Every Traffic Cop In Thailand Was Just Ordered To Show Their Face. No More Cash On The Road. The Order Covers Every Province.

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TRAFFIC POLICE WERE JUST ORDERED TO SHOW THEIR FACES DURING STOPS, GIVE WARNINGS FIRST AND STOP COLLECTING CASH ON THE ROAD.

If you have ever been pulled over in Bangkok by a traffic cop wearing a full-face helmet and dark visor who immediately asked for cash, this story is for you. Assistant national police chief Nithithorn Chintakanont issued a written directive to every police unit in Bangkok and all provinces on Sunday. Traffic police must now show their face when stopping motorists. The order specifically bans full-face tactical balaclavas and dark visors that completely hide an officer’s identity. Standard medical or surgical masks are still allowed for protection against vehicle exhaust and PM2.5, but officers must remove them when they are actually speaking to a motorist so they can be identified. They must be in uniform. And they cannot collect fines on the spot.

To be clear: bribery by police officers has always been illegal in Thailand. This is not a new law. What changed is the enforcement structure. The directive moves toward documented interactions and aims to eliminate the undocumented roadside cash transactions that have become routine. Officers are now required to start with warnings and then issue progressive fines for repeat violations. That leniency does not apply to serious offenses like driving against traffic, running red lights, drink-driving or street racing. Whether this directive changes the culture or just adds another layer of paperwork remains to be seen. But the fact that it was put in writing, sent to every unit nationwide and announced publicly means someone at the top is creating a paper trail that makes accountability at least possible. A recent survey found that roughly half of Thais report having paid a bribe to police. The directive does not fix that overnight. But it gives people something to point to when the situation comes up.

Bottom line: Full-face coverings during traffic stops are now banned. Officers must be identifiable. Warnings come before fines. Cash collection on the spot is not allowed. Bribery has always been illegal, but now the operational directive puts enforcement mechanisms behind it. Save this issue. Know your rights.

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THAI CUSTOMS SEIZED 10.6 TONNES OF CANNABIS THIS YEAR. 40 PEOPLE WERE ARRESTED AT SUVARNABHUMI IN OCTOBER ALONE. HERE IS WHY BANGKOK BECAME THE SUPPLY HUB.

The Customs Department announced on October 25 that officers arrested 40 people and seized 577 kilograms of cannabis flowers at Suvarnabhumi Airport between October 1 and 24. Indian nationals accounted for the most arrests, but the suspects span multiple nationalities. Since January, customs has arrested 517 people and seized 10,628 kilograms of cannabis across all operations, more than 10.6 tonnes in ten months. Most of those arrested were foreign nationals attempting to take cannabis flowers out of the country. Separately, Thai police raided a house in Bangkok’s Bang Khen district earlier this year and seized over 5 tonnes of cannabis flowers after neighbors reported the smell. The airport numbers and domestic busts together paint a picture of Thailand as a source market operating at industrial scale.

Here is the part most headlines leave out. Cannabis remains technically legal in Thailand under a medical licensing framework, and the infrastructure for growing and harvesting has been rapidly built out over the past few years. That means prices here are dramatically lower than almost anywhere else in the world. For illegal organizations looking to buy in bulk and move product to countries where cannabis is still a criminal offense, Bangkok has become the most cost-effective supply point in the region. The math is simple: buy cheap here, fly it out, sell at a massive markup in a market where possession carries prison time. The problem is not that Thailand made cannabis accessible. The problem is that the rest of the world has not caught up, and that price gap has turned Thai airports into smuggling bottlenecks. The punishment for getting caught depends entirely on where you are going. In some countries it is a fine. In others it is years in prison. For anyone thinking the risk is worth it: 517 arrests in ten months suggests customs knows exactly what to look for.

Bottom line: 10.6 tonnes seized across all customs operations this year. 577 kilograms at Suvarnabhumi in October alone. Thailand’s legal cannabis framework created cheap supply, and the global price gap has attracted smuggling at a scale that customs cannot ignore. If you are flying out of Thailand with anything in your bag that looks or smells like cannabis, expect your luggage to get extra attention.

