Bangkok Post : Farang 'squad' a force to be reckoned with

Amid the neon kitsch, thumping disco music and caged go-go girls of Pattaya's notorious Walking Street they're hard to miss. In the real world they are journalists, businessmen and retirees from around the world. But when the sun goes down they don the military-style black uniforms of Foreign Tourist Police Assistants (FTPA) and patrol the streets with local police offering help to foreign visitors.

The job is unpaid volunteer work, and they pay for their own uniforms and equipment.

''We have to report every incident we deal with. Even our meeting here, I will write in a report tonight,'' Briton Howard Miller, 36, the FTPA's group leader, tells Spectrum. ''We all love Thailand and that's why we're here _ to serve the tourists.''

Police Captain Suprapan Phothiphirom from the Tourist Police station in Pattaya said the FTPA's job is to ensure the safety and security of foreign tourists and give them information and assistance.

''We have always faced a shortage of Tourist Police personnel, especially ones who can speak different languages,'' he said.

On a recent Friday night, Spectrum went on patrol with the tourist police and their foreign assistants along Walking Street, which stretches 750 metres and is closed to traffic from 7pm to 3am.

At about 8:30pm the foreign assistants and Thai volunteers began to set up, as they do every night, their mobile unit. Desks and chairs were placed in the middle of the street with bottles of drinking water and a box for donations.

Shortly after, a white Tourist Police van arrived and was parked across the street. A large TV monitor to show public relations videos was then placed on the vehicle.

By 9pm, about 30 people which included assistants, local volunteers and two policemen were in place, sitting or standing around and waiting for something to happen.

The scene drew a lot of attention from the many foreigners and Thais alike who were streaming past. They were surprised to see such a large group of people in full ''battle-dress'' in the middle of a tourist resort. Many stared, especially at the assistants, wondering who they were and what they are up to.

A group of Russian women with their families appeared confused and even frightened, asking their male companions: ''Look at this. What is going on here. Is there a problem? Let's get out of here.''

Tourists from other countries questioned the purpose of the mobile unit, whether it was really necessary, and whether it could be done with less visibility.

The presence of the foreign assistants sporting handcuffs, batons, radios and other gadgets on their belts made some people feel uneasy.

Some local volunteers wearing army boots and berets appeared totally out of place in the middle of an entertainment area crammed with bar girls offering their services.

Paradoxically, two Thai policemen who have the authority to arrest and to carry weapons were wearing jackets to cover their uniforms and were walking around unobtrusively.

The only incident occured at about 10:30pm, when a woman was found lying intoxicated on Walking Street. She was brought to the mobile unit on a tourist police golf car equipped with police lights and received first-aid from the volunteers and a tattooed foreign assistant who poured water on her head.

THE BEGINNING

With thousands of foreign tourists flocking to Pattaya every year, the Thai Tourist Police _ which has about 40 officers _ relies a great deal on the foreign assistants.

''We started the project in 1994, first with the Thai Tourist Police Volunteers, which now numbers 369, and later we added the FTPA component to it,'' said Capt Suprapan. ''Now we have about 30 assistants, which is not enough. We would like to recruit more people, particularly the ones who can speak Italian, Korean and Russian. We need also women, something very hard to find.''

But the ''farang police'', despite their good intentions, have been subject to criticism, particularly over what people see as their intimidating black uniforms, their imposing appearance and the carrying of handcuffs and batons. Questions have also been raised about whether proper background checks are conducted on applicants.

Capt Suprapan said that foreigners who want to join the FTPA must come to his office with a passport and fill out an application form. Applicants with a non-immigrant visa are preferred because they can be granted a one-year extension. A tourist visa is not acceptable.

''We will send the information to immigration to conduct a background check. After that, we will investigate what the person has been doing in Pattaya and in Thailand. We don't check the person's history from his native country, but in some cases, we will do so with the embassy,'' the captain explained.

''As for qualifications, the most important thing is that the person really wants to help the Tourist Police and has enough time to work. If accepted, we will send the new recruit to our Tourist Police mobile unit on Walking Street positioned there every night for training with our assistants. This will last about three months, which is also the probation period. If the trainee performs well then he will become an assistant and receive an identification card.''

Capt Suprapan said qualified assistants carry a baton, gloves, handcuffs, a torch and a radio. He stressed that they can only assist Thai police to help subdue suspects when an arrest is made.

