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In Thailand, cops typically pull cars by standing on the roadside and simply motioning for drivers to pull over.
At night, both cities and dark highways are studded with barricades and checkpoints. Most drivers pass through
without inspection. But others are yanked aside and searched. This selection process is highly arbitrary. It makes
New York City's controversial "stop and frisk" tactic look like it was designed by the ACLU.
The YouTube clip, filmed in Bangkok, is sarcastically titled "Technique for Stopping Motorbike Riders Without Helmets.
"At 0:42, you'll see two motorbikes pass through a checkpoint on a narrow lane. After the couple on the second bike
is kicked, they skid into a post and go crashing to the asphalt.
According to the account of the driver who uploaded this clip, he lowered his window to complain. An officer allegedly
replied, "I wasn't the one who kicked the bike" but grew quiet when the driver revealed his dashboard camera.
As for the man who kicked that young couple off their motorbike? He's a volunteer cop, according to the Facebook
page of a senior traffic police general. This general apparently realizes the clip's potential to embarrass his department.
He's posted copies of the offender being charged for his transgression in the precinct as well as copies of his court
summons.
Police corruption is one of Thailand's most intractable problems. Roadside shakedowns and abuse are common. But
perhaps an army of camera phone-wielding, dashboard video-recording motorists is part of the solution.
In Thailand, cops typically pull cars by standing on the roadside and simply motioning for drivers to pull over.
At night, both cities and dark highways are studded with barricades and checkpoints. Most drivers pass through
without inspection. But others are yanked aside and searched. This selection process is highly arbitrary. It makes
New York City's controversial "stop and frisk" tactic look like it was designed by the ACLU.
The YouTube clip, filmed in Bangkok, is sarcastically titled "Technique for Stopping Motorbike Riders Without Helmets.
"At 0:42, you'll see two motorbikes pass through a checkpoint on a narrow lane. After the couple on the second bike
is kicked, they skid into a post and go crashing to the asphalt.
According to the account of the driver who uploaded this clip, he lowered his window to complain. An officer allegedly
replied, "I wasn't the one who kicked the bike" but grew quiet when the driver revealed his dashboard camera.
As for the man who kicked that young couple off their motorbike? He's a volunteer cop, according to the Facebook
page of a senior traffic police general. This general apparently realizes the clip's potential to embarrass his department.
He's posted copies of the offender being charged for his transgression in the precinct as well as copies of his court
summons.
Police corruption is one of Thailand's most intractable problems. Roadside shakedowns and abuse are common. But
perhaps an army of camera phone-wielding, dashboard video-recording motorists is part of the solution.
