License Check Pattaya With A Twist

[yankee99]

Driving from soi siam to pattya tai today. I saw a few pickups in the road and some people in orange jump.suits. If this was america one would assume they were a chain gang there to clean the road. It then became apparent it was the normal pull as many bike in and write tickets. So in i go and was directed to one of at least 50 people doing the check. To my surprise the person who asked for my license was a falang. Then i looked around and saw at least another 6 falangs working with the thais doing this check. Since i had all my documents and my checker was german i was out of there in quick german fashion.

I have never seen this and curious if its the new norm?

[bazmlb]

It is normal, they are part of the Foreign Police Volunteers, this group helps with the checks to speed up the checks at the Sukhumvit Rd checkpoint.

[Beardog]

Seems like they have been doing the checks more often now that they are checking to see if you have a lic. The Farang volunteers have been growing more throughout the years at the checkpoints. Sure is nice to have the proper docs! In & out in moments. More time for them to oogle over your cool bike!

[loserlazer]

what are these farang doing with the police? Kissign a.s?

I never understand this volunteer thing with the police, as long as you work for free for them, it really looks like kissing as. or greasing them man, i am sorry.

I think some farang think like if they volunteer to police, they might be untouchable in town? hahahs very funny

if you really want to be a volunteer, try to do positive things like helping orphans, abused children or helping injured elephants etc. You can even make some flyers and distribute them on the roads for better helmet use in your area./

But, if you are volunteer to the police instead, you look like an as. kisser or do you guys expecting another source of income?

if i see one farang cop, i swear i do not even show my license.

[yankee99]

LL agree but not sure they would be very good at helping injured elephants

Edited April 10, 2013 by yankee99

[deadman]

the worlds fulla people with no life......freaks!!

[taninthai]

what are these farang doing with the police? Kissign a.s?

I never understand this volunteer thing with the police, as long as you work for free for them, it really looks like kissing as. or greasing them man, i am sorry.

I think some farang think like if they volunteer to police, they might be untouchable in town? hahahs very funny

if you really want to be a volunteer, try to do positive things like helping orphans, abused children or helping injured elephants etc. You can even make some flyers and distribute them on the roads for better helmet use in your area./

But, if you are volunteer to the police instead, you look like an as. kisser or do you guys expecting another source of income?

if i see one farang cop, i swear i do not even show my license.

I agree with thus 100% if some ferang asked to see my license I would be questioninghim about who he thinks he is i wouldbe showing it to him not letting him touch it and would be making sure that he knew I thought that he was a complete idiot

[loserlazer]

Better ask police id too. Legally only real police with real police id can ask your license.

Maybe they caught by police before for some reason and maybe they are paying it back with some community police service?

[yankee99]

well if this was my country or if i had my wife i might show my ass. Since that wasnt the case i acted like i was swiss.

[NomadJoe]

loserlazer, on 10 Apr 2013 - 14:17, said:

Better ask police id too. Legally only real police with real police id can ask your license.

Maybe they caught by police before for some reason and maybe they are paying it back with some community police service?

Where do you guys get your info? Of course they can. Any civilian can conduct this and other tasks when instructed by a police officer. Look at just about any checkpoint. Often several Thai's in uniform with "volunteer" in English on their vests.

Personally I am glad when I see them at a checkpoint, even if some of them are dicks. I find many expats to be complete dicks, so lickly there are some in this group too, but the ones I know and some I have met are really good guys and girls. The odds of you getting done for imagined infractions, or there being some misunderstanding due to language barrier, or for having to prove your foreign license is valid, goes way down when there is a farang volunteer involved. Look at the OP's post, for example. I do find the keyboard warriors entertaining though. Some of you guys are long time expats and you know better than to make things difficult when dealing with the police whether there are foreign volunteers involved or not. If you go making problems at a check point, things likely will not go well for you. Check your egos for half a second and your lives will be easier. Trust me when I say they could not care less what you think of them.