Mr Miller, who has lived in Thailand for seven years and joined the FTPA six years ago, says they are very careful about who they will accept and said everyone has a long-stay or retirement visa. The youngest foreign assistant is Anthony, 32, from Ireland, and the oldest, Ciro, 72, from Italy.

''I'm actually a journalist who did an interview for a local TV station with a police officer on Walking Street and I joined afterwards because I thought it would be a good idea,'' said Mr Miller, who has extensive media interests in Pattaya, including a radio station and an online news service.

British retiree Paul Harrison, 49, has been with the FTPA for about three years and is one of the group's two team leaders. ''I joined the FTPA because I want to help people,'' he said. ''We're not spies. We follow very strict rules to select who will be admitted into the FTPA.''

Mr Miller says new recruits undergo three days of training before the three-month pro bation period and are from countries as diverse as China, India, Norway and Pakistan. Some undergo further training to qualify as parachutists and undergo a practical pistol shooting course, said Mr Miller, although these skills are not necessary for the job. A few of them even sported badges showing they had qualified in these areas on their uniforms.

''We are foreigners in a foreign land and that's why we have to be very careful of who we let in our group,'' Mr Miller said. ''We don't want to cause any problems for the Thai police because they are ultimately responsible for our unit. We have very strict admission procedures.''

Capt Suprapan said the working relationship between the Tourist Police, the volunteers and the assistants was excellent. ''We're like a family.

''The assistants and the volunteers receive no salary and have to buy uniforms and equipment with their own money,'' he added.

WORKING STIFFS

The nightly patrols usually comprise 10 foreign assistants, 14 Thai volunteers and four policemen who cover Walking Street from 9pm until 3am.

Mr Miller concedes that sometimes they had to deal with uncooperative foreigners. ''This is mainly because they don't really understand what we do. They might look at foreigners in uniform in a foreign country and say: 'Look at that ...'''

Mr Miller said they were not authorised to conduct investigations. ''If we receive information about some serious cases, we will forward the matter to the police,'' he said.

''As for arrests, which actually happen very rarely, we have a strict rule of engagement. The Tourist Police officers must know what we are doing. We are foreigners here so we have to be very careful.''

The assistants are trained to deal with different situations, such as a drunk causing a disturbance, and also have to learn first aid and basic fire-fighting skills.

''We have dealt with thousands of cases over the years,'' Mr Miller said. ''The one I will never forget was when we were called to a hotel in central Pattaya after an Englishman who stabbed his wife to death in a bar barricaded himself in a corridor of the hotel and was trying to slash his arm. We managed to overpower him before he could harm himself,'' he said.

Mr Miller said the foreign assistants had been involved in only one undercover operation which involved prostitutes from Uzbekistan. But he said it was difficult for them to go undercover as their faces were well-known on Walking Street.

Mr Harrison said his most unforgettable experience was a fire at the Marine Plaza Hotel in 2006.

''We got there before the fire brigade did. A few of us went inside and found a Thai girl stuck in the smoke on the stairway. I dragged her out, otherwise she would most probably have died from smoke inhalation. We rescued several more people as well,'' he said.

But the day-to-day work can be a bit more routine. ''On January 15, a bar called us because two foreign customers refused to pay 3,065 baht for 21 lady drinks and three of their own,'' he said. ''We were able to reduce the amount considerably. As for the two foreigners, it was their first day in Pattaya, so they didn't understand what was going on here.''

Capt Suprapan said the volunteers had been useful during last year's closure of Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports, helping a lot of tourists diverted to nearby U-Tapao airport. ''Many wondered who they were as they wore uniforms with logos, but were grateful for their assistance anyhow.''

MEN IN BLACK

While some might see the black uniform worn by the foreign assistants and the military boots and berets of their Thai counterparts as intimidating, Mr Miller argues they are practical. ''Because the climate in Pattaya is very hot, it is not practical for us to wear a white or light-coloured shirt as they will show sweat and stains,'' he said. ''Black shirts look smart and they do show a little bit of authority.''

Mr Harrison said they were selected after careful consideration. ''We did some trials with different colours considering the heat, the dirt, etc.'' he said. ''We found that the black shirt is more durable, lightweight and it lets the body breath. It is easy to wash and iron. We wanted a shirt that will give us some respect as well.'' Mr Miller said he had only drawn his baton two or three times in self defence.

