Police Checkpoints in Thailand
Watched police checking for illegals on a building site today. One elderly woman worker did not have her Thai ID card, the bat prachachorn, with her. By law, you must carry these cards with you at all times. Rules are rules.
Law enforcement is flexible in Thailand. It was obvious from her appearance that she was Thai. Moreover, out of respect for an older person, they did not want to make a fuss. She was asked to sing the Thai national song to prove her nationality.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djwY41a4lsA
On the superhighways into Bangkok, there is usually an armed soldier in the background observing how the police are carrying out their work.
Police do spot checks at the roadside in order to arrest workers without work permits and drug traffickers. Possession and selling of drugs trafficking is taken seriously in Thailand with convictions carrying severe consequences including the death penalty. The sentence is customarily commuted to life imprisonment for foreigners who may also be allowed to serve their terms in their own country if a bilateral agreement with the foreigner’s country exists.