Edited April 10, 2013 by bazmlb

[loserlazer]

loserlazer, on 10 Apr 2013 - 14:17, said:

Better ask police id too. Legally only real police with real police id can ask your license.

Maybe they caught by police before for some reason and maybe they are paying it back with some community police service?

Where do you guys get your info? Of course they can. Any civilian can conduct this and other tasks when instructed by a police officer. Look at just about any checkpoint. Often several Thai's in uniform with "volunteer" in English on their vests.

Yes i prefer a Thai cop in Thailand even if it is harder for me to deal. I do not want to help a farang for a good a.s kiss, sorry.

I do not mind any Thai Volunteer.

I am sure they are there for kissing some a.s and creating a second income.

Edited April 10, 2013 by bazmlb

[SumetCycle]

loserlazer, on 10 Apr 2013 - 14:17, said:

Better ask police id too. Legally only real police with real police id can ask your license.

Maybe they caught by police before for some reason and maybe they are paying it back with some community police service?

Where do you guys get your info? Of course they can. Any civilian can conduct this and other tasks when instructed by a police officer. Look at just about any checkpoint. Often several Thai's in uniform with "volunteer" in English on their vests.

Personally I am glad when I see them at a checkpoint. The odds of you getting done for imagined infractions, or there being some misunderstanding due to language barrier, or for having to prove your foreign license is valid, goes way down when there is a farang volunteer involved. Look at the OP's post, for example. I do find the keyboard warriors entertaining though. Trust me when I say they could not care less what you think of them.

Sure, I guess they could be deputized. I would still be uncooperative and only speak Thai though.

[nikster]

what are these farang doing with the police? Kissign a.s?

Pretend police. People who want to be important but aren't.

[bazmlb]

Better ask police id too. Legally only real police with real police id can ask your license.

Maybe they caught by police before for some reason and maybe they are paying it back with some community police service?

The volunteers that work on the Highway police checkpoint hold Highway police id's.

[mogandave]

I would show my docs and be polite but I'd never grease one. Suck-azz is right.

[poanoi]

Corruption goes down when some farang is mixed in the group, hope it will become standard practice

especially in smaller checkpoints

[guzzi850m2]

A highway police id would come in handy if you getting stopped on your bike or in your car for whatever reason.

Well if those expats are bored then they can become a volunteer policeman/woman and can brag about in the bars,

I once saw one in Banglamung police station (not highway) and he looked like he came right from the bar, unshaven-red eyes.

Here is one expat dude here in Pattaya in 2009, but he was not among the finest.

http://www.pattayadailynews.com/en/2009/09/03/norwegian-volunteer-police-arrested-in-pattaya-for-drugs-dealing/

[bazmlb]

guzzi850m2, on 10 Apr 2013 - 16:41, said:

A highway police id would come in handy if you getting stopped on your bike or in your car for whatever reason.

Well if those expats are bored then they can become a volunteer policeman/woman and can brag about in the bars,

I once saw one in Banglamung police station (not highway) and he looked like he came right from the bar, unshaven-red eyes.

Here is one expat dude here in Pattaya in 2009, but he was not among the finest.

http://www.pattayadailynews.com/en/2009/09/03/norwegian-volunteer-police-arrested-in-pattaya-for-drugs-dealing/

Looking at his badge he is a Foreign Tourist Police Volunteer, not a Foreign Police Volunteer (FPV), the FPV work with the Royal Thai Police to assist them in dealing with foreigners, the FPV work at Soi 9, Banglamung and the new Nongprue Police stations as well as a Shore Patrol and the previously mentioned Highway Police checkpoint.

[taninthai]

I very much doubt any of these volunteers can read Thai so what is the point of handing them your documents that are of coarse written in Thai,it's just more people in jobs that they are not really qualified to do ,nothing new there really half the country seems to be filled with people in job positions which involves things they simply don't have a clue about.

[eezergood]

what are these farang doing with the police? Kissign a.s?

