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Pattaya Getting Cleaned Up


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Posted

I don't easily give credit to the local constabulary, but I also think credit is due whenever it is due...

The last few weeks there have been a lot of checkpoints on the roads in Pattaya and Jomthien especially between midnight and 5am...

I live all the way down Jomthien Beach road and the last couple of months those motorbike gangs have been a real pest, robbing people and generally giving an unsecure feel about the neighbourhood...

This night I drove home picking the GF up from work and we have been pulled over exactly 3 times...their main target seemed to be youngish Thai people driving around without helmets on modified motorbikes...They waved us Farangs through after a brief look at any kind of identification, apart from a few guys who where pretty loaded and wheren't supposed to be on any motorized vehicle anyway!!!

Jomthien Beach road is looking a little bit more peacefull, like it used to be a couple of years ago...

If they can keep up this sort of vigilance (not only around Jomthien, Naklua/Wong Amat springs to mind) it sure is going to help the image of this place a bit...

My general impression was they were doing their job in a pretty profesional way without hitting on easy fine paying Foreigners (unlike the notorious "200 Baht" Highway police checkpoints!!!)

Keep it up...

Monty

Posted

coming back from rayong on monday afternoon, my mate driving his car, and about 20klms short of pattaya we were pulled up by the highway patrol. being the first time my mate had been pulled up by the police he was not sure of the proceedure. the copper asked if we spoke thai.. to which we both replied no....while the police were pulling up cars left , right and centre we noticed the thai in front of us just passed his licence and 100baht to the policeman...so when he came back to the window again and was trying to find the english word required... I helpfully provided the words " pay fine " ( resisting the urge to say pay bribe ) and the my mate handed over the red note, got the licence back and we were on our way.. though for the 5 minutes we were parked on the side of the road the would have pulled up 10 cars..at 100 baht each it must be a nice little earner

:o

Posted

Pvt Dick, if you're pulled over by the Pattaya Highway Police you're always wrong... :D

You either drove to fast, weren't on the correct lane etc...

Why pay ???

Your choice, pay either the bribe (coffeemoney) or the official fine which is at least 1000 Baht. Not only that, you either leave your car or your licence with the cop, go down to the Highway police office, pay the fine and get back to the cop to retrieve your licence or car. Duration of this procedure : at least several hours :o ...

This is one of the certified rip-offs going on!

Please do note the regular Pattaya Police is pretty much correct, they'll only fine you if you really did wrong, and you'll always pay officially at the office, with receipt!!!

Posted

yesterday's night there was a checkpoint on Pattaya Naklua road and 3 cops on corner soi 16- soi 18.Yeah, at least they show they can do other thing than asking coffemoney :o

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted
What were you doing wrong? And if you were doing nothing wrong, why on earth would you agree to pay a fine?

If you are not doing wrong, then argue with the police officer.

"You were speeding"

No I was not, I was doing 90 (the legal limit - 80 for a pickup).

"You were in the wrong lane"

Where do you expect me to overtake?

If it is scam they will give up and wave you on.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

If you know you were in the wrong, then try this?

What is the fine?

200 baht.

Do I get a receipt? (The Highway guys do have formal receipt books with them)

Yes.

OK I give you 100 baht and no receipt.

The answer will be Yes.

Happy Motoring.

:o

Posted

Astral,

In the 11 years I'm living here, I did try pretty much everything to get away without paying (or at least less)...

I tried arguing once when I did nothing wrong and got waved on like you say...

Next week another road check, same story, only the cop insisted I was wrong (doing over 110 km/hr on a honda dream 100cc of 8 years old :o ).

I ended up going to the Police office on a motorbike taxi since the cop didn't even wanted to take 200 Baht anymore after my polite reply my moped didn't reach such speeds...

Paid a 1000 Baht fine, kept insisting my moped wasn't even capable of going that fast... the cop just smiled, said he was aware of that fact and explained if I didn't agree I could appeal in a court of law(after paying the fine first). He assured me I was going to get the fine refunded, including the court costs but not the fees of my lawyer... He explained very friendly that I should have paid the 200 Baht in the first place...

By the way, nowhere in Thailand cops have receipts for payments of fines except at a police office or some of the bigger traffic boots. The only official paper a traffic cop can give is the constatation of the offence with which you can go to an office to pay...

Posted

Do the Thai police have a so called sticker or pass that you can buy or even pay your fine up front so you don't get hasslesd by the police that are just looking for their coffee money. Something to let them know you already contributed to the policeman retirement fund.

Posted

They do have something like that, only you end up seeing nothing through your windscreen!

Only for Pattaya we have Tourist police, Pattaya Police, Highway Police, Police volunteers.... :D They all have stickers....

Drive to Bangkok and you can add traffic police and only Buddha knows how much more :o

There is one thing which does work though and it's a shield from the ministry of interior(looks like a sherrifs star). Original ones are very hard to get by, copies are punishable(heavily). Friend of mine has one, his girlfriend works at the ministry and he drives a brand new Volvo... Has been stopped many times but always waved through...

Posted
Do the Thai police have a so called sticker or pass that you can buy or even pay your fine up front so you don't get hasslesd by the police that are just looking for their coffee money. Something to let them know you already contributed to the policeman retirement fund.

That'd prove that they were on the take. Couldn't have that ... could we ?

Posted
Do the Thai police have a so called sticker or pass that you can buy or even pay your fine up front so you don't get hasslesd by the police that are just looking for their coffee money. Something to let them know you already contributed to the policeman retirement fund.

Thai friend of mine keeps a police cap on his back window ledge .........

Posted

> Pvt Dick, if you're pulled over by the Pattaya Highway Police you're

> always wrong...

Not me. Politely stated my case, and I was on my way. I have to say though that Pattaya police really are the worst in the whole country when foreigners are involved. Then again also those foreigners tend to be among the worst in the whole country so that would explain some of it. :-)

Up North I never ever have a problem. Never paid a fine/bribe for any reason.

Cheers,

Chanchao

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