News Forum - New Zealanders in hot water after assaulting Thai officer in Phuket

[Khunmark]

3 hours ago, PhuketBloke said:

You said, "Attempt to bribe a police office- bad idea."

I can amend that to, "Attempt to bribe a police officer, after trying to run away, bad idea".

Stay calm, do as you are told, admit to what has happened, and then quietly ask if you can pay for this without going to the police station. They are not there to hurt you, they just want the dosh. 

No problem as if you do not have enough cash on you the policeman will give you a lift to the nearest ATM, and two minutes later you are allowed to drive away, once out of sight of the rest of the crowd. 

Been there, got the T-shirt.

Oh and for those of you who say they only target farangs, the group at the checkpoint waiting to be carted off to the police station of which I was one (prior to my escape due to the ATM payoff)  was 50% Thai.

I suppose they had to take some people in to show they had done a 'good job'.

I don’t subscribe to idea of encouraging the very behaviour I’d like to be rid of.

[Khunmark]

3 hours ago, Fanta said:

. You’ve never financially motivated a Thai cop

No I haven’t because I’ve never had an interaction with one. Would I? Again no, in no small part because I understand the implications of doing so. Which don’t need spelling out.

[Marc26]

10 hours ago, Fanta said:

So he says….. The fact remains that he is a Thai cop in a tourist area and cops are well known for lying and preying upon tourists for easy pickings. Their reaction was either drug or fear induced. I can safely assume that because the cop isn’t dead. 

I've had a despicable experience with police in Phuket

 

But also had a very good experience where a drunk Thai girl tried to hit me with a bottle and I had to protect myself and sort of grab her and put her down(I honestly did it as gentle as I could)

Of course all the Thai guys came looking to gang up on me

The police came and actually listened to all tbe bystanders who said I did nothing wrong and took the Thai girl away

 

It was a pretyy chaotic situation and the police did a great job

 

So they aren't all bad

 

But then in another incident I had some of the top police intimidate my GF so bad she had to flee Phuket 

[PhuketBloke]

18 hours ago, Khunmark said:

I don’t subscribe to idea of encouraging the very behaviour I’d like to be rid of.

Then contact the vast majority of culprits who are Thai and get them to change their culture.

[PhuketBloke]

14 hours ago, Marc26 said:

I've had a despicable experience with police in Phuket

But also had a very good experience where a drunk Thai girl tried to hit me with a bottle and I had to protect myself and sort of grab her and put her down(I honestly did it as gentle as I could)

Of course all the Thai guys came looking to gang up on me

The police came and actually listened to all tbe bystanders who said I did nothing wrong and took the Thai girl away

It was a pretyy chaotic situation and the police did a great job

So they aren't all bad

But then in another incident I had some of the top police intimidate my GF so bad she had to flee Phuket 

Wow, you must be hanging about in some dodgy places, I have never seen such behavior over the last 30 years of visiting Phuket and the last 1.5 years of living here.

My only problem with the Phuket police was when I was stopped at a checkpoint and I was over the limit.

It was my fault as I did not check the limit which at the time was one small beer using a British driving licence, I had been to a restaurant and had three small beers with food.

I take taxis from now on when a beer is involved. 

[PhuketBloke]

6 minutes ago, PhuketBloke said:

Wow, you must be hanging about in some dodgy places, I have never seen such behavior over the last 30 years of visiting Phuket and the last 1.5 years of living here.

My only problem with the Phuket police was when I was stopped at a checkpoint and I was over the limit.

It was my fault as I did not check the limit which at the time was one small beer using a British driving licence, I had been to a restaurant and had three small beers with food.

I take taxis from now on when a beer is involved. 

P.S.  I wonder how many farangs, those living here and those who are tourist realise how low the drink driving allowance is here when driving on a non Thai licence as it is lower than the limit in their own country, I bet most are over the limit without knowing it. 

[Marc26]

14 minutes ago, PhuketBloke said:

Wow, you must be hanging about in some dodgy places, I have never seen such behavior over the last 30 years of visiting Phuket and the last 1.5 years of living here.

My only problem with the Phuket police was when I was stopped at a checkpoint and I was over the limit.

