[asdfk]

Hi everyone,
I'm leaving for SE Asia next week. I'll probably start in Manilla, but I'd also love to visit Thailand. However, I have heard many horror stories of police corruption in Thailand.
I am concerned that wile there, a police officer will conduct a drug search and plant drugs.
To be clear, I have absolutely no intention of doing or having drugs in Thailand. That's why it's scary to me that a random officer could just fake accuse me and get me thrown in jail if I'm not able to pay a fine.
Is this concern legitimate? How should I frame this? What can I do when it happens or as prevention?

[Windom Earle]

What have you been smoking to consider this as a probable event? You're being alarmist/paranoid.

Have you read the travel threads regarding Thailand and the Philippines? (which you could've asked the question in rather than starting this thread). Is there any mention of this occurring among the membership, or any anecdotal stories on the internet of events like this occurring on a semi-regular basis?

If something like this is a real concern of yours, maybe you should stay home.

[Brodiaga]

It's a very unlikely event, but if it happens, there's not much you can do other than trying to negotiate politely and paying the cop that stops you instead of having him take you to the police station where you'll have to pay a bunch of cops.

I had to give something like 20 or 30 bucks to traffic cops in Indonesia when they stopped a taxi I took at night with a girl (saw a foreigner inside), checked my documents, and I was drunk and didn't have a passport with a visa on me.

In Thailand, never happened to me, but if you ride a bike (or even walk) and get into an accident, it can happen, because as a foreigner, you are wrong by default.

Obviously, don't do drugs (even weed) in any of these countries, and generally don't break the law unless you've been around and know what you are doing.

To give you an example of breaking the law, there is a citywide smoking ban in Cebu that people don't seem to follow, but the posters say there is a huge fine and a possible prison sentence if you break it. I usually smoke when I travel. When I just arrived, I strictly followed the rules and only smoked in designated areas, which are hard to find, or on my balcony. After a few days there, I started smoking in a few other areas outside, because I saw the locals do it, but I still watched out for cops just in case, because they'd probably like to extort some money of they saw a foreigner break the smoking ban.

But yes, if you want to be 100% safe just stay home.

[asdfk]

Actually there are many reports of police extortion increasing in Thailand. Road-side urine tests that come up positive no matter what are used to scam tourists, and although it's just money this gives the authorities precedence to prosecute - which is REALLY bad if you don't know how to make it go away. Even a Time journalist got falsely accused of trying to buy a baggie of coke just because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time (see http://time.com/3674200/thailand-tourism...tortion/). That's why I'm specifically asking for advice on how to deal with an false accusation or unlawful arrest, even though it's probably a small chance.

Thanks Brodiaga, I indeed intend on being a model citizen and just calmly negotiate.

[Windom Earle]

^ and you may get into a traffic accident, or hit by lightning whilst walking on the street or some guy might randomly knife you.

There's a lot of things in life outside of your control, and thankfully, they also have reasonable improbability of occurring.

Your query was what can you do if you cannot pay the fine. There's not much you can do.

[Saweeep]

What you need to remember is that the goal of a corrupt cop is £££, not putting you in jail. They really would rather take anything than nothing.

See it as a tax on your existence in their country. Don't fret it.

[thoughtgypsy]

(12-24-2015 05:49 PM)asdfk Wrote:  

Is this concern legitimate?

No! I can only speak from experience with Philippines, but I was never worried about the cops there. If anything, they were too laid back. Stop worrying and get out there. And I thought Roccker was being paranoid.

[El Chinito loco]

Simple prevention tip: Don't associate with sketchy people or events that may get you in trouble.

There is no problem in SEA that can't be solved with money. None. The amount just varies depending on the situation.

[beta_plus]

Look, I know American cops have their problems but ...

OOOH PHILLY ... I though you said Phili

Nevermind

[Beyond Borders]

Best solution is never leave home. The world is big and dangerous and it's going to eat you alive.

[WanderingSoul]

This happens but it is very, very rare.

After nearly 3 years in Thailand I never even spoke with a cop.

