Tourists are reporting a dramatic surge in harassment by Thai police

[MJP]

Not to change the subject but WOOHOO! London wins! Get in!

My honest opinion is Thailand is to be avoided until it sorts itself out.

Long term successful expats I know are returning home or already have done.

more pepole visit london but not for 2-3-4weeks +++

No one could possibly afford more than a week at most. It's brutal!

[bowerboy]

My word...what is most breathtaking about this is the stupidty of the apologists on this thread.

Won't even start to say why...wasted breath.

These Thai tragics should take a long hard look at themselves....

[techboy]

Lawless! always has been.

Uh huh. I think that you do not actually have any reference base. "Always has been" as compared to what other places that you actually know anything about? My experience and that of many people I know is the opposite. For many years the lack of hassles was a popular selling point. These problems are a recent turn of events. You are spouting off because you've got this article (which BTW seems to have some political design therefore not entirely trustworthy) to give you impetus.

[chrisinth]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

-snip-

2am...possibly patpong...hate to say it, but you're asking for trouble in that area at that hour.

Especially if you're wearing a bikini. alt=whistling.gif>

With your work boots.

You need them because of all the cigarette buts on the ground.

[crickets]

Some police look for any reason to take your rights away amd use it as a excuse to shake u down. If u r ever arrested for anything be it littering or drink driving and put in a police cell as a farlang u will be expected to pay money into there pockets. They are turds and i have little respect for any of them. There threats of taking u to immigration and being deported are generaly idle but its best to talk down the amount they are asking for to 10 000 baht as its just not worth going through any more crap, unless its littering jusy pay the 1000. Pattaya is notorious for asking for 30k bail money and then u go to court and pay the fine and then they arrset u again for the immigration shake down.

[Loles]

” says anticorruption politician Chuwit Kamolvisit. "

and 1 Million

[khunyod]

...

The Thai police need more $$$ or baht whatever due to the reform and scraping out some of the corruption thanks to the Junta, so these traffic cops and low ranking officers will resort to things such as random stop and searches on foreigners, I would even suggest that some may plant something if desperate enough for money for their double life, but that will be a rarity, however it has been done before and so it shall be done again.

...

Wait, the Thai police are becoming MORE corrupt because the Junta has made them LESS corrupt?

[Dogmatix]

The story about the Australian tourist being harassed all night by police who tried to fit him up for cocaine possession and attempted to make him sign a confession in Thai, pretending it was a release document, is very scary.

A Thai fried told me about a bunch of rich young friends of hers who were stopped and searched in a car in Thonglor in the wee hours after partying. One of the girls was found with an ecstacy tablet in her handbag and the police demanded B80,000. When she and the other kids said they didn't have the money, they were told to wake up their parents and get the money from them or be stuck in jail. Thereupon the girl offered them her diamond ring which she said was worth B150,000. the cops accepted the ring and the kids drove off hooting with laughter that the cops had taken a fake diamond ring worth B500. Rich kids 1 - Thonglor police 0.

[flyingdoc]

It's alright saying return to Britain, but you are forgetting one thing! Right now in the middle of the night, it is - 8C outside!! I will be scraping the ice off the windscreen of my car as soon as it gets light, and that will be far later than the constant 6 am in LOS !

[Dogmatix]

A US consular official in Mexico told me that when they complained to local police about cops arresting gringo tourists on fake charges and driving them around in a marked police car to withdraw money from ATMs until their accounts were exhausted, the police just said, "How do you know these were real police?"

The Thai police now seem to be playing the same game. The Thonglor commander seems to have suggested to journalists a couple of times that the shake downs going on in his precinct must be the work of either fake police or police from other precincts. It's incredible that police would think that allowing fake police or police from other precincts to extort members of the public in their precinct is good policing.

[NeverSure]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

-snip-

2am...possibly patpong...hate to say it, but you're asking for trouble in that area at that hour.

Especially if you're wearing a bikini. alt=whistling.gif>

With your work boots.

You need them because of all the cigarette buts on the ground.

I'm content to wait and see if anyone gets that "joke".

