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

[ScouseTommy]

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.

Sorry mate I disagree with you. I dont take drugs at all. I have been sat in a bar with mixed Thai and Farang who were all quite clearly off their nuts on one thing or another and the police chose to test me and one other guy. Probably due to the fact I have shaved hair and Tattoo's and so did he. They were (stupidly) upset when I came back negative, and were extremely abrupt and rude. Expecting some mmmm..... trouble I left and went home. I am fed up with double standards. As for shit head drug users.... 1 they are stupid for hanging around soi 3, where the Police are known to jump on farang, 2 True they cant complain IF they are guilty - however the sheer amount of alleged fit up's and people being driven off to car parks to pay hefty on the spot 'fines' must surely scare you. Who's to say you wont be next??

[Kilgore Trout]

anybody thai or farang using drugs is a <deleted>, never done that never will

Also, anyone who uses alcohol is a <deleted>. It is illegal in many countries. Foreigners who make bathtub gin in Saudi or buy booze from the Indians in Dubai without a permit deserve the death penalty. Their country, their rules, right

[w11guy]

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 .

It sounds more like they want to catch people that are taking drugs. They don't have anything against tourists that don't take illegal drugs. Why would any country want to have drug-taking tourists?

[w11guy]

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.

Maybe they want to deport foreigners who take drugs. So targeting Thai people would be pointless in this instance. But Thai people do get targeted, as many are in jail for drug offences. This was an Immigration Department initiative so they have no reason to target Thais, as they can't deport them. In general drug busts both foreigners and Thais are targeted, so not racist at all. The same happens in UK, USA and all other countries - if the issue is immigration related, then only foreigners are targeted.

[chinook]

anybody thai or farang using drugs is a <deleted>, never done that never will

Ever read any books by Graham Greene?......... a brilliant author and playwright.

[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.

This was an Immigration Department initiative so they have no reason to target Thais

not even the ones selling them the drugs?

[w11guy]

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

Enjoy yourself in Vietnam. Goodbye.

[w11guy]

t sounds to me like the police know that certain foreigners are selling and taking drugs in that area. So they have got together with immigration so that the people caught can be deported. That is a very sensible thing to do. if that was their aim then there is no point targeting Thais. The aim of this exercise is probably to deport undesirables.The article is brief and doesn't go into much detail, so no point speculating too much. The bottom line is don't take drugs.

[crobe]

t sounds to me like the police know that certain foreigners are selling and taking drugs in that area. So they have got together with immigration so that the people caught can be deported. That is a very sensible thing to do. if that was their aim then there is no point targeting Thais. The aim of this exercise is probably to deport undesirables.The article is brief and doesn't go into much detail, so no point speculating too much. The bottom line is don't take drugs.

You are correct that the article is brief, but you have no evidence to suggest that foreigners were selling drugs - there was no report of anyone arrested for this, only for testing positive.

99% of drugs come from the local Thai population, even a foreigner selling stuff to his friends gets his supply from a Thai further up the chain

It is very obvious from the article that they were only targeting foreign (suspected) users, the Thais who must have been there selling the drugs mysteriously melted away before the raid happened perhaps - warned it was happening maybe - because if it was so much of a surprise they might have caught someone in the act of selling.

A properly organised raid would have tried to make sure they did.

[RichardinBKK]

Bottom Line: These people accepted a Visa to visit the Kingdom and in so doing, agreed to abide by the law of the land. They were caught in violation of the law. Boo Hoo for them? NOT.

How hard it it to understand that?

[Kilgore Trout]

Bottom Line: These people accepted a Visa to visit the Kingdom and in so doing, agreed to abide by the law of the land. They were caught in violation of the law. Boo Hoo for them? NOT.

How hard it it to understand that?

Ok then, what are the laws regarding having drugs in your system? Are you charged with possession? How would that even be measured? Not saying the law doesn't exist, but if it's so easy to understand then I'm sure you can enlighten us, because it reeks "shakedown" to me with the excuse of "being tough" on drugs so simpletons like you will abide by their wrongdoings.

[sydneyjed]

Well 'selected foreigners' around there...you wouldn't have to be Einstein to work out who they'd be targeting...there's the African bar just down from The Bamboo Club and any time you walk past there you get stoned by the smoke wafting out!!

Using race a factor to arrest? racial profiling is illegal to many countries..

Well obviously not here if you know how the 'system' works and having studied criminology when you say 'illegal' to many countries, that does not and has not stopped the 'stop and search' procedure being enforced by police as we write in numourous westernised countries.If you know the area around Soi 3 and the people who reside there you will know exactly why it is one particular race of people from one continent that are targeted.

