The Roadside Rebate

Here's how the roadside rebate works in Sam Phran, a small town one hour from Bangkok.

The police pick a busy stretch of road and start pulling over motorcyclists and drivers of older-model vehicles. In other words they target the poor; they make an easy target as they are unlikely to know someone who knows someone, who knows someone that can get something fixed. Theses hapless drivers are hit with on-the-spot, "pay-me-now and you'll get a large discount," fines for any number of spurious offences.

                         

All the collected cash is then shoved into a large plastic container to be divvied out, up and down the chain of command, later.

Of course you can always dispute the fine, but that would mean a trip to the police station where, if you don't know someone who knows someone, who knows someone that can get something fixed, things could get nasty. And fines aren't 'discounted' at the station.

Everyone pays roadside.