It was my fault as I did not check the limit which at the time was one small beer using a British driving licence, I had been to a restaurant and had three small beers with food.

I take taxis from now on when a beer is involved. 

My GF was hit by a drunk Thai guy on her motorbike and my friend's 15yr old niece was killed 

 

The police, obviously being bribed by the suspect family, gave the suspect my address and him and his family showed up at my apartment 

 

The police were calling and harrassing and intimidating my GF to drop her true story, that she had to flee Phuket...

 

 

 

 

 

The drunk Thai girl who tried to bottle me

I was getting bbq on Bangla Rd and she kept propositioning me and after the 5th time that I politely declined she decided to try and hit me with a bottle.

 

As I said, in that case, the police did and excellent job and I appreciated the Thai people who came to my defense and told him I did nothing wrong

[PhuketBloke]

3 hours ago, Marc26 said:

My GF was hit by a drunk Thai guy on her motorbike and my friend's 15yr old niece was killed 

The police, obviously being bribed by the suspect family, gave the suspect my address and him and his family showed up at my apartment 

The police were calling and harrassing and intimidating my GF to drop her true story, that she had to flee Phuket...

The drunk Thai girl who tried to bottle me

I was getting bbq on Bangla Rd and she kept propositioning me and after the 5th time that I politely declined she decided to try and hit me with a bottle.

As I said, in that case, the police did and excellent job and I appreciated the Thai people who came to my defense and told him I did nothing wrong

 

Sorry to hear about the niece and your gf problem with the police. 

Now and then over the years when the subject of the police comes up my Thai partner says something along the lines:  Thai police are corrupt and do not do their job, their job is to get money from people, she then says they are cheats.

Many years ago we were sitting at an outside restaurant in a village near Ayuthia with two Thai school teachers, their car was parked in a authorised parking space, and a pickup truck reversed into it.

Long story short, the police arrived and said the driver was drunk and it was his fault until he showed them his police ID badge, then they were not sure, after many hours at the police station we found there was no one at fault, they got away with it.

On another occasion, in the same village, we overheard a group of police at a restaurant talking about how they could raise enough money to buy a promotion.

The last time I was down in Soi Bangla was on New Year's Eve 2023, many of the bars are now not girly bars but live music bars, the girly bars have real girls, and the ones I saw standing in the street trying to get customers were mostly ladyboys, some of them could pass as women after a punter has had a few beers I bet. :)

 

[Marc26]

3 hours ago, PhuketBloke said:

Sorr

 

3 hours ago, PhuketBloke said:

The last time I was down in Soi Bangla was on New Year's Eve 2023, many of the bars are now not girly bars but live music bars, the girly bars have real girls, and the ones I saw standing in the street trying to get customers were mostly ladyboys, some of them could pass as women after a punter has had a few beers I bet. :)

I rarely go down there anymore

 

I went last trip for about an hour to meet friends who were staying in Patong 

 

I had pizza on Nanai and then I sat in one of the live music places for a drink, then a few drinks at one of the big outside bars

 

Went inside to one of the beer bars when my friends came, but I lasted an hour

 

The beer bars were fun when I 1st came to Thailand but have no real interest these days

 

Even when traveling solo without my wife

 

Rather just have beers at a beach bar and chill

[Vigo]

I lasted a week in Patong before Christmas. It has really gone downhill since I left the city. Total tourist town and total ripoff. The money corrupts everything and everyone. I was with a Thai friend who had never been. He was disgusted. He said it wasn't Thailand but farang fantasyland with people looking to bloodsuck the life out of tourists. I wanted to go to Bang Tao to visit my old stomping grounds, but my friend refused to drive calling the drivers madmen.  I am no longer allowed to suggest trips any further south than Pranburi.  I had to admit it, but Pattaya is better value for a short trip.

[Marc26]

1 hour ago, Vigo said:

I lasted a week in Patong before Christmas. It has really gone downhill since I left the city. Total tourist town and total ripoff. The money corrupts everything and everyone. I was with a Thai friend who had never been. He was disgusted. He said it wasn't Thailand but farang fantasyland with people looking to bloodsuck the life out of tourists. I wanted to go to Bang Tao to visit my old stomping grounds, but my friend refused to drive calling the drivers madmen.  I am no longer allowed to suggest trips any further south than Pranburi.  I had to admit it, but Pattaya is better value for a short trip.

