BKK Police Chief Angered by Breathalyser Test Requests

[Liquorice]

"If those volunteers were quality people, and had some wits about them" it would have been obvious I wasn't drinking and driving.

I drank first, drove later!

[MAJIC]

I'm surprised he didn't pull the "Do you know who I am" and claimed the loss of face excuse!

Edited July 15, 2015 by MAJIC

[NongKhaiKid]

Well there you have it, as soon as you show your status you are excused, That shows the level the country is in because of the way people are in power, if he had been drinking he still would have said I have not been drinking. and to tell the press he is exempt from a breathalyser because of who he is, and that his word is finale should be sacked, well moved to another post like McDonaldS.

Exactly, LoS at it's very worst with the all too prevalent attitude ' I am, you are not ' so pay due deference, obedience and everything else someone in my position should get from someone in yours and he'll get away with it as those above him will understand.

Edited July 15, 2015 by NongKhaiKid

[waxon]

Breath taking (no pun intended) arrogance and stupidity. I hope Prayut sacks him immediately.

Sad thing is that Prayut will not see anything wrong with his actions.

[Tonawatchee]

Typical elite mentality.

[tracker1]

If nothing else , this has brought a worsening of total disrespect on the whole of the RTP. A pathetic example of a person in that position and should be dealt with accordingly. Commonly called an Abuse of Power this is where the good General can show some leadership and take immediate action and not just moving someone to an inactive post ! Show some authority and act now !!!! I will be waiting in anticipation of the outcome!

[lvr181]

Rule of Law question:

At a drink driving checkpoint in Thailand do police first need probable cause before legally ordering a vehicle operator take a breathalyzer?

In another Asian country I was visiting, at a drink driving checkpoint probable cause was not required and police could legally order the vehicle operator to take a breathalyzer.

If the traffic cops in question were complying with Thai law then a mature, professional police chief would have commended them for standing their ground and upholding the law.

He is so mature that he is rotten! Unprofessional and shows no signs of leadership at all.

The PM should summarily dismiss him(no sideways movement) in an effort to start bringing about some genuine decency and respect to the RTP. All of as a part of the new "moral curriculum" being introduced! Clearly a case where actions do speak louder than words.

[diehard60]

Here we have some officers doing just what they were told to do and along comes Mr. Big Shot that things he does not have to follows his own orders. WOW!!!!!!!!!

[NongKhaiKid]

Here we have some officers doing just what they were told to do and along comes Mr. Big Shot that things he does not have to follows his own orders. WOW!!!!!!!!!

Says so much doesn't it ?

[cookee68]

Well there you have it, as soon as you show your status you are excused, That shows the level the country is in because of the way people are in power, if he had been drinking he still would have said I have not been drinking. and to tell the press he is exempt from a breathalyser because of who he is, and that his word is finale should be sacked, well moved to another post like McDonaldS.

Exactly, LoS at it's very worst with the all too prevalent attitude ' I am, you are not ' so pay due deference, obedience and everything else someone in my position should get from someone in yours and he'll get away with it as those above him will understand.

so very true

[BestBitterPhuket]

That guy is totally incompetent and dumb. The volunteer would do a much better job as the police chief of Bkk. Prayuth should sack this incompetent man immediately, or at least transfer him to a position where he doesn't need to use any brain power.

[jacko45k]

Ah, like the guy who isn't required to go through security at the airport! (In his mind).

The volunteer should be commended for sticking to his guns and showing courage..

The idiot general should be educated that breathalysers work better than noses!

[godden]

This man sums up perfectly every thing that is rotten with Thailand

[jerojero]

Why are we surprised at this? Elite, hi so, wealthy, all still enjoy class privilege. Culturally engrained, self importance, supported by Government. Will change when the old guard dies off....... maybe.

Edited July 15, 2015 by jerojero

[mmh8]

I think it has nothing to do with the elite. not sure death of old guard will help. you have the youth seeing senior miltary and police get away with corruption and disregard of the rules. ignoring rules appeals to everyone ( well a lot of people any way - it upsets Germans) so the youth see old people being in positions of power and able to flout laws and will do the same when it is their time.

they need a system of checks , opacity etc

for the moment the best thing they can do here is follow India's lead, set up a website called shop a corrupt mutha anomolously, basically any acts of corruption from big to small are posted on website to bring some light onto it. shaming the beurocarat who asks for fee to process licenses and id papers, etc big and small. If I had any skills in IT other than upsetting the sensitive m od s on tv I would set up such a thing

[Yunla]

A person takes breathalyser regardless of them being drunk or cold sober. Alcohol-testing of drivers is not related to the status or indeed the state of the particular driver. These tests exist to protect the lives of all motorists. If you don't accept the breathalyser or blood-test, you are simply admitting that you don't care about the lives of other motorists. Doesn't matter if a person likes these laws or not, the fact is that these laws were created to prevent horrific accidents whenever possible, to protect the lives of adults and children on the roads. Nobody is immune to the effects of alcohol, or the effects of vehicle crashes. We are all on the same roads, and so our driver behaviour should also be up to the same recognised safety standards.