One thing I would do is not let them put their hands in my pockets if they try. I'd put my hands over my pockets and being polite I would empty them myself.

[Cr33pin]

The best way to avoid these situations is to stay at home in your moms basement with a tin foil hat on. Maybe sign up for World of Warcraft to help pass the time.

[RatInTheWoods]

Never had a problem in Thailand.

Don't go near drugs, don't be an idiot, be polite and smile a lot.

If you ride a bike, make sure you have a license and wear a helmet and don't be an idiot.

Pay your bills, follow official instructions and don't be an asshole you will be fine.

Remember you are a guest and live by their rules.

[Dilligaf]

The most corrupt cops I've run into on 5 continents have been the swine in Ontario, Canuckistan. They've bargained their way into bankrupting almost every municipality in the province through binding swivel serpent arbitration

It's funny, I ran into a few couples in the last month that loved to swap shakedown stories. $150 in Mexico (so ripped off), $20 in Trinidad, $3.75 in India....

Ofcourse in the last few years in Ontario I've been shaken down for an $80 parking ticket (horseshit), a $300 seatbelt ticket (more horseshit), and a $500 cellphone ticket because I was lighting my cigar in a manufactured traffic jam and my lighter was judged by the quota filling pig to be an "electronic device".

Sure I've been working a bar in Corpus Christie and gave free drinks to a deputy & his trash date, a Jamaican cop or three wanted $20 to get me through a checkpoint....

But which system is more corrupt? Moral bankruptcy doesn't apply to cops, they're all scum.

[GlobalMan]

This is not something you need to be worried about. Lots of things can conceivably happen, that doesn't mean they are likely or worth considering. Your plane could crash on the way there, for example. So you probably shouldn't go, since thats a possibility.

I don't know where you got the idea that this kind of thing is common. Of course its the horror stories you'll find- the millions of people that had a fantastic time and left with a tan, a drained ball sack and a smile aren't online telling their story, that's not what you'll see in the tv show "Locked Up Abroad". You'll see the idiots that made bad decisions, that either directly or indirectly put them where they are. Almost all of the people that get into shit in Thailand are people making poor decisions and putting themselves in that position. If you're not involved with shady people, if you aren't breaking the law, then you'll be fine the vast majority of the time. Just like anywhere. Do bad things sometimes happen to good people who do everything right? Yes, just like anywhere, but its not worth worrying about.

If you're not a hippy backpacker playing with plants and herbs by the northern border, a Russian "business man" in Phuket, a whore monger in Patpong, a general idiot, then you're unlikely to encounter much trouble.

The only thing I've experienced even remotely like that in Thailand is a cop trying to get some money at a road block for a bogus traffic/car "violation". I kept insisting we go to the police station if I was going to pay, he eventually relented and let me go free. That was one single time in multiple years, and was no big deal.

Oh, and a girl took some cash out of my desk while I was showering, which I noticed was gone while she was showering after me, I looked in her purse and there it was right on top. I took my cash back, took her cash, threw her purse and clothes out in the hall way, grabbed her out of the shower and pushed her out the door. But that's just good times in Bangkok. Live and learn.

In your first thread about your eye problem you mentioned there is "some indication" you only have a few years to live or something like that. Is that true? If so, first I'm sorry to hear that, and more importantly- You should be going balls to the wall man, I don't see why this would even be in your mind.

[Cheetah]

(12-25-2015 12:00 AM)Cr33pin Wrote:  

The best way to avoid these situations is to stay at home in your moms basement with a tin foil hat on. Maybe sign up for World of Warcraft to help pass the time.

I couldn't help but to think of this thread.

thread-52294.html

[scotian]

If you want to smoke weed and do magic mushrooms in Thailand, its really easy, just find a reggae bar, they pay off the locals police to allow guests to smoke up there. My favourite one was the High Bar in Koh Tao, beautiful views and there was a young kid at the bar rolling massive reefers which sold for 100 Baht, great place to get stoned. Of course, don't take the ganja with you, just get high at the bar and leave. In my four months in Thailand, I was never once stopped by a cop although I met a guy who was fined a few thousand Baht for throwing his cigarette butt on the ground in BKK, they can also fine you for spitting there.

