessary the Patong Immigration Office. They are trained and prepared to answer immigration related questions and to liaise with the Immigration police officers.

The PIV offered its services to the “Tourist Assistance” programme started by Kathu police to have foreign citizens patrol with RTP officers in Patong. PIV officers offer advice and information to tourists and expatriates, attend accident and crime scenes involving foreigners and try to maintain Patong as a safe and pleasant place to visit. More recently, the PIV role has expanded to include looking after visiting foreign military personnel and also added Chalong, Kata and Karon to its patrol areas.

PIV's mandate sounds very similar to that of the TPV's, although I doubt PIV's will be breaking up bar fights, so not wanting to use the word "police" is a fair distinction to make.

Source:http://phuketimmigrationvolunteers.wordpress.com/

If you are trying to make the point that they are not volunteer police officers, then that is fine. There is a lot of confusion about that. People seem to think that if someones title has the word "police" in it, even if it is as innocuous as "Tourist Police Volunteer" that they are sworn police officers or something. This is evidenced by BigC's comments "I wanted to get out my car because these people have no powers"

I've met a few TPV's and a few PIV's. They all seemed like very decent guys. TV member simon43 has offered his services to anyone wishing it when he was a TPV when he lived in Phuket, and I have seen two TPV's go hands on with a drunk idiot in a bar on Bangla probably saving the knob a bludgeoning, or from bludgeoning someone else and spending some time in a Thai jail. I think these guys are a great asset and do a great job. (My comments do not extend to their compatriots in Pattaya) No doubt there was or still is some bad apples around, but the people bad mouthing them are the some people that bad mouth anyone with a badge and authority, which is fine. There will always be those people.

Edited October 14, 2011 by ScubaBuddha

[thaiIand]

i dont know but personally someone writing forang or falong to annoy people online is much worse than any driver trying to to make someone fall off the road after they just swerved around instead of slowing down. And those drivers annoy me pretty hard.

let's just agree that both of you are trying to cause problems.

Its sad that you can't see past a few spelling mistakes. The meaning of the Op's post is quite clear.

Try responding to the content rather than your own agenda.

Cheers.

its not a spelling mistake. he spelled it that way many times.

Thai forum's trolls always use 'falong, farong, forang' and other similar weird pronounciations. Just like trolls on english forum will write peenut for a peanut to subconciously invoke the word penis and many other similar annoying lingos.

[smokie36]

i dont know but personally someone writing forang or falong to annoy people online is much worse than any driver trying to to make someone fall off the road after they just swerved around instead of slowing down. And those drivers annoy me pretty hard.

let's just agree that both of you are trying to cause problems.

Its sad that you can't see past a few spelling mistakes. The meaning of the Op's post is quite clear.

Try responding to the content rather than your own agenda.

Cheers.

its not a spelling mistake. he spelled it that way many times.

Thai forum's trolls always use 'falong, farong, forang' and other similar weird pronounciations. Just like trolls on english forum will write peenut for a peanut to subconciously invoke the word penis and many other similar annoying lingos.

BigC is not a troll pal...he's a regular poster on the Samui forum.

If only this forum had the same sense of humour....

[starcandle]

Anyone here about that prick in Samui who acts as a volounteer, think he's isreal chap.. takes his power right to his head.

chased a guy on a motorbike for not stopping when pricko steped in front of him. then got him locked up overnight.

roumor has it he got a good beating in soi regae for poppinng his chest out and sticking his nose in.

tuff love baby tuff love

[limbos]

its not a spelling mistake. he spelled it that way many times.

Thai forum's trolls always use 'falong, farong, forang' and other similar weird pronounciations. Just like trolls on english forum will write peenut for a peanut to subconciously invoke the word penis and many other similar annoying lingos.

You still don't get it, do you, still hung up on a speling misstakes, are you? Visit the Samui forum and see some of BigC's posts there, you believe me, he's on good behavior here!

[Rooo]

dont you think this guy is just a drunk troll? 3600post of reading farang and falang and still writing forang.. just sounds like someone trying to annoy others.

Perhaps you could have spent some time & some of his other 3,000+ posts. No he is not a troll,nor is he drunk . Just because people are not up to your spelling standard that does not mean they can not post on here or have ulterior motives.. Is that clearer now?

[limbos]

A whole Samui posse on the Phuket forum defending BigC, who would've thought that