Article 44 invoked for street races, drunk drivers

[john davis]

So does this mean they are going to stop people riding motor bikes without helmets and with children on with no helmets.................................How about if your caught with no helmet on your bike will be taken away and sold and all money will be sent to father rays!!!....................now that would be good to see

[Pib]

The officers were also authorised to detain the motorists for a behaviour adjustment programme for at least seven days and up to 15 days.

After the detention period - which will not be considered a detention under the Criminal Code - is up and if there are sound reasons for prosecution, the officers can hand the motorists over to the police for action, the order said.

North Korea, Russia, and China have reeducation camps also...and you get to stay 7 to 15 "years."

[lvr181]

Move along - nothing new here?

[Dumbastheycome]

The Day The Thai so called "Police" refuse to accept Bribes nothing will ever change.

If they actually did their jobs and arrested and charged these dangerous and inconsiderate road uses things would be quite different.

But who are will kidding, Zero driving experience + Bribe = Thai Drivers Licence, Zero qualifications + Large Bribe = Police Officer

The way I see it, the police are not entirely to blame. Their salaries are pitiful. A starting cop makes something like 8,000 baht per month. A small precinct captain earns 15,000! And some have to pay for their own guns, ammunition, etc. It is entirely the fault of several governments, who have a de facto pact with the police. We will see to it that not enough funding is provided for your training, equipment, salaries, etc, and in exchange you are given a free license to do as you like, to earn your living. They are as protected as the American bankers. Nearly untouchable.

In June 2015, it was reported that, "Thai police officers are paid around 14,760 baht per month (6,800–8,340 baht for entry level) and have to buy their own guns and even office supplies." He posits that one reason salaries are so low is that the sheer number of officers is staggering, roughly 250,000. This means that an increase of 5,000 baht in every cop's monthly salary would cost the government a politically untenable 15 billion baht annually.

So, who has to take responsibility for this? How is a policeman supposed to provide for his family? I am not condoning their acts. I despise the local corruption. I am just trying to analyze this impartially, and this is the conclusion I have come to.

In reality, hundreds of billions of baht, and perhaps as much as a trillion baht, would have to be spent, if police reform is ever something a future government is serious about. Between proper equipment, training, adequate salaries (probably at least double the current levels), expertise (forensic doctors and analysts, and higher ranking detectives trained overseas would be a good start) cars, trucks, etc, etc. I found one reference to the entire annual budget for the RTP was in the range of 62 billion baht. That was in 2008. More than likely two to three times that would be needed.

My thoughts on that would be to wean out those police who spend more hours on side employment ( or elbow bending) than policing. The radical reduction in numbers would make it more reasable to pay the remainder a proper salary.

Or to introduce a new Police force with specific duties and performance outcome criteria for a good salary. Perhaps monitered by the Military Police. Those who would wish to transfer in from existing police units could be screened and if accepted required to work a probationary time before full acceptance.

But certainly if correct enforcement of law across all sectors of Thai society was to be achived it would propel Thailand forwards and upwards dramatically.

Sadly the apathy and/or refusal to accept change is entrenched in the majority.

[gemguy]

One half of myself likes the idea of law and order while they address the social issues on hand while publically agreed upon needing to be addressed.

Thailand is amongst a long list of countries that are trying to be all the more diligent and vigilant about the contentious social issues regarding alcohol use and alcohol abuse and the social ramifications of wide spread alcohol consumption and everything entailed....including the contentious social issue of drinking and operating a motor vehicle of any kind while intoxicated.

Alcohol and motorcycles and motor vehicle operation are common place everywhere in the world while the public at large and or the government authorities more or less rely on the participants to carry on with a practiced degree of accountability and or responsibility and certainly all the more caution.

However, it does not work that way all too often and the ramifications begin to effect all too many other people and eventually there develops a need for some attitude adjustment practiced upon the percent of people that are obviously conducting themselves in a far too liberal way and all too often ruining it for the rest of the citizens with their brazen and often irresponsible conduct.

On this one I support the Police as these existing laws and the law enforcement efforts of police forces around the world are very active and very diligent ...and for good reason....while Thailand is not doing anything unusual while many other countries have been enforcing the same laws for 50 years now.

There is no room for argument or excuses on this particular contentious social issue.

On the other hand, this is going to be a significant money maker for the numerous police officers that are assigned the task of apprehending those that do drink and drive and street race as we all know well how good intentions usually run amuck here in Thailand.

