Drink drive clamp down in Chiang Mai... Be warned, I've just had a night in the clink!

[Luung]

I've already posted this on PLB, but I thought it should be posted here too, because I feel that this is not only important information, but a sign of things to come... So please bear with me & listen to this...

 

DON'T DRINK & DRIVE, ESPECIALLY IF YOU'RE NOT CARRYING A LICENSE!

 

Late Friday night I was stopped on a Police 'drink & drive' road block/(extortion point), about one minute's ride from my home in CNX. I was completely swarmed by the BIB, pulled over to a police box & then breathalised, where I was found to have 149 milligrams of alcohol in my system, my new bike was then confiscated & I was thrown into the back of a police pick up full of pissed off, drunk, truculent, Thais & then transported to a holding cell where we were all given the option of paying 20,000 baht or face the court the next day!.. A couple of Thai's accepted this offer & got loved ones or friends to come in with the money, but to the BIB's surprise & anger, I declined as I'm not after an easy life so much that I'd just roll over for these greedy fukin' bastards!!!

 

I spent the night in a holding cell with somewhere around twenty stinking Thai blokes & two ladyboys who were looking at custodial sentences for possession of meth, (they actually happened to be old friends from Shamrock bar & believe it or not, whilst one was crying her eyes out because she was going to get her head shaved, the other one was really looking forward to getting shagged senseless by young Thai blokes).

 

The next moring I was then sent to a court holding cell where I was given a translator who unfortunately couldn't really speak any English (fukin' brilliant!!! And I had to pay for her)... Anyway, get this, she showed me the charge sheet & it had my bike down as a Honda Dream, not my shiney new CBR!!!!.. Yes, you've got it, on top of everything else, they were going to try to have me go home on some shitty old dream while some lucky copper rides off on my fukin' new racing bike!!!.. And then get this, the little bitch said that I had to sign it otherwise I could stay in the cell until Monday, needless to say, I again declined.

 

And then there was the court hearing late in the afternoon where she completely fluffed up her lines to the disgruntled, non Falang lovin' judge who handed me a custodial 15 day prison sentence & a 6000 baht fine, because SHE had pissed him off! FFS, (I can tell you for nothing, that I nearly pissed myself with terror)... So it was back to the cells again with nightmare visions of me losing half my clients & my lovely life in Thailand!.. But then hey, as if by the hand of God, the honoree Dutch consul (who happens to be a friend & in that day representing someone else) walked into the cell & said he would step in to negotiate... Anyway, long story short, he was initially told, guess what?... Yep, that's it, 20,000 baht for me to walk!!!.. But after a little persistence he got it down the original court figure of 6000 baht, which was to be receipted & official... And also my bike back, undamaged!

 

Now as much as this really was one of those, one off, interesting 'Thai' experiences that you really couldn't ever get out of 'Lonely Planet'... I can promise you that I really won't ever be after repeating it as I'm far too old to be trying sleep on stone floors with no bed clothes, whilst looking at 4 open bog doors & Thai delinquents behaving like chimps at a tea party!

 

Admittedly it wasn't quite the 'Bangkok Hilton', but believe me, it was bad enough!

 

NB. These fukin' bastards are on a real win, win, here, because the craic is to get the 20,000's pocketed & then make themselves look really good by providing the court with 'real' people pulled in for their drink drive cleanup campaign!!!

 

NNB. And this is the important bit... I watched three Thai's get custodial sentences (& I felt for these poor sods), because not only were they over the limit, but they didn't have their driving licenses on them... And this could happen to any of you too!

 

NNNB. It’s important that people should know about the current consequences for D & D, especially if it's getting caught for D & D whilst not carrying a license, because with the financial situation as it is in this country right now, thing’s will only get worse!

 

And finally, you know what?.. If there was a genuine, sincere, fair & comprehensive, drink drive clamp down, I wouldn't have had a problem with any of this other than the charge sheet nonsense... In fact, I wouldn't have even been drink driving in the first place!

 

[jeffs]

kin hell lung that was some night ,

at least you got your bike back undamaged ,

I stated in different thread that I gave up bikes in Thailand years ago mostly because the

danger side , but now all these bib scams going on its just getting to expensive to buy

your  way out ,

like you said good warning to others having a few beers when riding can be costly ,

ride free and enjoy your new bike .

[pdogg]

Glad u got your bike back Unc!

 

A story to tell your grandkids mate.  

[JaiDee]

Thanks for the heads up, Lung.....as you know we are at the mercy of the coppers and the laws in Thailand, good one on you for holding your ground and also getting the proper 'cycle back!

[SiamSam]

Quite a story Unc. I am happy you are safe and sound and only out 6,000baht. Stay safe.

[bumblebee]

Nasty experience Lung and a reminder to the readers that Los is not the paradise some may only see on a 2 week trip.  Glad to see they did not screw you out of your bike.

[globetrotter]

as has been mentioned on numerous occasions "their country, their rules"

[xyzzy]

Glad you got everything taken care of Lung. Although a night in the slammer is no fun.

 

as has been mentioned on numerous occasions "their country, their rules"

If that happened here in Colorado the overall cost would be around US$7000. You would get the pleasure of attending class one night a week for 42 weeks and lose your drivers license for 90 days. Don't ask why I know all this stuff. 20k baht might be a rip off in Thailand but I would have gladly paided it here.

[Luung]

Thanks for the comments lads!

 

I think the main thing that I want to stress here is that you need to carry your licence at all times when you are riding, because if you turn up in court without one for an offence like drink & drive, then your going to get a custodial sentence, period!

 

@Jeffs, Well maybe I should be taking a leaf out of your book, But if nothing else I'll certainly be moderating my behaviour from now on, ... And to be honest, how much of a fukin' hole in the head must I have to be riding around Thailand pissed up on a bike that can bite back!

 

@JaiDee, I really do believe that we shouldn't just keep rolling over all the time (it's the thing about my fellow westerners that irks me above all else) ... People have got to realise that it's a bit like the playground bully syndrome, where the more you cave in, the worse the bulling will continually get!.. However, I did also have the added insentive of worrying about the welfare of my new bike & that above all else made me want to see this issue through to court!.. Anyway, the steering lock's a bit mangled & the stand's been bent, (can you believe these monkey bastards, eh')!?..

Kinda makes you feel like someone else has been wearing your underpants.

 

@Globetrotter &Xyzzy, Admittedly their country & their rules, but as unfair as this is, especially considering the amount of drunk BIB wobbling about out there on any given night... In this actual instance, this would have been a million times worse back in the UK... Only difference being , the breathaliser wouldn't have come out of a Chinese toy shop & they wouldn't have been trying to steal a brand new bike!.. Anyway, I won't ask, Xyzzy.

 

 

I knew this fukin' bike would get me in trouble!