Read this if you are driving in Pattaya

[cannonball83204 78]

This was put on FB by Pattaya Rag and it is from the FB page of the expat mentioned above.

 

Beware of drinking and driving in Pattaya.

 

Worth reading before you go

 

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

 

Best regards and Happy Songkran.

 

 

 

 

A word of warning for those farang who may occasionally have a drink or two, and then drive a motorbike or car in Pattaya.

 

As of Friday 13th April Pattaya Police are actively using breath testing to test for people over the drink driving limit of 0.05. 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 Thai (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 Thai'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 Thai, no legal advice provided, no explanations - very little english 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 now be relieved that it is all over and ready to walk free, as you have been watching all the Thai's do once they are sentenced ... 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 11:00pm (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 present or available at any time during this process (not that I believe they would be able to help anyway - but interesting in their absence the entire time considering how high profile they like to be on walking st).

 

Also - don't think you can flash a few baht and get let off. I'm aware of a number if discreet attempts directed to the police at the testing station of amounts up to 3k baht which were politely returned.

 

This story if from my personal 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!

 

Here is the link to the FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/steve.plane/posts/3786348055591

 

CB

Edited April 24, 2012 by cannonball83204

[MeGoDanceNow 4,281]

Good thing I'm a moto taxi man. Thanks for the heads up Cannonball.

[Gonzo 419]

This was put on FB by Pattaya Rag and it is from the FB page of the expat mentioned above.

 

Beware of drinking and driving in Pattaya.

 

 

There is a new police chief in town - and he is cracking down on drink driving.

 

Be warned!

 

Here is the link to the FB Page: https://www.facebook...s/3786348055591

 

CB

 

I have no reason to disbelieve the OP’s report. Breathalizers have been used for a quite some time where I come from. They have changed a way of life in my hometown. We used to go the pub after work, have a few beers with mates and then drive home half-pissed. The pub used to be an important part of social life. Using public transport was a difficult option and taxis were hard to find and expensive for a working class man. Many people now drink at home alone and watch rubbish on TV. The breathalizer, speed and red light cameras, traffic police driving around in their cars, looking out for drunk drivers or drivers breaking other traffic rules have reduced accidents, death and injuries quite a lot. On the negative side, many of us miss the pub culture from the good old days. Most drivers cannot afford to have their driving licence cancelled as it is often a requirement for their job as well. At least the coppers are consistent in what they are doing.

Setting up a breathalizer testing station on the corner of Second Road and Pattaya Tai for a few hours during Songkran was probably just a flash in the pan, the idea of some higher up authority in Government or the Thai police. I don’t think we will see many more repeats it. It is not the Thai way. If Thailand would be serious about reducing the traffic toll in, the Thai coppers would have to start trying to enforce at least some of the traffic regulations in place and the authorities would have to start teaching the general Thai public those regulations and teach them how to drive a car or a motor scooter properly and get them to do proper driving exams before handing out driving licences. It would probably take several generations of Thai drivers to change all of those bad ingrained driving habits and would be strongly opposed be the majority of Thai drivers and the Thai coppers collecting underhand payments.

[MeGoDanceNow 4,281]

Fortunately we only have to put up with it until 2015, when these bad boys hit the streets.

 

Edited April 24, 2012 by LadyDrinkKing

[nariad 6]

What!!, No Brits or Russkies arrested are you sure.

[singhapleez 10]

if it were to stop one drink driver who is incapable of controlling his car/bike from ploughing into an innocent passerby and killing them its worth it.

I do realise some people can drink a lot more than others and still be in control, but i just dont see reason why some folk need to drink and drive,most people can get a lift home for the price of a beer.

[jacko 8,578]

if it were to stop one drink driver who is incapable of controlling his car/bike from ploughing into an innocent passerby and killing them its worth it.

I do realise some people can drink a lot more than others and still be in control, but i just dont see reason why some folk need to drink and drive,most people can get a lift home for the price of a beer.