[blix99]

I'm wondering on the legality of taking these tests. I mean can a Thai cop just walk up to anybody, Thai or Farang, who is sitting/walking in a public place and demand to take a drug test? Wouldn't there have to be some reason to suspect that the person is under the influence of drugs first, such as fighting.

If they really can then Thailand truly is a police state. Beware standing near an ATM lest some BIB arrests you for conspiracy to rob a bank.

Or, they would knock on your door and conduct drug tests...this country is a repressive state!

They conduct these raids during Friday night or weekends where Embassy is close..no one will help you..you cant also bail out until monday..

You can't be serious. A country that allows places like Pattaya and Phuket to exist and thrive is a "repressive" state??????

[Bender]

If police conduct a random "surprise " human traficking test at soi nana, they will found out that 99% of the thai girl are prostitute...

so what can we conclude...

Edited June 29, 2012 by Bender

[RichardinBKK]

Bottom Line: These people accepted a Visa to visit the Kingdom and in so doing, agreed to abide by the law of the land. They were caught in violation of the law. Boo Hoo for them? NOT.

How hard it it to understand that?

Ok then, what are the laws regarding having drugs in your system? Are you charged with possession? How would that even be measured? Not saying the law doesn't exist, but if it's so easy to understand then I'm sure you can enlighten us, because it reeks "shakedown" to me with the excuse of "being tough" on drugs so simpletons like you will abide by their wrongdoings.

End of the day, I care little what kind of worms live in a cesspool, Foreigner or Crooked Cop. They are cut from the same cloth, and deserve each-other.

[Kilgore Trout]

Bottom Line: These people accepted a Visa to visit the Kingdom and in so doing, agreed to abide by the law of the land. They were caught in violation of the law. Boo Hoo for them? NOT.

How hard it it to understand that?

Ok then, what are the laws regarding having drugs in your system? Are you charged with possession? How would that even be measured? Not saying the law doesn't exist, but if it's so easy to understand then I'm sure you can enlighten us, because it reeks "shakedown" to me with the excuse of "being tough" on drugs so simpletons like you will abide by their wrongdoings.

End of the day, I care little what kind of worms live in a cesspool, Foreigner or Crooked Cop. They are cut from the same cloth, and deserve each-other.

Ignorance knows no bounds

Dickie boy, I truly feel sorry for ya

[HardenedSoul]

The moralists in this thread are hilarious. They applaud the actions of the police in this matter because they picked up a handful of people who tested positively for drugs whilst ignoring the fact that their counterparts in narcotics are the ones who, upon confiscating contraband in raids or random stops, routinely redistribute them to their favored dealers for a generous cut.

The Africans dealing in Sukhumvit are a nuisance for sure but their presence there goes unimpeded by virtue of the "insurance" money they pay the bent cops to allow them to trade with impunity.

Frankly, I've never heard of immigration officers carrying out random drug tests but I've been told by many party-going Thais I meet in the clubs that, for every instance of farang drug-testing by the regular police, there are hundreds that target the locals.

Nowhere else is this duplicity in greater evidence than at BKK's after-hours clubs like Spicy, Swing, Insomnia, Shock 39, Mixx, Climax etc where farangs are never subjected to drug-testing since, if it were to become known that it was a possibility, 80% of them wouldn't turn up, making the clubs highly unprofitable. If the club owners fail to pay, the Feds will drug test but they'll limit their efforts to the Thais.

Personally, I won't condemn drug use but it's down to the individual if they want to take the chance of doing it here.

The holier-than-thou on here really should wipe the shit from their eyes cos they just don't know the score.

[Nana]

I seriously can not understand the whining by some of the posters here!

It is a well known fact that Soi 3 is full of west african drug dealers. So if you want to get rid of an african problem, why should you start to test Thais, or other groups of foreigners for that mather? To be politically correct?

Except for 3 years, I have been living in soi 6 since 1989, and I have seen the increase in drugdealing on soi 3. It was about time that the bib did something about it.

Nana

[rakman]

What a freaking joke.....I've been to about 25 countries and this is the only one which allows it, imagine that...... Thailand and North Korea on the same page, who would ever guess?

Australia does it (well I know they do in Sydney anyway)...

Police raid on nightclubs where there are known drug issues, sniffer dogs, all patrons and staff drug tested using field test kits, and if a positive result are taken to the police station for a proper test...

See, for all of our faults {like Texas and Kim Kardashian, to name but 2}, America would not allow something like that - hopefully ever.

