Randomly interrogated by foreigner & Thai officer, is this normal?

[kannot]

5 hours ago, gdgbb said:

 

Why would you want to go to a police station to identify yourself?  Do you have authority to examine another persons work permit?

Fake  police would  not go to a police station, so do they have th e authority to examine my id, foreigners working for the police with no work permit is  still no work permit, Id  grass em up no problem to immigration, probably go nowhere but so what

[chrisinth]

7 hours ago, tropo said:

You didn't read my subsequent post. It would be impossible for you to determine if ID was genuine or not. If people go to the trouble of using fake uniforms, it's very likely they're also carrying fake ID. It would be a waste of time checking it, and could have negative consequences.

 

Yep, that is a very valid point; I know for sure I wouldn't be able to tell if the ID was fake or not.

[bubba]

If you don't trust the police ID that is produced, you could always request to go to the nearest police box for the interview. If the "officer" in question refuses to do that, then I would be suspicious.

[derator01]

Several argumentative posts have been removed from view.  Please abide by forum rules and show respect to other members.

[KIWIBATCH]

"Official" uniforms can be bought in clothing shops all over Thailand.....

[dotpoom]

14 hours ago, HooHaa said:

correct response is yes, i have id, can i see yours.

I wouldn't bother asking for ID......"paper never refuses ink".

[Nemesis7]

Why does it bother you so much cause it's Thailand ? This things are happening all over Europe and USA these days and so in Australia in the form of social profiling. Nothing wrong in it them check as many times as they want unless you are one of those fujetives hiding away from something. Carry a copy of the passport and wp that's not too much to carry I suppose .  

[ironbark]

This is a very important situation. Assuming they were official police and assuming it is legal for them to to make random checks then they should be trained to introduce themselves and display their is when they first approach you.

As has been pointed out already you have no way of knowing they are genuine. They could be trying to obtain personal information for fraudulent purposes.

Either they were breaching their own procedures or the RTP are too incompetent to have a proper procedure.

Either way it does not encourage confidence in the authorities . 

[impulse]

Bottom line, the OP's harrowing encounter was over in a minute or two, smiles all around, and he was back to sipping on his latte.

 

Had he insisted on going to the cop shop before answering any questions, it could have taken up an entire afternoon.  Including a ride in a car with the very guys he's suspecting of being ne'er-do-wells.  Unless, of course, he figured the cops (real or fake) would turn him loose to find his own way to the station for questioning.

 

Forking over the ID and answering a few questions seems like the path of least resistance and risk.  Not to mention the inconvenient (to some of the posters here) fact that the cops have every right to ask for ID.  Their country, their rules.

 

Whether the cops did it in an appropriate manner, or need additional training?  Good points, but of our control.  Our only choice is how we respond. 

Edited December 8, 2016 by impulse

[biplanebluey]

14 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Never heard of anything like that before.

Perhaps it would pay to call the tourist police to inquire about it if it happens again.

 

 Or perhaps better BEFORE it happens again.You will not be so confused and ask all for their ID next time. I tend to feel if we show fear of surprise of any sort,it will boost their confidence and may start even to get more menacing.If you have all your paperwork in order you have nothing to fear so for heavens sake stand up for what little rights we have got.

[BlindMagician]

Record the conversation.

Ask them why?

Ask for their ID first, and copy the info plus take photos.

Tell them you will follow up by checking with their station.

Then show them your ID.

 

Maybe they want to stop somewhere along this process.

 

If they are legit, they won't object.

 

[Guest]

Some years back I was going to meeting at Asoke 253 Sukumvit 21 (Oceans 2 building). The same building have/had Israeli embassy. 

 

I stopped in the front, before entering the building and a middle eastern man came to ask my id. I asked who he was (he worked for Israeli embassy) and then said no. He then asked would I show my id to the Thai police in uniform who was 10 meters away, to which I said yes. 

 

I handed my passport to the Thai police and the Mossad guy was able to take a peek. Both were happy and I was welcomed to the office building. 

 

 

[phetphet]

14 hours ago, impulse said:

 

So, you don't figure there were teams of cops interviewing people randomly all over town after the temple bombing?  And establishing their authenticity or insisting on going down to the station may have given the bad guys more time to get away?  

 

Takes 30 seconds to show them your ID and speed them on their way.

 

They ask you to pee in a cup?  That's different.  That doesn't seem to be the case here.

It seems as if showing his ID /Driving Licence wasn't enough as they took a photo of it.

I doubt it was anything dodgy, but now they have that photo of an official document, know his name, address, dob, and where he works.

For that information I would certainly want to see some ID. As you say, it would only take them 30 seconds. No great waste of time for some personal peace of mind.

 

[autoc]

I do not reply to anybody and just pretend to be deaf, it always work !