A beer bought where? Nevertheless I can't.....live miles out of town.

 

Life is getting so dull.

[icedmrecury 3]

Ah, jacko me old mate, lesson no 3 when he say drunk men in cars kill people, """" that means when you car hit someone and they die, it means you have killed them because you were drunk"""" Yr obviously a full bread cheap Charlie who even if the taxi only cost 5 bt u want it for 2bt

 

stay cool

 

Ice

[tomcat76 327]

This sounds like it was aimed at the Songkran revelers, but I certainly wouldn't be inclined to put this theory to the test... 'Wish they'd have given the same level of attention to individuals throwing water at drivers!

[Grandpollo 364]

And after all this a $90 fine. Wow. A real deterrent. Though the jail experience would be sobering.

 

I think anyone with more than a few bucks and contact outside will get a lawyer and expedite this regardless of how they treat the masses.

 

You do have legal rights in Thailand including contact with consular officials so while it is a good story it does sound a little over the top.

[Big_Brian 179]

Well, Songkran is over, any sign of these stops since, or was it just a one-off "new chief showing his authority" sort of thing?

[jacko 8,578]

Ah, jacko me old mate, lesson no 3 when he say drunk men in cars kill people, """" that means when you car hit someone and they die, it means you have killed them because you were drunk"""" Yr obviously a full bread cheap Charlie who even if the taxi only cost 5 bt u want it for 2bt

 

stay cool

 

Ice

Nope, I am half a loaf really.

Taking a motorcycle taxi late at night down Sukhumvit for 15 km is likely as dangerous as driving drunk myself.

Songtaews, they want 200 baht to take you 200m up the road.

 

The solution is to go out less and keep the TGF sweet enough to come pick you up!

[teelack 8,356]

Thanks to the OP. I dont drive in Pattaya but I read all of the article and it is 'sobering' reading. Whilst it may not suddenly become the norm it is a warning that there will and is a hardening of the law in as much as Pattaya is percieved by the locals as a perfect place as a family holiday destination. Laws such as this will IMHO be more strictly enforced in the future so might as well get used to them now.

[jacko 8,578]

Thanks to the OP. I dont drive in Pattaya but I read all of the article and it is 'sobering' reading. Whilst it may not suddenly become the norm it is a warning that there will and is a hardening of the law in as much as Pattaya is percieved by the locals as a perfect place as a family holiday destination. Laws such as this will IMHO be more strictly enforced in the future so might as well get used to them now.

I predict it will have as much success as the helmet wearing rules!

[englishinsiam 15]

It would help if dibble weren't buffalos and enforced all laws when they stop people.

 

I was stopped a year ago on our new motorbike. Brand new bike all lights working full insurance both wife and I wearing helmets and a Thai driving licence.

 

My crime? Waiting at Klang lights 6 inches over the stop line. Bike next to me 4 thais 2 of them kids no helmets and probably no licence etc....

 

When I questioned this with Buffalo he said I'm on line duty not helmet duty.....

 

There won't be any consistency here until they recruit better train better and pay better. Till then dibble somchai will screw things up.

 

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

[tomcat76 327]

Thanks to the OP. I dont drive in Pattaya but I read all of the article and it is 'sobering' reading. Whilst it may not suddenly become the norm it is a warning that there will and is a hardening of the law in as much as Pattaya is percieved by the locals as a perfect place as a family holiday destination. Laws such as this will IMHO be more strictly enforced in the future so might as well get used to them now.

 

Some truth in this probably (re "hardening of the law"), but I suspect much more a dog & pony show. 'Doubt they want to take TOO big a bite out of the motobike rental racket OR let Pattaya get a signficant rep as a police-hassle destination. Would like to hear about it if more of these checkpoints are seen to go up post-Songkran.

[hillbilly 81]

if true good to hear, could,nt lock enough up. all the clowns who drive around half cut from bar to bar. transport so cheap and easy, dont understand why they do it