Phuket Police to target foreigners at night

[chooka]

I give it the thumbs up. Go for it I say, because whoever is found to be in violation of whatever, needs to be hauled out, penalized and preferably expelled.

Not enough tourists being arrested to justify the tourist courts. Police have been sent out to harvest as much as they can.

[spermwhale]

Out of these 247 crimes, 142 are for the heinous infractions of no work permit, traffic violations, overstay and illegal entry.

So in other words there were 142 real crimes committed by foreigners, vs... how many by Thais, not to mention their government officials and police.

What a joke. SHAKEDOWN is right.

Thais really know how to screw up a good thing don't they. Phuket was nice once upon a time, but instead of developing it into a proper resort, they never planned and instead the place is riddled with shoddy infrastructure.

[jaapfries]

“There is no need to carry around this kind of equipment at night,” he added.

Ha, ha, ha, ha; but you're welcome to carry this stuff from Dawn-to-Dusk ! ! ! ! !

I'm going back to my lab. and attempt to invent something like Viagra-for-the-Growing-of-Brains ! ! ! ! I'll make millions in Thailand alone ! ! !

[NamKangMan]

I give it the thumbs up. Go for it I say, because whoever is found to be in violation of whatever, needs to be hauled out, penalized and preferably expelled.

I wonder if you will feel the same way when you ar pulled over, and a corrupt payment demanded from you, for having a copy CD in your car????

[muratremix]

How many or percentage of them Russian nationals? More than half I guess.

[silent]

Xenophobia at it's finest. Bravo Mr Deputy Commander.

Must be karma from when just being black was good enough R&PG for a snatch and grab back home.

Interested to know how one goes about "preparing" to target foreigners.

(On our menu for today is hollow point, or beating; SSG, or fine. Which will you have today sir)?

Y'all come back now.

[rct99q]

Wow, bitch and moan when they do not do anything, bitch and moan when they do something, Y'all sound like Americans.

[upena]

Well, it's official then, with these statistics, Phuket is to be renamed Pattaya 2.

I would like to personally congratulate the BiB and Phuket's influential people for their wonderful administration of the island. Job well done. Keep up the good work.

I will look forward to the racial profiling at your check points.

There is already a Pattaya 2 in Khon Kaen and a Pattaya 3 in Sakon Nakhon.

[pgrahmm]

I suspect the inspections will reveal the druggies & drunks....two brands of tourists Thailand (or any country) is better off without. The electronic ATM equipment is the inspection/search door in.......sly.....

[casindonet]

They need donations for Christmas & New Year.....great timing.

[stevenl]

But I understand their interest ... From locals (Taxi, jetski etc..) They collect 100-200 bht. Farangs have to pay significantly more.

Last time I was there, they let all Thais without helmet pass, they only stop the farangs.

This is how it works here... Money talks

Both claims are not true.

[stevenl]

This is nothing more than legalised racism and is fundamentally wrong.

How is it racism when thai start checking e.g. vietnamese? Why do people on tv keep confusing foreigner with farang?

Sent from my D90W using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Well, at night, try to differentiate Vietnamese with Thais, sitting in car, approaching the gestapo checkpoint. They are only going for honkies!!!!

Just read the OP and the mentioned examples.

[chooka]

Wow, bitch and moan when they do not do anything, bitch and moan when they do something, Y'all sound like Americans.

I don't think anyone is complaining about the authorities actually getting off their butts and doing something but the way the BIB are insinuating that it is the foreigners who are responsible for the crime in Phuket. They are targeting the minority whilst excluding the majority.

These ATM scams have involved thais also in the groups so all they have to do is have the thai associate carry the equipment and he will go unchecked. If they were really serious then they will be checking everyone and not just the round eyes.

[stevenl]

This is nothing more than legalised racism and is fundamentally wrong.

How is it racism when thai start checking e.g. vietnamese? Why do people on tv keep confusing foreigner with farang?

Sent from my D90W using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Well, at night, try to differentiate Vietnamese with Thais, sitting in car, approaching the gestapo checkpoint. They are only going for honkies!!!!

Yep it is a little like trying to differentiate between an Aussie and a Kiwi sitting in a car. I have to agree they will be targeting the round eyes easier to spot as a possible tourist or expat and not a citizen.

Of course you agree, you do that with everything that sounds negative.

[thrilled]

I'm glad the police will be checking on farangs.

[technologybytes]

Lets be fair here and take this news in perspective.

In my experience (lived in Thailand 11 years) police set up road blocks at night and stop/search motorcycles. Usually not on main roads, and late at night. I've usually thought of them as drug checks.

Now.. speaking of racial profiling, they have ALWAYS let me pass without questioning me or searching my motorcycle.. whilst Thai's are often stopped and searched. However, the police are actually pretty good at knowing which Thai's to search and which to wave on, I guess it comes with experience.

I have not seen a similar situation with cars, yes there are checkpoints all over the country where one must wind down the window and occasionally answer questions like where are you going ? Where do you come from ? and What's your favorite football team ? I have even been asked to open the back of my car in the past at one of these checkpoints, but they never searched me as an individual and it was friendly enough.

