Please do your part to stop BKK police from harassing tourists/expats

[David48]

Simpler just to avoid Bangkok, or certain areas of it, <snip>

Easier said then done, I'm afraid.

A few of mates are there.

BTS

Decent Hotels

My Dentist

My Stockbroker (BTS).

Night life ... live bands.

I've tried Silom/Sathorn ... but just didn't like it.

[David48]

I live in the area in question. I've been stopped once in the last couple of years. They were polite and courteous (as I was to them). Asked for my passport, I showed it to them, they sent me on my way with a smile.

I think people are making too big a thing of this.

Now ... you will see a different side of David.

I agree with you (on this) ... I've, personally, never experienced this.

Also I take onboard that you have neither.

But, is it not fair to think that maybe the activity has increased because of the reports to date?

Asking ... not telling.

.

[SoiBiker]

Seems like internet hysteria to me.

[inzman]

The idiots who thinks it's all hysteria are gonna get their turn. I've had mine and it's not pleasant. The cops can be quite arrogant as they search over and over and can't find anything. I don't wish my experience on anyone. So keep your head in the sand and don't make a sound, your turn will come. People that roll over for the crooked cops are why this continues.

[mitsubishi]

i got pulled in bkk near to soi 7 on my last visit to bkk, 2 BIB came down the PAVEMENT on their bike,and i refused to move out off their way and stood my ground,they then got off and asked me for identification,i then asked them what crime had i commited and what reason could they give me for asking me to produce I.D. they said obstructing police in their duty, i just said it is illegal to ride a bike on the pavement you both have no crash helmets on ,and i by thai law do not have to show you my passport unless i have commirted a crime or broken a by law,he then pointed to a cigarette butt next to my feet and said you drop you pay 2000 bht In my best English i told them both to <deleted> off and i would be willing to go to the nearest police station to be searched for a lighter or even a packet of cigarettes,but if it was shown that i was not carrying these I would be taking legal action against them both for false accusation and malpractice as i have both your numbers. They then decided to apologise for their mistake and allowed me to proceed, then driving off on the pavement without helmets etc. I also have asked the BIB many times to show me in the Thai highway code book where it says you have to wear a helmet and there is nothing in the book that states this,maybe it is somewhere else and until i find it i will piss then off every time by not wearing one. Little victories are worth enjoying.

Judging by your picture and this post I take it you speak fluent Thai? Because if most of us tried that with pidgin thai we'd probably be arrested on made up charges and messed around for the next few hours. Getting smart with the cops is rarely worth it and they can bear grudges too.

[SoiBiker]

The idiots who thinks it's all hysteria are gonna get their turn. I've had mine and it's not pleasant. The cops can be quite arrogant as they search over and over and can't find anything. I don't wish my experience on anyone. So keep your head in the sand and don't make a sound, your turn will come. People that roll over for the crooked cops are why this continues.

I've had my turn. The police were as polite and courteous to me as I was to them, and the whole thing cost me no more than a few minutes out of my day.

[Elmer Gantry]

Better idea! Tell everyone in your country Thailand ain't the place to stagger around in a drunken or drugged out haze!

you and the other likes not run out of apologist pills yet,be careful they have a test for it.

[AlanAunuum]

95 pecrent of thai police do not speak english and yes i did tell them to &lt;deleted&gt; off,in a more like sarcastic way,and as for wearing a helmet,the reason i don't is quite simple i like to see when i am pulled over and given a talking too,how many other bike riders (thai) are also pulled over.It is amazing how invisible the seem to the BIB and I have never paid the fine which i have been quoted as 200 bht,or 100 bht tea money. I have a thai bike licence and insurance,something very lacking in bike riders,farangs included. The BIB are getting very heavy handed as many posts on here will tell,and it is usually between soi 23 and soi 7 sukhumvit.

[proovms]

The best thing we as foreigners can collectively do is stand our ground when we haven't done anything wrong. Don't be difficult, but don't hand over ridiculous amounts of cash either. Be familiar with the laws. And know your rights.

Although I agree that this should be the case, when a policeman is robbing you in the street to buy a new motorbike, I don't think he will care about your rights.

[Misterwhisper]

As far as I am concerned, I am not worried at all.

I visit lower Sukhumvit and Thonglor perhaps twice or thrice a year and only if I absolutely, absolutely must. But not even 10 horses would get me down to Khao San.

I avoid those tourist ghettos like the plague, and frankly, I've never really understood what is so compelling about them that makes every other traveler want to stay there.

Lemming mentality? TripAdvisor recommendations? Girly bars? Cheap banana pancakes (apparently some "globetrotters" cannot survive without those)?

As I understand it, the current "crackdown" is largely confined to those ghettos.

[ToneG]

Tourists (like me) come to Thailand and want to have a couple of days in BKK before going to a beach destination. I don't mind the police asking to see my passport but I don't want to piss into a bowl. I have nothing to fear from my side (I've never touched drugs) the worry to me is if I've had a few beers and cross swords with a crooked cop what may happen next. I look to the police to be there for my protection not to make money out of me.

