Thonglor police ordered to end random stops of foreigners

Police officers will no longer stop and search foreigners without sufficient probable cause, according to the new Thonglor police superintendent.

Officers have been expressly ordered not to stop foreign nationals for random searches and drug tests unless they prompt suspicion, and even then they must be conducted under appropriate conditions, police Col. Khajohnpong Jitpakpoom said.

“I have instructed police under my command to strictly refrain from searching foreigners or asking to see their passports unless it is necessary,” Khajohnpong told Bangkok Post.

Photo: Sam Sherratt

He said any searches must be made in public with two senior officers present.

Khajohnpong was recently promoted to the position at the Thonglor police station while his predecessor was rotated out following a spate of complaints of harassment of tourists and expats late last year.

Regular patrol officers should not be conducting spot urine tests in the field, he added. Testing for drugs can only be done at the station, and positive results should be followed by a second test at a hospital.

Source: Bangkok Coconuts