I can't imagine the police ever targeting regular tourists in this way, and I'm sure that's NOT what this article suggests. Expats like myself who live here must accept the way Thailand is and expect to occasionally have to be treated the same as a Thai person... surely that's not so bad !!

[dominique355]

My advice when stopped by the police, take out your mobile phone and start filming the whole incident. In particular get the face and if visible, the name tag of the policemen. It works...

And if my wife driving gets stopped, she stops briefly and simply tells the police man, you have the licence plate, so send the fine to my home. and leaves.

[Time Traveller]

247 foreigners, out of x million ?

And you can be sure that every single one of the 247 was paraded in front of the media to announce the capture of these despicable criminals by the incredibly brilliant police as they protect the nation against the evil crimes committed by those dangerous foreigners.

[anon467367354]

This is nothing more than legalised racism and is fundamentally wrong.

How is it racism when thai start checking e.g. vietnamese? Why do people on tv keep confusing foreigner with farang?

Sent from my D90W using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Checking the Vietnamese or stopping the vehicle picked up on a surveillance camera?

[jacko45k]

Weird... How come back home we all obediently abide by the rules but when we're guests in another country, it's racial profiling? Something not right, no?

It was the same in Pattaya where it was claimed all the tourists were responsible for the litter being left on the beach.........it would be be easy to stop at customs on arrival, check the suitcases and take all the empty Chang bottles and little plastic bags off them there!

Edited December 18, 2013 by jacko45k

[fareastguy]

Obviously another "reserved occupation" !!

[cbluck58]

Most of the serious crime in the news in Thailand is Thai on Thai. Start with the serial rapist/killer who killed a girl named Cartoon.

Others are Thai on foreigners. Why don't they check taxi drivers for knives and bamboo poles?

Because if the farangs didn't come then there wouldn't be a problem, they are provoking and encouraging locals to act the way they are.

Are you on Yabba ?

[chrisrazz]

PR and nothing but PR. Why announce anything? Ever. They've just told all the crims to stay home for a while. The crims back off for a while and the crime rate is down, then another PR coup will claim a reduction in crime. Job done.

What with the downturn in tourists they are probably finding the tea money from the dodgy nightlife venues and illegal taxis/jetski scams is diminished and need to supplement it with an alternative revenue source. Phuket is a microcosm of the real problems in this country - a handful of rich and powerful calling the shots.

[Barney R]

This is nothing more than legalised racism and is fundamentally wrong.

How is it racism when thai start checking e.g. vietnamese? Why do people on tv keep confusing foreigner with farang?

Sent from my D90W using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Well, at night, try to differentiate Vietnamese with Thais, sitting in car, approaching the gestapo checkpoint. They are only going for honkies!!!!

Yep it is a little like trying to differentiate between an Aussie and a Kiwi sitting in a car. I have to agree they will be targeting the round eyes easier to spot as a possible tourist or expat and not a citizen.

Lol easy to tell the difference between an Aussie and kiwi sitting in a car the kiwi has a lamb sitting on his lap and a sheep buckled beside him in the passengers seat .

[MickGC]

Most of the serious crime in the news in Thailand is Thai on Thai. Start with the serial rapist/killer who killed a girl named Cartoon.

Others are Thai on foreigners. Why don't they check taxi drivers for knives and bamboo poles?

Because if the farangs didn't come then there wouldn't be a problem, they are provoking and encouraging locals to act the way they are.

Are you on Yabba ?

I think Chooka was being facetious

[JimSiam]

Xenophobia at it's finest. Bravo Mr Deputy Commander.

Extreme racism at its best...!! I would urge all foreigners to do what I did seven years ago, and leave Phuket for the last time...!!

Whats the problem, unless your doing something illegal?

[Nibbles48]

So I assume that tourists will be stopped and searched as they pass in and out of Phuket.

I am sure this is going to help tourism a lot.

Went to Phuket on holiday and was stopped and searched 3 times and questioned at length about if I was working and where is my work permit.... I am just a damn holiday maker on a 2 week holiday from the UK.

Yes, I suppose this will go down well with tourists, holiday in a police state.

[dorlemon]

“There is no need to carry around this kind of equipment at night,” he added.

So they will start to do this jobs in daytime .?.?

[thaimat]

Xenophobia at it's finest. Bravo Mr Deputy Commander.

is simple greed, under the guise of xenophobia. Vast majority of crime at night here is done by Thai's, even when relative numbers are taken into account. Airport tax, VAT, higher prices for most things for Farangs here apparently not enough, the bib want to impose their own form of "tax" on farangs.

[jpduggan]

Well, it's official then, with these statistics, Phuket is to be renamed Pattaya 2.

I would like to personally congratulate the BiB and Phuket's influential people for their wonderful administration of the island. Job well done. Keep up the good work.

Why Pattaya 2 ?

I have never ever been stopped and searched in Pattaya.

You probably don't drive a moped then!