There is still great spots in Phuket 

 

We stay in Kamala Beach often and they have what I think is the best set up of beach bars and restaurants on the beach in all of Thailand 

 

Surin Beach is fantastic to go hang out in the day

Choose one of the restaurants 

Use their lounge chairs and tables and eat and drink all day for pretty cheap 

 

You could stay on the beach in Bang Tao and never leave for a week and be happy

 

 

I was down on the east coast in Panwa

 

As nice as any area in Thailand 

 

 

But if you want to drive around the island it sucks!

[Khunmark]

19 hours ago, PhuketBloke said:

Then contact the vast majority of culprits who are Thai and get them to change their culture.

If you believe Vigo’s account of attempted entrapment, these behaviours are encouraged by farangs who are willing participants in corruption by paying bribes. You can’t complain about corruption in the police force if you’re part of the ritual. Apart from stating the obvious that bribing a police officer is unlawful and puts your stay in Thailand in jeopardy if the the officer involved wishes to prosecute the matter. In northern Thailand, where I live these incidents are a rarity. You get the police force you deserve.

[PhuketBloke]

20 hours ago, Vigo said:

I lasted a week in Patong before Christmas. It has really gone downhill since I left the city. Total tourist town and total ripoff. The money corrupts everything and everyone. I was with a Thai friend who had never been. He was disgusted. He said it wasn't Thailand but farang fantasyland with people looking to bloodsuck the life out of tourists. I wanted to go to Bang Tao to visit my old stomping grounds, but my friend refused to drive calling the drivers madmen.  I am no longer allowed to suggest trips any further south than Pranburi.  I had to admit it, but Pattaya is better value for a short trip.

Who would want to spend a week in Patong when there are much better places to go to in Phuket.

I live over the mountain from Patong and it is like another world, no girly bars, the restaurants are full of local Thais and there are very few farangs.

Of the three hundred houses in the development where I live there are about ten farangs.

I suppose it is like going to Amsterdam and only going to the red light area for a week and then thinking all of Amsterdam is the same.

It is the same with some Arabs I have come across who go to London, spend their time with hight class prostitutes and go back home and tell everyone that London is just a huge brothel.

 

[PhuketBloke]

18 hours ago, Marc26 said:

There is still great spots in Phuket 

We stay in Kamala Beach often and they have what I think is the best set up of beach bars and restaurants on the beach in all of Thailand 

Surin Beach is fantastic to go hang out in the day

Choose one of the restaurants 

Use their lounge chairs and tables and eat and drink all day for pretty cheap 

You could stay on the beach in Bang Tao and never leave for a week and be happy

I was down on the east coast in Panwa

As nice as any area in Thailand 

But if you want to drive around the island it sucks!

I think you spend most of your time in Kamala when you visit Phuket.

I went there a couple of months ago to get a passport photo taken, I drove to the Surin beach area and the traffic was mad, it took ages to get anywhere.

I then drove south to Kamala and I felt like I was in Europe as the roads were full of farangs on motorbikes, the traffic was heavy.

It is much easier to drive in the area I live in Kathu and I feel like I am in Thailand as the vast majority of people are Thai. 

[Marc26]

4 hours ago, PhuketBloke said:

I think you spend most of your time in Kamala when you visit Phuket.

I went there a couple of months ago to get a passport photo taken, I drove to the Surin beach area and the traffic was mad, it took ages to get anywhere.

I then drove south to Kamala and I felt like I was in Europe as the roads were full of farangs on motorbikes, the traffic was heavy.

It is much easier to drive in the area I live in Kathu and I feel like I am in Thailand as the vast majority of people are Thai. 

Kathu is not that much traffic?

In the 20 years I have been going to Phuket(and we frequent Kathu because my wife's boss and friend live there) it is as congested as any area of the island 

At least in my experience over many years

But I'd imagine if in an area off the main roads it could be quiet....

