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ID To Be Needed At Soi Cowboy Bars


Stickman

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Suadum.

a little different i know,but if i was arrested for a driving infringement here in the UK i have the legal system on my side.

depending on the seriousness of the offence i would either be banged up in the 'pokey' for the Night and then hopefully released on bail or allowed to go home.

but i have 14 Days to produce any Documents they ask for.

 

i know you have to respect the Law in the Country you are in but surely being caught in a Bar (or walking down the Street in Thailand) without ID is not as serious as drink-driving in your home Country?.

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sayjann said:

Suadum.

a little different i know,but if i was arrested for a driving infringement here in the UK i have the legal system on my side.

depending on the seriousness of the offence i would either be banged up in the 'pokey' for the Night and then hopefully released on bail or allowed to go home.

but i have 14 Days to produce any Documents they ask for.

 

i know you have to respect the Law in the Country you are in but surely being caught in a Bar (or walking down the Street in Thailand) without ID is not as serious as drink-driving in your home Country?.

 

 

Sayjann - What has the UK got to do with this. This is not the UK so any comparisons with seriousness of crimes is academic. Suadam has joint pointed out the rules, up to you if you choose to follow them, but I really doubt anyone will be bothered to 'escort' you back to your hotel - you will likely end up in the slammer and rely on someone getting your passport for you while you wait in the jail. Now that could take a considerable amount of effort, or one call to helpfull concierge in 5* hotel and ask them to open your safe and bring your passport to whichever police station. Not to bad if your staying at the Oriental and they pride themselves on going above the norm in service, but if your staying in some cheaper place, you could be waiting a long time...

 

Its not the tourist police who do these raids and so they are hardly focussed on customer service ::

 

Cheers

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Being from the UK I only have a Passport (at the moment ::) - I stopped taking my Passport down the bars years ago - and stopped losing them...........

 

No great shakes for me on Soi Cowboy, never really liked the place - but if they start doing this all over.............

 

(I know you are MEANT to carry it anyway, but I have never been asked for it even when actually in a "proper" police station (when just visiting that it is ::))

 

Apart from the chance for more tea money, I guess it is an easy way for Thai Plod to "Prove" to the Farang Governments that they are taking on the WWIII seriously...........

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"In cases like this, its what the police belive thats important."

 

Yes, that's what I meant when I said that the police don't believe it.

 

 

"It has been a requirement for Thais for a long time. There is no apparent reason to belive non-Thais should be excused from the requirement."

 

The apparent reason to believe non-Thais are excluded is because there is no law on the books requiring foreigners to carry ID.

 

Las Vegas Dave: Yes, you are correct, the Supreme Court ruled that no one is required to carry ID in the US. The man originally arrested for not doing so was being interb\viewed everywhere on television afterward, but then the hoopla died down and everyone forgot about it.

 

this issue, including whether you're required to carry ID in the US, is a constantly recurring one here. Evejn the same Supreme Court case keeps being brought up.

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Anyway, no one answered my original questions. 1. If the bars are supposedly not going to allow you in if you don't show ID, will a photocopy be acceptable to them? 2. If the police, in their ignorance of their own laws, fine you for not carrying your ID, what is the fine?

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Just a little more: I was trying to find the actual Supreme Court case, but quickly got bored. I did, however, keep coming across references to "Stop and Identify Statutes" in the US, and the upswing is that various courts have ruled that clearly stating your name to a police officer is sufficient to meet the statute, no physical document like a driver's license is needed or required. The trouble occurs when Bozos won't even say what their name is.

 

Anyway, will the bars let me in with a photocopy?

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Big_Kahuna said:

The apparent reason to believe non-Thais are excluded is because there is no law on the books requiring foreigners to carry ID.

We can go round-n-round on this but this is the last time for me: coppers that I trust with my life (that good of friends) say there is. That's enough for me and I try to share the knowledge here. Up-2-U if you want to argue with them if they request ID from you. I know I will be LMAO if I am fortunate enough to be watching them drag your ass off to the pokey while you still insist the the law does not exist.

 

And what exactly does any US Supreme Court decision have to do with any of this? Who cares about that since neither of us live there. ::

 

Regards,

SD

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We're arguing at cross-purposes. I'm sure those cops you know really do believe it. I'm not saying they're lying, I'm just saying they're mistaken. As I said elsewhere before, I would not try to point it out to them.

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A neighbour told me this morning that he had just been phoned by a Farang friend who called to tell him about her experience the night before. Seems she was coming home, when her taxi was stopped by the cops. They DEMANDED that she take a urine test on the spot. (Apparently, they were pulling over all taxis at that intersection.) Fortunately, she had her passport on her and told them to piss off, showing her diplomatic passport. She said the cops seemed a bit bugged by that, perhaps sensing they would be getting no bribe money?

 

If this was an authorised action, it sounds like a really great way to encourage tourists to come to Thailand. Stop them on sight and subject them to a drug check.

 

What next???

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