Jools Posted October 30, 2008 Report Share Posted October 30, 2008 I make no pretense that the method I am about to tell you about would work in all cases, but in a pinch, it might be worth a try. A tourist friend was accosted by several of Bangkok's finest at one of the bus stations. Long story short, he had blood pressure medication brought from the states and, of course, no prescription. When the cops presented their solution to the matter, my friend grabbed his chest and collapsed on the floor of the bus station, screaming with feigned chest pain. From his description, the cops had an extremely brief discussion and made themselves scarce. An ambulance was called and my friend was taken to Bumrungrad. He wound up paying around 100 dollars US for the ambulance and doctor's fees but that was considerably less than the cops were asking. Again, your mileage may vary but in an obvious scam situation, such a ruse might just work for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bust Posted October 30, 2008 Report Share Posted October 30, 2008 Why did he hang around for the ambulance if they had already left? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jools Posted October 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2008 Why did he hang around for the ambulance if they had already left? I didn't ask him that, but I would guess that he felt that they wouldn't be far away if he got up and exited the station on foot. He probably wasn't taking any chances. I was surprised that an ambulance was called. He told me that every single Thai sitting near his "collapse" got up and moved away and not a single one tried to help or said anything to him. I have my own opinions about this but will keep them to myself to avoid incurring the wrath of Khun Sanuk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavanami Posted October 30, 2008 Report Share Posted October 30, 2008 If this guy had prescribed medicine, no problem! Sure he didn't have the 'script with him, who carries around a 'script? I think better just to say, "NO", to these scammers...if all was on the up and up on his side! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julian2 Posted October 30, 2008 Report Share Posted October 30, 2008 I'd be curious to know what he did to cause the police to search his belongings carefully enough to find a packet of pills. A friend of mine, and I was in his company at the time, recently had his luggage searched at a road check point as I was driving him from Mae Sai to Chiang Rai. The route is an internationally notorious conduit for drugs of many kinds. Being a dedicated hypochondriac he had prescription and over the counter drugs in quantity which excited no attention from the police what so ever. If it happens again your friend might like to point out that most heart medication can be bought in Thailand without prescription anyway, and save himself the cost of an ambulance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jools Posted October 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2008 I'd be curious to know what he did to cause the police to search his belongings carefully enough to find a packet of pills. [color:red]He showed up at the bus station and bought a ticket to Udon Thani[/color] A friend of mine, and I was in his company at the time, recently had his luggage searched at a road check point as I was driving him from Mae Sai to Chiang Rai. The route is an internationally notorious conduit for drugs of many kinds. Being a dedicated hypochondriac he had prescription and over the counter drugs in quantity which excited no attention from the police what so ever. If it happens again your friend might like to point out that most heart medication can be bought in Thailand without prescription anyway, and save himself the cost of an ambulance. [color:red]The information I got from him indicated that he felt he had exhausted all his options in trying to explain that this was perfectly legal medication both in the US and Thailand. This result might have been expected since it was obvious that these cops were only looking for a likely farang to shake down[/color] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jools Posted October 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2008 If this guy had prescribed medicine, no problem! Sure he didn't have the 'script with him, who carries around a 'script?[color:red]You are correct, no one carries around a script. If it were not "a problem" I suspect the cops would not have offered to settle for 50 thousand baht.[/color] I think better just to say, "NO", to these scammers...if all was on the up and up on his side! [color:red]Saying "NO" means a trip to the police station. That means that not only will you pay those cops off, but possibly every cop that is around to "participate" in your case.[/color] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Central Scrutinizer Posted October 30, 2008 Report Share Posted October 30, 2008 Which bus terminal did this happen at? Ekkami? Mor Chit? Cent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jools Posted October 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2008 Which bus terminal did this happen at? Ekkami? Mor Chit? Cent He didn't say. He just said "the bus station". I'm not sure he knew he had the option of leaving from Mo Chit. He has made only five trips to Thailand but has dealt with corrupt cops in many other countries. Claims to have had success in pretending to be a deaf mute as well. I have known him for about thirty years and have no reason to think his story is bullshit. Only he knows for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julian2 Posted October 30, 2008 Report Share Posted October 30, 2008 It certainly has a good whiff of bovine fecal matter but as anyone who has spent any time here knows, anything can happen in Thailand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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