Tourist Police Volunteer

[saengsureeya]

I know that my post maybe some what offensive, but there is one encounter with some Pattaya Tourist Police Volonteers that keeps spinning though my mind:

On day I was at the Jomtien Station (halfway up the hill) in order to prepare a report for Banglamung Police.

At the station were some PTPV's present and there was one guy: short, blond hair, hazel blue eyes, pale skin, tall and dressed up in a dark blue uniform with a military outlook...........really, the guy gave me the creeps and the total concept, guy + attire, placed me in a bad war movie and only the Kiss-trademarks on his shoulders were missing.

[NomadJoe]

I know that my post maybe some what offensive, but there is one encounter with some Pattaya Tourist Police Volonteers that keeps spinning though my mind:

On day I was at the Jomtien Station (halfway up the hill) in order to prepare a report for Banglamung Police.

At the station were some PTPV's present and there was one guy: short, blond hair, hazel blue eyes, pale skin, tall and dressed up in a dark blue uniform with a military outlook...........really, the guy gave me the creeps and the total concept, guy + attire, placed me in a bad war movie and only the Kiss-trademarks on his shoulders were missing.

So where is the "encounter"? I was looking forward to a story like phl. Surely you didn't get all this from just a look, because that would be incredibly judgmental. Maybe he was a nice chap. You don't know. Ok, probably a nutter but point is you will never know.

[geriatrickid]

I think they are hilarious! Always give me a good laugh when on walking street.

They should dress them in yellow T-shirts with smiley face badges saying "Can I help you" but instead someone thought it would be a good idea to dress them up like Nazi Storm-troopers!

Still they do nobody any harm (well except for the one convicted and banged up for selling heroin, the one pepper-spraying lady-boys on beach road and the nutter that made his own police car driving round pattaya at 100 MPH)

What about the one in Phuket who murdered his Thai wife !!!!!

Not a Tourist Police Volunteer. He was Highway something or other.

Anyway, the ones in Patong are semi decent. There are a couple idiots, but for the most part, they are good at helping the tourists with directions to Jungceylon, a clinic if their private parts are on fire and the most likely open pharmacy if someone's got the squirts. I still haven't figured out how that one woman is able to walk around all night in heels.

[geriatrickid]

I think someone to assist the tourists with information, and the ability to call police or medical is the key. This is what they have in Honolulu around the popular tourist areas. Dressed in Honolulu horror shirts and shorts. They were easy to find and very helpful. Also an extra set of eyes on the streets is helpful, but that’s where it should stop.

And I guess this is were the failing comes in with the current system....they actually believe they are policemen and start trying to play PC plod for real...by all means help people...but there appears to be a line which is crossed on a frequent basis

Can you give examples of when they "believe they are policeman?" Remember that any civilian, foreign or Thai, when directed by a sworn policeman has by proxy police powers, is obligated even. I have seen foreign TPV's go hands on with a drunk fcukstick wanting a fight in Phuket. Saved the guy from a serious pummelling by Somchai and his 18 cousins that were circling like sharks. Granted the Patts guys look and act far to militaristic. Berat? Really? I've known some of the guys in Phuket and they all seemed good people. I've met the team leader, Claude de Crissey a few times. Good chap. Super likable guy. Big teddy bear. I don't sense the chip on shoulder of the TPV's in Phuket like in Patts.

Monsieur de Crissy owns a hotel, and a patisserie and has other holdings. He has a vested interest in making sure his position is well protected. I am not denigrating the chap, but based upon my own personal experience, I believe the motive is not entirely altruistic.That's all I will say. However, it is Patong and people can figure things out.

[NomadJoe]

I think someone to assist the tourists with information, and the ability to call police or medical is the key. This is what they have in Honolulu around the popular tourist areas. Dressed in Honolulu horror shirts and shorts. They were easy to find and very helpful. Also an extra set of eyes on the streets is helpful, but that’s where it should stop.

