Immigration Conduct Random 'Surprise' Drug Tests Of Foreigners On Sukhumvit Soi 3

[webfact]

Police conduct random 'surprise' drug tests of foreigners on Sukhumvit Soi 3

By Coconuts Bangkok

The area around Sukhumvit Soi 3 is popular with Middle Eastern and South Asian tourists and expats.

BANGKOK: -- Immigration police popped a surprise on Sukhumvit Soi 3 on Monday night by conducting on-the-spot drug tests with 33 randomly selected foreigners, 16 of which tested positive, Nation Channel reported.

Deputy Commissioner of the Immigration Bureau Lt. Col. Sittipan Loganpai and his team conducted the random urine tests around midnight in an area of Bangkok popular with Middle Eastern and South Asian tourists and expats. [more...]

Full story: http://www.coconutsb...ukhumvit-soi-3/

-- COCONUTSBangkok 2012-06-29

[laurentbkk]

I wonder what the government wants to do .....kick out the tourists from the country ? There is no better way ..... Then in a few months they will come and cry that tourism is lower than last year ...with all those restrictions I wont be surprise .

[rinteln]

and ?

Why is the fact that they are foreigners an issue ? Doesnt matter who they are. The news is not exactly headline stuff anyway but surely this should read "33 randomly selected people" .

Thailand as usual keeping their reputation as being possibly one of the most racist countries in the world.

[harrry]

Note they caught one for not carrying a passport. That should answer the oft asked question.

[crobe]

and ?

Why is the fact that they are foreigners an issue ? Doesnt matter who they are. The news is not exactly headline stuff anyway but surely this should read "33 randomly selected people" .

Thailand as usual keeping their reputation as being possibly one of the most racist countries in the world.

No <snip> the article said "33 randomly selected foreigners"

If they had taken a random sampling of Thais and foreigners this would have been more justifiable, but targeting just foreigners is unacceptable

Crobe

[rinteln]

and ?

Why is the fact that they are foreigners an issue ? Doesnt matter who they are. The news is not exactly headline stuff anyway but surely this should read "33 randomly selected people" .

Thailand as usual keeping their reputation as being possibly one of the most racist countries in the world.

No <snip> the article said "33 randomly selected foreigners"

If they had taken a random sampling of Thais and foreigners this would have been more justifiable, but targeting just foreigners is unacceptable

Crobe

"No <snip> the article said "33 randomly selected foreigners" - So abusive so early on...wow

Sorry I think you may not of read what I said properly. I said "surely this should of read" "33 randomly selected people" and not just "foreigners".

So we are in agreement on this....lol.

<snip>

[saltandpepper]

From a drug tests related news, to a name calling and now a language issue!!!

[mogoso]

Half the people tested had drugs in their system, it seems they choose the right spot to test people. May the drug users be put outta the country never to return.

[bobl]

People. A 'hit' rate of nearly 50% would suggest that this was hardly a "random" search. They knew where to look and who to look for.

Unless you all believe that a 50% hit rate is a fair representation of the number of foreigners taking drugs...

Personally I despise the "guilty until proven innocent" approach and would suggest that these tests were a rampant violation of human rights - but at the end of the day it's their country. That said, "if you want to get high, do it elsewhere" is not an unreasonable message...

[harrry]

Yes...congratulations immigration police. You are making THailand a better place to live for both THais and Foreigners. If you have drugs in you you should not be here.

[steelepulse]

So what do they do if these foreigners took drugs before entering the Kingdom and it was still in their system?

What did they actually do to those that tested positive here as the story doesn't elaborate? Bribes, jail, deportation?

[bangkokbruce]

What a joke! They should really be targeting taxi drivers, bus drivers, BTS operators, and MRT operators who pose a much greater risk while high on drugs, not someone walking the streets at night. Thailand is getting to be more anti-foreigner by the day. That's ok, because we are not stupid and we are looking elsewhere to spend our money.....I'm in the process of moving my money to Viet Nam

[crille30]

Sorry guys stop name calling,to early for shit like that.Back to the what happend.What is the problem with drug check in a area that the police suspect there are drugs? I would piss in a cup with i smile. If people doing drugs then good the get arrested, put them in jail and then out of the country.I realy dont se this as a rasist act.If its a area have is a lot of foreigner and the suspect drugs, its logic that they are the one that get checked.And 16 of them was tested positive?wow i would say for once the police did a great job to get some shit head drug users.

[soundman]

Stop the bickering guys.

Thank-you.

[rinteln]

Sorry guys stop name calling,to early for shit like that.Back to the what happend.What is the problem with drug check in a area that the police suspect there are drugs? I would piss in a cup with i smile. If people doing drugs then good the get arrested, put them in jail and then out of the country.I realy dont se this as a rasist act.If its a area have is a lot of foreigner and the suspect drugs, its logic that they are the one that get checked.And 16 of them was tested positive?wow i would say for once the police did a great job to get some shit head drug users.

