Editor;
On Tuesday September 24th 2013, in Soi Khao Talo near the railroad tracks, I was pulled over by 5 policemen who I noticed were from the Nongprue Police station. I was asked to step away from my motorbike and the policemen asked to see my driver’s licence. I was wearing my helmet and thought everything was fine so I gladly handed it over. The policemen checked my licence but then they informed me that my licence was fake. I argued with the policemen for some time but it was hopeless, the policemen told me that if I were to be taken to the police station I would be fined 10,000 THB as well as wasting a considerable amount of my time. They asked me how much I was willing to pay them to solve my problem on the spot. They told me that since I was a foreigner I was in “big trouble” so after some negotiation they settled on the amount of 5,000 THB.
The next day I went to several police stations such as the Banglamung station and also the Tourist Police and told my story. I was advised that my licence was legal and that I should go to Nongprue Police station and lodge a complaint. However, since I could not remember any of the officers’ names and was not given a receipt, I realized that the situation was hopeless.
I commented that, “Even if you’re fully legal, or even if you’re wearing a helmet and following all the road rules… they will still find a way to get your money.”
Expat from Switzerland