And I guess this is were the failing comes in with the current system....they actually believe they are policemen and start trying to play PC plod for real...by all means help people...but there appears to be a line which is crossed on a frequent basis

Can you give examples of when they "believe they are policeman?" Remember that any civilian, foreign or Thai, when directed by a sworn policeman has by proxy police powers, is obligated even. I have seen foreign TPV's go hands on with a drunk fcukstick wanting a fight in Phuket. Saved the guy from a serious pummelling by Somchai and his 18 cousins that were circling like sharks. Granted the Patts guys look and act far to militaristic. Berat? Really? I've known some of the guys in Phuket and they all seemed good people. I've met the team leader, Claude de Crissey a few times. Good chap. Super likable guy. Big teddy bear. I don't sense the chip on shoulder of the TPV's in Phuket like in Patts.

Monsieur de Crissy owns a hotel, and a patisserie and has other holdings. He has a vested interest in making sure his position is well protected. I am not denigrating the chap, but based upon my own personal experience, I believe the motive is not entirely altruistic.That's all I will say. However, it is Patong and people can figure things out.

But you really have no evidence or proof that he gets special treatment, so it's just a feeling you have?

Any special treatment he or his businesses get are not because he is a TPV, it's because of his wife.

Edited June 25, 2012 by NomadJoe

[NomadJoe]

I think they are hilarious! Always give me a good laugh when on walking street.

They should dress them in yellow T-shirts with smiley face badges saying "Can I help you" but instead someone thought it would be a good idea to dress them up like Nazi Storm-troopers!

Still they do nobody any harm (well except for the one convicted and banged up for selling heroin, the one pepper-spraying lady-boys on beach road and the nutter that made his own police car driving round pattaya at 100 MPH)

What about the one in Phuket who murdered his Thai wife !!!!!

Not a Tourist Police Volunteer. He was Highway something or other.

And she wasn't his wife, she was his ex-girlfriend. (Ex-girlfriend when he killed her, not because he killed her)

Edited June 25, 2012 by NomadJoe

[salavan]

Helps some ex cops fill in their day and lets some play cop. Live in the back of beyond not many farangs in the area, local cops know what I was and if a farang problem occurs they can give me a call. Never been needed except to translate a CCTV footage. I am not a volunteer tourist cop. Jim

they like the uniform

[transam]

Helps some ex cops fill in their day and lets some play cop. Live in the back of beyond not many farangs in the area, local cops know what I was and if a farang problem occurs they can give me a call. Never been needed except to translate a CCTV footage. I am not a volunteer tourist cop. Jim

they like the uniform

I don't have a TPV uniform.

[YipYipYa123]

IF they want to cut down on the dickheads they enlist i think the army storm trooper uniforms should be scrapped ,

and the word "police " should be stripped from their title ,they dont have any power anyway and those that genuinely

want to help should be called Volunteer Tourist Guides or something similar and should be dressed like someone who sells bus tickets

in travel agent ,not like riot police in europe preparing to deal with football hooligans

Letting them be called "police" is a major part of the problem IMO ,and possibily a good reason why it attracts the people who want to abuse the job

when they see the corruption in the regular police force that goes largely ignored by the population

dressed up like rambo ,speeding through red lights with a police badge on their vehicle , and shouting at other tourists like they have some authority over everyone is a system all gone wrong...........

[evadgib]

The Tourist Police Volunteers (TVP) on Samui sorted their act out several years ago. Robocops or anyone mincing about with a utility belt is long gone. I don't know how many there are at the moment but I note they speak an impressive 12 languages between them (inc Russian, Hebrew, Korean, Japanese) & have a few females among them. I don't have any further details (selection, vetting, background, training) as I am not involved.

[thunder30101]

The concept of having tpv's is a good one the only problem for me is how any self respecting person with morals could justify working in the enviroment of corruption seen on a daily basis committted by police in the tourist areas ! If they want to do something positive how about documenting this corruption so someone might be able to at least do something about it. Even the thais are starting to get tired of it being so out of control. When a top thai gov. official here admits its out of control you know its bad.

