PHOTO: Naewna

 

By Nop Meechukhun

 

Surat Thani – A group of Thai and foreign customers were arrested at a restaurant in the Bo Put Subdistrict of Koh Samui on Saturday, September 18th, after allegedly drinking alcoholic beverages, gambling, and shooting pool, violating Surat Thani Provincial Orders to prevent the spread of Covid-19 Coronavirus.

 

About 20 customers were caught drinking alcohol inside the restaurants and playing pool upon police arrival. The officials then approached the owner of the shop for an initial inspection.

 

The owner allegedly confessed to selling alcoholic drinks to the customers and hiding the drinks by putting in ceramic coffee mugs to attempt to fool the officials. She was initially charged for selling alcoholic beverages and allowing others to consume alcohol and play pool inside the restaurant.

 

All of the customers were also taken to a local police station for further questioning and legal proceedings. Under emergency decree laws, they could face stiff fines and even potential jail time.

 

Full story: https://thepattayanews.com/2021/09/20/thai-and-foreign-customers-arrested-for-allegedly-drinking-alcohol-and-playing-pool-at-koh-samui-restaurant/

 

-- © Copyright The Pattaya News 2021-09-20

 

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8 minutes ago, webfact said:

violating Surat Thani Provincial Orders to prevent the spread of Covid-19 Coronavirus.

wonder what the odds are of catching covid in a fairly deserted bar compared to travelling 8 hours in a packed train to a meatball festival ? 

Come to Koh Samui for your holiday and get arrested for playing pool ????????

34 minutes ago, ukrules said:

Come to Koh Samui for your holiday and get arrested for playing pool ????????

Lucky they were indoors.

Would add another 100,000 baht fine if they were wearing sunscreen.

this is the face of foreign tourism in Thailand

 

we are open 1st Oct but everything is shut with curfews and other nonsense red tape and a spell in jail if you sniff a beer

 

Reminds me of Monopoly - don't pass go we collect 200 and you go to jail

 

Yippie Thailand Open but only for Chinese lemmings on a tour bus

24 minutes ago, smedly said:

we are open 1st Oct

That's not going to happen, I reckon that when the infection rates start to spiral out of control in Europe and the US during October all opening plans will be shelved.

Yeah, another nail in the TAT's sandbox's coffin efforts to revive tourism into Thailand, wait until it will be know worldwide that this is what Thailand dose to the tourists they try so hard to woo back...

The RTP is doing his utmost best to ruin the tourism industry.. Now playing pool is not allowed after  darts, bridge and what will follow?? And than the stupid xenophobia about alcohol. Make normal laws or ban all alcohol in whole country.. 

But almost everyone is begging for tourists to come. First start to make normal lives with normal laws instead of these so called prevention laws for the youth or people

1 hour ago, ukrules said:

That's not going to happen, I reckon that when the infection rates start to spiral out of control in Europe and the US during October all opening plans will be shelved.

define open ?  what exactly is open when pretty much everything is shut 

 

I wasn't being serious, in saying that - fully vaccinated foreign tourists are not the threat, the threat is within Thailand - their vaccine rollout and the vaccines used - plus the level of testing 

 

Why would western foreign tourists come here when basically everything is shut and they run the risk of getting a local infection - Chinese tourists are different, they get bused around to specific spots from specific hotels they don't get or seem to want a western type holiday experience - sandbox 101 ....................it fits like a glove 

 

I have had 3 friends message me recently about coming here because they heard Thailand was "open" 1st Oct - I told them nothing is open 1st Oct you are better off where you are for now

Good luck to everyone there! 

That's the TAT "Plans" snookered again!

The owner of the bar did not pay the ' tea money ' ?

 

After the raid , she had to say ' khoo toot kha ' do a wai and was threatened to pay a fine the next time ... hopefully ...

Might as well book a holiday to Saudi Arabia than Thailand. The country has been ruined by these draconian prohibition measures and devastated local economy.

I was under very slight hopes to come this y by the end of october , but i but i skipped the plan . I might come in January , if the situation is better . Right now , there is just no point .

When the decisions makers are naive (or pretend to be), about what tourists go to Thailand for.....

 

Most tourist attractions - closed

Bars - closed

Nightlife - closed

majority of restaurants closed due to lack of patronage

domestic tour operators - closed

Most of these closed venues wont start functioning at the flick of a switch!

