My First Encounter With Chiang Mai's Finest

[muchogra]

The other thread about an American motorcyclist allegedly hit a barrier and fell into

the river and died prompted me to write this. Very sad and RIP to the victims.

I was driving home at around 8pm. I took a small road, a 2-lane local road. A truck

from the opposite direction went off the median to overpass a motorcycle. I steered

my car to the left driving closer to the left curb...then, boom...klang, klang, klang...

I got out of my car and saw that the left bumper hit the masonry border walls of a

driveway across a small klong leading into a house. The border walls stuck out into

the street for more than a foot. You could see this in the 2 pictures.

I was busy asking the people nearby the owners of the house. Then, the police came.

They didn't ask me anything and towed my car away. My car was drivable, only the

left bumper was damaged. They told me to go to the police station the next day. I

called my insurance company the next day and asked them to meet me at the police

station that morning. The police told the insurance guy to go to the scene and settle it

with the house owner. We went. The house owner, an Amercan (I was told), was not

in the country but a Thai nearby has been looking after the house. After some

negotiation, B5,000 was the agreed amount to fix it. The insurance guy asked me to pay first

then claim it back later. I paid up.

We went back to the police station. They kept us waiting for more than an hour. The

insurance guy then told me that the CM finest wanted B5,000 for he (they), sort of, did

me a favor for not doing an alcohol test on me last night. He also drove me home

being so tired themselves already. I thought what the heck, coughed up B5,000 and

paid a B400 fine. As he handed me back my driving license, he said, oh, I forgot the

towing fee and gave me a receipt for B2,000. I paid again... Boy, should I be faithful

for not giving me an alcohol test last night? For me, I'm just glad it's over for if I were really drunk

they could have stuck a lot on me.

Look at that border walls in the pictures and see how much it stuck out into the street!

If a motorcycle hit it, the rider could fly out and drop into the small klong. I was lucky

that I came off unscathed in my car.

[TommoPhysicist]

Tell us again why you stopped?

[muchogra]

Tell us again why you stopped?

Tommo, the place was not exactly deserted at that hour, in fact, there was a Thai drinking hole across the house. They all saw it.Yes, my ah-sia Thai friends always drove on whatever they hit- which might not be a good idea. Imagine they've got the make or the plate of your car, then they trace you and say you hit somebody. You'll be milked to death particularly you are a foreigner. That's one reason why I always wear my camera on my belt when I go out.

[HaleySabai]

What the hell was the 400baht fine for?.....just for good measure!.....geeze,now you know why Thai's bugger-off if they can.

[FolkGuitar]

Tell us again why you stopped?

Perhaps because it was the honest thing to do... The ethical thing to do.

Sometimes doing what is morally correct costs more money and can be a pain in the ass. But it's honest. It's decent.

It's what separates good people from those we'd really rather not have as neighbors.

[TommoPhysicist]

It's what separates good people from those we'd really rather not have as neighbors.

I don't want English speaking foreigners as my neighbors.

Overly judgmental and moralistic IMHO.

Edited November 15, 2012 by TommoPhysicist

[transam]

Tell us again why you stopped?

Perhaps because it was the honest thing to do... The ethical thing to do.

Sometimes doing what is morally correct costs more money and can be a pain in the ass. But it's honest. It's decent.

It's what separates good people from those we'd really rather not have as neighbors.

Where do you live. ? Not LOS surely.

[hellodolly]

It's what separates good people from those we'd really rather not have as neighbors.

I don't want English speaking foreigners as my neighbors.

Overly judgmental and moralistic IMHO.

If you have some thing to hide that is a wise thought.

[Semper]

Just another day at the office.

[FolkGuitar]

Tell us again why you stopped?

Perhaps because it was the honest thing to do... The ethical thing to do.

Sometimes doing what is morally correct costs more money and can be a pain in the ass. But it's honest. It's decent.

It's what separates good people from those we'd really rather not have as neighbors.

Where do you live. ? Not LOS surely.

Chiang Mai for ten years, moved away for a couple, and will be back to stay shortly.

Just because dealing with a system is not fair or comfortable doesn't mean we shouldn't learn to live within it. Like it or not.

It's easier to just cut and run, and avoid dealing with the police, but that is not the behavior of an honest man.

[FolkGuitar]

It's what separates good people from those we'd really rather not have as neighbors.

I don't want English speaking foreigners as my neighbors.

Overly judgmental and moralistic IMHO.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and suppose that many English speaking foreigners

don't really want to be your neighbors... See how nicely that works out?

Edited November 15, 2012 by FolkGuitar

[Mestizo]

Tommo, the place was not exactly deserted at that hour, in fact, there was a Thai drinking hole across the house. They all saw it.Yes, my ah-sia Thai friends always drove on whatever they hit- which might not be a good idea. Imagine they've got the make or the plate of your car, then they trace you and say you hit somebody. You'll be milked to death particularly you are a foreigner. That's one reason why I always wear my camera on my belt when I go out.

