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Comment by NiceWayToDoIT | Hacker News Reader

This is double edge sword for Thailand, maybe corrupt justice system can work as a new revenue source, but it will definitely impact new tourist going there.

I had a good time there, but I remember my expectations were low. But news like this make me cross that country from the map of future traveling.

I remember feeling when at entrance in Singapore I got stamp on passport with small print warning that "drug usage is punishable by death" regardless of not using drugs, I could not help myself of overthinking "what if someone puts a small bag in my luggage" or what if I my sleeve brushed somewhere where someone was sniffing coke...

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A few years ago there was a scam in the Philippines where airport security staff would drop bullets into foreign traveller luggage so that when it was discovered by their colleagues they could shake down tourists by extortion in exchange for getting off the hook:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninoy_Aquino_International_Air...

As for Thailand and other Asian countries, what you must understand about Asian culture in general as a westerner is the tremendous weight of saving face there. Something that you might think of as relatively innocuous and the cost of doing business, like raising your voice, a bad hotel review, or a negative restaurant write-up (after all, nobody anywhere gets 100% five star reviews) is something that creates dishonor and triggers immediate defense mechanisms that escalate according to the severity of how much face has been lost. Embarrassing Asians in public can cause them to feel that they are losing social standing, reputation, influence, dignity, and honour, and you should consider whether it's worth the hassle over something trivial to put them on the defensive.

A that very airport, I had forgotten to put some sleep medication in my carry on bag. It was instead in my hoodie's front pocket.

I got searched by airport security. They found the medication. They asked me what it was. I told them. And then this guy says "Okay good, I will have some after my shift". He then opens the bottle takes 2 pills out and puts them in his pocket and hands it back to me.

That sounds quite typical of Filipino security at NAIA and other domestic airports. OTOH, there are good things and bad things about this. For instance, one time while entering the PH I realised I had forgotten to put my Swiss Army knife in my checked baggage. I like this knife a lot and I was sure it would be confiscated and I would never see it again. So before going through the metal detector I took a gamble, I removed it and as I approached the operator, I lifted it up to eye level, displayed it to him, and asked, "Is it OK if I bring this?" and the Filipino security agent nodded and said, "OK" and handed it back to me when I passed it around the device.

Moral of the story: in the Philippines, act like a boss, get treated like a boss. It's a delicate balance, but you're more likely to succeed if you're polite rather than arrogant. Rules are not hard like they are in the west, they can be bent if not broken.

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