Clickbait title I know, but it actually did happen and I am writing about this just to let people know that even a grizzled veteran of the area occasionally gets busted by the po-po over here and it doesn't have to be a horrible experience for you when it does happen.
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If you plan on visiting this country and want to rent a motorbike (and you should, if you can safely handle one) go ahead and get accustomed to checkpoints because it happens frequently in this country. There are many reasons why a pop up checkpoint can happen in Thailand: They could be looking for a particular person, the area could have a problem with drug trafficking and they are attempting to curb it, or they cops could be looking to make some money at the expense of the poorer members of their community / tourists. Mostly the checkpoints happen for the last reason.
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Unfortunately, these checkpoints rarely have anything to do with law enforcement and this is evident if you just spend a little bit of time standing near one (it is an entertaining place to have a coffee / beer.) If you watch for a little while you will see all manor of infractions that go unchecked such as 4 people riding on one bike, or people without helmets on. However, one thing that never gets through the dragnet is any non-Thai people. That demographic will be immediately pulled over, even if you are obeying all laws. This was the case with me or rather, Keith Richards.
To be fair I didn't have my license on me and that is an offense for sure. However, it wouldn't have mattered if I did have my license because that is not the point of these things. I have been through checkpoints in the past where I had my license and then they asked to see my Thai driving license (which I actually also had,) after that point they wanted to see the ownership book for the bike i was riding and they know damn well that no one carries those with them..... because the point was to collect money from me, not to make sure I was legally allowed to operate the bike.
On this trip I just switched over to Thai language and said (in Thai) "How much is the fine?".... he responded in very poor English (despite the fact that i had JUST spoken Thai to him) 1,000 baht and then i negotiated it down to 500 almost immediately. I probably could have gotten him to 2 or 300 but i just wanted to keep things moving.
It is humorous to me that they bother asking what my name is at that point because they were obviously willing to accept any name that I gave them and seeing as how I didn't have any ID on me, there was no way to confirm or deny this. I was on the fence about which name I was going to use. Chuck Norris immediately sprung to mind as did Obi-Wan Kenobi. I thought it was probably better to not push the limits because Star Wars is relatively popular over here also.
So in the end I got a 500 Baht fine (around $15.) It is worth noting that this ticket is valid for 3 days and I cannot be fined for the same thing again in that time period. There was another checkpoint that i encountered later the same day and all i did was hold the paper up while still on the bike and they just waved me through without even checking it. I think maybe I'll hang on to this one and use it well into the future.
I suppose it is disappointing that the police shake people down like this but if you are visiting Thailand you kind of need to come to terms with the fact that this is kinda just how it is here. You can get upset and throw a fit and demand justice but I'm telling you now, this is not going to get you anywhere. The police are technically breaking the law here but all of them are in on it and if you attempt to appeal to a higher power you are only going to make more trouble for yourself. Do yourself a favor and if you are faced with this situation just pay the fine, make up a silly name for the ticket and later frame it as memorabilia for your trip. Find a favorite celebrity and get them in trouble in the Land of Smiles. You just gotta roll with the punches sometimes.
Haha, Keith Richards.
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@tipu curate
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Negotiating a ticket. That must be nice :)
Haha! I don’t think that’s your real name either! You should put Sir Cliff Richard!
They won’t know the difference! LoL
yeah, that is definitely not my real name. I don't know if i would want to be the 137 year old guitar player for the Rolling Stones but I certainly wouldn't mind having his money!
lols, all part of the novelty of being in other countries, i usually say i'm Jackie Chan :)
I have a picture that proofs it does not work everytime :-)
Congratz on 80 btw
If you told him you were Chuck Norris he might give you money. I had the Italian po-po near the lake region try to shake me down. I laughed at him and walked away. Wonder how much of that $ they collect 'disappears'.
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I hadn't thought about the Chuck Norris angle that way. I'll remember that for next time 😉
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Be careful and cautious man
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Lmao, it's true.
I lived in Thailand for just over a year and was pulled over a few times, asking for international license and bike papers. 500 baht seemed to be the magic number for me to pay them.
The police in Thailand were always very nice. I had a bike accident one night and I was steaming drunk. The police bought me back to my condo and never asked me for any details at all. I agreed verbally with them to pay hospital fees and bike repair for the other person and that was it, never heard back from them.
I saw people get a kicking from the police, more like slapped about but they deserved it and it seemed fair.
Drive safe my friend :D
That is pretty funny. I guess in the grand scheme of things $15 isn't really that much. Some people probably pay more to drive on a toll road than that. Heck if I want to go to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan with my trailer it is $8 just to cross the bridge. That is pretty awesome that they can't bug you for three days after you get a ticket. I wonder how many people take advantage of that. I look forward to hearing if holding up your paper gets you off well into the future!
There is a funny little by-products of all this. If you are going on a trip say from Chiang Mai to Bangkok and you don't feel like adhering to speeding rules, you can actually go to your local police station and pre-pay a speeding ticket and this gives you the "right" to drive as fast as you want to for 3 days.
People very rarely get done for speeding in this country anyway, but there are some speed traps and if you had the foresight to pre-pay this offense, you just leave the scene... no problem! And we wonder why the road death rate is routinely in the top 3 for Thailand.
Thailand sucks donkey balls bro. I’m not just some guy who visited. I was a Thai linguist in the Army back in 1999, have a Thai wife, two Thai kids, and lived there for 18 years. Thailand made me forget America exists, but Luang Prabang, Laos 🇱🇦 made me forget Thailand exists. The only reason I go there now is for shopping, visiting friends or visa runs.
You can show up here on a thirty day, then extend it twice with the cops and they don’t treat you like subhuman trash like Thai cops do. The last time I extended, I forgot they were closed from noon to two. I asked the cops, “So what do I do for an hour?” Sit down eat with us and have a beer was their answer. Something Thai cops would NEVER do.
Laos is communist, but at least they are honest about it rather than pretending to be democratic like Thailand does. The funniest part is I feel way more free here than I do in the USSA or Fakeland.
I am starting to hear more and more stories like this. It is difficult for me to really chime in because I have been here for so long. I am looking forward to trying another country. Hopefully when i get there I will wonder why i waited so long to give it a try.
I’m traveling Thailand this December. Renting bikes. Huge shoutout for your information.
Respect
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I am not surprise as I have heard stories of this sort in Malaysia as well. I was with a friend and when the police stopped him, he asked " what's the going rate now". I was taken a back but kept quite. He spoke with them in Malay and I guess they are bargaining. Eventually a price was agreed and he paid. They do not have a 3 days pass like yours in Thailand. If a little money can help to make your trip less stressful and enjoyable, then pay them to prevent harassments. Probably their salary is so low that they are trying to make some easy money. Good luck to all. Take care when you are on the road.
Thanks for sharing @jackpot
This sort of cash-grab seems to vary from city to city. The strange thing is that Chiang Mai tends to be more "by the book" than the rest of the country as it seemed to be a pet project for the new Prime Minister. It is really the only city that a lot of various "laws" are actually enforced such as the silly 2-5pm alcohol ban. This law technically exists nationwide, but this is the only city i have ever been in that it is widely enforced.
That being the case i was surprised to see so much police theft taking place. On the flip side it does make things like not having a license a lot easier. :P