[bamukloy]

Ah-ha, so the secret phrase is "I have not drunk any alcohol", and we'll be waived through.

This story also proves that volunteer cops are more honest than normal cops.

And dont forget the fishermans friends.

If your fresh breath doesnt fool the cop it might also help mess up the breathalyzer reading :0)

[Si Thea01]

Finally, someone in law enforcement who has grown a pair and they're only volunteers. Yet this fully fledged senior officer, evidently a pompous, arrogant so and so, has the hide to admonish the troops because he wasn't drunk, told them 5 times, big deal, you don't have to be drunk to be over the limit. Not even in uniform and off duty and despite the law being applied by his troops, equally, he deems himself to be above it.

Given the report, the volunteers did not know who he was and he is refusing a test, so what does he expect them to do. Ask for some tea money, allow him to leave and instead of admonishing them, he would praise them for falling into line with his obvious corrupt actions. He then tells the press they are not quality people and calls them dim wits and in the end he had to get out his car, identify himself and then dresses them down. I wonder how the volunteers feel when their beloved leader openly bags them for doing their job.

I would dare say that what he attributed to his troops is more applicable to him and it's a shame that no one will call him for what he is. No wonder all respect for police is flying out the window when you have people like him wearing the uniform. You can see what the man is like, Just look at his photo, I think it says enough.

[LannaGuy]

let's see what and if the good general does anything with this disgrace but don't hold your breath! (you may need it for the breathalyser)

Edited July 16, 2015 by LannaGuy

[duckmandon]

You are not above the law. Lead by example. If you had nothing to hide then why did you refuse to take the breathalyzer. It would have taken less time (to take the breathalyzer) than to argue with the men doing their job properly. When people like you are no longer in the police force the country will be a safer place to live in. Are you going to have yourself charged for not taking the test? ITS LAW NOW or did you not know.

[gandalf12]

Charge him with DUI and refusing the instructions of an officer. Throw him out of the force, they dont need people like this

[Cake Monster]

What an arrogant little man.

He should be charged with drink driving / refusal of breathaliser, as the same in UK, and them made to resign from his prominent position.

[Wadan]

What a sad state of affairs. Here you have the head of law enforcement , rebuking and openly criticizing his subordinates for doing an excellent job. Why do they have idiots running the police force? Maybe this guy would have been proud of the volunteers if they asked for tea money. It seems he got insulted because this kind of law enforcement was to decent for him. he was not used to this. He rose through the ranks being corrupt and he feels more comfortable to spearhead a corrupt force.

Where are you Mr. Prime Minister?

Time to quit all your farce talk about stamping out corruption. Rise to the plate and put your actions where your mouth is. Now is the time to get some decency in the force. Get rid of this no good unscrupulous police chief.

[dcsw53]

This is typical of the supreme arrogance of people in authority in Thailand. How will the number of people killed every year by drunk drivers ever reduce with idiots like this in charge.

The volunteers should be commended for not cow towing to this bully, and should be promoted. Sounds to me that a job swap is in order, put this little man in a traffic job and give the volunteer his office.

[abitmiffed]

I don't particularly like the term 'thainess' but the complete arrogant disregard to anything and anyone but yourself and the naive belief that you are above reproach seems to fit very well within the term as does the deluded idiot who uttered them

It must be quite embarrassing for educated Thais as this constant daily proof provided by the so called educated classes, the leaders and the pillars of society must tell them that something is fundamentally very, very wrong here...

This is what happens when money buys you a job and not merrit,

At some point down the line you will have alot of monkeys doing the jobs, omg we have gone back to neanderthal times. Poor country.

[Seastallion]

All the outrage is well put.

What concerns me is a little deeper....the fact that he is actually proud of what he did and to say what he said. He is incapable of seeing what's wrong here....and this is what's wrong with Thailand; From ignorant drivers who can not see why they are wrong, all the way to the top with authority figures simply incapable of even seeing the error of their ways.

It's not a matter of "face". It's not a matter of "I know I did wrong but I have to save face"...They just DON"T KNOW in the first place!!!!

With all the criticism...I have a small inkling that in a week or two, there will be a headline announcing a probe into this idiot's arrogance.

[sawadee1947]

thank you police man for this advice. Next time when I had to breath for a test I'll tell them who I am. Then they should let me go. You are a good man, police man and so wise. God bless you!

[tigermoth]

What an <deleted>. Unbelievable!!!!!

[bamukloy]

Im sure if this story has appeared here it would have to be in the Thai media, and therefor on someones FB page sooner or late.

Sure a few would be up in arms, but id punt a more than a few would comments would be to the tune of...

55555 Poor policeman.. him who try catch big fish ..now he sard hong nam polit station muk muk with toothbrush 555 ^^^^^^(((*00*)))^^^^^^^^

Edited July 16, 2015 by bamukloy

[soalbundy]

I think most of your comments have been very cruel regarding this poor General.

I have it on good authority he is about to become a nun for a week to apologise.

He wont be allowed to, lesbians can't be nuns