[Kamaki4]

(12-24-2015 06:01 PM)Brodiaga Wrote:  

In Thailand, never happened to me, but if you ride a bike (or even walk) and get into an accident, it can happen, because as a foreigner, you are wrong by default.

This is not true and I had the intention of mentioning it on another Thailand thread when it was mentioned there. When I first moved to Thailand 5 years ago I also heard this from several guys who were living here at the time. Now that I look back on the sources, I realize that out of the three people that told me this, none of them had actually been involved in an accident and one guy didn't drive a car or ride a motorbike, so how would he know. This past year on Valentine's day I was involved in an accident big enough that I lost control of the bike and my girl, who was riding on the back was injured. An older (40's) Thai guy riding a scooter and travelling in the same direction I was on a single lane road along the Ping River in Chiang Mai, suddenly turned into me as I was overtaking him. He hadn't indicated that he was turning, which is not unusual, but he hadn't slowed down before turning either, which is one of the things I look for before overtaking. I have since made further adjustments in the way I ride and now use the horn to signal a pass and take the pass wider. I helped my girl walk over to a nice Filipino guy's house who had come out into the street when he heard the accident. After tending to her briefly, and at her insistence, I went looking for the Thai guy who had gone into a store nearby. To make a long story short we called the police and while we waited my girl argued with the Thai guy. I kept quiet because I was more concerned with her injuries, but she refused to go to the hospital until we talked to the police, so we waited. A junior traffic cop arrived on his motorbike and asked, 'what happened?' The Thai guys story was, 'I ran into him at high speed when he initiated a turn, adding that he had indicated he was turning'. My story was that the guy suddenly turned into me while I was passing from the oncoming traffic lane. The junior traffic cop let my girl know that he thought the Thai guy was lying, and again suggested we call an ambulance to take her to the hospital. She wanted to go to the police station, so after checking my bike to see if was ok to ride, we followed the cop on my slightly damaged bike. When we arrived at the station we were immediately greeted by a senior policeman and he let us know that he had called the EMT's to treat my girl's wounds. After repeating our respective stories to the senior policeman he immediately turned to the Thai guy and in a very serious tone told him 'don't lie to me, we are checking the CCTV cameras as we speak, did you indicate you were turning with a signal?' After a brief pause, the Thai guy put his head down and admitted that he didn't indicate the turn and apologized, but added that I was still speeding. The Thai guy was fined and told that he was also liable for medical bills and damage to my bike. By this point I was actually feeling very sorry for the guy, who subsequently received a lengthy lecture from the senior cop and had obviously lost face. The senior cop later revealed that there weren't any CCTV cameras at that location and in retrospect they handled everything quite well. I asked the policeman if he knew a mechanic nearby who could take a look at my bike to see how much the damage would cost to repair. It was determined the bike only had minor damage and my girl seemed to be ok, so I decided not to seek any extra damages. I ended up paying 300฿ to replace the mirrors and check the bike for any other damage, which there wasn't, other than a few scratches. The EMT's treated my girl at the police station and we ended up going to a private hospital the next day for a more exhaustive check-up and cleaning of the wounds.

[Suits]

(12-26-2015 02:29 AM)Kamaki4 Wrote:  

(12-24-2015 06:01 PM)Brodiaga Wrote:  

In Thailand, never happened to me, but if you ride a bike (or even walk) and get into an accident, it can happen, because as a foreigner, you are wrong by default.

