WARNING - DRINKING AND DRIVING IN PATTAYA.

[Edge]

I can't vouch for any of the account below.

 

I just received it in an email from a friend.

...............................................................................................................................................................................................

 

WARNING - DRINKING AND DRIVING IN PATTAYA.

 

Beware.

 

This was written by a Pattaya resident and happened recently. Be warned.

 

A Word of Warning for those Farang who may occasionally have a Drink or Two, and then Drive a Car or Motorbike in Pattaya.

 

As of Friday 13th April Pattaya Police are actively using Breath testing to test for People Drink driving over the Limit of 12:05. they have Digital Breath testing Units they Can Setup and Will Stop all traffic, as they do when they have a Blitz on. On Friday 13th April at 2am until about 5am they Setup on the corner of 2nd Road and Pattaya Home (Pattaya South Road). , where they often sit looking for people not wearing a helmet. They were stopping all bikes (didn't see any cars but they were on the road blocking most traffic) farang and Thai. They were breath testing all - not sobriety test, straight. onto the digital breath testing units. The units have a digital display and a printer. Once you blow if the reading is about 0.050 then they print out the reading and you are arrested on the spot. You will then be taken to the Pattay Soi 9. Watchhouse and locked up in the holding cells. Your phone Will be Confiscated and You are not allowed a phone call or to Contact anyone. Farang's are locked up with Home's (Men and Women) in the One lockup in the Police Station. Not Air conditioned. , very basic, no seats, just concrete floors, the toilet is behind a waist high concrete barrier and is a bowl with no seat, just a hose and a bucket. This doubles as the shower area, if you were so inclined or happened to. be locked up for many days like some of the farang over stay people in there. No water or food is provided, you need someone on the outside to bring you that - and they are generally allowed to hand it through to you. On Friday about. 18 farangs were detained (Australians, Americans, Italians, Iran, Israel, India, Swiss - holiday makers and long stayers) and 10 + thai's for drink driving and other offences. If you don't have your passport - it's more difficult - they. need to be able to positively ID you to begin processing the paperwork. You are generally not told what will happen or what the process is - if you have someone on the outside then they can get some of the story and relay it, but generally you. do not know what Will happen or when. And if You are told - it's likely to change, and of Course "just Wait 10 minutes" really means 2 + hours at least. Once they have Processed all the Paperwork, and You have signed some. documents in Thai (no translation available, no legal advice, just "is this you? sign here), you will be finger printed (in the cells, Thai long stay prisoners do the finger printing). This took from 5am until midday of waiting. in the holding cells at the watch house. Then when everyone is processed you are ready to be moved to the Privincial Court House at Jomtien. To move you all the prisoners (Farang and Thai) are handcuffed and chained together in one long line. Then. marched down to a paddy wagon, all squeezed in, some standing for the drive from Soi 9 to the court house at Jomtien. You are then unloaded into the holding area in the court house. The holding area is under the building, not air conditoned. , You are unshackled, you have to take your shoes off and sit on the concrete floor. No seating, no smoking, no standing. Sit on the floor with all the other Thai's waiting to be processed. The only toilet available is very bad,. there are rubber boots outside that you need to wear because the floor is 1cm deep in urine and the smell is so bad you have to hold your breath (it makes the toilet in the watch house look luxurious). The whole area wreaks of urine as. the other holding cells (for those Thai's being held for more serious crimes) just has open urinals. During this process - no communication, no advice, no phone calls allowed, you are told "just wait" ... if you have someone on. the outside who knows where you are they can bring you water and snacks, you can also buy some thai food that is sold by a local kitchen. The farangs were processed in the last court sitting of the day, after sitting on the floor from midday. until 6pm, signing various Court documents during the Afternoon. No translation is provided into any Language, all documents are in Home, no legal Advice provided, no Explanations - very little Contact Spoken, only enough to get You to Sign documents and tell You ". sit down "," stand up "," come here ". If you dont sign the document you will not be processed - there is no option. In the court room there is no visitor gallery, no visitors allowed, no legal representation, no. translation available. About 40 people are processed at the same time, sitting on wooden benches or on the floor. The judge (a woman in this case) speaks NO english (she even had to get help from someone to read out the amounts of the. fines in English). Each person with a related charge has their name read out in turn, then stands, the judge then addresses everyone in Thai, then decides on a penalty and reads that out in Thai. For drink driving a motorbike you can expect. a fine of 2500 to 2700 baht ... Thai and farang the same. There was no discrimination, positive or negative - you get treated like a Thai. Once all have been sentenced you have to pay the fine to the clerk of the court,. on the spot. If you couldn't pay you would be locked up again until you can pay. If you have someone on the outside you are permitted to liaise with them for them to get you the money. You may also be escorted to your. Accommodation to get money as a last Resort. You Will be relieved now that it is all over and ready to Walk free, as You have been watching all the do's Home Sentenced Once they are ... but Wait, there is more!! If. you are a farang you now need to have your passport checked for any possible visa violations - overstay's, back to back tourist visa's etc. However at 6pm on a Saturday night (even worse on a Songkran long weekend) there are no immigration officials available to. check your passports. So it's back to the Soi 9 lockup. The trip back to the lockup is sitting packed into the back of a police utility truck, all sitting around the edge packed into the open tray (interesting lack of safety concern given you have. just been booked for an equally dangerous driving offence). You will then be locked up again until the police can arrange for immigration to check your passport. None of this is told to you in advance, you are told as it happens, and after thinking. you are processed and free, being put back into the holding cells at Soi 9 is a shock - particularly then being told it's likely you will be held until the next day (which is a Sunday - so perhaps 2 days, but Monday is a public. holiday in Thailand - so perhaps 3 days). Fortunately through some furious negotiations by some Thai supporters of some of the farangs how had been assisting, those farangs who had been able to provide a passport to police were advised they would be let out immediately,. and then return at a later date for the immigration check (the police will hold your passport). This was at 11:00 pm (after returning from the court about 9pm), the farangs with the passports were then called out and released from the cells. one at a time. The group being released is then detained further in an office while the head of police decides how to handle the processing, you then have your passport photocopied (main page and visa page), you were given the copy and asked to. return to the Police Station the following Week to meet Immigration, and Collect You phone, Passport and Motorbike at that time (assuming no Immigration Violations). Only then, after the 18 hour Ordeal are You free to leave. No "Tourist Police" were. Available at any time during this or Present Process (I believe that they would not be able to help anyway - but interesting in the entire time considering how their Absence High profile they like to be on Walking st). Also - You do not think. Can a Few Flash Baht and get let off. I'm aware of a Number if Discreet attempts directed to the Police Station at the testing of amounts up to 3k Baht which were politely returned. This Personal Story if from my experience, I was Riding. a scooter. I have lived in Thailand for 5 + years, I speak reasonable Thai, I have a Thai drivers license, I had 10k baht in cash on me, I had Thai helpers on the outside who know police and were able to plead my. Case to all levels of Police. None of this helped me get Processed any faster or dealt with any better. Not that would expect it too - but just as Advice for those Farang who think they are "special". I have no complaints - I. was guilty. In future I Will be Catching a Taxi.There is a New Police chief in Town - and he is cracking down on Drink driving. Be warned!