[Cypress Hill]

If the police are pulling over foreigners in the area they must have a purpose.

The simple solutions are that tourists and ex-pats carry their passports and driving licenses about with them at all times when they are out should the police ask to see identification and If riding motorbikes, wear helmets otherwise the police are well within their rights to search or detain these people until identifications are confirmed. The police are probably pulling in Thai people as well, we are only getting one side of the story.

Otherwise if the OP does not agree with that, then I suggest that the tourists either don`t visit Thailand or the OP starts a revolution.

didnt some big wig recently say we DIDNT have to carry original passports?? I never carry mine bugger that I aint gonna lose it or get it wet/mangled

Yeah you'd do well to ignore Beetlejuice. He's got to be the most self-righteous, out of touch poster on this entire forum.

Shit, the guy would probably go to his local Ford dealership and ask to test drive a Model T. He probably lives in a part of the country where he sees a policeman once a year but, as he's not been stopped, he reasons it's because he wears ironed Y-fronts, a vest and looks so law-abiding. Still, you just KNOW he's the quietly-seething William Foster played by Michael Douglas in "Falling Down"

The police stopping foreigners DO have a purpose; they're looking for bribes. It'll stop soon as the high season - such as it is - wears on without much improvement in tourism.

Hit 'em in the pocket . . . works every time

Edited December 5, 2014 by Cypress Hill

[ToneG]

I'll be in BKK in January. I usually carry a fair amount of cash with me usually in a safe wallet with my passport. Any views about whether or not it's

a wise thing to do showing the police my passport and lots of money if I get stopped. I'll be staying around the area of Suk that seems to be being targeted.

Thanks for any advice.

[Cypress Hill]

I'll be in BKK in January. I usually carry a fair amount of cash with me usually in a safe wallet with my passport. Any views about whether or not it's

a wise thing to do showing the police my passport and lots of money if I get stopped. I'll be staying around the area of Suk that seems to be being targeted.

Thanks for any advice.

What a moronic question

[purushanti]

As far as I am concerned, I am not worried at all.

I visit lower Sukhumvit and Thonglor perhaps twice or thrice a year and only if I absolutely, absolutely must. But not even 10 horses would get me down to Khao San.

I avoid those tourist ghettos like the plague, and frankly, I've never really understood what is so compelling about them that makes every other traveler want to stay there.

Lemming mentality? TripAdvisor recommendations? Girly bars? Cheap banana pancakes (apparently some "globetrotters" cannot survive without those)?

As I understand it, the current "crackdown" is largely confined to those ghettos.

Is this for real? Any oter verification that this is going at Khaosan Rd. area?

[ToneG]

I'll be in BKK in January. I usually carry a fair amount of cash with me usually in a safe wallet with my passport. Any views about whether or not it's

a wise thing to do showing the police my passport and lots of money if I get stopped. I'll be staying around the area of Suk that seems to be being targeted.

Thanks for any advice.

What a moronic question

Thank you for your help. The police are that bad then.

[BudRight]

If the police are pulling over foreigners in the area they must have a purpose.

The simple solutions are that tourists and ex-pats carry their passports and driving licenses about with them at all times when they are out should the police ask to see identification and If riding motorbikes, wear helmets otherwise the police are well within their rights to search or detain these people until identifications are confirmed. The police are probably pulling in Thai people as well, we are only getting one side of the story.

Otherwise if the OP does not agree with that, then I suggest that the tourists either don`t visit Thailand or the OP starts a revolution.

1. Yes, it does have a purpose. It's purpose is to extort money.

2. Are you saying that because the police extort money from Thais too that makes this all okay?

3. As far as tourists not visiting Thailand, I'm glad we can agree on something.

[Asiantravel]

If the police are pulling over foreigners in the area they must have a purpose.

The simple solutions are that tourists and ex-pats carry their passports and driving licenses about with them at all times when they are out should the police ask to see identification and If riding motorbikes, wear helmets otherwise the police are well within their rights to search or detain these people until identifications are confirmed. The police are probably pulling in Thai people as well, we are only getting one side of the story.

Otherwise if the OP does not agree with that, then I suggest that the tourists either don`t visit Thailand or the OP starts a revolution.

didnt some big wig recently say we DIDNT have to carry original passports?? I never carry mine bugger that I aint gonna lose it or get it wet/mangled

No need to worry says Bangkok Immigration Commander

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/747736-no-need-to-worry-says-bangkok-immigration-commander/

Edited December 5, 2014 by Asiantravel

[Diplomatico]

If the police are pulling over foreigners in the area they must have a purpose.

The simple solutions are that tourists and ex-pats carry their passports and driving licenses about with them at all times when they are out should the police ask to see identification and If riding motorbikes, wear helmets otherwise the police are well within their rights to search or detain these people until identifications are confirmed. The police are probably pulling in Thai people as well, we are only getting one side of the story.

