somo Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 Every time I take the tollway leaving Bangkok to go north I get shaken down by the police at the last set of toll booths. Everytime it is the same - an accusation of exceeding the 80km speed limit. The first time it happened I handed over 500 Baht as the cop wanted to keep my driving licence so I would be without it for a month or so while I was back home in Chayapoum. The next time I stood my ground and demanded to see the video evidence and insisted I had not exceeded the limit. After consulting his boss on the radio it seemed a mistake had been made and I was let go. I have since got to know nearly all of the cops there as I have been stopped about 10 times now ie on every occasion I have passed through and they are pulling drivers over so it is no coincidence - they target us as they think we are easy prey. I now never give them a cent and insist the same mistake must have been made and want to see the video. This works everytime. They still threaten at first to take my licence away and I ask to see the senior police present. Just wandered if anyone else has felt targeted. If so and you really have kept to the speed limit the you can it seems refuse to pay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brewsterbudgen Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 I use the tollway every week and have never been stopped. But then I don't speed (often)! The police are often there and you can usually spot the radar operator a couple of kilometres before the toll gate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seajae Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 apparently they are set up in/on some of the signs as we were told when we were hit on one expressway, cant remember which ones now but just watch other drivers when they slow down and speed up and you will soon find out, wifes cousin(police officer) told us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard_smith237 Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 I have since got to know nearly all of the cops there as I have been stopped about 10 times now ie on every occasion I have passed through and they are pulling drivers over so it is no coincidence - they target us as they think we are easy prey. They are preying on anyone, not just foreigners... unless of course the last 10 times you were stopped the others who you saw pulled over were only other foreigners. It does seem that when some Westerners are stopped by the BiB they claim they are being specifically targeted for being 'Farang'... In reality the Police are much more indiscriminate in their attempts to secure a little 'tea money'... they are pretty much happy to target anyone regardless of nationality... They may be more wary when stopping the drivers or more expensive vehicles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broken Record Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 (edited) Minority groups tend to think they are being targeted, even though the rest of the population is getting the same treatment. As a Farang, I probably get away with far more than a Thai. Edited August 30, 2015 by Broken Record Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thai at Heart Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 Out of town number plate maybe? They know u will pay to settle rather than waste time in the cop shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impulse Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 When I first started driving in Thailand, the guys at the office (10+ years in Thailand, all of them) recommended I get my windows tinted stupidly dark, so I can't be identified from outside. They also claim it cuts way back on road rage incidents. I don't know if it's true or not, but they swear by a very dark tint. (Personally, I prefer to take my chances so I can see at night) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kannikapor88 Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 Not really any news in foreigners getting targetted here I think ... dosent matter if its tourists or expats as long as its not thais ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i claudius Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 What am i doing wrong ? in 23 years i have only been stopped 4 times ,and each time it was my fault , only once been asked for a bribe ,years ago in Bangkok , and that was so i did not have to hand over my driving licence ,and it was my wife who suggested it to him , Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard_smith237 Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 When I first started driving in Thailand, the guys at the office (10+ years in Thailand, all of them) recommended I get my windows tinted stupidly dark, so I can't be identified from outside. They also claim it cuts way back on road rage incidents. I don't know if it's true or not, but they swear by a very dark tint. (Personally, I prefer to take my chances so I can see at night) Living and driving here nearly 20 years I tend to believe otherwise... I have 30% tint which allows the BiB and others to see me driving. When I make a traffic mistake others can see my nod or hand of apology. When I push out into traffic others can see my wave and nod of thanks. The BiB can clearly see me. For the most part I find that more often than not being a foreigner affords me the benefit of doubt. I don't think I've ever been in a situation whereby I've been stopped simply because I am not a Thai. I'm quite certain that the BiB have no interest in me as a foreigner. I'm quite certain that if the BiB are going to be pulling my car over the decision has been made well before they recognise the nationality of the occupant. I'm a minority in Thailand but feel I'm treated fairly and with equality when going about my normal life. In fact, I feel the indifference with which people generally treat each other extends to foreigners... We as foreigners don't really register on the radar of the average Thai, and for the most part those who do want to interact with a foreigner the experience is generally positive (Caveat: outside of the main tourist areas). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broken Record Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 Not really any news in foreigners getting targetted here I think ... dosent matter if its tourists or expats as long as its not thais ... Absolute rubbish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dellie Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 We have very different experiences. I must admit I speed quite often on the tollways and I have never been stopped at any toll gate in over 11 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robblok Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 Targeting foreigners.. makes absolutely no sense as the BIB would loose out on a lot of money. We are a really small minority they would not make enough money. I have actually encountered times they just wave me through even though I was wrong because they did not want to deal with a foreigner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phutoie2 Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 I use the tollway every week and have never been stopped. But then I don't speed (often)! The police are often there and you can usually spot the radar operator a couple of kilometres before the toll gate. Doesn't matter if you spot the bloke in the box and keep your speed at the required 80 KPH, just about everyone gets hauled in at Don Mueng Tollway. When they have the farang in, the speech usually goes along the lines of "welcome to Thailand, these are the speed limits-----" Donation please. If you speak reasonable Thai you can usually waffle your way out of it, in fact I have done pretty well the last few weeks with a host of excuses. You must have the winning lottery tickets or the golden hoop not to have been clobbered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JingerBen Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 Not really any news in foreigners getting targetted here I think ... dosent matter if its tourists or expats as long as its not thais ... Absolute rubbish. Beat me to it. I was going to say "hogwash." Look at any checkpoint where a lot of people are being stopped. Many more Thais than farangs are being shaken down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
somo Posted August 30, 2015 Author Share Posted August 30, 2015 (edited) On the Don Muang tollway I am stopped 9 times out of 10 regardless so for some reason I am being targeted. There are usually 2 or 3 cops strolling around the pay booths and they select who is to be stopped so it is clearly not based on speed checks. They see me and talk into the radio and I can then see 1 or 2 cops almost break into a run to wave me down. It is so obvious it is almost laughable. I chug along at 75-80 in the inside lane all the way from Din Daeng and still get stopped. This is victimisation not my imagination. Edited August 30, 2015 by somo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevenl Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 On the Don Muang tollway I am stopped 9 times out of 10 regardless so for some reason I am being targeted. There are usually 2 or 3 cops strolling around the pay booths and they select who is to be stopped so it is clearly not based on speed checks. They see me and talk into the radio and I can then see 1 or 2 cops almost break into a run to wave me down. It is so obvious it is almost laughable. I chug along at 75-80 in the inside lane all the way from Din Daeng and still get stopped. This is victimisation not my imagination. Your plates are much more likely to be the cause than your skin colour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish fingers Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 (edited) This is something I'm not looking forward to when I drive full time with kids etc. Re check points after tollgates - I guess keep right up behind another car so when the police jump out they think they are getting pulled over .. and keep driving Edited August 30, 2015 by fish fingers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dellie Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 I have actually encountered times they just wave me through even though I was wrong because they did not want to deal with a foreigner. This happens all the time in the countryside. They see you and assume you don't speak Thai so they just wave you through. They seem to be mostly interested in trucks, busses and vans out on the major highways anyway. Rarely is a sedan pulled over unless you have something obvious like an obsolete tax sticker. In towns they are mostly after bikers without helmets and never even look twice at a car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benalibina Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 Happened once to me..... me speaking english 1st.....requesting evidence of speeding......silence....told to go to policebox miles away....foreign friend was getting worried about time it took...... i started to speak in thai....he got surprised and walked around the car....I opened wallet and showed photo of kids....familyyyy...got driving license back and could leave. Moral of the story...play dumb and persistently ask for evidence of speeding.....stay calm and polite. When you speak thai, they dont know WHO you know........FEAR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phatcharanan Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 On the Don Muang tollway I am stopped 9 times out of 10 regardless so for some reason I am being targeted. There are usually 2 or 3 cops strolling around the pay booths and they select who is to be stopped so it is clearly not based on speed checks. They see me and talk into the radio and I can then see 1 or 2 cops almost break into a run to