I met the victim on sat. He was in the road the Koala Bar ( old aussie 2) is on. He seems to think he was clobbered somewhere there on that road.

Thats what i like about this forum you can rely on the original topic to wander of in a different direction most of the time which as i said once before breathes new life in to topic and keeps you interested. Agree with lee let's not get too serious.

valentine wrote:but every time I read your posts I am confronted by an axe wielding gentleman who's accuracy is questionable

You summed me up a treat Val

tenbyboy wrote:Agree with Val on the Tourist Police. I will be much more careful posting on here now that I know the spies are here. They're already hated in Pattaya, and mainly used to get more cash for local police by 'grassing' on bars. We all know the whole system is corrupt here. Can only be suspicious of the motives of those involved.

Won't be going to Forum meetings now either. I've got nothing to hide, but this is part of the reason I want to get out of the UK. George Orwell, where are you?

Tenbyboy

I find your post narrow minded and would ask 1) how many Tourist Police do you know personally? 2) Why you refer to them as 'spies'
3) Do you have evidence that Tourist Police in Pattaya are 'mainly used to get more cash for local police by 'grassing' on bars' ?

If you are suspicious then that is your perogative. Do you also feel suspicious of volunteer firemen, samaritans, lifeboatmen, St John Ambulance etc etc ....

I am sorry to learn you will not be going to Forum meetings - have you been to many so far? You are missing out on a good evening due to your fears and predjudice gained from 'hearsay'.

I invite you to go on a visit to meet all the volunteers when you do come to Udon and I think you will find that they are not all plain clothed spies planning which bar to extract money from next, but hard working volunteers giving up their free time to make sure that Udon stays relatively safe for the likes of you and me. If that is a bad thing - well I must be reading the wrong books.

I work in a bar here - should know !

A little knowledge can be a wonderful thing or a dangerous thing - depending on the source.

Regards

Paul

A little knowledge can be a wonderful thing or a dangerous thing - depending on the source.

...and a comment from one of the seven farang tourist police would shut everyone up.

Boy, you guys have really lost me on this cop thing, I have always thought British Police were some of the most respected in the world. Now I see two different individuals with a much different out look on it, very surprising.

Your also throwing me on posting here the forum. Are you saying that if you were involved in a criminal activity, that you would post it on any public forum. Give me a break guys that would be total insanity.

How many cops do you think read Thai visa?

You know public means public anyone can read them.

I have yet to see anyone post anything on here that would get them in any trouble, have I missed something?

Yes there are bad cops in Thailand, just like there is everywhere else in the world, did that really surprise you. We are not talking about Cops we are talking about volunteers who have little authority, if any.

Pattaya lets face it thank goodness is not Udon thats like comparing apples to oranges.

I think you guys are overreacting and doing so without any personal knowledge.

We have a thread going on about helping a school here locally everyone has said they don't want public acknowledgement, to the point now where farrangs are not even suppose to be present when the items are being given to the school. Why is it different in your minds that farrangs are volunteering in the community, with that same thought process.

You know as I read these posts I see someone at a typewriter with a little grey clouds hanging over thier heads. I'm sorry I just don't understand it.

You know you don't want to attend a forum meeting or be selective in what you post here , thats up to you. Nothing has changed accept what you are thinking. You don't want to associate with someone such as myself, because I try to help in a way that doesn't fit your mold. That is also up to you, won't change my life one bit.

By all means believe whatever you want to, conduct your life in anyway you see fit a long a it doesn't harm others. I assure you that I will do exactly that.

Show me one confirmed instance that any farrang is doing undercover work for the tourist police in Udon, and I will jump right on your wagon. But until that happens I just don't see it.

Tell me about the bad farrang volunteer that did something harmful to another farrang here in Udon. You know I could care less what they do in Pattaya, if wanted to live Pattaya I might care but I don't, so that as easy one.

businessman wrote:

A little knowledge can be a wonderful thing or a dangerous thing - depending on the source.

...and a comment from one of the seven farang tourist police would shut everyone up.