[h90]

But well there are a lot of shops that think they can take over public roads and put signs that parking there is only for customer. Which should be ignored.

Of course if it is your property the story is complete different.

And what would have been wrong, if he simply would walked in the hotel and asked if he could please park for just 5 min, because there is an emergency and he must help someone. Could be total fake and need 30 min, but I guess no one would have said no.

Edited July 1, 2012 by astral
No need for long quote

[daoyai]

....documenting corruption ! you want to add an element of danger to the "job"?

[YipYipYa123]

park a vehicle on my land and see what happens to it ,some idiot parked in front of our delivery entrance before and we just broke his window ,took the hand brake off and pushed it down the street

"real " police came down to see what the problem was ,manager told them in thai and they told the offender he should leave before things get worse

what ever gives you the right to use someone elses property as a free car park ?

[BigJohnnyBKK]

But well there are a lot of shops that think they can take over public roads and put signs that parking there is only for customer. Which should be ignored.

Of course if it is your property the story is complete different.

And what would have been wrong, if he simply would walked in the hotel and asked if he could please park for just 5 min, because there is an emergency and he must help someone. Could be total fake and need 30 min, but I guess no one would have said no.

In my experience, the parking spaces at the curb directly in front of a private property do in effect belong to that property and Thais do assert their right to control how it's used.

There may be places where it would be safe to challenge such assertions, but whether it's the official law or not is irrelevant, it depends on the agreed-upon customs of that particular area.

[Bagwan]

They came to ask me, I told them my visa siad mo work permitted. They said no problem we don't pay you. That's when the Torkshire background kicked in. "If you ever do owt for nowt. Do it for thisen" You need a volunteer visa.

Could you repost this in English, preferably the Queen's.

What one does not want or need is for one to talk in the style of Betty Windsor, does one? I think that is so. Any more yattering about 'it giving her and her husband great pleasure' is surely a waste of breath - and I don't want to hear her mention her 'horrible anus' again.

There isn't much to recommended Janet Street-Porter's delivery either.

[BigJohnnyBKK]

The concept of having tpv's is a good one the only problem for me is how any self respecting person with morals could justify working in the enviroment of corruption seen on a daily basis committted by police in the tourist areas ! If they want to do something positive how about documenting this corruption so someone might be able to at least do something about it. Even the thais are starting to get tired of it being so out of control. When a top thai gov. official here admits its out of control you know its bad.

You are dangerously naive. Only the Thais that don't benefit from it care, and they have no power.

The problem will not be solved within the lifetime of anyone reading this, trying to do something about it as a foreigner will not only be useless, but if you make yourself visible doing so, most likely quite dangerous.

[NomadJoe]

IF they want to cut down on the dickheads they enlist i think the army storm trooper uniforms should be scrapped ,

I think most would agree with you there. Your talking about the Pattaya TPV. In Phuket. and I think in other places, they were a nice white polo and baseball cap with "tourist police assitant" on the back. The foreign immigration police volunteers, which operates under a completely separate section, also wear white.

Remember too that the majority of tourist police volunteers are Thai, just like the regular police volunteers you see working the checkpoints with the regular officers.

and the word "police " should be stripped from their title ,they dont have any power anyway

Actually, they do. And so do you. Thailand has "citizens arrest" laws just like back home, but being a citizen is not a requirement. Furthermore, a sworn Thai police officer can direct any person Thai or foreign makes no difference, extending his powers of detention and arrest to any other person. That is why TPV's carry handcuffs, pepper spray, and expandable batons.

should be dressed like someone who sells bus tickets in travel agent, not like riot police in europe preparing to deal with football hooligans

Yeah, so you mentioned.

..dressed up like rambo...

I think I have discovered the crux of your issue... lol

[NomadJoe]

,speeding through red lights with a police badge on their vehicle , and shouting at other tourists like they have some authority over everyone is a system all gone wrong...........

When you reported the guy with a tourist police badge on his car abusing his position, what happened? Oh, you didn't? Why not?