[balo]

The litter police is old news and got nothing to do with the military coup. Its been going on for years

[sweatalot]

"But since the May 22 coup d’état that saw the ouster of a democratically elected government and martial law declared across the country, many tourists and expatriates in Bangkok have fallen prey to a criminal practice. The victims have little recourse when reporting incidents to the police, because the perpetrators are police officers."

Nothing to do with the coup - or do they really think the "democratically elected government" was any better - instead of worse?

[strawpanda]

The golden goose might not have been killed yet but I dare say he's a bit more wary these days. This was part of the reason I didn't accompany my wife on her recent trip home, so that was one tourist less at Xmas and NY.

Edited January 21, 2015 by strawpanda

[Sviss Geez]

Well done, Webfact, for posting old news.

The most recent date mentioned on this report was before Christmas last year and that involved a journalist who was in a bar that was raided where drugs were found. He was taken to a police station and legally tested for illegal drug use then released without charge when his tests were all clear. Isn't that what is supposed to happen?

References to fines being levied for dropping cigarette ends are references to people breaking the law and not liking the consequences. Don't drop cigarette ends or other litter is the answer and there will be no problems.

The other reference was to the stop-and-search operations in the Thonglor police area that were stopped weeks ago and have not been reported since unless, you know otherwise.

A similar old report was posted by one of your ThaiVisa cohorts a couple of days ago. Why do you lot keep dragging this stuff that won't affect law abiding locals or visitors?

[apalink_thailand]

Again, those are not Thai police but BTS officials and the 2000 Baht fine is a legal one and posted in many places regarding littering. There have been multiple articles over the last few years referring to it as a scam when it is in actuality legal enforcement. But if targeting only the foreigner, then certainly the Governor should step in (again) to do something about it, but no fingers crossed here that will happen.

Only one little problem. The fine does not fit the crime. For example, the fine for disobeying a police officer is 1,000 baht, which to me seems worse than dropping a butt on an already dirty street. Meanwhile, tuk-tuk drivers, food vendors etc can drop whatever they want on the pavements in full view of the officers.

[nottocus]

Glad I left years ago.

[Sviss Geez]

Well dropping cigarettebutts on the street is a problem but why are there no bins? Is the fear of a bomb in a bin still that high? Then tourists should know about that.

Read the whole story. It's more than that.

Read the whole story and look at the dates, it's old news and not "more than that">

[MJKT2014]

Read the whole story and look at the dates, it's old news and not "more than that">

It's not old news until those responsible are held accountable.

[atyclb]

Well dropping cigarettebutts on the street is a problem but why are there no bins? Is the fear of a bomb in a bin still that high? Then tourists should know about that.

Exactly. Thailand has a very strict littering law, but I've never seen a country with so few dust bins, so how is one supposed to dispose of his litter.

perhaps the same way as with gum, candy wrappers, etc etc by temporarily keeping it until it can be properly discarded. a no brainer

[Xonax]

Cigarett butt littering people are targeted because they are easy to target - Just follow the smoke, which will eventually end up in a cigarett butt needing to be wasted! And I could easily accept that in a clean country like Singapore - BUT in Thailand, where truckloads and truckloads of rubbish are floating around everywhere in the streets and nature, this is harassment of foreigners, who are definitely not the worst litterers in Thailand. The Thai´s themselves should be showing us foreigners a great example, but are definitely totally failing to do so!

[true blue]

talking to a friend about his trip to los,he said he could not belive how cheap it was,but was very annoyed about getting fined for throwing a cig butt away on a waste land,and that was 20YEARS ago.

[RigPig]

I was two times extorted (paying at least 1000THB more then officially) that I will only get 15 or 30 days instead of 60 days I should get officially...

This is madness, and I simply don't accept it as true.

How can you say "1000THB more than officially" when officially it's always zero charge.

Tell us which border you have experienced this, I have been through just about every border and airport many time in the last 14 years and it's never ever been suggested that there be any fee at all.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/791587-immigration-udon-big-changes

I also have another story, which I posted here. I entered the land border at Nong Khai last year. I should clearly get 30 days but the officer told me that he will give me only 15 days but if I paid (I think it was 500 Baht) he will give me 30 days.