 

Who are they anyway to dare speaking to me !!!

 

 

 

[Honthy]

15 hours ago, ukrules said:

This is far from normal, you should have told them to 'go away'.

call police for checking... if you can 

[impulse]

3 minutes ago, phetphet said:

It seems as if showing his ID /Driving Licence wasn't enough as they took a photo of it.

I doubt it was anything dodgy, but now they have that photo of an official document, know his name, address, dob, and where he works.

For that information I would certainly want to see some ID. As you say, it would only take them 30 seconds. No great waste of time for some personal peace of mind.

 

Don't get me wrong, it's disturbing.  But I look at the practical level.  The OP's response got him on his way with a minimum of fuss and bother.  

 

We hand our passports (or ID) over to enter the country, to get any official documents, to check into hotels, open a bank account, and on and on.  Our personal details are scattered all over the web.  Who knows how many hotel clerks sell that information on to nefarious characters.  Yet, we hand them over.  What's one more?  What are they going to do with it, with no account information or passwords?

 

As far as asking for ID, my first visit to Kao San Road taught me that I should never trust any ID pulled out in Thailand.  So I'm not going to take any extraordinary effort to ask for a uniformed cop's ID.  If he's got a fake cop uniform, the fake ID probably came with the set.

 

[LivinLOS]

14 hours ago, impulse said:

So I guess very few of you guys would feel any remorse at all if they were looking for a bomber or a rapist and you wasted their time by not cooperating?

 

Is it that onerous to pull out some ID so they can do their job? 

 

 

If I know what thier job is.. Of course not.. 

 

In a country where the cops are not always the good guys.. And sometimes cops are not even cops.. A simple check of thier authority is hardly a lot to expect. 

[impulse]

9 minutes ago, LivinLOS said:

In a country where the cops are not always the good guys.. And sometimes cops are not even cops.. A simple check of thier authority is hardly a lot to expect. 

 

What's a fake cop ID cost on Kao San Road?   

 

Edit:  My point is that you'd probably be inconvenienced longer in establishing their ID than just doing what they ask- and with more personal risk.  Does it violate our feelings of personal privacy?  Maybe.  But we're not in Kansas any more.  I'm going for the practical.  I'll let someone else fight for human rights in Thailand.

 

If they ask me to pee in a cup or get in a car?  That's different.

Edited December 8, 2016 by impulse

[Autonuaq]

Have this happen more that foreigner approchaes you and the officers stay around.

Not under estimate the language skills of the officers.

 

In public they often dressed casual and have iniformed officers.

 

Most of them will show ID and tell they are involved in some way with the authorities they are with.

 

In the 'farang' areas it is a big change you meet them.

But also outside the areas they do the same.

[dentonian]

Some years ago, I was approached at Suvarnabhumi airport by a very smartly dressed, well groomed Thai man, spoke excellent English.

He introduced himself as the manager of airport security. He had an ID badge clipped on the top pocket of his suit.

He asked where I was going and requested to look at my flight ticket and passport. So far no concerns.

He then said there was a problem, then asked if I had any Thai baht on my person.

At that point a 'red flag' waived in front of my face. I snatched my passport back and told the guy to FO.

 

Over the next 40 minutes I watched as he approached 3 other foreigners.

I later saw one of the foreigners who advised me the same man had told him his flight was overbooked, but for 3,000 baht he could ensure he made his flight. The foreigner had parted with cash and in return had been given a hand written note on a scrap of paper, detailing his flight number and requesting boarding rights.

 

We complained to the airline staff about this corrupt imposter, who seemed not to care, but due to my insistence called the airport security police. Two armed airport police duly arrived. I explained the situation and the other foreigner also gave evidence, producing the worthless scrap of paper he had been given by this imposter, in exchange for 3,00 baht.

It appeared the police were aware of his scam, he was a regular known to them, and their reply was "Hey, this is Thailand, everyone has to make a living somehow".

They took no action, sneered and treated us as stupid foreigners.

 

I often wondered if the police where acting in collusion with this man and sharing the spoils.

Fortunately, I've never seen this imposter on many further visits through Suvarnabhumi, or had a similar experiences since. 

Edited December 8, 2016 by dentonian

[NoshowJones]

36 minutes ago, autoc said:

I do not reply to anybody and just pretend to be deaf, it always work !

 

Who are they anyway to dare speaking to me !!!

 

 

 

I think that pretending to be deaf, you would easily be found out right away, think about it.

[AgMech Cowboy]

17 hours ago, HooHaa said:

correct response is yes, i have id, can i see yours.

 

Good one. I'll have remember this should it ever happen to me :).

[louse1953]

1 hour ago, phetphet said:

It seems as if showing his ID /Driving Licence wasn't enough as they took a photo of it.