Perhaps it was it just a police badge like every second Furtuner, Beemer and Merc in Thailand has? Because those aren't TPV's.

I once witnessed a car with "tourist police assistant" written across the back in big letters que jump and slowly run a dozen red lights the length of Chao Fa East. It really bothered me. I wanted to take the drivers picture but the entire car was blacked out, even the front. I noted the plate number and sent an email to the Tourist Police. Probably did nothing but I felt better about it. If you see something like that and don't do anything about it then you are complicit in it, and really shouldn't be coming on here to moan about it. If only I had a camera that did video, I would have recorded it and posted it.

[NomadJoe]

The concept of having tpv's is a good one the only problem for me is how any self respecting person with morals could justify working in the enviroment of corruption seen on a daily basis committted by police in the tourist areas ! If they want to do something positive how about documenting this corruption so someone might be able to at least do something about it. Even the thais are starting to get tired of it being so out of control. When a top thai gov. official here admits its out of control you know its bad.

You are dangerously naive. Only the Thais that don't benefit from it care, and they have no power.

The problem will not be solved within the lifetime of anyone reading this, trying to do something about it as a foreigner will not only be useless, but if you make yourself visible doing so, most likely quite dangerous.

+1

It is a question that every foreign police volunteer needs to decide for themselves. Would being part of a corrupt system be worth the good one could do individually? Personally I would be fine with it as long as I wasn't directly part of the problem. We live in this country so to a degree we already accept being part of the corrupt system. I would ask myself: If my issue is with the system as a whole, then is that system better or worse off with me as a part of it?

[NomadJoe]

People often think that having a voluteer police sticker on their car or motorbike gives them the rights to break the speed limit ,

Sorry, so you know of a place in Thailand where speed limits are adhered to? Being in Thailand would seem to give everyone the right to speed and park where they like. I think your just making this up.

Edited June 25, 2012 by NomadJoe

[NomadJoe]

Pattaya Volunteers,

For starters half of them do not speak any English and certainly no Thai, so how exactly are they helping?

The ones who are from English speaking backgrounds, majority do not speak or understand any Thai, so again, how exactly are they helping? They can not translate your problem, nor can they understand the instructions given by the real officer.

For some unknown reason, some of them have decided they have the right to act as police , Following is a personal experience which can be backed up by CCTV and live witnesses.

One volunteer decided that he wants to park his bike in front of my hotel, on hotels property(he was not a guest or patron).

He parked his bike right in front of a sign which states in red and bold in 2 languages(english and thai)

"parking for hotel guests only, if parked without authorization, bike will be chained and 100 baht will be charged"

Anyhow, after 30 mins or so of him shopping or doing whatever he did return to find his bike chained up.

First thing he did was flash his volunteer batch-to which i simply laughed.

He paid the 100 baht and returned with a street cop from around the corner, which was even more funny, considering that same street

cop uses my toilets and gets his drinks from the hotel.

30 mins later, he returned with another officer from the station. After showing that officer where he parked and the sign, that officer just left...

The real Thai cop, just left him, so he had to take a taxi to go back to station.

He returned again, sadly i was not here, and started demanding to see all the licenses, my WP from my staff etc. As i said, sadly i was

not present, to have him charged as volunteers have no right to "demand" or act without real police present.

So to answer your question why people do not speak nice of them?! because they are useless, arrogant and worst of all too stupid to

think they have some special powers.

I am not saying all, but have enough of them around to give that impression.

Some are too fat or too old to even walk so what use are they exactly when there is trouble and they are called?! Though are useful to give directions.

Lucky you didn't get arrested for theft. You have no legal right to chain peoples bikes, on your property or not, sign or not, even plonkers bikes.

park a vehicle on my land and see what happens to it ,some idiot parked in front of our delivery entrance before and we just broke his window ,took the hand brake off and pushed it down the street

"real " police came down to see what the problem was ,manager told them in thai and they told the offender he should leave before things get worse

what ever gives you the right to use someone elses property as a free car park ?