WHOA! This is the craziest part of the whole story.... You wear a camera on your belt?!?!?! <deleted>?? WHY??

Besides the looking somewhat retarded aspect, can't you use your smart phone to take pictures like everybody else?

-Mestizo

[kurnell]

What exactly is a cop's duty in Thailand? A chef cooks your meal, a dentist fixes your teeth, a taxi driver takes you where you want to go etc...all clearly defined roles. Perhaps they should be renamed 'public menace'

[naboo]

That's one reason why I always wear my camera on my belt when I go out.

This is one of the reasons I would never go to a Thai Visa party. Too many like this.

[mania]

Well glad your ok

I guess they tow your car regardless as the towing costs them 200 baht

& they mark it up 10x

That wall? Like you said it is odd that it projects into the road & that is ok?

The cop requesting a payment for not doing his job & testing? TIT

Did the other guy stop at all? I am guessing not.

I guess at the end of it you can say it cost you only $360 bucks or so.

In the US the wall probably would have cost 5k & your insurance would go

up for the next few years.

It will be interesting to see what your Thai insurance reimburses you.

Glad your ok, That is in the end the main thing

[lsk]

Having trouble understanding .

To the OP. Are you glad that you were milked by the establishment. Do you think you were in the wrong or were you in the right?

Confused.....

[elektrified]

Ridiculous how far out into the soi that wall was.

[eyecatcher]

I think the OP is lacking in the word NO from his vocabulary.

* going to try and establish owner..NO!

*allowed police to hitch up your car..NO!

*paying up front for the insurance....A BIG FAT NO....what if he said 50k?

*paying for tow truck..NO..it was driveable

*paying for a lift home..NO! give them 100bt same as tuk tuk.

*pay a 400bt fine hahahha...NOT a bloody chance

*pay them 5k bt for what exactly? NO

If it was me,and at night, would have stopped, picked up the bumper bars and driven back home. In the morning i would have driven back by motorbike to check the damage and then try to establish contact with the owner of the property.

Then I would have arranged myself to rebuild the small walls and reinstate the damage. The result is the same; and the insurance company can still be contacted afterwards if prudent.

you can still make amends honestly without being taken advantage of.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

I think the OP is lacking in the word NO from his vocabulary.

* going to try and establish owner..NO!

*allowed police to hitch up your car..NO!

Exactly.. I didn't want to comment because it's all so obvious.

First mistake probably in letting the police get involved at all; minor mishap, insurance sorting it out. No need for police to do anything. ( And the tow truck thing is a well known money making scam. )

[moe666]

Do not drive after or during drinking

[barefoot1988]

you basically got owned by everything. first by the overtaking truck, then the protruding barrier, then the police. if its not enough, your insurance company decided to rub salt further it by asking you to pay damages first. and the best part . . . you just nob your head to everything

[coma]

Just tell the cops you will settle it in court and watch the shut up real quickly. Foriegners have the exact same rights as Thais do. Threaten to settle in court and they will stand down immediatley.

[Rancid]

Legal action can work well for foreigners but taking on the mafia police is not necessarily a good idea. They are lisenced to extort and take that charter seriously, pay 'em off and p*ss 'em off, life then resets. Not saying to cop too much, be friendly but firm, pay the viper its actual due without the inflation.

[eyecatcher]

pay the viper its actual due without the inflation.

ahhh....sorry for being pedantic here,,,,the viper...the only British poisonous snake; so I am assuming (wrongly i guess) you are native English speaker????

Let me point you in the direction of google because on the keyboard my "P" is nowhere near my "v" so typing error..i think not.

The idiom is "pay the the piper" and i could go into the origin, of paying your penny after your death to ensure the piper takes your body safely in his boat to valhalla or wherever...

no insult intended and i apologise if in your native land you pay the viper.

[muchogra]

From Mestizo: “WHOA! This is the craziest part of the whole story.... You wear a camera on your belt?!?!?! <deleted>?? WHY?? “

Perhaps I’m trying to be dave 2 the second? You have nothing against that, do you?

------

“Besides the looking somewhat retarded aspect, can't you use your smart phone to take pictures like everybody else?”

If I tell you I also wear a pouch on my belt to keep my cards, my phone, and emergency money, would another descriptive term added to the look in addition to ‘retarded’? I have a smart phone but is an early model of Iphone 3G. It doesn’t take good picture and has no flash. Instead of dishing out 20k to buy a late model smart phone, I bought my Samsung Wi-Fi point and shoot for $197 in the States when I dropped and damaged my Canon. My existing phone works fine and what am I going to do with it if I buy a new one? I’m a pragmatic person you know?