[Scumbag]

They are on that corner a lot. They were out on Friday night again. I have yet to see them stop a car, although they never seem to stop cars in Pattaya on any of their checks.

[Ali_amor]

heard some story similar to this one in some sections of the forum, I don't drink and I don't even think to drive in Pattaya, if this story is true then all I can say is be careful guys

[jerry]

And when they catch you a second time you will be executed on the spot ....

[Daveo]

One of our guests was stopped twice over Songkran and breathalyzed, luckily he was clear but a good warning I should & will take myself.

[oldschool1965]

Thanks for taking the time to educate us, I'm sure it will save somebody a great deal of trouble

[kaikwong]

Not quite a good guest house to stay in pattaya for a few nights. Be careful guys!

[Swinga]

I seen them cart a ute load of offenders away over Songkran, they were set up on the corner of Soi Lenkee and Soi Bukhaow

[sunshine]

I totally agree with the Thai Police.I must admit that i am one of the very few " Farang " that does not drink.And living in Spain for 20 years,the spanish police are starting to become as strict with " drink driving " too.It is quite simple enough to get a " 10 baht bus " or better still " WALK " home .

[Edge]

.....................................It is quite simple enough to get a " 10 baht bus " or better still " WALK " home .

 

Not everybody lives on a 10 Baht bus route or within walking distance.

 

The only "simple" answer is either not to go out or not to drink.

 

.

[pubstud]

There are changes taking place in Thailand and many, like this account of breath testing for drunks, are for the better.

 

Last week I applied for Thai driving licenses for car & MC at Khon Kaen. It took 4 days before I finally obtained the licenses. Day 1 was gathering and submitting paperwork. Day 2 road safety films and lectures (all day) and an e-test. Day 3 driving test. I passed right away for MC but was failed for car, despite the fact that I've held an Australian DL for about 45 years. Day 4 resat and passed the car driving test and was issued with licenses.