I agree with your concept if they had also tested Thais but the article says selected foreigners. That is what got my back up.

As far as the drugs go yes I agree they seemed to do a great job, well done to them.

[KhaoNiaw]

What a joke! They should really be targeting taxi drivers, bus drivers, BTS operators, and MRT operators who pose a much greater risk while high on drugs, not someone walking the streets at night. Thailand is getting to be more anti-foreigner by the day. That's ok, because we are not stupid and we are looking elsewhere to spend our money.....I'm in the process of moving my money to Viet Nam

Why would immigration officers target Thais?

[marstons]

Well if i were to choose any area to do randon drug tests thats where i would head, politically correct or not. Maybe their past experience has shown this is the area where most users come from.

P.S Shame about the Off Topic pathetic bickering

[rinteln]

What a joke! They should really be targeting taxi drivers, bus drivers, BTS operators, and MRT operators who pose a much greater risk while high on drugs, not someone walking the streets at night. Thailand is getting to be more anti-foreigner by the day. That's ok, because we are not stupid and we are looking elsewhere to spend our money.....I'm in the process of moving my money to Viet Nam

Why would immigration officers target Thais?

Good point, Although I would say why not target Thais? That is the principle for me. Surely we are not saying that immigration police only police crimes committed by foreigners !! If an immigration policeman sees a Thai robbing a 7/11 he wouldn't just ignore it because he is immigration police.

My follow on from that would be why are immigration police going out to check for drugs and not just normal police anyway.

[crobe]

The concern here is not that the number of positives was so high, or that it is a known area for drug use, but the fact that this was carried out by the immigration bureau instead of the normal police narcotics squad.

If the area is known for drug use then the police should be looking into the supply of drugs in the area, and catching those, rather than specifically targeting the foreigners.

It would have been more acceptable if the police had done a full swoop on the area, including trying to pick up locals and drug sellers, and had the immigration bureau on hand in case any foreigners were caught up in the process.

The way in which this is portrayed, rightly or wrongly, is that foreigners, as opposed to locals, will be targeted during their stays in the country.

While I cannot condone in any way anyone acting against the laws of the country, racial profiling is not the way forward.

One person in this swoop was negative for drugs but was caught with not having a passport - an offense that I believe many non-Thais are guilty of in one way or another - there are instances where you leave your passport for safekeeping at a hotel or as guarantee for a rental, and therefore do not have the original with you - which would not be a good idea anyway given the levels of crime and theft now prevalent.

All foreigners could therefore, be caught in an immigration swoop at one time or another, and sanctions applied (deported), so if this is to be the normal operating procedure for the immigration bureau from now on, we may all be in trouble

Crobe

[rinteln]

The concern here is not that the number of positives was so high, or that it is a known area for drug use, but the fact that this was carried out by the immigration bureau instead of the normal police narcotics squad.

If the area is known for drug use then the police should be looking into the supply of drugs in the area, and catching those, rather than specifically targeting the foreigners.

It would have been more acceptable if the police had done a full swoop on the area, including trying to pick up locals and drug sellers, and had the immigration bureau on hand in case any foreigners were caught up in the process.

The way in which this is portrayed, rightly or wrongly, is that foreigners, as opposed to locals, will be targeted during their stays in the country.

While I cannot condone in any way anyone acting against the laws of the country, racial profiling is not the way forward.

One person in this swoop was negative for drugs but was caught with not having a passport - an offense that I believe many non-Thais are guilty of in one way or another - there are instances where you leave your passport for safekeeping at a hotel or as guarantee for a rental, and therefore do not have the original with you - which would not be a good idea anyway given the levels of crime and theft now prevalent.

All foreigners could therefore, be caught in an immigration swoop at one time or another, and sanctions applied (deported), so if this is to be the normal operating procedure for the immigration bureau from now on, we may all be in trouble

Crobe

Totally agree.

[crobe]

The concern here is not that the number of positives was so high, or that it is a known area for drug use, but the fact that this was carried out by the immigration bureau instead of the normal police narcotics squad.

If the area is known for drug use then the police should be looking into the supply of drugs in the area, and catching those, rather than specifically targeting the foreigners.

It would have been more acceptable if the police had done a full swoop on the area, including trying to pick up locals and drug sellers, and had the immigration bureau on hand in case any foreigners were caught up in the process.

The way in which this is portrayed, rightly or wrongly, is that foreigners, as opposed to locals, will be targeted during their stays in the country.

While I cannot condone in any way anyone acting against the laws of the country, racial profiling is not the way forward.

One person in this swoop was negative for drugs but was caught with not having a passport - an offense that I believe many non-Thais are guilty of in one way or another - there are instances where you leave your passport for safekeeping at a hotel or as guarantee for a rental, and therefore do not have the original with you - which would not be a good idea anyway given the levels of crime and theft now prevalent.

