Dear Hillary,
I’m starting to feel like a criminal. Every time I drive anywhere, day or night, I am stopped in a police road check. Motor bikes mainly, but also cars, especially driven by farangs I feel. These road checks bob up everywhere these days, especially at the railway crossroads. Every time it goes “You drink alcohol?” Then it’s a car meter and if it detects any alcohol on the breath it’s out of the car and blow into a proper breathalyzer, this is while the policeman says, “You over, you go monkey house.” I’ve been lucky and I haven’t been over, but I have asked to see the reading, which they reluctantly have done. Other farangs have not been as lucky and have had to pay big fines on the spot. Thailand is becoming a Police State which is not good for the image of the country, don’t you agree? Do you get stopped in these checks?
Chas
Dear Chas,
No I don’t get stopped, but then I’m on a bicycle and I don’t cycle when I’m drinking, and bottles of French champagne are fairly few and far between these days. One thing I think you are missing is the fact that the policeman has to try and get the message through to you in a foreign language, so there can be miscommunication. I believe there is a warning program you can use to tell you where the check point is, so ask around your local bar. And don’t drive after a drinking session. Taxis are plentiful and cheap, my Petal. Use them. Either that or employ a driver and never worry again.