 

I was a bit pissed that it was so tough and took so long but also glad that finally Thailand is taking driving and road safety seriously. For years we all been making jokes that Thais must get their licenses out of corn flakes boxes, but it seems that is now changing.

[jjscanlover]

.

There is a New Police chief in Town - and he is cracking down on Drink driving. Be warned!

 

 

There is no SNOPES for Pattaya, but it's all believable enough. I have heard similar things through the years, Expat's

disappearing to jail at a DUI checkpoint, then to immigration, then deported and blacklisted for a DUI and whatever else could be found out. (dog starves to death). And in the end somebody else ends up with their Thai assets. Probably a bit of truth in all the scary stuff.

I'm still a little worried about ending up in a cold bath of ice water with a kidney missing... that's why I drink, to keep the kidney thieves away.

 

But it sounds like prudent advice.

[Scumbag]

..or better still " WALK " home .

I would like to see you walk to my house...lol Oh and a 10 Baht baht bus is out of the question too.

[Swinga]

Why walk or baht bus? They are too slow. Get a taxi scooter that's mad as hell, always quicker and much more fun feeling the air rush into your face. I find these the best and you can be a drunk as you want.

[pubstud]

I've only been breathalized in Thailand once, about 2 years ago in Khon Kean, it was early evening and I was just heading back from a session in a whorehouse, and I don't mix drinking & whoring. So I was cool. But it was a shock to have to blow a breath for a cop in Thailand. Get enough of that crap in Oz.

[mpm]

Thanks for the post Edge, my mate Got nicked the other week on a Friday, he'd just touched the car in front of him as he was leaving his mates bar on 3rd road, don't know what car he bumped

but he was driving a hi lux..he got out had a look there was no damage,and a few of us that saw this went to look, the hi lux and the car were both unmarked but then from a car rental shop across the street came 3 Thais running and shouting all sorts before they even took the time to see there was no damage! Anyhow my mate apologized and says no harm done but here's 1000 to keep you happy. at that these bastards demanded 10,000 off him or they were gonna get the police saying he was drunk, which he wasn't, he had 4 beers. He told them to piss off, cops came nicked him, kept him till Saturday evening, told his missus he'd be kept till Monday for court to be done for drink driving and dangerous driving, unless the car owner was paid 10,000 and 17,000 for the cops and immigration to be split between them for there trouble and for checking out his visa status...She paid this and he was duly let out with his passport...he was told wait for court by people in the lock up that it would be only about 3k fine but the guy just wanted out so paid..The cops love this on a Friday so they can extort money as they know most will pay rather than go through all the shit till Monday or Tuesday night....You may think (as my mate know wishes) that he should have just paid these fuckers on the street, maybe so..Cops hear are a joke, robbers is all they are, fuck um

 

 

 

[pubstud]

Thanks for the post Edge, my mate Got nicked the other week on a Friday, he'd just touched the car in front of him as he was leaving his mates bar on 3rd road, don't know what car he bumped

but he was driving a hi lux..he got out had a look there was no damage,and a few of us that saw this went to look, the hi lux and the car were both unmarked but then from a car rental shop across the street came 3 Thais running and shouting all sorts before they even took the time to see there was no damage! Anyhow my mate apologized and says no harm done but here's 1000 to keep you happy. at that these bastards demanded 10,000 off him or they were gonna get the police saying he was drunk, which he wasn't, he had 4 beers. He told them to piss off, cops came nicked him, kept him till Saturday evening, told his missus he'd be kept till Monday for court to be done for drink driving and dangerous driving, unless the car owner was paid 10,000 and 17,000 for the cops and immigration to be split between them for there trouble and for checking out his visa status...She paid this and he was duly let out with his passport...he was told wait for court by people in the lock up that it would be only about 3k fine but the guy just wanted out so paid..The cops love this on a Friday so they can extort money as they know most will pay rather than go through all the shit till Monday or Tuesday night....You may think (as my mate know wishes) that he should have just paid these fuckers on the street, maybe so..Cops hear are a joke, robbers is all they are, fuck um

 

 

Terrible story. I hate hearing these stories froam Thailand but unfortunately we hear more of them more frequently now. It's just so easy to fuck the farang, piece of piss, farang frighten easily and cough up dosh easily.