Probable cause is in our constitution, same as being read your rights to have an attorney after being arrested. There is no way a cop could ever ask you to pee into a cup for no reason, even if you are walking out of a reggae festival! Or a rave, or a Grateful Dead concert.....you have to break a law FIRST, even something minor like disturbing the peace or pissing on a tree, etc....to get pee-tested.

But even then it would be highly unlikely. Unless it was something really serious you'd get processed and let out on bail, with no drug test ever being done.

People can give the states all the crap they want, and we get a lot of it, but at least in this instance we are indeed 'free'.

You haven't heard of "drunk driving" checkpoints? It's been deemed perfectly legal as driving isn't a right.

Remember foreigners are guests of the country, flaunting the laws is a slap to the host country.

While my libertarian side thinks it fine to use anything you want (as long as it doesn't endanger anyone), obeying the law in the country you're visiting is your responsibility, not the host country's tolerance for you. If you want to do drugs, stay home or find a more tolerant country to visit.

Immigration going after only foreigners is their jurisdiction. Going after Thais isn't.

I'm tired of the self centered drug users complaining about getting caught and complaining about the consequences. Or shock that the punishment is much worse than they thought it would be. Not knowing the law and the consequences is not a good defense, especially with all the news of those caught before and there is the Internet to research drug laws and punishment for illegal use.

[phl]

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?

sure you could just cost much much much more, especially if its just in your system and not in your possession.

[Docno]

If they really can then Thailand truly is a police state.

No doubt about it.

I remember thinking that years ago when this all started {It may have been under Thaksin, but much more common in the past 3 or 4 years}.

What a freaking joke.....I've been to about 25 countries and this is the only one which allows it, imagine that...... Thailand and North Korea on the same page, who would ever guess?

And again, I agree with the posters above decrying the use of alcohol in this country......drunk people are a nuisance and cause accidents and fights and they are plain annoying to be around or near; ever seen a person drink 2 buckets filled with alcohol and then get on a motorbike to drive home? I have! But they never seem to get pulled over and tested.......

Well, you need to visit Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia... all places in which police occasionally raid nightclubs and subject all patrons to drug tests. Not quite the same as picking people up off the street, sure, but not a huge leap either...

[thaigold]

Good...check all of the tattooed riffraff.

[rotary]

I like the random testing idea. But it should be done on both Falangs and Thai's. If a Falang test positive, deport him and do not ever allow him back in Thailand forever. Drugs are illegal, we all know that, so better to be tough on people using them.

[mrfill]

Those on their high horses and the hang/flog clowns should perhaps realise that prostitution is also illegal in Thailand.

Very inconvenient, that.

[IsaanUSA]

50% wow! This is why you should never get in a fight with somebody. Who knows if their drugged up or not.

[phl]

I have no problem with random stops for drug searching, HOWEVER i do have a problem with drug testing random or not.

it is an invasion of privacy, it is human rights violation.

people have the right to put inside their body whatever they like, if police could not catch them buying the drugs, they can not charge them with having the drugs in their blood.

furthermore the piss test is NOT exactly the most precise test and they do not do the proper follow up once back in the station.

so you could test positive due to medication you are taking or food you ate.

If THai people and Authority's are happy to disregard all basic principles, i am sure foreign tourists are NOT, and when those become the target, it does become nothing more but a way of making some money because its a very very slow season.

[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!

His point is more of profiling. It is good that people who commit crimes are caught but to intentionally profile your targets beforehand and/or report it that way is what he is saying is unacceptable.

Profiling this way indicates to me that police are not doing their job on the principles of actually enforcing the law but instead targeting a certain group of people who are more likely to gain them success, more of it, better figures or more pay offs. Otherwise why is there need to target certain people. If your aim is simply to stop drug usage then it shouldnt matter who you stop.

Its this liberal thinking that has made most Western countries crime ridden no go areas....if 70% of crime is committed by, white gangs, police should target them, if its by single black males then target them...obvious you target profile that fits.

[impulse]

Interesting that it was immigration that made the sweep.

In the USA, if the local cops are suspected of being involved in crime or otherwise corrupt, the State Police are called in. If it goes beyond that, the FBI and other federal agencies are called in to investigate.

Perhaps this is a signal...

[Colabamumbai]

What happens if you are tested positive for a drug? Are you arrested, detained or what. Nose spray could show up as speed or yaba in a drug test.

[Colabamumbai]

I like the random testing idea. But it should be done on both Falangs and Thai's. If a Falang test positive, deport him and do not ever allow him back in Thailand forever. Drugs are illegal, we all know that, so better to be tough on people using them.

Not all drugs are illegal. Many are prescribed. You cannot say that drugs are illegal.