You should read the Visa Section to read more stories like this. I met a nice belgium couple 2 week's ago. They are both retiring in Thailand. He told me horror stories of Koh Samaui Immigration. Officers demanding money and just called it a "new rule"

Another moronic post.

You were entitled to 15 days, you paid 500 baht to get 30 days instead. That's not extortion that's a good deal.

Perhaps the immigration officer should have denied you entry and done us all a favour.

You said you were 2 times extorted "at least 1000baht" and this is the best explanation you can come up with..

OR maybe he was entitled to 30 days but wasn´t going to get it unless he paid up......

Another moronic post

[monk213]

...

The Thai police need more $$$ or baht whatever due to the reform and scraping out some of the corruption thanks to the Junta, so these traffic cops and low ranking officers will resort to things such as random stop and searches on foreigners, I would even suggest that some may plant something if desperate enough for money for their double life, but that will be a rarity, however it has been done before and so it shall be done again.

...

Wait, the Thai police are becoming MORE corrupt because the Junta has made them LESS corrupt?

You obviously and clearly have little to no understanding of how the system works, do you. Well the corruption has been targeted at the top tier officers mainly and this has left the lower tier officers in a situation where they cannot conduct their normal ways, so as Thais do they come up with a new way to resolve the problem (their problem) and this is it. Get booked up sunny Jim

[bbbbooboo]

lol.....maybe its the old perverse thai logic......if the tourists weren't here then they wouldn't be harassed(ie, it must be the falangs' fault for the motor accident because it would never have happened if they hadn't been here ?) The perversity seems to continue here though...what do you do when tourist numbers appear to be declining?.....you make life more difficult for those that are coming.....TIT

[ianf]

"But since the May 22 coup d’état that saw the ouster of a democratically elected government and martial law declared across the country, many tourists and expatriates in Bangkok have fallen prey to a criminal practice. The victims have little recourse when reporting incidents to the police, because the perpetrators are police officers."

Nothing to do with the coup - or do they really think the "democratically elected government" was any better - instead of worse?

I didn't relise that the Yingluck Government was 'democratically elected". Far from it.

[harada]

With all the talk of reforming the RTP I think a lot of these guys are trying to cash in while they can, let's hope that the reforms include actually teaching new recruits how to be policemen, promoting them on their merits and paying them a fair wage.

[Snig27]

Don't believe a thing from this reporting.

They are trying to discredit the present government.

I only see improvement.

Some 'dark' powers are behind this to get 'negative' attention to Thailand.

Some "dark powers" are manipulating the pages of a site owned by one of the world's biggest media groups? Are you serious?

It may have escaped you as the improvements overwhelm you that beyond Thailand's shores, unlike in the "improved Thailand", the media are free to write pretty much as they please as long as they don't impinge various defamation and hate laws. However, the reporter is writing of an incident that he claims happened to him and Time would have a burden of required proof. This would have gone through several layers of editorial assessment at Time – including the veracity of the story. Are you implying that the Time editorial team are controlled by your "dark powers" conspiracy?

[harada]

Don't believe a thing from this reporting.

They are trying to discredit the present government.

I only see improvement.

Some 'dark' powers are behind this to get 'negative' attention to Thailand.

Some "dark powers" are manipulating the pages of a site owned by one of the world's biggest media groups? Are you serious?

It may have escaped you as the improvements overwhelm you that beyond Thailand's shores, unlike in the "improved Thailand", the media are free to write pretty much as they please as long as they don't impinge various defamation and hate laws. However, the reporter is writing of an incident that he claims happened to him and Time would have a burden of required proof. This would have gone through several layers of editorial assessment at Time including the veracity of the story. Are you implying that the Time editorial team are controlled by your "dark powers" conspiracy?

?

[hawker9000]

Don't believe a thing from this reporting.

They are trying to discredit the present government.

I only see improvement.

Some 'dark' powers are behind this to get 'negative' attention to Thailand.

Why in the world would Time Magazine be trying to bring "negative attention" to Thailand? With bogus stories no less?

Time Magazine, a "dark power"? 'Talk about conspiracy cranks...