All foreigners could therefore, be caught in an immigration swoop at one time or another, and sanctions applied (deported), so if this is to be the normal operating procedure for the immigration bureau from now on, we may all be in trouble

Crobe

Totally agree.

Thanks and apologies.

Crobe

[rkidlad]

Thai authorities are very strict when it comes to drugs. One of the strictest in the world. They want to convey the message of a 0% tolerance to drugs in the kingdom.

You surely couldn't pay your way out of being caught with drugs, right?

[harrry]

Thai authorities are very strict when it comes to drugs. One of the strictest in the world. They want to convey the message of a 0% tolerance to drugs in the kingdom.

You surely couldn't pay your way out of being caught with drugs, right?

Generally not on this kind of raid.

[KhaoNiaw]

Good point, Although I would say why not target Thais? That is the principle for me. Surely we are not saying that immigration police only police crimes committed by foreigners !! If an immigration policeman sees a Thai robbing a 7/11 he wouldn't just ignore it because he is immigration police.

My follow on from that would be why are immigration police going out to check for drugs and not just normal police anyway.

I would think this was actually aimed at targeting foreigners overstaying, without documents etc. and some bright spark came up with the additional idea of drugs testing. I doubt that it's in immigration's brief to just go out and do drug tests so they'd need another reason to pull someone up first - and they wouldn't test any Thais. Though if they knew a Thai was carrying drugs I'm sure they'd do something.

[rinteln]

Thai authorities are very strict when it comes to drugs. One of the strictest in the world. They want to convey the message of a 0% tolerance to drugs in the kingdom.

You surely couldn't pay your way out of being caught with drugs, right?

I live in Pattaya so maybe my answer to this will not be agreed by some but for sure in Pattaya the police are paid off for drug stops.

In general I have no respect or admiration for police in Thailand. They police what they want to police and what gets them the most amount of money and makes them look the most effective. Maybe i'm more used to Pattaya and so will gladly be corrected if needed but it is the case here for sure.

Not sure about BKK. Although I would doubt it for a large op like this one. Maybe on a one to one basis.

[rinteln]

Good point, Although I would say why not target Thais? That is the principle for me. Surely we are not saying that immigration police only police crimes committed by foreigners !! If an immigration policeman sees a Thai robbing a 7/11 he wouldn't just ignore it because he is immigration police.

My follow on from that would be why are immigration police going out to check for drugs and not just normal police anyway.

I would think this was actually aimed at targeting foreigners overstaying, without documents etc. and some bright spark came up with the additional idea of drugs testing. I doubt that it's in immigration's brief to just go out and do drug tests so they'd need another reason to pull someone up first - and they wouldn't test any Thais. Though if they knew a Thai was carrying drugs I'm sure they'd do something.

That is a good point, probably right.

[crobe]

I live outside Pattaya and know a few bar-owners there, and have been once in a bar when it was raided.

Police raids occur frequently, and the policed know that if they conduct drug tests on the bar staff a certain proportion will test positive.

The bar owners have to go to the local police station to bail out their staff, unless they have a "friend" in the force and then this is done without a visit to the station and a "stern warning" is given.

This only happens if it is the local police and if the Bangkok force are with them then it is everyone to the station.

Crobe

[carra]

What a joke! They should really be targeting taxi drivers, bus drivers, BTS operators, and MRT operators who pose a much greater risk while high on drugs, not someone walking the streets at night. Thailand is getting to be more anti-foreigner by the day. That's ok, because we are not stupid and we are looking elsewhere to spend our money.....I'm in the process of moving my money to Viet Nam

Why would immigration officers target Thais?

Good point, Although I would say why not target Thais? That is the principle for me. Surely we are not saying that immigration police only police crimes committed by foreigners !! If an immigration policeman sees a Thai robbing a 7/11 he wouldn't just ignore it because he is immigration police.

My follow on from that would be why are immigration police going out to check for drugs and not just normal police anyway.

they do target thais when they go to areas and raid clubs where there is not a farang in sight.

If someone has not taken drugs then they have nothing to fear, I just wish immigration did more visa checks in that area.

[easybullet3]

WHY DONT THEY DO THIS IN KO PANGNANG ????

[PattayaPhom]

and ?

Why is the fact that they are foreigners an issue ? Doesnt matter who they are. The news is not exactly headline stuff anyway but surely this should read "33 randomly selected people" .

Thailand as usual keeping their reputation as being possibly one of the most racist countries in the world.

No <snip> the article said "33 randomly selected foreigners"

If they had taken a random sampling of Thais and foreigners this would have been more justifiable, but targeting just foreigners is unacceptable

Crobe

Cosidering almost 50% were positive why is it unacceptable?...good riddance to bad **** and take their dope with them!