Thumbs up to thai police

[Flashermac]

I've generally had very good experiences with Thai cops. But that is in part because (1) I am a Farang, and (2) I am in a profession they respect.

 

I did get a glimpse of what it must be like to be an ordinary Thai prole when I lived upcountry. A neighbour was a Thai police major. Periodically, he would just decide to park his land rover in the middle of my yard! I had a hard time getting in and out, but obviously that was no concern of his. He was a police major and was going to do whatever he damn well pleased.

 

 

But my biggest bitch with the police has always been the Immigration Division, which sort of makes up its own rules from time to time. I taught for years without a work permit, since I was a direct employee of the Thai govmt. (By hiring me, they obviously were giving me their permission to work.) In fact, the Labour Law specifically exempted my job. Then all of a sudden, somebody at Immigration decided that EVERYBODY should have a work permit. When a colleague and I went to get ours, the Labour Dept folks looked at us as if we had rocks in our head. They showed us the section in the Labour Law saying we did not need a WP. We photo copied it and took it back to Immigration. The policeman on duty there -- following orders from higher up, obviously -- replied: "We don't care what the law says. WE say you have to have it!" Oh. Who needs any effing legislature to make laws, when the cops can do it themselves.

 

Then a couple of years ago some yo-yo decided to enforce and obscure long forgotten reg that all foreigners must report their residence every 90 days. Never mind that you have a 2 year contract and are at work Monday through Friday at the same place. Every 90 days, you have to make a trip down to Soi Suanphlu to fill out the form and hand it to the female sergeant on duty. Doesn't cost you anything, other than the trouble of getting down there and back. But fail to do so and you will be fined a few thousand baht. We also used to be able to delegate someone to renew our visa and WP for it. But not anymore. We have to show up in person. Why? Somebody at Immigration police decided so. No reason given, just do it!

[Guest]

DrNickRiviera said:

Fly those coppers weren't necessarily acting off their own bat, the majority were just following orders that came from the top. I'm sure a good few of them hated having to do it.

 

More than 3 years ago my brother in law up country was pouring his heart out about the stress of having to shoot drug dealers - at the time I thought his story was bogus - I mean Thailand doesn't allow summary execution of suspected drug merchants?. Now, despite not having confirmed it, it fits - and this poor little guy was nearly crying describing what he had to do.

 

 

definately makes one think.

i am somewhat lucky that i have the priveledge to be a foreigner here, and do not have to live under the stress most thais have to live under.

i do know some guys who were once coppers but left the service due to similar reasons, as to why your brother in law poured his heart out to you.

it must be a horrible feeling having to shoot people you don't want to.

[MrX]

""One cop has alreay delivered 30 newborns, the one we follow during the show, was saying every time he has to deal with it, he gets really antsy, but after a new baby was born, he came up with something quintessentially buddhist and thai: "to help someone give life will bring good luck"."

 

 

The OP seems to be about an early bud of 'spin' (or maybe saaapin).......TV news in Europe usually finishes on some atificially light note reassuring us that Big Brother really does not have calloused hands (is this also true in Thailand?).

 

One of the reasons I like living here is that 'they' haven't got their act together very well yet and the mechanisms of the 'manufacture of consent' are there for all to see ( and want to look)

[Guest]

Quote

"guys, please don't forget that those nice blokes last year killed several thousand people deathsquad style."

 

The reports claimed a lot of people got killed, but the ones doing most of the killing were not police. The newspapers have released the number (several times) and the number of people killed by police was very small. The paper has also outlined what happens to a person after a shooting. If I remember right, the police officer does not get paid till he is cleared of any wrong doing and I believe the pay is not retroactive. I could be wrong on the latter point though.

 

In Falang land, I generally get stopped by the police for doing nothing. When they ask me why they stopped me, I generallytell them the truth "Being out after 10:00 PM" or "because I have long hair". When they get done with me, I always turn them Internal Affairs just loves me.

[Guest]

"Oh. Who needs any effing legislature to make laws, when the cops can do it themselves."

 

Yes. For example, my local boys in brown started enforcing midnight closing before it had been through parliament.

[MrX]

your post is a spoof right?

[Guest]

MightyMouse said:

Quote

"guys, please don't forget that those nice blokes last year killed several thousand people deathsquad style."

 

The reports claimed a lot of people got killed, but the ones doing most of the killing were not police. The newspapers have released the number (several times) and the number of people killed by police was very small. The paper has also outlined what happens to a person after a shooting. If I remember right, the police officer does not get paid till he is cleared of any wrong doing and I believe the pay is not retroactive. I could be wrong on the latter point though.

 

 

 

 

do you honestly believe those reports????

it may shock you, but i have spoken with a policeofficer who was member of one of the deathsquads, responsible for more than a few killings.

also ten meters away from my wife one unarmed bloke was executed by a cop - he was shot in the leg first, then the officer walked slowly up to him, put his gun at his head, and blew his brains out.

i have personally seen more or less the same things which the different critics of the government's drug war claim, but the government denies to have happened.

 

get yourself informed please - speak with some witnesses, speak with relatives of some of the victims. they aren't difficult to find, as there were lots more killed than the government claims.

[Guest]

>>>Yes. For example, my local boys in brown started enforcing midnight closing before it had been through parliament.<<<<

 

 

 

same in my area here. already several places got fined for closing after midnight now. but it isn't even first of march yet.

[pattaya127]

The OP seems to be about an early bud of 'spin' (or maybe saaapin).......TV news in Europe usually finishes on some atificially light note reassuring us that Big Brother really does not have calloused hands

-------------------------------------

No sure what you meant. It's pretty simple: more than a few birth in BKK happen on the spot because of traffic. Seems it's the cops who are called upon then. And they help.....

[MrX]

might not be so simple (like Einstein said 'make it simple but not too simple').......I mean the promulgated news isn't just accidentally chosen from the melting pot is it?.........so you should always ask why the punters are being told one thing rather than another dont you think?