Cheers

All very good points. Saying you are going to start enforcing existing laws, and doing what needs to be done, to make sure existing laws are enforced, are gulfs apart. This administration is world famous for its proclamations, declarations, announcements, and clampdowns. All are in word only. Very few actually see the light of day. Very few are even stated with intention and volition. Very few are implemented, and the few that are implemented do not seem to be followed up, a sign of weakness, incompetence, lack of will, lack of intention, and poor planning. So, while Thailand is continually embarrassed internationally (second worst road fatalities in the world, air safety issues, etc.) they continue to jawbone, and rarely act on the words. Words that are not followed up by action is a cry in the wilderness. They do not mean anything, to anybody.

There is a lot that can be done to improve traffic safety here, something that is NOT taken seriously by either the police or the government. Some real effort in that direction, by a means other than hollow proclamations, would be appreciated by most of the population, and would go a long way toward saving a lot of lives, that are destroyed by the mayhem, and near chaos on the roads. I believe the best place to start is by sending hundreds of highway patrol vehicles out onto the roads, and beginning by issuing speeding tickets and reckless driving tickets, and getting serious about drunk driving, with real fines, and mandatory confiscation of the vehicle and jail time, for people engaging in very reckless driving, like I see almost every day on the roads. The word would get around, that the police are finally getting serious about traffic safety, in no time at all. People would talk. People might be less careless, out of fear if nothing else. A deterrent can be a very good thing for a society. At the moment, there is little in the way of a deterrent, on so many levels of Thai society. And it hurts the public. It hurts the morale of the people. It tears at the fabric of society.

All good points and agreed upon.

Meantime their efforts are having a degree of effectiveness ( but how that effectiveness is gauged, we do not know exactly ) while it also has a whole lot to do with the attitude and compliance on the part of the public at large for the programs to work.

Given time...if they continually crack down on the contentious social issue of drinking and driving the public will finally get the message well enough and less and less people will drive when drunk.

Part of it is based on word of mouth when one person tells their friend how they were caught and their license was taken away on the spot and they were fined say 30,000 baht or far more and totally inconvenienced and their insurance company informed that their client is consider a higher risk client ( for the record ) so deal with the client accordingly ( then ) there is the "reality of the impact" aspect of the penalties involved......As in, all at the expense of the client which is like a financial slap in the face for stupidity ....then more and more people will get the message

When it involves their money and not just a little bit of money then the public will take notice.

They will complain of course and accuse the police of corruption and profiteering ..but, they will be ignored and the laws pressed upon them as should be..... regardless of police corruption.

As for how corrupted it will become....well, we will see or not see because it is not something the public will be openly privy to concerning just how much of a corrupted money maker this will make the various people in positions of authority who can and will milk the affair for as much as they can.

However if the end goal and result is far less morons driving around when drunk with a "Catch me if you can" attitude while knowing full well they are breaking a law, that is actually being enforced, then I support the police on this one.

Cheers

Edited January 1, 2016 by gemguy

[kiwikeith]

>>The order - which went into effect on December 30 - authorises traffic police and related state officers to temporarily impound vehicles of street racers and drunk public transport drivers for at least seven days and seize their driver's licence for up to 30 days.<< Quote

Drunk public transport drivers can have their driving licenses revoked for up to 30 days.

So after a month they are ready to get behind the wheel again with a new busload of tourists (victims) on board..............

Find it amusing, that in Thailand you need to invoke emergency laws to make the police do their job for a week.................

In Nz a driver of public transport would loose hid P endorsemant (passenger) which means no more driveing passengers again.

Also would loose his licence for a year or more may get house arrest and a bracelet also if bad enough confiscation of vehicle.

[bbbbooboo]

hmmmm.........i seem to remember someone saying "absolute power corrupts absolutely" but what would us "aliens" know?

[diehard60]

It is about time they did something like this. Now they need to carry it out not just in the cities but in the rural areas as well. But I know that is asking for the police in rural areas to do some real work.

[Jonmarleesco]

Why the hell should it require, time and again, the use of special powers by the PM to crack down on activities which are illegal in the first place. For God's sake, get the RTP off its collective a . . e; get the right personnel, get it properly trained, make the salary worthwhile, clamp down hard on corruption and incompetence. In short, get the RTP to do its job.

[ianf]

My neighbours car was not impounded, nor he taken in for behaviour adjustment, when stopped for extreme drunk driving in Rayong.

Police made him sober up, then sent him on his way after paying 6,000bt!!!

Why did the police pay him 6000 bht?

[Artisi]

My neighbours car was not impounded, nor he taken in for behaviour adjustment, when stopped for extreme drunk driving in Rayong.

Police made him sober up, then sent him on his way after paying 6,000bt!!!

Well Bht 6000 would certainly sober a few people up.

[wabothai]

Reading Article 44 invoked one would think they will get multi year prison sentences or something. Not having their bikes for a week and their licenses for a month doesn't seem like much of a penalty at all.

merely an inconvenience.