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⚡ QUICK HITS

CP Group distanced itself and its chairman from the holy basil patents. CP issued a formal statement on Saturday saying the viral social media posts were misleading. The patents belong to CPRAM, a subsidiary of CP ALL, which developed four specific hybrid varieties called Kaew Juree 01 through 04 for its ready-to-eat meal production. Senior chairman Dhanin Chearavanont had nothing to do with it, CP said. More than 300 conventional holy basil varieties remain available to farmers without any restriction. The agriculture minister confirmed that people can grow any protected variety for personal consumption. But anyone who intends to commercially propagate, breed or sell those four specific hybrid seeds must pay licensing fees to CPRAM under the Plant Variety Protection Act. Your pad krapao is safe. The seed business around those four hybrids is not free.

Thailand clarified the new baggage inspection rules after days of complaints. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAAT) confirmed on October 25 that checked bags can only be opened when X-ray scans detect suspicious items. The clarification came after viral posts from passengers claiming their luggage had been tampered with. CAAT stressed that officers are not authorized to open bags without cause. But here is the part that got less attention: airport security is now legally authorized to cut or break your locks and search your checked bag without you being present if a prohibited item like a power bank is flagged on the X-ray. If you are flying out of a Thai airport, the rule is clear on both sides: no suspicious X-ray means no search, but a flagged item means they do not need your permission or your presence.

Immigration police busted a K-pod factory inside a Bangkok hotel room in Pratunam. Five Vietnamese nationals were arrested on October 24 and 3,200 K-pods were seized. The pods tested positive for etomidate, an anaesthetic that has been showing up in vape products across Southeast Asia. Officers had been tracking a Vietnamese man nicknamed “Suea” who police say sells K-pods in the capital. This is the latest in a growing pattern of foreign-run drug operations discovered in Bangkok rental properties and hotels.

The Democrat Party is suing the BMA and DDPM over Bangkok’s flood response. Party spokesperson Phongsakorn Khwanmueang said on October 25 that the party has instructed its legal team to draft an urgent complaint at the Administrative Court. The lawsuit will allege negligence during the Bangkok floods and demand full compensation for victims. The flood death toll has now risen to 83 across 17 provinces, up from 64 last week.

☕ SPOT OF THE DAY

LA CABRA (TALAT NOI, CHAROEN KRUNG)

La Cabra is a Danish specialty coffee roaster from Aarhus that opened its first cafe outside of Denmark right here in Bangkok’s Talat Noi neighborhood. The space is a minimalist Scandinavian dream inside a historic Charoen Krung shophouse: raw concrete, clean lines, natural light and zero clutter. The focus is entirely on coffee. They roast their own single-origin beans from Kenya, Ethiopia and South America using a technique called “One Roast,” a single roast profile tailored to each individual bean. The philosophy is “Brighter is Better,” and the flavor profile is exactly that: clean, light and bright, nothing bitter or over-roasted. An americano starts at ฿120, coffee with milk at ฿140, and the hand-brewed pour-overs are where the real experience lives if you want to taste what single-origin specialty coffee is supposed to be.

The food side is simple but solid. Cinnamon rolls, almond croissants, an almond poppy seed croissant and a kimchi grilled cheese sandwich that has quietly become a regular order. The 4.4-star rating across 518 Google reviews reflects a place that divides opinion on price (฿160 for a cappuccino is high for Bangkok) but earns near-universal praise for quality. “One of my most favorite specialty coffee shops in Bangkok,” one reviewer wrote. Another called it “a delicious cup of coffee and a cinnamon roll that will definitely make your day.” A third said “very nice and clean, Scandinavian vibe, standout franchise from Denmark.” La Cabra sits right next to FooJohn jazz bar in the heart of Talat Noi, one of Bangkok’s most walkable and photogenic neighborhoods.

→ Check their services and find them here ←

Insider tip: Skip the espresso menu and go straight to the hand-brewed pour-over. That is what La Cabra built its reputation on in Copenhagen, and the baristas here will walk you through the bean options. The kimchi grilled cheese sandwich is the sleeper hit on the food menu. If you want to explore the neighborhood after, Talat Noi is one of the best walking districts in Bangkok: street art, old Chinese shrines, warehouses turned into galleries, all within a few blocks.

📍 813 Charoen Krung Rd, Talat Noi, Samphanthawong, Bangkok 10100
📞 084 149 6495
🕐 Open Monday 8AM-5PM
⭐ 4.4 stars (518 Google reviews) | ฿200-400 per person
🌐 lacabra.com

Always check opening times before heading out.

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