 

Sandbox & quarantine, Open.

Welcome international tourists..

Wow, riverting news. I wonder what happen to police bus full of cops going for a holiday to the beach.

Crime of the century ! They say alcohol can’t be served as it will cause people to misbehave and spread covid . Yet you can have the same number of people in the place drinking coke and playing pool so that’s utter horse**** !! 
The fact you practically can’t get on samui without a test and the daily positive test numbers are single digit mostly when tested means you have more chance of getting struck by lightning than catching it I would say . 
So when everyone in samui is vaccinated then what ? Because there will still be positive tests even amongst vaccinated people , so are they going to carry on telling all bars and restaurants not to sell alcohol ?

Ruined thousands of peoples life’s on samui for 4% infection rate in last 4 months ! Well done government ????

2 hours ago, ukrules said:

That's not going to happen, I reckon that when the infection rates start to spiral out of control in Europe and the US during October all opening plans will be shelved.

No opening on Oct 1st has been approved by the CCSA anywhere !!!!

Law or not. Then people are tired of this circus. Thai and Farang need to get back to a "Normal" or almost normal life. Yes, alcohol has been blamed for many things. But that it should actually evoke Covid is a joke. Looks like that the so-called Government think it is. We can all buy alcohol in various stores. But can’t get a glass of wine or a beer together with our food when we are taking our mrs. for a dinner at a restaurant. Where is the logic?

1 hour ago, smedly said:

fully vaccinated foreign tourists are not the threat

fully vaccinated people are not a threat only if you are worried about a lawsuit from someone becoming infected in your country, company or place of business and then they sue you for their illness or family sues you for their death.  That is the only non-threat from a vaccinated person. 

 

If a person is positive for covid, it does not matter whether they are non-vaccinated, partially-vaccinated or fully-vaccinated.  They pose the same level of risk to those that come in contact with them. 

 

Vaccination has nothing to do with protecting the people that come in contact with the vaccinated, but only in helping to protect the vaccinated from serious illness due to contracting covid.

No mention of more serious violations such as vaping playing darts or bridge so just 3 years in jail will be enough ????

Hardened criminals, what is the world coming to. Playing pool and drinking beer !!

Right...can't have any of that dangerous, dreadful and harmful "enjoyment" and "freedom" taking place in today's moronic, fragile and frightened nanny world. Such awful things might be contagious! ????

 

The madness continues. ????

 

Ah, the demon drink again. It attracts the virus don't you know. 

 

What non-westerners can't seem to comprehend is that to most of us, an enjoyable night in a restaurant is a meal accompanied by an alcoholic drink of some sort. I won't visit one until they resume serving wine with a meal.

 

As for being charged for gambling whilst playing a harmless game of pool.....No wonder so many eating establishments are going to the wall.

When will they learn??????
This country will NEVER climb up ladder this way!
Welcome to "Samui Plus"...what a joke

My wife and I both expats like thousands of others over the last two days had our second AZ shot at Bangkok Samui Hospital yesterday also four other venues available .Our friends came also and boy after we could have murdered a beer and a glass of wine but NO CHANCE , we needed a meal after no breakfast before our vacation.
What a ridiculous situation this edict is with so many locals needing employment again and local businesses suffering.

Those in the top echelon should be ashamed to put their people through this .

26 minutes ago, kuzmabruk said:

Vaccination has nothing to do with protecting the people that come in contact with the vaccinated, but only in helping to protect the vaccinated from serious illness due to contracting covid.

?????? <deleted> 

these official need to understand that tourism means going place and doing something more that staying in expensive hotel and stuff themselves on their buffet....pay and pay and pay. with no fun.

 

that is no vacation.

 

if you want tourism ..them you give them room to enjoy themselves so they will be back.

arresting them for questioning.. that sure will go well with the sandbox 7 to 7

 

then you hear about the rich tourists --reading this will just turn them off coming to Thailand.

 

 

4 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

wonder what the odds are of catching covid in a fairly deserted bar compared to travelling 8 hours in a packed train to a meatball festival ? 

Or 200 officers gathering at a re-enactment?

4 hours ago, Gold Star said:

Lucky they were indoors.

Would add another 100,000 baht fine if they were wearing sunscreen.

Double again if after sunset.