Otherwise if the OP does not agree with that, then I suggest that the tourists either don`t visit Thailand or the OP starts a revolution.

didnt some big wig recently say we DIDNT have to carry original passports?? I never carry mine bugger that I aint gonna lose it or get it wet/mangled

Yeah you'd do well to ignore Beetlejuice. He's got to be the most self-righteous, out of touch poster on this entire forum.

Shit, the guy would probably go to his local Ford dealership and ask to test drive a Model T. He probably lives in a part of the country where he sees a policeman once a year but, as he's not been stopped, he reasons it's because he wears ironed Y-fronts, a vest and looks so law-abiding. Still, you just KNOW he's the quietly-seething William Foster played by Michael Douglas in "Falling Down"

The police stopping foreigners DO have a purpose; they're looking for bribes. It'll stop soon as the high season - such as it is - wears on without much improvement in tourism.

Hit 'em in the pocket . . . works every time

Nomination for TV "Best post of December".

[phil2]

As long as you're legit, you've nothing to worry about. This is what black Africans have been enduring for a long time.

[jcisco]

Absolutely. The other day I was sitting near the window of the Au Bon Pain on the corner of Sukhumvit Soi 31 and two cops came (being a disgrace riding pillion on the sidewalk) and started stopping the first the best Westerners that came along. There was nothing dodgy-looking about them. In any case, if they really wanted to do something about drugs, they should raid some clubs.

My problem is I don't trust them AT ALL. So far there doesn't seem to be a problem of cops planting drugs on people, but they certainly have the morals to do just that.

If they really wanted to do something about drugs, they would focus on dealers and their supply network. Focusing on the consumers, while very easy pickings has no impact on the whole industry. Only thing that happens is people go to prison and burden society while the suppliers are free to continue harming the community.

Even the USA has recently become aware of this with their war on drugs having come to naught with the hard line approach for consumption or possession.

All that aside, it would be nice to see them doing their job consistently and without favor, would it not improve this place so much than harassing people and setting up dragnets.

[stevenl]

Is it really as bad with random stops and searches as people here are making it out to be? Or is it all just one of those internet things: 1 person gets stopped, and before you know it the whole world knows about it.

[Kitsune]

Is it really as bad with random stops and searches as people here are making it out to be? Or is it all just one of those internet things: 1 person gets stopped, and before you know it the whole world knows about it.

I've never seen Thonglor completely deserted from Farang in the middle of the day,especially in high season

[shirtless]

When i stayed In Bangkok in the space of a week i was searched 4 times in between Asoke and soi 29 Sukumvit rd, I would stay any where near that area again I was not drunk or disorderly, The worse part of this is onlookers consider you as a criminal.

[Kitsune]

When i stayed In Bangkok in the space of a week i was searched 4 times in between Asoke and soi 29 Sukumvit rd, I would stay any where near that area again I was not drunk or disorderly, The worse part of this is onlookers consider you as a criminal.

I am avoiding lower Sukhumvit these days and advising my friends to do so.

[stevenl]

Is it really as bad with random stops and searches as people here are making it out to be? Or is it all just one of those internet things: 1 person gets stopped, and before you know it the whole world knows about it.

I've never seen Thonglor completely deserted from Farang in the middle of the day,especially in high season

So, does that answer the question?

[NCC1701A]

The Thong Lo police have a long history of Farang harassment, most evident at the Ekkamai bus terminal over the years but also on the footpaths. Despite years of complaints, they seem beyond control.

Soi Cowboy is within the Thong Lo Police jurisdiction and the fact that it's Go-Go bars operate with impunity is fair indication of their integrity.

"...and the fact that it's Go-Go bars operate with impunity..."

That would be because the go-go bars are operating legally.

really? prostitution is legal? completely naked women dancing is legal?

[Kitsune]

Is it really as bad with random stops and searches as people here are making it out to be? Or is it all just one of those internet things: 1 person gets stopped, and before you know it the whole world knows about it.

I've never seen Thonglor completely deserted from Farang in the middle of the day,especially in high season

So, does that answer the question?

Yes it does, Thonglor is a Farang hub,full of condos, if they suddenly cleared up, there must be a very good reason.

I actually logged to Thaivisa to understand it... And surely enough I have my answer.

[dean008]

Did you really think before typing? Would you like to be searched on the street for no reason? Do you know the reputation some policemen give the entire force?

This shouldn't worry anybody who isn't doing anything wrong. And if you are, you should be glad the BIB aren't so by-the-book. Win.


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[mogandave]

When i stayed In Bangkok in the space of a week i was searched 4 times in between Asoke and soi 29 Sukumvit rd, I would stay any where near that area again I was not drunk or disorderly, The worse part of this is onlookers consider you as a criminal.

And I have been here for 14 years, walk that area at least weekly and have never been stopped. Try wearing a shirt...(just kidding)

I do occasionally get stopped when driving, but not more than a few times a year.

Anyway, it could be the the routings have increased because the crime has increased and there are more foreign criminals than there have been in the past.