 

As for the Kamala area

I am just on a MB so it's a bit easier and don't venture far during my stays

 

Although going south still isn't bad after Patong isn’t that bad, much better than north of Suirn

 

But traffic is definitely one of the downsides of Phuket

 

I don't even try to attempt to go north of Surin because it's standstill traffic 

[PhuketBloke]

1 minute ago, Marc26 said:

Kathu is not that much traffic?

In the 20 years I have been going to Phuket(and we frequent Kathu because my wife's boss and friend live there) it is as congested as any area of the island 

At least in my experience over many years

But I'd imagine if in an area off the main roads it could be quiet....

As for the Kamala area

I am just on a MB so it's a bit easier and don't venture far during my stays

Although going south still isn't bad after Patong isn’t that bad, much better than north of Suirn

But traffic is definitely one of the downsides of Phuket

I don't even try to attempt to go north of Surin because it's standstill traffic 

Kathu is congested in the rush hours for a while but it easy to get around in a car at the other times.

I live probably six hundred yards off  the main dual carriageway which comes over the mountain from Patong and passes where I live and goes onto the Tesco/Lotus junction, turn right and you go to Central Shopping and left you go towards the airport.

The only traffic noise I hear are from the cars of people living here, one car an hour maybe.

But once onto the dual carriageway it is easy to get around.

I live in the part of Kathu which is away from the very busy junction where the road from Patong crosses another dual carriageway after the descent from the mountain towards Kathu. On the left hand side at the crossroads is the bar/restaurant called The Office.

Makro is seven minutes drive, Tesco and the rest of the shopping mall and Central Shopping is about the same.

Plus there are lots of shops, restaurants, banks etc a few minutes walk away. 

On my trip to Surin beaches I found it to be a lot more congested as many of  the roads are single lane and there are lots of traffic lights.

But I have been to Surin beach at 7am many times and there is much less traffic. 

[Marc26]

27 minutes ago, PhuketBloke said:

Kathu is congested in the rush hours for a while but it easy to get around in a car at the other times.

I live probably six hundred yards off  the main dual carriageway which comes over the mountain from Patong and passes where I live and goes onto the Tesco/Lotus junction, turn right and you go to Central Shopping and left you go towards the airport.

The only traffic noise I hear are from the cars of people living here, one car an hour maybe.

But once onto the dual carriageway it is easy to get around.

I live in the part of Kathu which is away from the very busy junction where the road from Patong crosses another dual carriageway after the descent from the mountain towards Kathu. On the left hand side at the crossroads is the bar/restaurant called The Office.

Makro is seven minutes drive, Tesco and the rest of the shopping mall and Central Shopping is about the same.

Plus there are lots of shops, restaurants, banks etc a few minutes walk away. 

On my trip to Surin beaches I found it to be a lot more congested as many of  the roads are single lane and there are lots of traffic lights.

But I have been to Surin beach at 7am many times and there is much less traffic. 

You don't live far from the fantastic Ka Moo Boran

[PhuketBloke]

15 hours ago, Marc26 said:

You don't live far from the fantastic Ka Moo Boran

Is it on the other side of the road to the Super Cheap supermarket just after the crossroads when going from Patong to Kathu?

If so I pass it every day without realising it is there. (I just looked it up on Google).

I will give it a try.

[Marc26]

6 hours ago, PhuketBloke said:

Is it on the other side of the road to the Super Cheap supermarket just after the crossroads when going from Patong to Kathu?

If so I pass it every day without realising it is there. (I just looked it up on Google).

I will give it a try.

Yes right after the gas station and the 1st big intersection coming from Patong 

 

It is known for its Khao Soi Khao Moo

 

It's amazing

My wife was even amazed how good it is

[PhuketBloke]

2 hours ago, Marc26 said:

Yes right after the gas station and the 1st big intersection coming from Patong 

It is known for its Khao Soi Khao Moo

It's amazing

My wife was even amazed how good it is

Yes, we drove past it today and I pointed it out to my partner.

It is an open restaurant and we are now in the hot season so I will wait until the rainy season starts before I go.

Thanks for the tip about the restaurant. 

If I do ever eat out which is rare we eat on the top floor or the Central Shopping Center near Kathu, in the small stainless steel mini restaurants,  most of the customers are Thai so it must be good and it has aircon.