I doubt it was anything dodgy, but now they have that photo of an official document, know his name, address, dob, and where he works.

For that information I would certainly want to see some ID. As you say, it would only take them 30 seconds. No great waste of time for some personal peace of mind.

 

Passport number as well.

[elgordo38]

16 hours ago, impulse said:

So I guess very few of you guys would feel any remorse at all if they were looking for a bomber or a rapist and you wasted their time by not cooperating?

 

Is it that onerous to pull out some ID so they can do their job? 

 

The question still begs "who" is doing their job. Should one bend under intimidation and comply? Can the drivers license pictures be used to create phony copies? One of the above posters was correct show me yours and I will show you mine. 

[louse1953]

1 hour ago, LivinLOS said:

 

If I know what thier job is.. Of course not.. 

 

In a country where the cops are not always the good guys.. And sometimes cops are not even cops.. A simple check of thier authority is hardly a lot to expect. 

Exactly.Meeting in their place of work gives them some credibility,but a street meet,nah,don't like it.

[louse1953]

1 hour ago, impulse said:

 

What's a fake cop ID cost on Kao San Road?   

 

Edit:  My point is that you'd probably be inconvenienced longer in establishing their ID than just doing what they ask- and with more personal risk.  Does it violate our feelings of personal privacy?  Maybe.  But we're not in Kansas any more.  I'm going for the practical.  I'll let someone else fight for human rights in Thailand.

 

If they ask me to pee in a cup or get in a car?  That's different.

I'd rather piss in a cup than give my id away just for conveniency.

[billd766]

13 hours ago, tropo said:

Not only military uniforms. There have been many reports over the years about fake police doing raids on various establishments.

 

If you think the uniforms could be fake, then why trust the ID's? All police ID's would be in Thai, so you can't read them, and even if you could, how would you know a genuine police ID from a fake one?

 

I think checking does more harm that good. If they are genuine police officers they may become more aggressive, so it's a risk. If they're fake, you wouldn't know it anyway.

 

I think the best way to avoid these problems is sticking to areas inhabited by many foreigners such as shopping malls rather than making a spectacle of yourself on a street, either walking around or eating at street carts. The sooner you get off the streets in Bangkok, the better.

The other way is to just flash your ID and get it over and done with as quickly and painlessly as possible, always being super polite. Thinking they're going to steal your Identity is just paranoia. People who are that paranoid shouldn't be living in Thailand.

 

In my particular case the chances of this happening to me are fairly remote as I live in rural Khampaeng Phet and rarely visit BKK. That said, if I am down that way it will be on a shopping trip along Sukhumvit toVilla, Foodland etc and probably a trip up Soi Nana to the Bus Stop for lunch.

 

I dont think that anyone would want to steal the identity of a 72 year old fat white guy anyway.

[impulse]

5 minutes ago, louse1953 said:

I'd rather piss in a cup than give my id away just for conveniency.

 

Of those 2 alternatives, which one gives them a chance to doctor the results, bang you up and extort you?  (And that's if some old guy meds you're taking don't give them a false positive anyway)

 

You wanna crusade for privacy rights in Thailand?  Feel free.  I'm not tilting at windmills.   I'd rather just enjoy my lunch.

[HerbalEd]

16 hours ago, lemonjelly said:

An Arab in civvies and a Thai in "a uniform" randomly approaching westerners and demanding personal information.... you couldn't make this stuff up.


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

Why do you assume he was "Arab"? Not all middle-eastern people are Arabs ... eg., Iranians are Persian, not Arabs. And, IYDKA, only 20% of the world's muslims are Arab.

[Mansell]

If they show their ID you cou.ld take pics of it with your phone, and if they will let you take pics of them.....if not most good places would have CCTV cameras if you needed to involve the police later. 

As for the airport money flight scam if is real.....and the security did nothing, if you and the guy who got ripped off had time I would have found the head of security or airport head and complained about the security police's apathy and even collusion. It might have accomplished something, or it might not.

i find there is a Thai tendency to follow the rules and to not rock the boat. I wanted to exchange something at Big C with the receipt.....the woman at the return counter declined because it was underwear and we don't take returns on that. My wife accepted this and figured that was it. I asked to see the manager and explained the situation and smiled a lot. Told her I didn't want money but would like a larger size. Off she went and returned minutes later with what I needed. Obviously people at the lower levels cannot make decisions outside of the norm. Sorry to switch subjects, but the higher ups at the airport are more likely to do something. In Phuket the taxis at the airport where ripping off the incoming tourists with outrageous prices. Enough people complained and now there are fixed prices to destinations posted. It is possible to get change in this country, but it is a slow process. I believe they want to change to the standards of other countries, but sometimes they don't know how to implement change in a reasonable fashion. No country is perfect.....yet!