Blocking an entry/driveway is completely different than the example given above to which I replied. What gives you the right to vandalize, burglarize, and commit grand theft? So you're giving examples of how fcuked up people can do fcuked up things to other people and get away with it. Congrats. Your a tough guy. Because you and phl got away with it doesn't make it right, or legal.

phl had one incident in which he was the provocateur because he wanted to apply special rules to the TPV because he was a TPV. From this one incident he has determined TPV's are "they are useless, arrogant and worst of all too stupid"

phl, your story is suspect. Why would he be stranded after paying the 100B? Did you refuse to unlock his bike?

Edited June 25, 2012 by NomadJoe

[NomadJoe]

The Tourist Police Volunteers (TVP) on Samui sorted their act out several years ago. Robocops or anyone mincing about with a utility belt is long gone. I don't know how many there are at the moment but I note they speak an impressive 12 languages between them (inc Russian, Hebrew, Korean, Japanese) & have a few females among them. I don't have any further details (selection, vetting, background, training) as I am not involved.

One thing I noticed when I went to the Samui bike week is that there is a farang with a Honda Goldwing fully kitted out like a police bike, lights and all. I only caught a short glimpse of him so I don't know what branch he was with. Definitely not the highway police though.

[tomwct]

I think it's a good idea, as long as they want gto volunteer to help tourists and the local police. In Korat, we have at least one who is mentally unstable and they is not good for the image of the Volunteer Tourist Police!

[Kilgore Trout]

Pattaya Volunteers,

For starters half of them do not speak any English and certainly no Thai, so how exactly are they helping?

The ones who are from English speaking backgrounds, majority do not speak or understand any Thai, so again, how exactly are they helping? They can not translate your problem, nor can they understand the instructions given by the real officer.

For some unknown reason, some of them have decided they have the right to act as police , Following is a personal experience which can be backed up by CCTV and live witnesses.

One volunteer decided that he wants to park his bike in front of my hotel, on hotels property(he was not a guest or patron).

He parked his bike right in front of a sign which states in red and bold in 2 languages(english and thai)

"parking for hotel guests only, if parked without authorization, bike will be chained and 100 baht will be charged"

Anyhow, after 30 mins or so of him shopping or doing whatever he did return to find his bike chained up.

First thing he did was flash his volunteer batch-to which i simply laughed.

He paid the 100 baht and returned with a street cop from around the corner, which was even more funny, considering that same street

cop uses my toilets and gets his drinks from the hotel.

30 mins later, he returned with another officer from the station. After showing that officer where he parked and the sign, that officer just left...

The real Thai cop, just left him, so he had to take a taxi to go back to station.

He returned again, sadly i was not here, and started demanding to see all the licenses, my WP from my staff etc. As i said, sadly i was

not present, to have him charged as volunteers have no right to "demand" or act without real police present.

So to answer your question why people do not speak nice of them?! because they are useless, arrogant and worst of all too stupid to

think they have some special powers.

I am not saying all, but have enough of them around to give that impression.

Some are too fat or too old to even walk so what use are they exactly when there is trouble and they are called?! Though are useful to give directions.

Thats the pot calling the kettle black; by rule of law, don't the police volunteers need work permits? I'm quite sure they don't have them. What a bunch of losers

[transam]

Pattaya Volunteers,

For starters half of them do not speak any English and certainly no Thai, so how exactly are they helping?

The ones who are from English speaking backgrounds, majority do not speak or understand any Thai, so again, how exactly are they helping? They can not translate your problem, nor can they understand the instructions given by the real officer.

For some unknown reason, some of them have decided they have the right to act as police , Following is a personal experience which can be backed up by CCTV and live witnesses.

One volunteer decided that he wants to park his bike in front of my hotel, on hotels property(he was not a guest or patron).

He parked his bike right in front of a sign which states in red and bold in 2 languages(english and thai)

"parking for hotel guests only, if parked without authorization, bike will be chained and 100 baht will be charged"

Anyhow, after 30 mins or so of him shopping or doing whatever he did return to find his bike chained up.