wave me down. It is so obvious it is almost laughable. I chug along at 75-80 in the inside lane all the way from Din Daeng and still get stopped. This is victimisation not my imagination. Do you have a personalized number plate that says คุณ มีเพศสัมพันธ์ ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mancub Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 Both times in 3 months when driving North from Krabi I have been stopped after paying for and entering a tollway in Bangkok. First time I was informed I needed to pay 2000bt, as a colleague had supposedly called in with my reg no, accusing me of speeding. Where ? He couldn't tell me ! To cut it short , after his disappointment that I had all docs in order, Thai licence, passport, and knew the speed limits, he got angry and kept repeating "you pay 2000 bt". At my refusal and suggestion that, OK we go to the station in Klong Toie, he ranted "THIS IS Thailand, I THAI POLICE..YOU PAY ME" Never before had I encountered such an aggressive/disturbing manner. Given that he had my passport and I really wanted out of there, I reluctantly opted to ask the question "OK how much do you want?" Reply "how much you give me ?", offered 200bt, he wanted 500bt. Settled on 300bt through gritted teeth. 2nd time, bugger me if the same didn't happen, only a different tollway. Queued up ,through the barrier and again was singled out for the "treatment". This time it was claimed that a colleague had reported me crossing a yellow hash line somewhere. He conveniently had a laminated sheet showing a picture of such road markings.... He also tried to tell me that my tax was out of date, which it wasn't...but this time he backed down totally when I offered him to look at the recording on my camera...and his sudden realisation that my Thai missus was with me. So my conclusion that this is definitely a well-practised scam, where you are singled out whilst queuing at the booth and your number is hastily written on their pad so they can pretend your details were radioed in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish fingers Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 and his sudden realisation that my Thai missus was with me. where was she hiding ? btw Do police accept passport copies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camble Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 They used to have a sting operation set up on Sukhumvit near Klang. I was stopped 3 times out of 4 while riding my motorcycle to Pattaya, the other time it was raining. I had to pay 200 baht or they said they'd keep my license (it was expired anyway). One time, there were 3 in queued to pay front of me, by coincidence they were all farang, and I didn't get a receipt either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thailandforumaddict Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 True that they feel suprised sometimes and just let me go when I open the window in a car that they didn't expect a foreigner drive... I have since got to know nearly all of the cops there as I have been stopped about 10 times now ie on every occasion I have passed through and they are pulling drivers over so it is no coincidence - they target us as they think we are easy prey. They are preying on anyone, not just foreigners... unless of course the last 10 times you were stopped the others who you saw pulled over were only other foreigners. It does seem that when some Westerners are stopped by the BiB they claim they are being specifically targeted for being 'Farang'... In reality the Police are much more indiscriminate in their attempts to secure a little 'tea money'... they are pretty much happy to target anyone regardless of nationality... They may be more wary when stopping the drivers or more expensive vehicles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredob43 Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 This is when a camera comes in handy. On the few occasions I have been stopped I just ask the gentleman concerned to sit in the car and have look. I also point out it records for over 2 hour (Doesn't) so he can show me where I went wrong. Lots of muttering then occurs as he wishes me good by. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balo Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 Never had this problem on tollways in or out of BKK and I never overspeed my car , I smell BS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brewsterbudgen Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 Never had this problem on tollways in or out of BKK and I never overspeed my car , I smell BS. Me too. In any case the premise that when these stops do happen, which obviously they do, farangs are the target has been disproved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berkshire Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 On the Don Muang tollway I am stopped 9 times out of 10 regardless so for some reason I am being targeted. There are usually 2 or 3 cops strolling around the pay booths and they select who is to be stopped so it is clearly not based on speed checks. They see me and talk into the radio and I can then see 1 or 2 cops almost break into a run to wave me down. It is so obvious it is almost laughable. I chug along at 75-80 in the inside lane all the way from Din Daeng and still get stopped. This is victimisation not my imagination. Agree with most here that farangs are not being targeted. I certainly am not. I rarely get stopped unless I did in fact violate some traffic law. So it's clear that it is YOU perhaps being targeted, but it has nothing to do with your nationality. So what is it about you that the cops find suspicious? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whyamiandwhatamidoinghere Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 It's called Tollway Boogie... Shake Shake it baby... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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