Have recently returned to Thailand temporarily do some business stuff and a friend has just had a horrible experience.

Let me relate a bit of advice that will hopefully help someone out who finds their self having a bit of a problem when dealing with an accident negotiation or similar and the police an does not speak Thai.

Take your own translator with you, and do not rely on any the police will provide. Don't even talk to them, they simply cannot be trusted. Better to pay a professional, keeping in mind how partial a Thai may really be against you, a foreign friend who speaks Thai well is the best bet.

If you rely on the friendly , seemingly kind police provided translator, who’ll speak perfect English, and probably present a business card from his day job at a local 5 star hotel chain- because he “fears for your safety,” you’ll to urged accept any settlement offer, no matter how low it is as you , “may find yourself killed or hurt over the matter.”

Of course it is ridiculous, it is simply intimidation.

This is how it works here, fear is their tool. Are you going to be killed or attacked over 10 or 20,000 baht it? Seriously doubtful. Just be reasonable in your expectations, have written estimates and don’t back down, they count on it.

Thanks for reading. Be careful out there

P Pantari

Better to be insured.

Urban myth aka barstool nonsense!!

In Thailand how many people have found out that "borrow" means "give" ?. Its in the translation, good luck.

The mobile phone can be worth its weight in gold if you have any problems and you have Thai friends who speaky zee Eengleesh.

WHAT'S NEW ?

few weeks ago, 3 italians got abducted by the thai police from Thonglor and asked a huge ransom...

oh moment i guess that was a urban myth barstool that i read in the newspaper

DTAC have number where excellent translation is provided, passing the phone back and forth, I don't know how they might handle contentious issues though.

The op is just scaremongering

."Best ignored "