First thing he did was flash his volunteer batch-to which i simply laughed.

He paid the 100 baht and returned with a street cop from around the corner, which was even more funny, considering that same street

cop uses my toilets and gets his drinks from the hotel.

30 mins later, he returned with another officer from the station. After showing that officer where he parked and the sign, that officer just left...

The real Thai cop, just left him, so he had to take a taxi to go back to station.

He returned again, sadly i was not here, and started demanding to see all the licenses, my WP from my staff etc. As i said, sadly i was

not present, to have him charged as volunteers have no right to "demand" or act without real police present.

So to answer your question why people do not speak nice of them?! because they are useless, arrogant and worst of all too stupid to

think they have some special powers.

I am not saying all, but have enough of them around to give that impression.

Some are too fat or too old to even walk so what use are they exactly when there is trouble and they are called?! Though are useful to give directions.

Thats the pot calling the kettle black; by rule of law, don't the police volunteers need work permits? I'm quite sure they don't have them. What a bunch of losers

No they ''say'' we don't need one. I tried.

[YipYipYa123]

,speeding through red lights with a police badge on their vehicle , and shouting at other tourists like they have some authority over everyone is a system all gone wrong...........

When you reported the guy with a tourist police badge on his car abusing his position, what happened? Oh, you didn't? Why not?

Perhaps it was it just a police badge like every second Furtuner, Beemer and Merc in Thailand has? Because those aren't TPV's.

I once witnessed a car with "tourist police assistant" written across the back in big letters que jump and slowly run a dozen red lights the length of Chao Fa East. It really bothered me. I wanted to take the drivers picture but the entire car was blacked out, even the front. I noted the plate number and sent an email to the Tourist Police. Probably did nothing but I felt better about it. If you see something like that and don't do anything about it then you are complicit in it, and really shouldn't be coming on here to moan about it. If only I had a camera that did video, I would have recorded it and posted it.

ever hear of pissing in the wind ?

[YipYipYa123]

Pattaya Volunteers,

For starters half of them do not speak any English and certainly no Thai, so how exactly are they helping?

The ones who are from English speaking backgrounds, majority do not speak or understand any Thai, so again, how exactly are they helping? They can not translate your problem, nor can they understand the instructions given by the real officer.

For some unknown reason, some of them have decided they have the right to act as police , Following is a personal experience which can be backed up by CCTV and live witnesses.

One volunteer decided that he wants to park his bike in front of my hotel, on hotels property(he was not a guest or patron).

He parked his bike right in front of a sign which states in red and bold in 2 languages(english and thai)

"parking for hotel guests only, if parked without authorization, bike will be chained and 100 baht will be charged"

Anyhow, after 30 mins or so of him shopping or doing whatever he did return to find his bike chained up.

First thing he did was flash his volunteer batch-to which i simply laughed.

He paid the 100 baht and returned with a street cop from around the corner, which was even more funny, considering that same street

cop uses my toilets and gets his drinks from the hotel.

30 mins later, he returned with another officer from the station. After showing that officer where he parked and the sign, that officer just left...

The real Thai cop, just left him, so he had to take a taxi to go back to station.

He returned again, sadly i was not here, and started demanding to see all the licenses, my WP from my staff etc. As i said, sadly i was

not present, to have him charged as volunteers have no right to "demand" or act without real police present.

So to answer your question why people do not speak nice of them?! because they are useless, arrogant and worst of all too stupid to

think they have some special powers.

I am not saying all, but have enough of them around to give that impression.

Some are too fat or too old to even walk so what use are they exactly when there is trouble and they are called?! Though are useful to give directions.

Lucky you didn't get arrested for theft. You have no legal right to chain peoples bikes, on your property or not, sign or not, even plonkers bikes.

park a vehicle on my land and see what happens to it ,some idiot parked in front of our delivery entrance before and we just broke his window ,took the hand brake off and pushed it down the street

"real " police came down to see what the problem was ,manager told them in thai and they told the offender he should leave before things get worse

what ever gives you the right to use someone elses property as a free car park ?

