Stickman Readers' Submissions February 3rd, 2012

What Kind Of Pornography Is Illegal In Thailand?

I’d like to report something that happened to me last November in Bangkok. It’s true with cops, hassles and pornography. Please excuse my grammar because English isn’t my native tongue. I’m French.

So, at that time, I had a friend with me for a month's holiday, and I intend to show him the “real” Bangkok, not the one from the guides. I travelled with him in different spots on my Honda Dream, as I’m on a budget
and I like to race with the motosae-taxi. This particular day we went to Sukhumvit, on Soi 22 or 24, can’t remember which, to buy him a flight ticket from Ubon – Phuket for when he finishes his trip at my place in Isaan and plans to have
a swim in the blue sea of Koh Phi Phi.

He Clinic Bangkok

When the deal was over at the travel agency, we came back to my bike, parked on the sidewalk corner of Sukhumvit and the soi, for a smoke. I warned him already of the risk of smoking on this street, but like we didn’t see any cops
around and intended to throw our butts in the 7 Eleven’s garbage nearby, I thought it was ok. So then a policeman stops his bike near to mine. I felt quite confident, as I had all the papers for the motorbike, our visas were still valid
and the smokes not done yet. Another loss of time I supposed and it really was a right guess!

I gave him my driving license, my passport and told my friend in a few minutes we were heading to Central World for a bit of shopping and a glimpse at the hi-so set’s lovely legs. The cop received a call and within a minute three other
pigs come along on a motorbike. Yes, three on the same bike and one was a fatty! Anyway, the newly arrived police officer started the interrogation from the beginning, and I told him the same stuff as the other, but my smile was less sincere.
Oh, yes, I forgot to tell you, all of this was in Thai, as it’s more handy for me since I’m surrounded by Thais people my brain is in Thai mode. They got the bike’s trunk open and found my hard disk and a memory card. I carried
them with me for my laptop wad dead so I moved movies from the big one to the little one in a cyber café in order to see it with my DVD player back in the flat, and have a nice and relax movie night. That was my mistake. They said we had
to follow them to the police box to check them and that I was in trouble if they found anything illegal inside. My friend starts to worry, for the cops were no longer smiling and he knows me and my habit of keeping some porn movies on the hard
disk. Off we went to the police station, my buddy in the middle of two cops on the police bike and the fatty behind me. At that time the smokes were done so the overweight one told me to throw it in the gutter.

At the police box, still on Sukhumvit, the hassles started. How comes your passport is full of Thai and Lao visas? How come you can speak Thai? This was a surprise! Most of the policeman I met were quite happy to speak Thai with me instead
of their bad English. Well, I got a Thai girlfriend, I spend every last winter for the five past years in Thailand, and to be able to communicate with the locals in my place in Isaan, I have to learn not only Thai but Lao also… And if we found
any porn movies inside your hard drive you will go to jail, followed by the internationally understood sign of hands cuffed to be sure. I got his point. We were waiting for someone to come with a laptop as they weren’t any at the police
box. My friend started to think we were done as there were indeed some porn films on the disk, and how fxxxed his holyday would be. I reassured him it was not about him but me and therefore, the folders are written in French and I thought they
wouldn’t read them. While waiting, the cops came with another threat, since the porn one didn’t frighten me, and if they were some pedophile pictures in the external disk? They were wrong, it did frighten me, and of course no such
disgusting pictures were inside my gear. But this is Thailand, to get along here one must learn to keep his face still, and a few notes can solve many issues, no?

CBD Bangkok

Finally, after almost one hour waiting in a very nourishing atmosphere, a young woman came with a laptop, plugged my disk and started to search inside for evidence. She found my illegal downloaded French movies for the long nights in Isaan,
some illegal also downloaded Thais movies for watch with my girlie, and, some porn Japanese movies, with some amateur Thais porn movies. The cops were very interested by the screen but the computer girl didn’t let them watch as long as
they wish. They asked me why I had such movies. I answered them to get my girlie and I in the mood, which they seemed to understand. She carries on searching inside but they were disappointed, as if it wasn’t that they would expect. Since
we were with the cops for almost two hours, and like the climax seem to be behind, I gave my woman a call, and over the cell phone to the police officer. My girl started to speak Lao with him, and as she has a hot temper despite her 1.50m height,
he quickly apologizes. It was over. I got my stuff back, made a wai to everyone, they wai me back, smiling. And we went to Central as we plan.

All of this to get to my question. What kind of pornography is illegal in Thailand? Obviously not Japanese film nor Thai amateur ones!

Stickman's thoughts:

This is bizarre and I thought you might have been in a bit more trouble. If the porn they found was not what they were looking for, just what were they looking for? Weird. And isn't it interesting that this happened on or near Sukhumvit soi 22 – where all the reported cop stops are.

nana plaza