-----

From Naboo: “This is one of the reasons I would never go to a Thai Visa party. Too many like this.”

Now we all know your obsession!

Come on now, it doesn’t look that stupid. It’s sometimes mistaken as a piece you are hiding underneath!

[muchogra]

Well glad your ok

I guess they tow your car regardless as the towing costs them 200 baht

& they mark it up 10x

That wall? Like you said it is odd that it projects into the road & that is ok?

The cop requesting a payment for not doing his job & testing? TIT

Did the other guy stop at all? I am guessing not.

I guess at the end of it you can say it cost you only $360 bucks or so.

In the US the wall probably would have cost 5k & your insurance would go

up for the next few years.

It will be interesting to see what your Thai insurance reimburses you.

Glad your ok, That is in the end the main thing

mania,

Mania, thanks for your concern on my wellbeing and your very sensible statements realizing that we are not living in our home countries. We are in the LOS where the senses and logics we’re so used to do not always hold up here. I paid up; perhaps, I’m influenced by the Thai aspect of being “kriengjai” for them being quite polite to me while I might have lost my manner and didn’t keep my cool. They could have framed me up if they wanted to.

[MESmith]

OP were you DUI? If you were , then the police did you a favour. You could've been deported. You don't need to answer this question. DUI is a criminal offence. Your case will be reported to immigration. You will then be deported. Unless you get a good lawyer to plead your ignorance.

[muchogra]

Having trouble understanding .

To the OP. Are you glad that you were milked by the establishment. Do you think you were in the wrong or were you in the right?

Confused.....

Isk, I respect your attitude and your implied underlying principle. Since this incident involved only me I chose to compromise with some losses myself because I also felt a bit guilty for being quite rude to the officers but they did not do that in return. What I paid I regard it as gratuity.

Yes, in a certain sense, I’m glad that they didn’t frame me up for my attitude. This could partly due to my own action. I took a deck of cards out from my pouch looking for my license when asked by the sarawat. I sifted through the cards which had cards and pictures of some high profile people. It certainly had been noticed.. Some old timers can tell you that there are no clear lines drawn between right and wrong in the LOS. It’s all in the grey area and often determined on a case-by-case basis. As one famous saying goes: there’s not a thing under the sun that the Thai police cannot do…or something like that! Irrespective, one needs to know the limit and know krienjai; at the end, money talks no matter how high you are!

I hope you won’t say I’m encouraging the practice. We, as foreigners, can only do what we think right to a certain limit. It’s up to the Thai people to change them. If we insist doing a certain things to the standards that we know of you will find yourself alone and end up an unhappy soul and even vanished.

[muchogra]

I think the OP is lacking in the word NO from his vocabulary.

* going to try and establish owner..NO!

*allowed police to hitch up your car..NO!

*paying up front for the insurance....A BIG FAT NO....what if he said 50k?

*paying for tow truck..NO..it was driveable

*paying for a lift home..NO! give them 100bt same as tuk tuk.

*pay a 400bt fine hahahha...NOT a bloody chance

*pay them 5k bt for what exactly? NO

If it was me,and at night, would have stopped, picked up the bumper bars and driven back home. In the morning i would have driven back by motorbike to check the damage and then try to establish contact with the owner of the property.

Then I would have arranged myself to rebuild the small walls and reinstate the damage. The result is the same; and the insurance company can still be contacted afterwards if prudent.

you can still make amends honestly without being taken advantage of.

Quote: If it was me,and at night, would have stopped, picked up the bumper bars and driven back home. In the morning i would have driven back by motorbike to check the damage and then try to establish contact with the owner of the property."

What if in the middle of the night or early the next morning the police came to your door and say you hit somebody? "Victims" are easy to find as you well know. What evidence.would you have. For me, I stopped at the scene and took all the pictures where my car was and what I hit. You could see from the skid marks in the pictures that my car was not off the road which my other pictures show. You know what the inspector at the station wrote in the book? It showed my car at a 45 degree into the driveway. I told the guy discreetly that I had pictures showing my car was never off the street. I ain't dump or retarded or taken advantage of. I know Thailand and protect myself . I also believe that one added trouble is never any better than one less trouble!

[muchogra]

As for the insurance, it ain't my business of how much it ends up, is it?

It just happened that the insurance guy had a cement guy called over by the caretaker of the house to do an estimate. It was B5,000. the money was handed to hi and pictures were taken both from my camera and from the insurance guy.

Back at the police station, it was written that a B5,000 settlement was reached to rebuild the wall. That's why they gave me back my driving license and my sticker they ripped from my car.

Would my insurance company cheat me for the B5,000 that I will reclaim? I wish!

Would the owner of the house demand more than what I compromised? I wish!

Man, iike I say, one needs to know the limit!