[lvxpat]

Good people have nothing to worry about. Drunk driving arrests are never fabricated. The security of the State comes first. Because we love Thailand.

Please give your definition of "Good people".

[thailand49]

These days whenever I hear Article 44, it is a admission of the PM, that the BIB aren't doing their job.

[springheeled jack]

the penalty for drunk driving should be short and sharp fine them first then 3 months in the cooler should do the business .

[HerbalEd]

Good people have nothing to worry about. Drunk driving arrests are never fabricated. The security of the State comes first. Because we love Thailand.

Actually, those "good people" should be worried by the very large number of drunk drivers in Thailand. I sure do.

[sead]

Again a law where the police have to decide if they want to take a bribe or not. All exceeding the alcohol limits should be prosecuted. decisions should be made by the prosecutors NOT police. For me it seems many laws makes it so easy to the bad guys to bribe the police so its ridiculous....

[Coota]

I live in a small rural village in Surin Province. About 4 days ago the village headman read the riot act to the village and his deputiies. he was full of apologies for the action he was being forced to take but he informed everyone, motorcycles would be seized, people locked up and zero tolerance. He said it came from the PM. First night, no loud mcycles hooning around, after that it has been business as usual for the hoons. Not seen the headman since his speech, I heard he is busy celebrating somehwere.

[SiSePuede419]

"detained drivers will be trained at a local police-training centre for seven to 15 days."

Who's buying the drinks, 555

[spidermike007]

I live in a small rural village in Surin Province. About 4 days ago the village headman read the riot act to the village and his deputiies. he was full of apologies for the action he was being forced to take but he informed everyone, motorcycles would be seized, people locked up and zero tolerance. He said it came from the PM. First night, no loud mcycles hooning around, after that it has been business as usual for the hoons. Not seen the headman since his speech, I heard he is busy celebrating somehwere.

The very definition of jawboning, cowardice, lack of commitment, lack of intention, lack of follow up. Something we have been seeing a lot of lately. From the top to the bottom. They are all talking a good game, and doing next to nothing. Is this the land of inaction?

[beowolf2012]

Why Thailand not have the same traffic rule all over Thailand?

I stay in north east Thailand and here the rule are not same anyone have some clue?

Edited January 1, 2016 by beowolf2012

[spidermike007]

Why Thailand not have the same traffic rule all over Thailand?

I stay in north east Thailand and here the rule are not same anyone have some clue?

Yes. As a previously poster brought up, and I have been saying for years, there is no traffic safety campaign, nor awareness here. There are very few traffic safety laws. Just checkpoint, which are income earners, and are not really meant to enforce safety. That, plus decades of very weak and indifferent central governments, and no highway patrol, combine to make the highways here very dangerous.

[Jim walker]

Tough new laws pay the policeman 1000baht instead of the usual 500baht when you are caught drunk behind the wheel, time to get rid of half the police force and train the left overs how to uphold the law and to understand what their job entails, and how corruption and accepting bribes is a thing of the past, and how they now work to serve the public. And the boy racers will still be racing. Unless the men in black take them out from a distance with some powerful blanks.

[ldiablo]

Do you people really want Thailand to be the same as your own country. If so then maybe you should move back home. I myself like the fact that if I so choose I can ride my motorcycle without a helmet or license while being intoxicated. One of the many beauties of Thailand.

[mark131v]

Tough new laws pay the policeman 1000baht instead of the usual 500baht when you are caught drunk behind the wheel, time to get rid of half the police force and train the left overs how to uphold the law and to understand what their job entails, and how corruption and accepting bribes is a thing of the past, and how they now work to serve the public. And the boy racers will still be racing. Unless the men in black take them out from a distance with some powerful blanks.

Yep they did that I think in Georgia (I think) where the leader sacked all the police and took on a new police force from scratch

It worked because they had strong leadership and a population that wanted change and the return of law and an end to corruption and cronyism, unfortunately I do not think that is going to happen in Thailand any time soon, the bad stuff is just too entrenched and most of the populace too subservient and too ready to arse-kiss their betters....

[mark131v]

Do you people really want Thailand to be the same as your own country. If so then maybe you should move back home. I myself like the fact that if I so choose I can ride my motorcycle without a helmet or license while being intoxicated. One of the many beauties of Thailand.

What a cretin you are! fortunately westerners like you seem to be relatively rare but then again Darwinism might be keeping the numbers down I guess, hope so anyway, just hope you don't murder too many innocent people along the way...

[Dogmatix]

So, is Prayut going to use Section 44 to arrest Pol Gen Srivara who refused to take a police breathalyser while driving himself home from a party or is his talk about enforcing the law just empty posturing?