Clear and simple intimidation and extortion of foreigners.

Bangkok's 'cigarette police'
Littering is against the law and offenders should be punished, but some say the capital city's inspectors are perhaps a little too vigilant

Many foreign tourists in Bangkok have complained they have been "burned" after being fined for littering by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's (BMA) inspectors. An investigation by a Spectrum team lasting several weeks has revealed that foreign tourists appear to be the targets of the city's uniformed inspectors.

Commonly known as the "cigarette police", the BMA's inspectors, known in Thai as thetsakij, appear to ignore most of the city's litterbugs _ a look down any of Bangkok's main roads will reveal piles of garbage _ and only catch foreign tourists who drop cigarette butts.

Even the Spectrum team was harassed by the thetsakij as they gathered evidence and conducted interviews with people who had been caught and fined for littering.

In fact, the author if this story had a brush with the thetsakij outside Benjasiri Park _ one of the many downtown areas they operate in _ which could only be described as an act of intimidation and harassment (see sidebar story).

Dropping a cigarette butt, a bus ticket or anything else on a public street is certainly illegal, but it is not a serious crime. But to police this relatively small crime, the BMA has assigned dozens of uniformed officials to enforce the littering law, especially in the central parts of Bangkok frequented by foreign tourists.

What the Spectrum team witnessed during their investigation appeared to be more of a money-making enterprise than law enforcement. It should also be pointed out that the Spectrum team didn't see a single Thai person being apprehended for littering, only foreigners.

Some shop owners and residents of central Bangkok that Spectrum spoke to suggested the inspectors would provide a better service to the public by evicting or fining the dozens of vendors who cook food on the streets and block both pedestrians and traffic.
A number of shopkeepers and vendors interviewed along Sukhumvit and Rama 1 roads where the thetsakij operate said they had hardly ever seen them catch and fine Thai people _ perhaps yet another set of double standards in Thailand? Readers can make up their own minds.

hehe, what took you so long to discover that??? but thx anyway...

justHarry wrote:hehe, what took you so long to discover that??? but thx anyway...

Of course this is well known, but it's nice from the BKK post to print this article. I am sure this will make waves although it will take time. I do know the integrity of the BKK governor and he will be pointed to this article.

Foreign tourists have been told to take a hard line with the thetsakij, or Bangkok's city inspectors, who have been accused of unfairly targeting them to issue fines for littering.
Manit Techa-apichoke, deputy director of the City Law Enforcement Department, said foreigners who feel they have been unfairly targeted by the thetsakij should refuse to pay the fines.

He said they should alert the nearest district office or police officer, so action can be taken against the inspectors.
Mr Manit's statement comes on the heels of an investigation published in last Sunday's Spectrum that revealed foreign tourists, particularly those on Sukhumvit Road, were targeted by thetsakij to pay fines for littering, while Thais committing similar offences were largely ignored.

The report, which garnered more than 150 comments online, revealed that many of those targeted by the thetsakij were not issued receipts. The Spectrum investigation also found that very few rubbish bins were present in areas where the thetsakij operate, leading some to suspect that they were removed to increase the likelihood that foreigners would litter.

Foreigners interviewed by Spectrum investigators said that it seemed as if inspectors were standing by ready to swoop immediately once they littered. Inspectors demanded they pay the fines on the spot, telling them that if they wanted to take the matter to a nearby district office or police station, they would end up paying much more.

Mr Manit said any city inspectors found guilty of extortion would be sacked immediately. He said that opaque rubbish bins were removed from city streets as part of security measures in the wake of bomb attacks in the capital.

Some thetsakij had taken advantage of the situation to extort foreigners who litter, Mr Manit said. Members of the public and tourists can call City Hall's hotline at 1555 to report any attempts at extortion by city inspectors.
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At least they see it as a scam too and that is a big step in the Thai psyche, to admit one is wrong . There are of course other things which should be done to stop this, calling the cops is actually the last thing I would do, they usually are part of the problem, any problem.