 

It's hard to know what to do; when to start paying. I've heard so many guys say they wished they'd settled very early on. The higher up it all goes and the more Thais that are involved then the more expensive it all gets, naturally, as there's so many more of the mongrels to pay off.

 

As a general rule, any sort of police trouble anywhere in Asia try and settle with the cop on the spot fast. It helps greatly if you know a Thai who has some influence. I never leave home without my mobile, if I ever had any trouble at all I'd call my missis instantly. The senior managers of her company have cop connections. When you live here you can make some connections, but of course a tourist is at their mercy. And Thai cops are not known for their mercy, just their appetite for dosh.

 

 

[nutosf]

I know 2 person who got caught in that same check point. This place is becoming more like USA all the time.

[Tengu]

To all the BMs who say this is a good thing, maybe you think they should enforce the anti-prostitution laws more seriously as well?

 

Personally, I travel to Thailand in order to escape strict laws. I was raised in the US driving home from the bars with almost no problem until it became a police state and I escaped to Japan.

 

I believe in personal freedom and responsibility for ones actions. A few beers and a scooter, I can handle.

 

I agree that it is good to know the risks and I will probably not drink and drive next trip. But I will not say it's a good thing for anyone to be punished unreasonably for a minor infraction of the law.

 

Jesus! You're probably the guys who write that you never pay for sex, either.

 

Sorry, but that really got my goat.

[jjscanlover]

To all the BMs who say this is a good thing, maybe you think they should enforce the anti-prostitution laws more seriously as well?

 

Personally, I travel to Thailand in order to escape strict laws. I was raised in the US driving home from the bars with almost no problem until it became a police state and I escaped to Japan.

 

I believe in personal freedom and responsibility for ones actions. A few beers and a scooter, I can handle.

 

I agree that it is good to know the risks and I will probably not drink and drive next trip. But I will not say it's a good thing for anyone to be punished unreasonably for a minor infraction of the law.

 

Jesus! You're probably the guys who write that you never pay for sex, either.

 

Sorry, but that really got my goat.

Cambodia and Myanmar warming up in the bullpen.

[Seedy]

 

I agree that it is good to know the risks and I will probably not drink and drive next trip. But I will not say it's a good thing for anyone to be punished unreasonably for a minor infraction of the law.

 

 

Have to disagree that it is a minor infraction - 1 in 5 road deaths in the UK is due to drink driving (about 400 pa).

Fortunately the number of deaths has dropped in recent years due to it no longer being as socially acceptable to drink drive.

[Tengu]

Have to disagree that it is a minor infraction - 1 in 5 road deaths in the UK is due to drink driving (about 400 pa).

Fortunately the number of deaths has dropped in recent years due to it no longer being as socially acceptable to drink drive.

 

Not to cause any argument, but another reason I don't live in the UK.

 

In my reasoning, the minor infraction would be the drinking and driving, not drinking and crashing. I fully expect someone who has an accident or causes damage or harm to others to be responsible for such.

 

I also know that I'm the outcast on this already, but hey, don't ask me about drugs either.

 

I merely got bent out of shape when I read someone treated like an animal for the "crime" and then reading someone post that it's a good thing. As a believer in liberty, I think random testing of any kind is a violation of human rights.

If I do something to hurt others, it's a different story. The guy who got caught was stopped for no reason than being on the road.

 

I have a feeling a shit storm is about to begin. Oh well, I'm in the office with 87 days to go. I have the time.

Edited April 23, 2012 by Tengu

[Tengu]

Not to cause any argument, but another reason I don't live in the UK.

 

In my reasoning, the minor infraction would be the drinking and driving, not drinking and crashing. I fully expect someone who has an accident or causes damage or harm to others to be responsible for such.

 

I also know that I'm the outcast on this already, but hey, don't ask me about drugs either.

 

I merely got bent out of shape when I read someone treated like an animal for the "crime" and then reading someone post that it's a good thing. As a believer in liberty, I think random testing of any kind is a violation of human rights.

If I do something to hurt others, it's a different story. The guy who got caught was stopped for no reason other than being on the road.

 

I have a feeling a shit storm is about to begin. Oh well, I'm in the office with 87 days to go. I have the time.

 

hehehe, I quoted myself

[splitpin]

I have heard the problem does not finish after you have been locked up for 24/36 hours and then fined. After this the immigration comes after you for deportation, unless of course you contribute to their retirement fund greatly.

 

Its finished me even having 1 beer and driving

[jjscanlover]

hehehe, I quoted myself

But it was a dam good quote! Viva Japanese girls!