Surge of reported police harassment suggests campaign targeting tourists, expats

[webfact]

Surge of reported police harassment suggests campaign targeting tourists, expats
By Coconuts Bangkok



BANGKOK: -- In recent weeks a pattern of reported incidents of harassment, random daytime searches, detention and intimidation suggest an organized campaign by police is targeting tourists and foreign nationals.

Although it’s difficult to verify or substantiate many of the claims, the sheer number that have been raised in correspondence, online forums, blogs and news reports would indicate a higher than normal level of such incidents.

“It seems like its getting worse and worse, a lot of friends are getting stopped and harassed, particularly around Thong Lor,” said a foreign national living legally in Bangkok, who requested anonymity for fear of further harassment.

A Facebook group created this past weekend to share such stories has already gained more than 200 members, some of whom told of systematically being stopped, searched, threatened with arrest and sometimes asked for money.

A video posted Tuesday purportedly showing authorities conducting a random search on Monday near Asoke.

An expat resident living in the Phra Khanong area said he was walking home from 7-Eleven at 6pm early last month when he was ordered to stop by a man wearing civilian clothes. Concerned that it was a scam, he kept walking. At that point the man grabbed his arm and pulled his badge out.

“Then this English guy crosses the road and says ‘You’ve been acting suspicious,’” he recounted. “‘I want to see your passport.”

They refused a photocopy of his passport and phone image of his visa. “He kept saying ‘I’m here to help you,’ but he seemed there to help shake me down. They wouldn’t let me go.” They put him in an unmarked pickup truck with the windows blacked out, and he was relieved when they actually took him to a nearby police station.

“They wanted to urine test, they wanted me to sign a document,” he said. “I refused.” When he told them his lawyer was coming to the station, “they lost interest” and eventually fined him THB100 for not carrying his passport and released him. [read more...]

Full story: http://bangkok.coconuts.co//2014/12/04/surge-reported-police-harassment-suggests-campaign-targeting-tourists-expats


-- Coconuts Bangkok 2014-12-04

[rasmus5150]

Since the "Tea Money" from the massage parlors are gone, they need another source of income - tourists/expats. But after it has been reported in the news, it will probably stop in a few days/weeks.

[CMHomeboy78]

Coconuts = Tabloid style news for Thailand expats

It's more than just tabloid news... it could be the start of something unwelcome indeed.

[JOC]

Coconuts = Tabloid style news for Thailand expats

Waters too muddy for diving on Koh Tao today??

[ikke]

They just don't want tourist anymore !

Everyday another attempt to stop tourists from choosing Thailand as a travel destination.....

[CMHomeboy78]

Coconuts = Tabloid style news for Thailand expats

Waters too muddy for diving on Koh Tao today??

JOC, you'd better hope the cops don't start reading internet forums or you're toast.

[lust]

Coconuts = Tabloid style news for Thailand expats

Waters too muddy for diving on Koh Tao today??

JOC, you'd better hope the cops don't start reading internet forums or you're toast.

What are you blathering about?

[Flex2791]

We've never been welcomed here. Only tolerated because of our money. Money is the only thing these crooks are after. Don't ever let them search you. If they are really interested in enforcing the law, i will gladly drop off a mirror so they have a clue where to start.

[Tycoon]

This was in the Thai media yesterday. Wait now for a drop off and TAT to drop a few hints to certain areas.

[terryp]

of little interest to the ignorant fools that have gone native and live in the booonies of nakon nowhere ...BUT lets not forget that many Genuine tourists transit thro bkk for a few days and they fear this kind of abuse by any law enforcement as this is the natorious far east and being forced to sign any bull that is made up on that day of a little pill slipped into your shirt pocket can DESTROY your life/////..but hey thailand is perfect isnt it fools

[laislica]

Strangely enough, this summer, the Spanish were offering tourists an official - police copy of their passport so they can carry that and avoid having the real one stolen. I didn't check on the cost and don't know if the service is still available.

Perhaps it would be nice if the RTP could offer that?
Also make it about credit card size so it fits in the pocket easily?

It is law in many countries that visitors must carry their passport at all times.

If carrying your actual passport,wrap it in something waterproof because it only needs a little wetting to render the passport useless!

Then you are into the additional waste of time and extra cost of an emergency passport, a replacement once you get home etc.

A royal pain in the bum!

[bkkbudddy]

ATTENTION:

We need to brainstorm and find a resolution to stop these harassment from the Thonglor Police! So, what can we do, any suggestions? Does anyone has a connection with CNN, Fox news or Huffpost? We should let the world know about the harassments involving tourists and expats in Bangkok from Thonglor Police Department!