Pretend police. People who want to be important but aren't.

Making face farang style! DONT get me started about the bloody toy police & tourist police

[TheWalkingMan]

I think many foreigners have a lot of time on their hands and figure why not do something other than just sitting around.

[NomadJoe]

I very much doubt any of these volunteers can read Thai so what is the point of handing them your documents that are of coarse written in Thai,it's just more people in jobs that they are not really qualified to do ,nothing new there really half the country seems to be filled with people in job positions which involves things they simply don't have a clue about.

Some read and speak Thai quite well actually, many don't. Since they work side by side with Thai police, if you hand them Thai documents then of course the Thai's will read it. I am curious though what Thai documents you are talking about. A DL is in English and Thai, a green book is in Thai, but an farangs name will be with roman letters. I don't read much Thai but the rest of the info in a book I am able to discern because I am familiar with green and blue books, I am sure the volli's are too.

[taninthai]

I very much doubt any of these volunteers can read Thai so what is the point of handing them your documents that are of coarse written in Thai,it's just more people in jobs that they are not really qualified to do ,nothing new there really half the country seems to be filled with people in job positions which involves things they simply don't have a clue about.Some read and speak Thai quite well actually, many don't. Since they work side by side with Thai police, if you hand them Thai documents then of course the Thai's will read it. I am curious though what Thai documents you are talking about. A DL is in English and Thai, a green book is in Thai, but an farangs name will be with roman letters. I don't read much Thai but the rest of the info in a book I am able to discern because I am familiar with green and blue books, I am sure the volli's are too.

all my vehicles are in the wifes name so they are not even gonna be able to read who the owner of the vehicle is my insurance documents are also in thai so yes unless they read thai pretty pointless handing them a bunch of documents in thai.

Sent from my GT-P7500 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[bramds]

I always thought a farang could not do a job a Thai person can do.

[poanoi]

For starters they speak english so i can ask what 'offense' i have committed,

and if need be ask to see where that offense originated from, from traffic act or imagination/greed.

It also complicate corruption if a group is not homogenous/brothers in crime

[yankee99]

In regards ro reading thai. My swiss/german cop had a cheat sheet when he looked at my tax tag. he said "expires in july"

[loserlazer]

For starters they speak english so i can ask what 'offense' i have committed,

and if need be ask to see where that offense originated from, from traffic act or imagination/greed.

It also complicate corruption if a group is not homogenous/brothers in crime

paonoi, are you still asking your 'offence' on police stops in Thailand?

Bc, mostly there is no offence and you just pay a 100 thb and go your way!

An, if you insist on ;knowing your offence, they find something for you easily, Thai or farang does not matter. Those farang are doing what the police told them to do of course

[NomadJoe]

I very much doubt any of these volunteers can read Thai so what is the point of handing them your documents that are of coarse written in Thai,it's just more people in jobs that they are not really qualified to do ,nothing new there really half the country seems to be filled with people in job positions which involves things they simply don't have a clue about.Some read and speak Thai quite well actually, many don't. Since they work side by side with Thai police, if you hand them Thai documents then of course the Thai's will read it. I am curious though what Thai documents you are talking about. A DL is in English and Thai, a green book is in Thai, but an farangs name will be with roman letters. I don't read much Thai but the rest of the info in a book I am able to discern because I am familiar with green and blue books, I am sure the volli's are too.

all my vehicles are in the wifes name so they are not even gonna be able to read who the owner of the vehicle is my insurance documents are also in thai so yes unless they read thai pretty pointless handing them a bunch of documents in thai.

Sent from my GT-P7500 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

taninthai, please pay attention to the quotes. I did not say what you have me saying in your post. You said that.

Firstly, have you actually had any cop ask you for your green or blue book in the LOS? You are not required to carry it. So what "bunch of Thai documents" are you handing over? 13 years driving all over Thailand I never have nor have I ever heard of anyone having to show their book as long as they had a plate, current tax disk, and license. Most people don't carry their book with their bike or car. I don't.