Blocking an entry/driveway is completely different than the example given above to which I replied. What gives you the right to vandalize, burglarize, and commit grand theft? So you're giving examples of how fcuked up people can do fcuked up things to other people and get away with it. Congrats. Your a tough guy. Because you and phl got away with it doesn't make it right, or legal.

phl had one incident in which he was the provocateur because he wanted to apply special rules to the TPV because he was a TPV. From this one incident he has determined TPV's are "they are useless, arrogant and worst of all too stupid"

phl, your story is suspect. Why would he be stranded after paying the 100B? Did you refuse to unlock his bike?

if someone parks on our property ,we do enforce our own rules

he can not complain about his vehicle being clamped or in our case ,moved with whatever force necessary

local police will back us in every situation ,whether its right or wrong makes no difernce and you must be new in thailand

if you think the letter of the law is enforced in any righteous or justly manner ,more likely "police intrepretation of the law " is enforced (BIG differnce )

pissing in the wind again ,eh joe ?

[NomadJoe]

Lucky you didn't get arrested for theft. You have no legal right to chain peoples bikes, on your property or not, sign or not, even plonkers bikes.

park a vehicle on my land and see what happens to it ,some idiot parked in front of our delivery entrance before and we just broke his window ,took the hand brake off and pushed it down the street

"real " police came down to see what the problem was ,manager told them in thai and they told the offender he should leave before things get worse

what ever gives you the right to use someone elses property as a free car park ?

Blocking an entry/driveway is completely different than the example given above to which I replied. What gives you the right to vandalize, burglarize, and commit grand theft? So you're giving examples of how fcuked up people can do fcuked up things to other people and get away with it. Congrats. Your a tough guy. Because you and phl got away with it doesn't make it right, or legal.

phl had one incident in which he was the provocateur because he wanted to apply special rules to the TPV because he was a TPV. From this one incident he has determined TPV's are "they are useless, arrogant and worst of all too stupid"

phl, your story is suspect. Why would he be stranded after paying the 100B? Did you refuse to unlock his bike?

if someone parks on our property ,we do enforce our own rules

he can not complain about his vehicle being clamped or in our case ,moved with whatever force necessary

local police will back us in every situation ,whether its right or wrong makes no difernce and you must be new in thailand

if you think the letter of the law is enforced in any righteous or justly manner ,more likely "police intrepretation of the law " is enforced (BIG differnce )

pissing in the wind again ,eh joe ?

So let me understand this right...you are complaining about some perceived special treatment a TPV may or may not get and police corruption, then in the same breath you talk about being backed by those same police whether you are "right or wrong, makes no difference" Wow. The hypocrisy is staggering. So the corruption is OK as long as it benefits you. I definitely know what kind of TPV you would make. Breaking peoples windows for parking on your property? What kind of person does stuff like that? Wait..I know the answer.

[BigJohnnyBKK]

Naive ??? <deleted> I didnt leave my morals at the airport gate, yes I choose to live here, that doesnt mean i have to watch blatant corruption and not be offended by it, especially when I see a westerner using the same system to enrich themselves in some way. Some day good people in this country will change things. How do you think those good thais feel when they see a falang doing the same shit as the corrupt thais ? TVP's have a choice, be a part of the solution by not condoning corrupt people however long that may take, or be part of the problem and stick your head in the sand and say mai pen rai.

FFR you might want to use the "Quote" function so everyone knows who/what your rave is responding to.

And of course you're free to live as you choose, just watch you don't take your IMO idealistic stand too far. Standing up for what's right can be very dangerous here, and I doubt you'll find too many of your good Thais are willing to stick their necks out - they know better. IOW I hope you're not so passionate about your principles that you're willing to sacrifice your life and treasure for the good of Thailand. Best of luck having a pleasant and peaceful stay in the LoS.