Chiang Mai: 100 armed police arrest foreigners for not carrying passports

[kannot]

Fortunately , don't get this sort of thing outside the main tourist areas. Life goes quietly by with very few hassles.

for now!!

[LivinLOS]

Fortunately , don't get this sort of thing outside the main tourist areas. Life goes quietly by with very few hassles.

for now!!

Actually exactly this happened a couple of months ago in that tourist hot spot.. Udon !!

Police stopped anyone leaving bars, no passports were then arrested / detained / etc and were not released until someone went and got the passport for them.. Single guys without GFs etc had to send bar staff with keys or codes to safe deposit boxes !!

Who knew Udon was such a 'main tourist area' !!

[Tanlic]

This is just another arm to the fight against crime in Thailand since the army took over..

It is a bit like throwing sh1t at a wall and hoping some of it sticks......personally I am not a criminal and have nothing to hide...if I am unlucky enough to be picked up without my passport and among the group the cops find a drug dealer a member of isis planning something or some child molester then I have no problem with it as long as the police are not just looking for tea money or being a$$0?els

Things ain't what they used to be and the public should be prepared to work hand in hand with the police.

Not going to die if you spend an hour getting your passport and allowing to check you out

Edited February 20, 2016 by Tanlic

[oldgent]

what is the big deal about carrying identification. some TV members are sensible and good idea to carry a copy

The Thai gov. are only trying to protect the Country. do you want to walk freely without threat of being killed.

so to those who dont like it i say go home.

[MaeJoMTB]

what is the big deal about carrying identification. some TV members are sensible and good idea to carry a copy

The Thai gov. are only trying to protect the Country. do you want to walk freely without threat of being killed.

so to those who dont like it i say go home.

The only people in Thailand, I feel, likely to threaten or kill me are the police or the army (and their gangster mates).

[smedly]

"Thailand on high alert due to ISIS threat".

Since this ID check is happening right after the threat was announced, do you think there may be some sort of connection , or just a coincidence??

although I suspect you are correct along with a clampdown and active search/checks for overstayers, I must confess that it is beyond any reasoning as to why they are picking on such establishments unless there was a specific threat going on with intelligence of a possible attack, just recently it was leaked about a possible terrorist threat in Phuket

It is not beyond reason that there exists such threat of a possible terrorist attack on a large entertainment complex in one of the holiday zones in Thailand, unlike in the west they would definately not want such information to be made public

who knows

[koolkarl]

With so many countries in this world, it amazes me that foreigners want to stay or visit Thailand.

Publicity of this nature worldwide would do wonders. I think....

[swampdonkey]

I thought this business about carrying a passport at all times had been settled.

According to previous threads a copy of passport was OK as long as the actual one was produce at police station if requested.

It will never be settled until we actually know what the law is on carrying passports.

Nobody has ever been able to quote the law as there does not appear to be one, Only recommendations.

[recycler]

The RTP joined the campaign to revive tourism....

[Lupatria]

They kill the duck laying the golden egg by the minute. They may as well arrest people for not wearing flipflops as this is not part of Thai culture.

[razer]

They may be looking for people of Middle East origin who are not here on holiday. If this is the case, the police should be clear they are not targeting tourists otherwise Thai police harassment of tourist will go viral on the net.

[sabaii69]

Bloody hell m16s just to check for passports.

Police state or what?

I better be careful they maybe lock me up for driving my wheelchair ! without due care !

Son of a bit..h! I dare not venture forth with my black cane. Bastards might shoot. Been in a few wars and now I'm a little worried some dumb ass will shoot me. COME ON!

[rmacee]

They like to bite the hand that feeds them ..

[pomchop]

Just when you thought that maybe the pattaya swat team of 50 raiding the elderly bridge club couldn't be more embarrassing and blasted around the world along comes the pattaya and chiang mai passport swat team....with big GUNS....

Great work guys. Keep it up and those tourists and farang residents bahts will quickly take a major hit.

[terryp]

Will be promoted by TAT as …….Thailand the Hub of all Adventure Holidays

[terryp]

they must have Intel that all the terrywrists were on Smack, Charlie or the thai favourite

[Karlo]

I am well travelled and also lived in a number of countries in Asia but I have never seen first hand or on the media about there being police and immigration raids in public area as we are reading about in this thread. Have any other members experienced police raids in other countries similar to the scale and regularity as are happening in Thailand

[sabaii69]

In two nights the police/military did this in popular tourist areas. Can Thais return to the villages and work the farms? I say, let the bar owners eat cake. I stayed home last nite as I will tonight. Do not encourage these idiots.

[aripengu]

Returning happiness!

[Don Mega]

That picture, with a semi-automatic weapon, in the tourist zone of CM is sure to make TAT happy! LOL I wonder how many trips are being cancelled as I write this???

Trips cancelled will = zero.

[Linden]

This will end up being connected with the power cut in Krabi where the doors were left open in the Airport they will be looking for someone in particular and as all gangsters and terrorist go out in the touristy hot spots where else would you look for them.

Maybe the immigration officer turning up for work in his new Merc raised suspension at Krabi Airport.They checked his phone and seen the txts from ISIS.

They wont be just settle down into a housing eastate in Bangkok go big c and Tescos. Drive a honda jazz eat in the house and the occasional KFC gangsters and terrorists wont carry there fake passports either.

Comic book stuff Batman type story.I thinks it hilarious the way this country keeps on top of security measures..

[razer]

The PM said publicaly foreigners do not have to carry the physical passport but a copy of the identity page should be on your person and if an expat living here a copy of your visa or visa extension.

We don't want Thailand to become the HUB of stolen passports.

[ozyjon]

If this happened to me as a tourist it would be my last visit

Rubbish, you're just saying that,,you're never leaving.

[anthobkk]

I always have a copy of my passport with me, that's what some of high rank police officer said before that it was enough.

In the case I need to produce my passport and before in the day I had to leave my passport to a motorbike shop, then how come am I suppose to show it to them ?

Also, I heard a lot of people saying that one should never give his passport to a motorbike rental shop but whenever I go they always ask for it, they will never take a copy or any other ID documents...

Moreover, my company often take my passport with me for a few days before reporting me to the immigration, in that case again I would have to stay at the police station all night until the HR department of my company is able to bring the passport back.

Edited February 20, 2016 by anthobkk

[727Sky]

Whatever the law, Id rather pay a fine than risk losing my passport. Is this only clubs that have been raided? Do I stand being arrested while spending my money at Central?

GEEEEEZ! Don't give then any ideas! hahahah

[Balance]

It's a good idea to keep a (reduced size) photocopy of your passport about your person. Technically the law requires you to carry the original at all times; but in practice a photocopy will do.

Can you point to the law itself. There has been this back and forth from Immigration for years now about this. If there is a "law," where is it, in English or in Thai?

[TPI]

It got their picture in the newspaper didn't it? That's all the RTP and RTA live for, "look gik, I'm in the paper". Maybe the next generation will be the ones with the brains??

[rebelplatoon]

No need to scare away even more tourists. Chiang Mai nightlife is dead. All bars must close at 23.45 already 6 months. We'll never see these people back. Even surrounding Muslim countries are more free. Bars and restaurants are closing every day. Carry on!

[TPI]

They kill the duck laying the golden egg by the minute. They may as well arrest people for not wearing flipflops as this is not part of Thai culture.

Steady on! They're brainless enough without you giving them ideas!

[saminoz]

Deleted it. I'm travelling out so why give the idiots a reason?

Edited February 20, 2016 by saminoz