Police in Bangkok Conduct Random Checks on Tourists Ahead of Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) Summit

[rooster59]

Police in Bangkok Conduct Random Checks on Tourists Ahead of Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) Summit

Police from the Metropolitan Police Division 1 check the backpacks of foreign backpackers on Khao San Road

 

BANGKOK – More than 200 policemen conducted random searches on foreign tourists on Nana Road (Sukhumvit 3 Road) at 12am Saturday.

 

Officers from the Metropolitan Police Bureau, the Patrol and Special Operation Division, the Tourist Police Division, and the Narcotics Suppression Bureau randomly stopped foreign tourist, checking their passports and forcing some them to submit to urine tests.

 

According to the Bangkok Post the Surprise searches have were conducted ahead of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) Summit being held nearby from Saturday to Monday.

 

The two-day, Second Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) Summit kicks off tomorrow with leaders from 34 different countries and organizations.

 

Full story: http://www.chiangraitimes.com/police-in-bangkok-conduct-random-checks-on-tourists-ahead-of-asia-cooperation-dialogue-acd-summit.html

 

 

 

-- © Copyright Chiang Rai Times 2016-10-09

[trogers]

Why?

 

Safety for these business leaders in their after hours haunts?

[kannot]

Welcome  to Thailand, why dont they do it at the airport a s soon as the plane  door  opens along with the chip insert, fingerprints, retina  scan, cavity search and 20k baht "security" deposit

[z42]

I can't quite believe (well, actually I can really) how someone up high in whatever uniformed "service/s" were involved in this latest fiasco doesn't realize that this kind of thing SERIOUSLY damages tourist confidence, and is frankly scary to many / most.

Just going about your night on the town, and suddenly being asked to produce your passports or piss in a cup without any good reason is scandalous. With the amount of crime and corruption in the city, those 200 officers would absolutely be better deployed in other areas.

A disgrace, pure and simple

[chinostar]

Did not the police stated that urine test are not allowed to conduct in the streets and are totally unlawful?

[hansnl]

Good show guys!

Go on irritating tourists by confronting them with Nazi-like tactics.

Your neighbours are getting bigger smiles day by day.

When will realisation come to you that expats and tourists bring in a huge amount of money.

 

[williamgeorgeallen]

2 minutes ago, chinostar said:

Did not the police stated that urine test are not allowed to conduct in the streets and are totally unlawful?

i was wondering what happens if you refuse. think i would call a lawyer to witness it, would rather pay her than the cops. easy enough for someone to spike the container. military law is in place, does that mean the cops can do what they want?

[quandow]

Increased security before an important summit - I get that.  The urine tests - completely out of bounds, demeaning and embarrassing for tourists, this does not make sense and presents LOS as a place not to visit.

[bridge2bridge]

14 minutes ago, hansnl said:

Good show guys!

Go on irritating tourists by confronting them with Nazi-like tactics.

Your neighbours are getting bigger smiles day by day.

When will realisation come to you that expats and tourists bring in a huge amount of money.

 

What about all the TRASH Tourists that come here and cause problems for ALL of us.

Good to see the crack down IMHO.

If you don't do wrong you have no reason to worry.

 

[NongKhaiKid]

3 minutes ago, bridge2bridge said:

What about all the TRASH Tourists that come here and cause problems for ALL of us.

Good to see the crack down IMHO.

If you don't do wrong you have no reason to worry.

 

Your last sentence contains a theory I wouldn't care to test here.

[colinneil]

Play nice children  

[sixlegs]

End of an era, my friends. The Thailand we used to know is no more.

[impulse]

2 minutes ago, sixlegs said:

End of an era, my friends. The Thailand we used to know is no more.

 

Been going on for eons in my neighborhood.  I live and work near Asoke.

 

The Thailand lots of people like to fondly remember- never did exist.

[slapout]

1 hour ago, kannot said:

Welcome  to Thailand, why dont they do it at the airport a s soon as the plane  door  opens along with the chip insert, fingerprints, retina  scan, cavity search and 20k baht "security" deposit

And to help stimulate the various locals who follow several lines of work, issue wet weather  wear, color coded by the passport country of orgin.  It might even include a bullseye on front and back.

[BlindMagician]

Use a Thai translation app, and press record a few key sentences, such as "let me call my lawyer", "I want to see the tourist police", "please state your name and number after I press record on my phone".

Have copies of you passport in your phone.

Record the event, and post publicly, including Facebook sites, and email a complaint.

etc...you get the idea.

[JerryinTH]

It's always the same areas. Usually Asoke and Thonglor. Now they started fetching people on Soi 3 which actually makes sense. 

I really don't understand why they do this in Thonglor area. I understand that there are lots of clubs around, but there is also tons of very affluent foreigners living there. 

None of them breaks the law, pays the overpriced rent prices and has most likely less to hide than people on Soi Africa. 

 

Never bite the hand that feeds them, but they didn't hear that before I guess. I'll move out of Thonglor as soon as my lease is up. 

Really tired of it. 

Edited October 9, 2016 by JerryinTH

[freebyrd]

1 hour ago, z42 said:

I can't quite believe (well, actually I can really) how someone up high in whatever uniformed "service/s" were involved in this latest fiasco doesn't realize that this kind of thing SERIOUSLY damages tourist confidence, and is frankly scary to many / most.

Just going about your night on the town, and suddenly being asked to produce your passports or piss in a cup without any good reason is scandalous. With the amount of crime and corruption in the city, those 200 officers would absolutely be better deployed in other areas.

A disgrace, pure and simple

 

My experiences with BKK goes back 3 decades. I've lived and worked there, happy as a Lark. Circa 1992, a policeman rode past me and stopped. He beckoned me forth, squeezed my biceps, called me Rambo, thumbs up, big  laugh together and we both went about our business. Visiting BKK last week each time I saw a uniform I expected the worst. No matter what the rose tinted brigade say, TL has very much changed for the worst. Sad really.

