Police Targeting Foreigners In Chiang Mai

[hellodolly]

Oh, so for my car, I have up to date tax and insurance and the registration document of course, but my driving licence is from England. Do I need to get a Thai one then? I have never been asked to show my driving licence, even when I bought my car - on finance! It is easy to get a Thai licence, right? I looked in to it before, can't remember why I didn't end up sorting it out.

Thai license is always better. And officially required if you live here. Indeed it's not too difficult to get, but will eat the better part of a day. The driving theory test is pretty hard as it asks for specific things that you just wouldn't know unless you studied it. (Or unless they tell you the answers and then let you try again. ) But it has questions like how far you should park away from the curb: 10cm, 20cm, 30 cm or 40cm. Good luck guessing that. Kind of silly also because nobody every gets to a standard small distance of a curb, but okay.

Thanks Winnie, so I need to look into it next time I've a day free from work then. Is there a book or something, some way I can study it? Do I need to book the test first, or do I just turn up at the place?

If you have a valid UK license, you don't need to take any test.

WP or cert of residence

UK license

Driving Medical cert from any hospital or clinic

Passport

Is all you need

You still need a Thai license.

[hellodolly]

Paranoid springs to mind here why do farangs think they are so special that they are being picked on. Far more Thais are fined at these check points than farangs. Sorry to say it but we are not special obey the law and you will not be fined .

Have the correct documentation and wear your seat belt or have your crash helmet on and you will pass through ok every time .

I was walking past a check point at the Wharwat bridge and said swahsdecup to a police man he returned my greeting and smiled at me. He returned it in proper Thai.

Was I being singled out. I am a foreigner.

[fcgprg]

Paranoid springs to mind here why do farangs think they are so special that they are being picked on. Far more Thais are fined at these check points than farangs. Sorry to say it but we are not special obey the law and you will not be fined .

Have the correct documentation and wear your seat belt or have your crash helmet on and you will pass through ok every time .

I was walking past a check point at the Wharwat bridge and said swahsdecup to a police man he returned my greeting and smiled at me. He returned it in proper Thai.

Was I being singled out. I am a foreigner.

quote]

Only you can decide that?.

[Thakkar]

Paranoid springs to mind here why do farangs think they are so special that they are being picked on. Far more Thais are fined at these check points than farangs. Sorry to say it but we are not special obey the law and you will not be fined .

Have the correct documentation and wear your seat belt or have your crash helmet on and you will pass through ok every time .

I was walking past a check point at the Wharwat bridge and said swahsdecup to a police man he returned my greeting and smiled at me. He returned it in proper Thai.

Was I being singled out. I am a foreigner.

Were you being singled out? If you felt threatened, then, yes. If it was a pleasant encounter, then, being a clueless foreigner, you were clearly mistaken, and it wasn't pleasant and you only thought it was. So, in retrospect, yes...erm, I think...

T

[Loaded]

Finned me because a lady at the back didnt wear helmet, I live near kad suan kaew and see them almost everyday... Never fine me.

When I went to pay the fine of that lady I saw how the policeman of the desk let a few thais went out without paying.

I'm sure you didn't track their movements from entry to exit nor heard their conversations with the police officers so I'll take a pinch of salt on this one. Maybe they were friends, off-duty cops or just popping in for other business.

[hellodolly]

Paranoid springs to mind here why do farangs think they are so special that they are being picked on. Far more Thais are fined at these check points than farangs. Sorry to say it but we are not special obey the law and you will not be fined .

Have the correct documentation and wear your seat belt or have your crash helmet on and you will pass through ok every time .

I was walking past a check point at the Wharwat bridge and said swahsdecup to a police man he returned my greeting and smiled at me. He returned it in proper Thai.

Was I being singled out. I am a foreigner.

Were you being singled out? If you felt threatened, then, yes. If it was a pleasant encounter, then, being a clueless foreigner, you were clearly mistaken, and it wasn't pleasant and you only thought it was. So, in retrospect, yes...erm, I think...

T

Why do people interpret singled out to be a negative.

I was referring to the smile.

Actually it was tongue in cheek as i have a lot of Thais smile at me.

Give them a chance and they will smile at you.

I find people who have a bad attitude towards Thais have negative experiences far more than I do.

I think even if they think they are being nice Thais see through them.

[Thakkar]

Paranoid springs to mind here why do farangs think they are so special that they are being picked on. Far more Thais are fined at these check points than farangs. Sorry to say it but we are not special obey the law and you will not be fined .

Have the correct documentation and wear your seat belt or have your crash helmet on and you will pass through ok every time .

I was walking past a check point at the Wharwat bridge and said swahsdecup to a police man he returned my greeting and smiled at me. He returned it in proper Thai.

Was I being singled out. I am a foreigner.

Were you being singled out? If you felt threatened, then, yes. If it was a pleasant encounter, then, being a clueless foreigner, you were clearly mistaken, and it wasn't pleasant and you only thought it was. So, in retrospect, yes...erm, I think...

T

Why do people interpret singled out to be a negative.

I was referring to the smile.

Actually it was tongue in cheek as i have a lot of Thais smile at me.

Give them a chance and they will smile at you.

I find people who have a bad attitude towards Thais have negative experiences far more than I do.

I think even if they think they are being nice Thais see through them.

I too was being tongue in cheek (or trying to be). In fact, I was agreeing with you.

I see that my stubborn refusal to use smiley's has its drawbacks.

T