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Local Police And The Sukhumvit Tourist Cash Cow - Business Is Booming


JaiRai

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Note - it's a long post. If you're coming to BKK to visit and staying along Suk, worth a read. If you're an expat, you probably already know.

 

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Moved from Ratchada to Suk Soi 13 in January. Walk this area of Sukumvit every day, multiple times. Didn't take long to notice a heavy police presence monitoring the area on foot and stopping people on occasion.

 

Initial impression: they were checking out suspected drug dealers or something along those lines. E.g., first time I witnessed it the folks they were speaking with were a wee bit on the shady side (stereotypical falang hooligans with multiple tats, shaved heads, one had something that looked like a cheap prison tattoo on the side of his neck - upon closer inspection it was a Thai woman's name spelled odd - pooiy).

 

But - after a few months saw a wide array of different people (old, young, fat, skinny, clean, dirty, male, female) at different times sitting in what I have come to call the 'hot seat' - a simple folding table with a few chairs where one sits to talk with the police and cough up a fine, typically 2k baht. The singular common denominator -- all of these folks were falang/foreigner, and almost always a tourist.

 

The 'hot seat' is slightly hidden beneath the overpass that crosses Sukhumvit, from soi 15 on my side (just beyond Sofitel Hotel) over to soi 12 (Sunrise Tacos, Insanity Disco).

 

Over the past several months spoke with some after they paid up and were dismissed (I sit and read at Holly's Coffee shop, 5 or 6 meters away from the hot seat). They had similar stories: the police were very polite and reassuring, asked them to come and sit down - and told them they had littered in some way or another (cig butt, spit out chewing gum, threw down water bottle on sidewalk, etc). These people were frightened and confused to be stopped by the police, but, when the police would point to the "no littering" sign and assess the fine, these same folks were a bit relieved it was something trivial and more than happy to pay the fine and be on their way, albeit shaken and a little irritated.

 

Today while walking to Robinson saw this (the usual):

 

photo.jpg

 

 

What was unusual - and what I never saw before - and what you don't see in the picture - is that there were two different police waiting with two different women for this guy to finish. Literally there was a queue, a waiting line, to sit down and pay your fine.

 

Incidental, have also seen the number of police increase over the past 3 or 4 months. Where before it was 1, 2, or 3 on duty, now it is 4, 5, 6 and some days who knows. What they do is split up and walk individually up to Asoke area and back or down to soi 11 area and back. And they watch/wait for whomever they're going to stop.

 

After I finished at Robinson, hour or so later, several were on break.

 

photo.jpg

 

 

Anyway - as posted - business is booming. See a lot more people getting stopped of late, and what sucks is they changed the guard up (I actually got to know all the other guys, would greet them daily - now there's a new batch).

 

There is a trade-off here, you won't read about a guy getting macheted for a taxi dispute in this area, however - given the opportunity, these guys will hit you up for a charitable donation. So, be aware. When in this area, don't flick your cigs into the street, don't spit out your gum on the sidewalk - and be polite, pay attention to your surroundings (this one more important than all others).

 

And you'll be fine.

 

Epilogue: Wonder what strings they have to pull to get this assignment - because it is definitely, DEFINITELY, fucking lucrative.

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Stickman has been banging on about the searches for well over a year now - didnt know about the 'littering' sting but it makes sense. Only time I've seen a report that concerned me was some poor sod who was searched on the walkway between the Skytrain and Emporium, in full view of Thai and Farang shoppers. The cops are supposedly trying to intercept drugs making their way from Klong Toey to the more affluent parts of Suk. Some reports of roadblocks late at night, but nothing we can do about it. Mai Pen Rai.

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These officers aren't police at all, but "tessakit", or city hall / municipal officers. They do not have the same powers as police at all.

 

There's a network of them in the area you mention, as well as down by sSukhumvit sois 31, 33 and near Emporium. They are looking for foreigners who litter. Their MO is clear to anyone who has spent time watching them. They spot someone who could potentially be an offender i.e. before the foreigner has committed an offence and follow them. They follow foreigners who are smoking who they know may discard the cigarette butt on the street, or foreigners who are eating a snack who might throw the wrapper / bag on to the street. With so few trashcans in the area and with Bangkok hardly the world's cleanest city, many just throw their rubbish away. As soon as something is thrown to the ground, the tessakit officer approaches the person and takes them to the table or small booth where the offender is shown a laminated copy of a document outlining their offence, along with the requisite fine...

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It used to be a hot spot just past Benjasiri Park on the walk from the Emporium to the old Dubliner, now the Dubliner has moved and Washington Square is just a shadow of its former self they have obviously had to move to a location for better returns.

 

They collared me about 10 years ago accusing me of dropping a cig butt, ironically I was in a non smoking phase of life at the time and asked them to find any ciggies or a lighter on me, the fine went from 2,000, to 1,500 then 1,000 before they asked for 500 Baht. Fortunately I had my Passport and Work Permit on me and showed them to them "Oh Sorry Sir our Mistake all you Farangs look alike" out mistake.

 

It can be intimidating for a tourist who is not carrying their passport, like who carries a passport with them so they were making a small fortune.

 

At around the same time around Sukhumvit 13 there were signs proclaiming "2,000 Baht Fine for Jaywalking" but only in English and not in Thai. I got away with that one pointing out that any legally binding instruction has to be in Thai, I spent a couple of hours arguing until some 3 stripped BiB showed up and confirmed I was correct, I stayed away from the area for the next couple of months. Never piss off a BiB and not expect repercussions,

 

One thing obvious by lack of sight in Bangkok are public waste bins and ashtrays, but this being Thailand we know the reason why. If I feel thirsty I will go to a cafe and oder a bottle of water, if I feel the need to smoke I will go to an establishment with ashtrays, order a cheap drink and puff away,

 

Bangkok is a game loaded in favour of the BiB's one just needs to stay on top of them, just one of the joys of this metropolis.

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Once upon a time, the city went on a clean up campaign and waste bins appeared everywhere. The New Year's Eve 2007 bombings put an end to that, since several of the bombs had been placed in waste bins. The explosions killed 3 people and injured about 38, 10 of them foreigners. Shortly after that, the waste bins all were removed - and still have not been replaced.

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