Secondly, anyone can compare the name on a Thai ID to that on a book without being able to read Thai. As for the tax, the only tax you need to show is the compulsory tax disk, which one only needs to be able to read "2556" or "2557" and if it's in the current year, then you need to be able to read the month which isn't difficult to learn, or, as the volli mentioned did, use a cheat sheet until you do learn. If you are handing over your voluntary 1st class insurance documents or other documents at check points, then you are doing so unnecessarily.

[NomadJoe]

I always thought a farang could not do a job a Thai person can do.

It's not a job, they are volunteers.

There is a shortage of officers across the country, but especially in Phuket where the registered population is 320,000 but the actual population is known to be more than double that, and swells to over a million in the high season, and crime has definitely increasing here. I would imagine Pattaya is having the same problems. There has been a lot of articles in the news about this lately with a push to increase the number of uniformed volunteers, both foreign and Thai, in order to close the gap a bit. 100 extra officers were assigned to Phuket during peak season, but that is a drop in the bucket when compared to what is needed. The Phuket police chief just asked for an additional 5000 officers to add to the 1200 officers currently assigned to Phuket. International standards are usually agreed to be about 2.3 officers per 1000 residents. US is 2.5. Not sure of the numbers in Pattaya, but Phuket currently has a ratio of 1.2 to 1000.

[taninthai]

I very much doubt any of these volunteers can read Thai so what is the point of handing them your documents that are of coarse written in Thai,it's just more people in jobs that they are not really qualified to do ,nothing new there really half the country seems to be filled with people in job positions which involves things they simply don't have a clue about.Some read and speak Thai quite well actually, many don't. Since they work side by side with Thai police, if you hand them Thai documents then of course the Thai's will read it. I am curious though what Thai documents you are talking about. A DL is in English and Thai, a green book is in Thai, but an farangs name will be with roman letters. I don't read much Thai but the rest of the info in a book I am able to discern because I am familiar with green and blue books, I am sure the volli's are too.

all my vehicles are in the wifes name so they are not even gonna be able to read who the owner of the vehicle is my insurance documents are also in thai so yes unless they read thai pretty pointless handing them a bunch of documents in thai.

Sent from my GT-P7500 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

taninthai, please pay attention to the quotes. I did not say what you have me saying in your post. You said that.

Firstly, have you actually had any cop ask you for your green or blue book in the LOS? You are not required to carry it. So what "bunch of Thai documents" are you handing over? 13 years driving all over Thailand I never have nor have I ever heard of anyone having to show their book as long as they had a plate, current tax disk, and license. Most people don't carry their book with their bike or car. I don't.

Secondly, anyone can compare the name on a Thai ID to that on a book without being able to read Thai. As for the tax, the only tax you need to show is the compulsory tax disk, which one only needs to be able to read "2556" or "2557" and if it's in the current year, then you need to be able to read the month which isn't difficult to learn, or, as the volli mentioned did, use a cheat sheet until you do learn. If you are handing over your voluntary 1st class insurance documents or other documents at check points, then you are doing so unnecessarily.

nomad Joe you obviously support this system ,I don't and I think a ferang has no bussiness seeing all my personal details like name address ,age ,marriage status and I pretty sure you are supposed to carry your greenbook for the bike at all times how are they gonna check frame and engine numbers match up without a greenbook ,so again in the car every is in a folder greenbook first class insurance and license however in 6 years never been asked to show anything simply waved straight through any checkpoints I have come across.don't know why you are talking about matching a Thai I'd card name to the name in my bikes book because the misses don't come on the bike with me and I certainly don't carry her Thai I'd card around with me,so I say it a third time just for you if I get stopped by a ferang on a power trip he is not even gonna be able to tell me the name of the owner of my bike.

Yes I know you didn't say what I quoted blame the forum for that there seems many issues with the forum lately and the quote feature not working properly is one of them.

Edited April 11, 2013 by taninthai