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WHAT PEOPLE THINK OF PATTAYA'S FOREIGN POLICE ASSISTANTS

By Maxmilian Wechsler

FRIEDEL, GERMAN TOURIST:
The presence of the foreign policemen was a surprise to me. I saved money the whole year to have a holiday and a good time in Pattaya and I don't want to see any European policemen watching me on the street, especially when I am talking to a girl or maybe two or three. Every time they walk past, I feel uncomfortable.

The way they stare at us makes me uneasy, like we've done something wrong. One policeman with tattoos all over his arms looks especially scary. I am not sure what purpose they serve. Tourists want to have a good time here and not be watched by foreign `policemen'. I don't like the colour of the uniforms they wear either.

NUI, A CLOTHES VENDOR:
I think that the foreign policemen are useful and beneficial here. They are helping the Thai police solve problems involving foreigners. Our police do not speak foreign languages very well.

When I saw them a few years ago, I was afraid of them because many are so big, but now everyone around here has gotten used to them. We are not afraid anymore.

FRANK, BRITISH EXPAT:
Maybe the foreign cops are useful to the Thai police, but I don't like their black uniforms. They look not so friendly. In England the policemen wear white shirts and ties. These guys look like commandos or the bomb squad.

The Thai tourist police should handle every situation on their own. I understand that they can't sometimes communicate with foreigners because they don't know the language. In such cases maybe the foreign assistants could help, but they should be more discreet. Why do they have to wear the uniform with all the gadgets on the belt? I think that when there is trouble, like a fight in a bar, this should be handled by the Thai police.

A GROUP OF MOTORCYCLE TAXI DRIVERS:
The drivers were reluctant to say anything about the foreign assistants, but after talking on other subjects for a while one said that their presence was 80% positive as they can easily communicate with foreigners who need help or are in trouble. He refused to elaborate on the negatives.

BARTON, AUSTRALIAN TOURIST:
I don't like their outfits. They look intimidating. In Australia, some policemen work in shorts or ride bicycles. They look friendly and blend in very well with the environment. The foreign volunteers in the middle of entertainment areas, huddling around the Tourist Police vans, look out of place. They should dress more politely. The presence of the foreign police is intimidating. Maybe they will arrest the girls who are talking prices to me and I will have to get involved. Maybe they will report me to my embassy.

WARAWITH, A THAI SECURITY GUARD:
I think that they are doing a good job and helping our police to solve cases involving foreigners. We need them here. I have never heard anything bad about them.

YURIJ, RUSSIAN TOURIST:
The foreign cops should keep out of sight. It's not necessary for three of them to stand on the corner or around the big Tourist Police car on Walking Street and watch everyone passing by. I feel uncomfortable. A few days ago, I saw some of them talking to each other, looking very serious, like they were going to bust someone walking on the street. I was afraid to ask them for directions. They don't look approachable. I also saw the volunteers in Phuket and I got the same impression about them as here. I think that the Thai police could manage the job, something they've been doing for many years.

SOMPORN, THAI CLOTHES VENDOR:
All police are the same, whether they are Thai or foreigners. They work together and help each other. However, I think that the foreigners are useful because the Thai police do not speak English or other languages very well.

TAILOR, AMERICAN EXPAT:
They look to me a little bit macho when they walk on the street. It's surprising to see foreigners doing this in Thailand. I dont think they really blend in well in this environment with hundreds of tourists walking past the police van. They and also the Thais are wearing similar `battle' uniforms like there's something dangerous waiting for us around the corner and that's why they are there huddling around the van. Think when there's a brawl between two US tourists ... will a Russian cop step in? Can he solve the problem? Maybe the two Americans will stop fighting each other and beat him up instead.

MIKE, AUSTRALIAN EXPAT:
I understand the idea that sometimes it is necessary to have interpreters. The assistants should wait in the police station for a call to help. Standing around the police car or walking on the street cannot prevent or solve crime. The Thai police should do the patrolling instead. The presence of foreign assistants is not unnecessary.However, I agree that sometimes foreigners who have problems will be happier to talk to people who can speak their language. But they don't have to be so visible, like they want to show off their power.