[impulse]

1 minute ago, JerryinTH said:

It's always the same areas. Usually Asoke and Thonglor. Now they started fetching people on Soi 3 which actually makes sense. 

I really don't understand why they do this in Thonglor area. I understand that there are lots of clubs around, but there is also tons of vert affluent foreigners living there. 

None of them breaks the law, pays the overpriced rent prices and has most likely less to hide than people on Soi Africa. 

 

Never bites the hand that feeds them, but they didn't hear that before I guess. I'll move out of Thonglor as soon as my lease is up. 

Really tired of it. 

 

Has a lot more to do with the BIB organization controlling the area than with the residents and goings-on.  

 

If I didn't work at Asoke, I'd avoid the area like the plague.  Nothing there I can't find in the other 99% of BKK.  Except my office, darn it.

[JerryinTH]

From what I read and notice over the years, the Thonglor cops are the least likely you want to run in and I can confirm that from personal experience. The only problem I ever had was on Thonglor and was almost taken to the station, even I had my Thai DL and pictures of my visa pages on my phone. A few baht cleared it up but still.. 

Was about a year ago when they first started doing it heavily again. 

[NongKhaiKid]

On Skype with my daughter last week she mentioned seeing a report on a domestic television station in Britain about the SIM card for foreigners issue and one of the throwaway lines was that for  a country which supposedly needs tourism they're not exactly making people feel welcome !

Now there's this and a lot more to come I'm sure.

[impulse]

11 minutes ago, freebyrd said:

 

My experiences with BKK goes back 3 decades. I've lived and worked there, happy as a Lark. Circa 1992, a policeman rode past me and stopped. He beckoned me forth, squeezed my biceps, called me Rambo, thumbs up, big  laugh together and we both went about our business. Visiting BKK last week each time I saw a uniform I expected the worst. No matter what the rose tinted brigade say, TL has very much changed for the worst. Sad really.

  

Just like the rest of the world.  30 years ago, I could get on an airplane with my Swiss army knife and a bottle of water, having never removed my shoes and belt.

[elgordo38]

2 hours ago, trogers said:

Why?

 

Safety for these business leaders in their after hours haunts?

We have to consider the safety of the world's elite when they gather. Elite lives matter. Ours well not so much. 

[freebyrd]

1 minute ago, impulse said:

  

Just like the rest of the world.  30 years ago, I could get on an airplane with my Swiss army knife and a bottle of water, having never removed my shoes and belt.

 

Point taken, but your average producing documents and peeing in cups? If that happened to me in any country I wouldn't return and would make a point of telling others no to do so. Not a great way to attract much need tourist currency.

[elgordo38]

1 hour ago, chinostar said:

Did not the police stated that urine test are not allowed to conduct in the streets and are totally unlawful?

Your behind the times they make this stuff up as they go along. There is one set of rules for the country per se as a whole then there are the smaller fiefdom rules issued at the whims and fancy of power wanna bes. Its like the wild wild west with multiple Wyatt Earps in charge simultaneously 

[impulse]

6 minutes ago, freebyrd said:

Point taken, but your average producing documents and peeing in cups? If that happened to me in any country I wouldn't return and would make a point of telling others no to do so. Not a great way to attract much need tourist currency.

 

None of us likes it.  But I think people (especially people who haven't lived "back home" for a few decades) don't realize that the rest of the world has gotten meaner and more intrusive, too.   Some places faster, meaner and much more intrusive than Thailand.  On a wider topic, the cost of living has gone up back home, too.  And open spaces aren't just disappearing and environments aren't just being despoiled in Thailand.

 

Edit:  My point being that it's not really meaningful to compare Thailand to some distant memory of "back home", nor to a distant memory of the honeymoon period when we felt the warm sea breezes for the first time.  Having just flown in from the ball shriveling cold.

Edited October 9, 2016 by impulse

[DSJPC]

and they think this promotes tourism???...idiots!!!...guilty until proven innocent!

[elgordo38]

53 minutes ago, bridge2bridge said:

What about all the TRASH Tourists that come here and cause problems for ALL of us.

Good to see the crack down IMHO.

If you don't do wrong you have no reason to worry.

 

Pass me my cup please. Zippppp

[elgordo38]

50 minutes ago, NongKhaiKid said:

Your last sentence contains a theory I wouldn't care to test here.

Your dealing with a lawful? entity that does not have a preset rule of law. They have options A. Say thank you and move on. B. Slip a little something into your bag and say "come with us" C. Smile and stick out their hand and ask for a donation.

[impulse]

1 hour ago, bridge2bridge said:

Good to see the crack down IMHO.

If you don't do wrong you have no reason to worry.

 

Do yourself a favor.  Go to your medicine cabinet and write down a list of all your perfectly legal prescriptions.  If you're as old as a lot of us, the list won't be short.

 

Then Google each one to see if it will ring the bell on a cheap, first pass piss test.  And figure that the more sophisticated test that will eventually exonerate you may take a week or two.  During which time you'll be a guest of the local jail.

 

My BKK doctor strongly suggested I stay away from bars where I'm likely to be piss tested.  He said I'd eventually be cleared, but why risk a couple of weeks of misery?

[Graemej100]

1 hour ago, bridge2bridge said:

What about all the TRASH Tourists that come here and cause problems for ALL of us.

Good to see the crack down IMHO.

If you don't do wrong you have no reason to worry.

 

 

Plain-clothes police and informants were watching out for criminals who arrived and disguised themselves as tourists. They must be taken care of, the Bangkok police chief said.

Besides, police asked tourism-related operators to assist in the surveillance and check the passports of their clients, he said.