[Cuchulainn]

Guests of a Nation.............

[kotsak]

Wall Street Journal has an article about Thailand, mentioning the police harassment among other interesting things happening recently :>

[Jessi]

They just don't want tourist anymore !

Everyday another attempt to stop tourists from choosing Thailand as a travel destination.....

They never did, They only want the money

"Money number one"

[AloisAmrein]

TAT will like that. They want quality tourists, but the numer of normal tourists is already decreasing (more then 10% this year).

[strawpanda]

My Thai wife is visiting home for a month soon without me, I prefer not to go as things are at present.

[GinBoy2]

I subscribe to a frequent flier website, even that had a story on this. That doesn't help TAT's professed goal of attracting 'quality' tourists, I'm sure the riff raff don't travel enough to get loyalty points LOL

http://loyaltylobby.com/2014/12/02/bangkok-police-conducting-random-searches-to-extort-money-from-tourists/

[catweazle]

So far for Prayut's vow to clean up the country and make it attractive to tourists and investors alike...

This country is going south at accellerating speed it seems, why am I still here?

[hhgz]

"it’s difficult to verify or substantiate many of the claims..."

Yet, they're published without shame.

Edited December 4, 2014 by hhgz

[joepublic]

Does anyone know how to find the facebook page mentioned here that was set up to talk about the police harrassment

[PaulHamon]

lots of stories in Bangkok related Facebook groups over the past 2-3 weeks...

Many more than I'm used to seeing.

[arrowsdawdle]

This was in the Thai media yesterday. Wait now for a drop off and TAT to drop a few hints to certain areas.

Maybe that is the problem, that TAT is behind on tea money payments.

[EyesWideOpen]

They just don't want tourist anymore !

Everyday another attempt to stop tourists from choosing Thailand as a travel destination.....

They never did, They only want the money

"Money number one"

Hard to have one without the other. Unless.......the bar girls can convince farangs

to simply send money but never show up here.

[bender92]

Here in Pattaya I've found the opposite to be true. I drive past many police checkpoints and they are only stopping Thais for paper checks. Some foreigners got stopped for not wearing helmets.

[Ianatlarge]

Frakking genius. What a great way to help Thailand recover its reputation as a tourist destination. I have started to tell my fellow Ozis to go to the Phils, not Thailand, for their 4 weeks of annual freedom. Even with its problems (the occasional 'super' typhoon), it is looking better and better. Maybe time to relocate? But is there a Phil equivalent to thaivisa, where I can recursively bitch and moan with like minded cynics?

Edited December 4, 2014 by Ianatlarge

[stockholm1995]

ATTENTION:

We need to brainstorm and find a resolution to stop these harassment from the Thonglor Police! So, what can we do, any suggestions? Does anyone has a connection with CNN, Fox news or Huffpost? We should let the world know about the harassments involving tourists and expats in Bangkok from Thonglor Police Department!

I have sent the link to the article to newspapers in Sweden and will send a email to Thai Embassy and ask them if i should change my next vacation to Vietnam.

If every embassy get 500 emails then they will contact the TAT in Thailand. I am sure they don´t want more bad publicity.

You can send a massage to TAT on facebook https://www.facebook.com/AmazingThailand?ref=ts

I saw somebody wrote a post on TAT´s facebook.

You can send a complaint on http://www.tourismthailand.org/Send-Complaint

[lahgon29]

Lived in Udon 2 years..Never been stopped by police for anything..Stopped once in the car for a license check. Showed It, and that was that. Just had a week in Chiang Mai..Same. Is this only a Bangkok thing? Don't see any complaints from residents of Phuket, Pattaya, Issarn etc.

[Jim walker]

Just the Thai way to try and finish of the tourism industry for good [ final nail in the coffin ] and must say up to now they have been doing a brilliant job and must be congratulated on their success in chasing the tourists away from Thailand now just the expats left and will have to try a bit harder to clear them all out.

[iReason]

Example #1: Shooting themselves in the foot once again. (With their barbarism):

“Many reports have been in the Thong Lor area."

"An expat resident living in the area claimed that on Monday police forced him to the Thong Lor Police Station for a urine test."

"When he couldn’t produce, he says they forced him to drink four liters of water and pressed forcefully on his bladder to make him urinate and touched his penis.”

Out of control Thugs.

Example #2: Inserting their foot in their (ignorant) mouths again:

"It could have been drugs-related charges, but those arrests are of colored people,” said investigator Chaliew of the Khlong Tan police department, who refused to give his last name.

“Mostly drugs and illegal immigration charges. … There haven't been many arrests of white people ... like Americans."

I wasn't aware there are only white people in America.