One I must have posted five comments some very lenghty on this today, Paul has posted at least two.

I guess you guys take this a lot more seriously then I do

Thank you Ray for a little clarity.I have no experience of Pattaya but have friends who have known undercover farang in Phuket.Udon is certainly a different world to Pattaya or Phuket,but people bring their Thai experiences with them and need someone like your good self to explain the situation here.

As for my comments on donations to Thai children,i was just trying to advocate a little cultural sensitivity with regard to the feelings of the parents.Do you have to listen to me.No.It's up to you.Happy child,upset parents.Not exactly a harmless occurence,something which i believe you advocate.This is not our country and the folk here think differently to us.

******************************************

Thanks I'll do just that

Are tourist police volunteers chosen because of their policing skills, is there any age policy for farang volunteers? Do they have power of arrest if they find a thai or farang law breaking, is there a wage packet involved for being a volunteer worker? Are the duty's purely helping when there's a problem involving tourist's with the language barrier, and are they simply chosen because they speak fluent english and that only,if i wanted to could i walk in to the police station and offer my services would i be accepted if they did'nt know my face would there be a security check done? just interested to know.
Thank you.
Also i don't have a problem with police or volunteer police,thats their chosen career and good luck to them,i know a few coppers in uk and they are normal guy's,of course there's good and bad in every force but would'nt tarr every-one with the same brush
and yes this should have been posted elsewhere but i'd finished before i noticed.

Beer Monkey:
I will respectfully answer all your questions in the spirit of which you asked them.
As if you don't know something - then surely the best way is to find out before making any conclusions.

Tourist Police are not chosen for their policing skills, they fill in an application form and this is looked at and discussed, and if approved the individual will be invited in to do some training which may be on-the-job or seperate depending on his/her background (many of the volunteers have a military background).
As the task is not literally 'policing' - more of a liasion between foreigners in need, there is no need for 'Sherlock Holmes' type skills. More important are language and communication skills (obviously).

There is not a specific age limit - however the applicant must be able to complete the training and daily duties too (Training includes a simulated Parachute Jump from an elevated structure, self defence and similar topics.)

They do have the power of restraint - with equipment provided, however arrest will be left to the regular officer who will normally accompany a volunteer, or in extreme cases be called upon to make the arrest, should circumstances call for it.

The key word is volunteer - so naturally there is no wage packet involved.

Yes the duties are purely helping when there is a problem helping tourists (and locals alike - in fact any foreigner) with the view being that when for example a woman has her bag snatched and is in a state of panic - it will be more comforting to talk to another foreigner instead of a Thai in broken pigeon English, and also the chances are, that foreigners will approach a farang for help more than he would a Thai policeman - even just to ask for simple directions.

No they are not chosen because they speak fluent English, all languages are welcome and indeed desperately needed due to the variety of tourists and locals which Udon attracts.


No you cannot just walk into the station and you will be accepted - obviously, as mentioned previously - there is an application proceedure.

Finally, it is not a career, as you mentioned. It is a time filler and a way to integrate a little into the community rather than stay in 'Farangland' all the time.

I dont think the volunteers themselves have changed one bit, it is only peoples perceptions of them have changed. The volunteers are exactly the same people they were last week and last month. Just because other people now know how they fill their spare time helping in the community (yes it is helping, why else would we assist with Bike Week, or spend four hours giving out blankets to the villagers in remote parts of Loei province, or walk round Udon on a cold dark night making sure all is well ?) that those people now view them differently.

You can't change people and they think what they think - hopefully from the above you will now have a bit better understanding of the system and can now make any judgement you see fit.

If you want to change your opinions - do, although I am not going to and hope that one day Should you need it) you will be more than grateful when the Tourist Police come to your assistance - no matter what you think of them.

Hopefully we can put the subject to bed now?

So do I Paul,

There seems to be a level of paranoia creeping in here that is, to quote Sean, "doing my head in"

Seriously, surely all understand now?; enough is enough, please



John

Crystal clear.Thank you.