[kiwi steve]

600 Thai Cops Fail Traffic Law Test

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- More than 600 policemen in the Thai capital have temporarily lost the right to issue tickets to motorists after failing a test on traffic law, a senior police officer said Monday.

The police department last month tested 4,475 officers on their knowledge of traffic law, and almost one in seven failed to show adequate knowledge, said Maj. Gen. Montree Jamroon, a deputy commander of the Metropolitan Police Bureau.

"A total of 665, accounting for about 14 percent of the traffic policemen in Bangkok, failed the test on traffic law and they will not be allowed to issue tickets until they pass," he said.

Those who failed the test would have to take it again within six months, said Montree.


Bangkok drivers have long complained about the seemingly arbitrary enforcement of traffic laws.