Thai media/social media says kick fake watch sellers out of Pattaya

[webfact]

Thai media/social media says kick fake watch sellers out of Pattaya

 

Image: Sophon Cable

 

Sophon Cable TV reported on Facebook that Thai social media was demanding that the authorities act to rid Pattaya of people like traders selling fake watches.

 

The calls come in the wake of the attack on soldiers out of uniform who had been part of the Cobra Gold 2018 exercises.

 

The time has come for the police to do something constructive to help prevent damage to tourism, said the media.

 

Sophon said that comment across social media was calling for action against people selling fake watches and other goods around the resort who are damaging the image of Pattaya.

 

Netizens were saying that sellers were nothing but trouble who often picked fights with tourists over nothing. And in the recent case it was completely wrong that those responsible for assault were just fined for attacking tourists.

 

Sophon said that officers of the state - by which they normally mean police - should act to uphold the law.

 

Earlier Pol Col Apichai Krobpetch had appeared on a video shown by the Thai media and been reported as saying that his force did everything it could to arrest and stop people like the fake watch sellers.

 

But the court of social media were dismissing this as pure flannel.

 

Sophon said that many of the sellers were people from out of town after a fast buck and were causing trouble and damaging Pattaya and something urgently needed to be done to protect tourism.

 

Source: Sophon Cable

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2018-03-01

 

[nev]

Great idea, And don't stop their ban selling fake clothes and other goods in the bars I go in for a quiet drink not to be tapped on the shoulder every 5 mins by someone trying to force their fake stuff on me.

[Thian]

45 minutes ago, webfact said:

The time has come for the police to do something constructive

100% right....what took them so long to come to this conclusion?? 

 

And it's not only about the watchvendors, it's especially on the roads where they should maintain the laws.

[Morch]

I say don't rush into it. May come in handy as backup explanation for someone.

[mok199]

I get approached often while sitting having coffee and I have never had an issue,they seem polite and when I say I am not interested they go elsewhere...what surprises me is they are allowed by all businesses, to walkinto the patios and blconys and sometimes into the a/c area to sell....personaly I feel''don't sweat the small sh*t'',and they love to get into your head and get foreingers upset,control your temper.smile and say no,but if youwant to pick a fight they and many other thais watching will be more than willing to oblige you...

Edited March 1, 2018 by mok199
s

[InMyShadow]

Nothing gets to me more than when eating and one of those uneducated peasants approaches from behind and grabs your shoulder usually scaring the <deleted> out of me. The response is always the same <deleted> OFF IDIOT! never had any dramas with that approach but i am 6ft 3" so Im guessing that plays a part

[marinediscoking]

Good on the bar for releasing the CCTV video which shows the first sucker punch by the seller and then another to the back of head from his friend to anther soldier. From that footage the thais got a good beat down as the soldiers punches were on target and hard.

 

About every year one of these attacks makes the news by the watch sellers but this time since it happened upon a US soldier here helping to train Thai solders the powers that be want a message sent. 

 

The watch sellers (drug users) had probably gotten away with this many times after they felt tourists had wasted their time. Makes no cents otherwise why they sell in packs. 

 

We all know the BIB could get rid of them in a day if they really wanted to.

[mark01]

Agree 100%.

BTW this took place just a few feet from the Pattaya police station.

Doing everything are they?

[Rimmer]

A troll post has been removed

[thecyclist]

1 hour ago, mok199 said:

I get approached often while sitting having coffee and I have never had an issue,they seem polite and when I say I am not interested they go elsewhere...what surprises me is they are allowed by all businesses, to walkinto the patios and blconys and sometimes into the a/c area to sell....personaly I feel''don't sweat the small sh*t'',and they love to get into your head and get foreingers upset,control your temper.smile and say no,but if youwant to pick a fight they and many other thais watching will be more than willing to oblige you...

Some of them are polite and will take no for an  answer, but there are some very aggressive ones, that will more or less shove their goods in your face when you try to ignore them.

[RichardColeman]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Sophon said that many of the sellers were people from out of town after a fast buck

Maybe, but they are after hat fast buck all day every day

[PETERTHEEATER]

The watch sellers in the recent incident were fined 5000. They must have satisfied the police that their watches were genuine or they would have been fined for owning and selling counterfeit articles.

 

(rambles off into the distance mumbling.....) 

[peterrabbit]

I have seen these 'watch sellers' many times and they are very aggressive in their manner. Without a doubt they should be taken off the street as they are basically thugs looking to intimidate some nieve tourist into buying their watches. It is nothing but negative for tourism in Pattaya.

