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Manit Techa-apichoke of the City Law Enforcement Department suggests tourists fallen victim to the thetsakij cigarette-butt scam should refuse to pay, or find a real police officer to complain to. What an absurd and preposterous suggestion!
Firstly, how does Khun Manit propose his advice is disseminated to the tourists? Perhaps a leaflet distributed at the Immigration counter warning of this and the dozens of other scams they might fall prey to? I think not.
Moreover, he is completely side-stepping the crux of the matter. The thetsakij should be investigated, charged and prosecuted for extortion by the police. The responsibility for correcting this abuse of power should be upon the shoulders of his department and the police, not upon the victims. Tourists are not aware of the difference between a thetsakij city inspector and a policeman, and feel pressured by the authority figure, as a visiting family member of mine caught with this scam at Chatuchak market once reported: ''There were no bins, and the policeman said if I didn't pay the full amount I would have to go to the station with them''.
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