What follows happened on March 18, in Thonglor Soi 20, at 2 PM. Just the facts...

While I'm having an after lunch stroll, I turn a corner and there's a Police checkpoint, for pedestrians and motorbikes. I'm immediately searched, then ordered to pee in a mini plastic bottle, using a corner against a wall for privacy. I can't believe this is happening and I flatly refuse. The cop calmly tells me I'll be a guest of the Thonglor Police Station until I pee. I'm standing in a soi together with 6 Thais and 2 farangs who have filled their bottles already. I don't know what to do. In my country I'd call a lawyer, here who can I call? I don't know anyone. After half an hour, I give up and pee. I'm then taken to an office and shown how the test works. A drop on four litmus papers, for cocaine, amphetamines, heroin, marihuana. They all remains white, so the result is negative. No drugs in my urine. I'm free to go.
I'd like to know if what happened is normal practice, authorized by the Ministry of Interior or approved by some higher authority than a local police station. And for the benefit of all, if there's a lawyer reading this, the question is: what to do in such scenario? I sense this was a quick way to make money by squeezing all those with positive results. As this country is not a dictatorship, I suppose policemen can't just stop pedestrians in the street and force them to pee on the spot, without a reason.

All constructive comments and suggestions and appreciated. And be careful if you are in Thonglor, any time of the day or night.

I suppose policemen can't just stop pedestrians in the street and force them to pee on the spot, without a reason.

Now there's a bet worth taking.

I've experienced this also - about ten years back at Hollywood nightclub. The cops were stopping everyone outside. I don't take drugs so saw nothing wrong with takinf a qhizz in a bottle and then handing said bottle of piss to a policeman.

Sounds incredible.

Bkk is getting worst and worst with this mafia.

Has this happened to someone else ?

Been stopped before in that neck of the woods, asked for ID and where my hotel was...

That's mad. How does one react to that?

You lot have a lot to learn. You can be executed in SE Asia for trafficking so it remains that personal use is taboo and summary testing part of the territory in busy nightlife areas.

I keep my nose clean as possible in LOS and always have done.

I have no understanding as to why anyone is surprised by this - is this really news to some here?

Of course the police have the right to do this, anytime anywhere, blood tests too.

And jail time based on the results, but foreigners usually just deported.

NBD and par for the course here, please don't bother getting indignant, be grateful at least you get to leave the place if you don't like it.

That's mad. How does one react to that?

You calmly take the bottle, pee in it and hand it back to the BIB with a smile and a thank you! Either you do it or it's off to the crossbar hotel. TIT and it's their rules!

I have no understanding as to why anyone is surprised by this - is this really news to some here?

Of course the police have the right to do this, anytime anywhere, blood tests too.

And jail time based on the results, but foreigners usually just deported.

NBD and par for the course here, please don't bother getting indignant, be grateful at least you get to leave the place if you don't like it.

Blood tests, anytime anywhere? Sounds like Sweden. I'm happy to be living in the UK with regard to this: as police have no right to do this. Also those dip tests are unreliable, how frightening.

Blood tests, anytime anywhere? Sounds like Sweden. I'm happy to be living in the UK with regard to this: as police have no right to do this. Also those dip tests are unreliable, how frightening.

Even to the extent there are such laws - trying to give people "rights" vis-a-vis the state - officials here aren't constrained by them, in practice they can do what they like.

I have heard of people getting a positive result and successfully requesting a higher-accuracy blood test from a nearby hospital, but I bet it would cost a bit to be given that privilege.

And of course for a bit more you might even be allowed to stay in the country despite actually being guilty, but surprisingly enough not always.

By the way ordinary Thai people are overwhelmingly in favor of the police having such powers; very few have any understanding (much less agreement) with the farang-country idea of ordinary citizens having rights that protect them from their own government, and most consider such ideas pretty perverted.

Of course we in the West have been giving up many of these privileges in support of the so-called war on terror, maybe one day such matters will equalize between home and here as other differences - like standards of living - are doing.

Relevant PSA clip from my childhood:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=dAjDtB8PT2Q

This proves that the police are doing a good job.

What I would do in that situation is cooperate with the police rather than telling them no pee and to pee off and refuse.

Providing you abide by the laws then you have nothing to fear. Get caught with drugs, dealing or taking, then you`re owned, it`s that simple.

The jail houses here are stacked wall to wall with farang inhabitants incarcerated for drug offenses, many serving life sentences.

Be wary of any codeine containing medicines or poppy seed rolls then as you would most likely get a false positive for the heroin test.

Any police officer who has reasonable grounds (don't nit pick the definition, TIT) that you have consumed a Class 1,2 or 3 narcotic can ask you to take a test.

Btw. Refusing a test carries a penalty of up to 6 months.

Any police officer who has reasonable grounds (don't nit pick the definition, TIT) that you have consumed a Class 1,2 or 3 narcotic can ask you to take a test.

Do you have a reference for that restriction?

My understanding was that random bulk testing of crowds out in public anytime anywhere is perfectly legal here.

I always figured the fact that they generally select target-rich environments like late-night nightclubs was motivated by simple common-sense practicality.

Being a local business man, member of 6 chambers of commerce, and ex-director of 2 chambers of commerce I would happily sit at Thonglor police station and wait for the media to get a hold of the story so that the police can explain why people are being harassed in the middle of the day by corrupt police trying to extort money.

This proves that the police are doing a good job.