[dddave]

1 hour ago, mok199 said:

.what surprises me is they are allowed by all businesses

Several Pattaya beer bar owners have told me that these sellers are all commission sellers working for, for lack of a better term, "Persons of influence."  These persons can make life very difficult for bar owners that try to ban the sellers from approaching their customers.  One owner I knew on Soi Buakhow tried and his bar was repeatedly vandalized and his staff threatened.  It just wasn't worth the hassle.

[Destiny1990]

Its an annoying bunch that noone needs in the resort.

5000 fine is ridiculous low amount for assaulting someone.

[Borzandy]

" fake watch sellers out of Pattaya " It's why the American soldier was charged for not recognising true watches.

[Getnitdone1]

4 hours ago, marinediscoking said:

Good on the bar for releasing the CCTV video which shows the first sucker punch by the seller and then another to the back of head from his friend to anther soldier. From that footage the thais got a good beat down as the soldiers punches were on target and hard.

 

About every year one of these attacks makes the news by the watch sellers but this time since it happened upon a US soldier here helping to train Thai solders the powers that be want a message sent. 

 

The watch sellers (drug users) had probably gotten away with this many times after they felt tourists had wasted their time. Makes no cents otherwise why they sell in packs. 

 

We all know the BIB could get rid of them in a day if they really wanted to.

Where is the video??? I saw one and it was shoddy at best...

[crazyk]

A lot of them are muslim,pre tsunami when the watch vendors where thai & friendly & not so many of them,you could get a bar girl barter for you but when they came from the south they started threatening the girls & tripled the prices

[Justgrazing]

Alternatively get a buddy to lend you a real Rolex like dep' dawg has / hasn't and then wave it in said watch sellers face next time they hassle along with the refrain .. " leal leal .! mai copee " .. 

[Henrik Andersen]

Nice to see Thai people stand up against this but it will be better if they kick the corrupt police force out too 

[InnerCynic]

Having worked in the oilfield I learned long ago, and this applies to all organizations or companies, is that they're not "proactive" but instead "reactive" when it comes to doing what would seem obviously in everyone's interest.  We can whine and moan about things but people will be people ( stupid and typically lazy ) all over the world.   it always seems that it takes something violent or embarrassing to get any change to occur.  And then those who you think should know better will then find someone to scapegoat for their incompetence or sloth.  It's the theater of the absurd writ large.

[mikebell]

20 hours ago, webfact said:

Sophon said that officers of the state - by which they normally mean police - should act to uphold the law.

What a good idea - it might catch on!  The police take a cut of every local scam.  How else to explain the meterless taximeters?

[Lee4Life]

21 hours ago, nev said:

Great idea, And don't stop their ban selling fake clothes and other goods in the bars I go in for a quiet drink not to be tapped on the shoulder every 5 mins by someone trying to force their fake stuff on me.

The wife and I go to the restaurants for a bite up here in NongKhai, and it's the lottery ticket sellers that bother us. We just want to relax, visit and eat, and instead we end up fending off the lotto ticket sellers the entire time. I am surprised the owners allow it, but maybe the people here like it?  (but at least they are polite!)

Edited March 2, 2018 by Lee4Life

[Grusa]

For sure, none of these watches are fake, they are the real thing! The owners should be investigated for being unusually rich.....

[nev]

3 hours ago, Lee4Life said:

The wife and I go to the restaurants for a bite up here in NongKhai, and it's the lottery ticket sellers that bother us. We just want to relax, visit and eat, and instead we end up fending off the lotto ticket sellers the entire time. I am surprised the owners allow it, but maybe the people here like it?  (but at least they are polite!)

Here in khonkaen we have visits from the lottery ladies they are mostly friendly and no pushy, also visits from flower sellers they know us now so don't pester, only one I buy from is a old lady who sells snacks I have known her for 7 years now always gives me a wai and Sawadee Ka, Late in  the night I used to buy what she had left so she could go home early until one time a hour later she had a full basket again ?

 

[balo]

On 3/1/2018 at 12:00 PM, nev said:

not to be tapped on the shoulder every 5 mins by someone trying to force their fake stuff on me

Just punch them in the face, and wait for the reaction. 

 

[nev]

11 minutes ago, balo said:

Just punch them in the face, and wait for the reaction. 

 

No a wise advice to give anyone ?could be the response to that.

[sikishrory]

I was reading some of the thai language comments to the video on facebook after it happened and as stated 90% of the thais were throwing down some very harsh words directed at these sellers but the best comment was someone saying that they should go and offer there watches to that deputy pm prawit who is always in strife over his collection of luxury watches haha

[chrisinth]

12 hours ago, nev said:

No a wise advice to give anyone ?could be the response to that.

Or just a 1,000 baht fine...................

[DrTuner]

Shouldn't be too hard. They flock around the police station. Oh wait...