This is not true and I had the intention of mentioning it on another Thailand thread when it was mentioned there. When I first moved to Thailand 5 years ago I also heard this from several guys who were living here at the time. Now that I look back on the sources, I realize that out of the three people that told me this, none of them had actually been involved in an accident and one guy didn't drive a car or ride a motorbike, so how would he know. This past year on Valentine's day I was involved in an accident big enough that I lost control of the bike and my girl, who was riding on the back was injured. An older (40's) Thai guy riding a scooter and travelling in the same direction I was on a single lane road along the Ping River in Chiang Mai, suddenly turned into me as I was overtaking him. He hadn't indicated that he was turning, which is not unusual, but he hadn't slowed down before turning either, which is one of the things I look for before overtaking. I have since made further adjustments in the way I ride and now use the horn to signal a pass and take the pass wider. I helped my girl walk over to a nice Filipino guy's house who had come out into the street when he heard the accident. After tending to her briefly, and at her insistence, I went looking for the Thai guy who had gone into a store nearby. To make a long story short we called the police and while we waited my girl argued with the Thai guy. I kept quiet because I was more concerned with her injuries, but she refused to go to the hospital until we talked to the police, so we waited. A junior traffic cop arrived on his motorbike and asked, 'what happened?' The Thai guys story was, 'I ran into him at high speed when he initiated a turn, adding that he had indicated he was turning'. My story was that the guy suddenly turned into me while I was passing from the oncoming traffic lane. The junior traffic cop let my girl know that he thought the Thai guy was lying, and again suggested we call an ambulance to take her to the hospital. She wanted to go to the police station, so after checking my bike to see if was ok to ride, we followed the cop on my slightly damaged bike. When we arrived at the station we were immediately greeted by a senior policeman and he let us know that he had called the EMT's to treat my girl's wounds. After repeating our respective stories to the senior policeman he immediately turned to the Thai guy and in a very serious tone told him 'don't lie to me, we are checking the CCTV cameras as we speak, did you indicate you were turning with a signal?' After a brief pause, the Thai guy put his head down and admitted that he didn't indicate the turn and apologized, but added that I was still speeding. The Thai guy was fined and told that he was also liable for medical bills and damage to my bike. By this point I was actually feeling very sorry for the guy, who subsequently received a lengthy lecture from the senior cop and had obviously lost face. The senior cop later revealed that there weren't any CCTV cameras at that location and in retrospect they handled everything quite well. I asked the policeman if he knew a mechanic nearby who could take a look at my bike to see how much the damage would cost to repair. It was determined the bike only had minor damage and my girl seemed to be ok, so I decided not to seek any extra damages. I ended up paying 300฿ to replace the mirrors and check the bike for any other damage, which there wasn't, other than a few scratches. The EMT's treated my girl at the police station and we ended up going to a private hospital the next day for a more exhaustive check-up and cleaning of the wounds.

[Kamaki4]

I'll admit my post was probably too long, but it's ironic that I'm hearing it from a guy who has over 4000 posts in less than 3 years.

[Saweeep]

(12-26-2015 07:12 AM)Kamaki4 Wrote:  

I'll admit my post was probably too long, but it's ironic that I'm hearing it from a guy who has over 4000 posts in less than 3 years.

It's the formatting not the content or length in itself.

Use the return button

[Phoenix]

Home Country: United States

Best not stay home, dude. You'll get shot by a street gangster within weeks, guaranteed.

There's a difference between living in Detroit and living in Irvine. Likewise, you'll find big differences between cities in Thailand. If this is a big concern for you, just research which cities are the worst for police extortion (I'm guessing in the south), and avoid them.

[Brodiaga]

Kamaki
I read your post. You were with a Thai girl. Imagine what would happen if you were alone.

[Onto]

I keep two pokes on me. One large bills, the other smaller. The smaller is what you pull out in public and don't worry about losing. Also use this for bribes, and other unforeseen events.

If something valuable like my laptop or phone were stolen, I would probably report it to the police and mention there is a "reward" for it's return. I would also mention this to others (hotel staff, etc.) who could help with it's return.

[CallSignBigRed]

In all my trips to Thailand the worst thing i encountered was partying in RCA and short haired fat chick from Kentucky tries to cock block me while I'm making out this Thai girl. But she learned that night we ain't in America. She got the face mush/punch maneuver that caused her to land flat on her ass. No one gave a fuck.