What I would do in that situation is cooperate with the police rather than telling them no pee and to pee off and refuse.

Providing you abide by the laws then you have nothing to fear. Get caught with drugs, dealing or taking, then you`re owned, it`s that simple.

The jail houses here are stacked wall to wall with farang inhabitants incarcerated for drug offenses, many serving life sentences.

What happen if your test is still positive for marijuana... this because you smoked some joints -a few days ago- in an Amsterdam coffee shop ?!?

Should I keep a receipt from the cafe as a proof that I did drugs... but oversea and in a complete legality ?!?

Providing you abide by the laws then you have nothing to fear.

Not necessarily true.

My Bumrungrad doc told me to avoid nightclubs because some legal meds he prescribed show up on the quick drug tests as illegal. He said the more expensive drug tests will exonerate me, but I will be an extremely unhappy camper while waiting for that to happen- and it could be the next day or longer.

So I avoid night spots and carry a copy of the prescription in case I do get caught up in a random pee test. Still, I do feel I have something to fear, though I don't take any illegal drugs.

This proves that the police are doing a good job.

What I would do in that situation is cooperate with the police rather than telling them no pee and to pee off and refuse.

Providing you abide by the laws then you have nothing to fear. Get caught with drugs, dealing or taking, then you`re owned, it`s that simple.

The jail houses here are stacked wall to wall with farang inhabitants incarcerated for drug offenses, many serving life sentences.

What happen if your test is still positive for marijuana... this because you smoked some joints -a few days ago- in an Amsterdam coffee shop ?!?

Should I keep a receipt from the cafe as a proof that I did drugs... but oversea and in a complete legality ?!?

I usually travel to BKK via Amsterdam and take a coffeeshop break during the layover , this is scary you might get arrested for something you have done legally in another country.. maybe they should now hand out leaflets before you board an airplan to LOS that you might end up deported if you smoked a joint in the past weeks.

This proves that the police are doing a good job.

What I would do in that situation is cooperate with the police rather than telling them no pee and to pee off and refuse.

Providing you abide by the laws then you have nothing to fear. Get caught with drugs, dealing or taking, then you`re owned, it`s that simple.

The jail houses here are stacked wall to wall with farang inhabitants incarcerated for drug offenses, many serving life sentences.

What happen if your test is still positive for marijuana... this because you smoked some joints -a few days ago- in an Amsterdam coffee shop ?!?

Should I keep a receipt from the cafe as a proof that I did drugs... but oversea and in a complete legality ?!?

a lot of countries including singapore and Malaysia (not sure about LOS) dont care if you have the drugs in your blood or yor pocket. Your still deemed a trafficker

If I got asked I would make sure that my aim was poor and piss on his feet.

If I got asked I would make sure that my aim was poor and piss on his feet.

Don't forget to leave a few drips running down the cup when you hand it back too.

Being a local business man, member of 6 chambers of commerce, and ex-director of 2 chambers of commerce I would happily sit at Thonglor police station and wait for the media to get a hold of the story so that the police can explain why people are being harassed in the middle of the day by corrupt police trying to extort money.

In what country were all of your EXs?

OP: The constructive response is to provide a urine test as refusing will lead to your arrest, police cells are not a fun experience. For Thais if it is a first offense for testing positive it's a 10k baht fine (info from Thai wife) or a negotiation for tea money.. If cannot pay on the spot tea money held in police cells until appearing before a judge. For first offense either pay the fine or a 45 day rehab process whilst in detention, depends on the judge. If fined and cannot access the cash go to prison.

Anyone who have a clue about what the Thai law say about personal intrusion like this from the police. Hardly a matter of suspicion if they stop all bypassing on a soi.

two of my staff were taken from the street side "restaurant" at lunch: Pee test for one, car search for the other:

Nothing

1-2 weeks later: 3 motorbike delivery boys got stopped for pee test:

2 negative

1 had to go to the hospital (to pay 5000 Baht I got told, to make positive test negative)

That's mad. How does one react to that?

You calmly take the bottle, pee in it and hand it back to the BIB with a smile and a thank you! Either you do it or it's off to the crossbar hotel. TIT and it's their rules!

What if you are a woman? How would this work on the street?

Why not insist that this test should be done at a police station? If everyone would do this, the police would be careful who to test. What would be the consequences insisting that the test should be done at the police station?

Beetlejuice, on 19 Mar 2013 - 05:29, said:

This proves that the police are doing a good job.

What I would do in that situation is cooperate with the police rather than telling them no pee and to pee off and refuse.

Providing you abide by the laws then you have nothing to fear. Get caught with drugs, dealing or taking, then you`re owned, it`s that simple.

The jail houses here are stacked wall to wall with farang inhabitants incarcerated for drug offenses, many serving life sentences.

Good job???

The rate is 5000 Baht if the test is positive.....under the table. So it money making.

Second this way of drug suppression is well tested and known to not work. Actually it just keeps the profit up and it makes even more sense if you believe the rumors that some politicians are also in the drug business.

Seems like a sham. But TIT. I get tested for work all the time so its a non issue but I can see if you were in a country where it was legal then went to Thailand and got poped just for some cash that will backfire one day when someone produces a receipt for something that happened a few days earlier in a different country where it was legal. The law states that you can not be under the influence it does not say that there is a penalty for lingering traces in ones blood.....

don't embarrass them in the soi, your test will come back positive.

I would have dropped my pants all the way to my ankles, faced everyone and taken the test, this may change how things are done in the future.