News from Thailand
Some media outlets in Thailand have published instructions for travelers on how to avoid unwanted excesses when encountering the police. These publications were prompted by the high-profile scandals that took place when foreign guests and the guardians of order met and the latter extorted a certain amount of cash.
If when you meet with the police you are offered to pay without drawing up a protocol:
- Keep calm, because almost all law enforcement officers do their job and only a small percentage use their official position to enrich themselves.
- If you are stopped: do not make a confession or consent to any filming.
- The police have the right to require you to show your passport or identification document. In this case, you need to comply, but demand to return the document. You also have the right to ask the police for identification if they do not show it to you. And it is better to do it as soon as you were stopped and asked to show documents.
- Before allowing yourself to be searched, try to find an independent witness or use your phone to record the process.
- Do not sign any documents if you can not read the Thai language, and the document is written only in it.
- If the situation in which you find yourself is serious enough (an accident, drugs) request to contact a representative of the diplomatic mission of your country.
- If the conversation involves paying a fine or paying a bribe, firmly but politely refuse and ask for help from an interpreter, a member of the diplomatic mission or a member of the tourist police. Sometimes a fine on the spot is more advantageous than litigation.
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