Five senior police repositioned after raids find venues selling alcohol, breaking Covid-19 rules, and operating illegally in Bangkok, Thai Police vow further nightlife crackdowns

[webfact]

 

By Nop Meechukhun

 

Bangkok – Five senior police officials from the Lumpini Police Station were ordered repositioned by the Royal Thai Police on Sunday, October 17th, after allegedly neglecting the illegal sales of alcoholic beverages at a restaurant in downtown Bangkok that was raided on Sunday.

 

This follows near-daily raids across the country, especially in Bangkok and Pattaya, targeting venues selling alcohol illegally, which remains against Covid-19 rules set by the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration, or CCSA. Bars and entertainment venues have been shuttered countrywide nationwide legally since April of this year and restaurants are banned from selling alcohol, with the exception of Phuket, Samui, and Khao Lak which have been given “tourism” exemptions for only restaurants.

 

The rules have been enormously unpopular and have led to more business owners breaking the rules in recent weeks and law enforcement “looking the other way” leading to the decision made to move senior police in Bangkok. Business owners have claimed they have been closed for seven months with little to no financial aid or support for their forced closures. The CCSA, meanwhile, continues to stand by their statements that bars and nightlife are “super spreaders” of Covid-19, although have stated they plan to “consider” opening these venues by December 1st, without promising. Royal Thai Police, meanwhile, state they are “only doing their jobs to enforce the law, and it is not their job to decide what the law is” in response to criticism of the regular raids and arrests, including of customers and tourists.

 

Full story: https://thepattayanews.com/2021/10/20/five-senior-police-repositioned-after-raids-find-venues-selling-alcohol-breaking-covid-19-rules-and-operating-illegally-in-bangkok-thai-police-vow-further-nightlife-crackdowns/

 

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[Walker88]

Police and govt officials were out en masse last night in Bangkok, from Soi 4 to Soi 8, making sure all restaurants were in compliance with the 'no alcohol' rule.

 

As one might expect, all venues were totally in compliance with the rules and no alcohol was found to be sold during the inspection. Restaurant staff were reminded that even take out alcohol sales were prohibited, as such sales are the function of 7-11s, not restaurants. (Yes, I know.)

[richard_smith237]

Great... the puritanical war against alcohol continues... ????

[impulse]

The future of Thai tourism hangs on their handling of this issue as much as any other.  If they're going to be arresting guests in open venues, doing stuff in the wide open that looks perfectly legal to a noob that just fell off the turnip truck, they can open the borders all they want.  Social media will kill 'em.

 

I have no opinion on whether they arrest the owners and close the venues down, and moderate sympathy for the employees who serve the drinks because that's how they keep their jobs. 

 

But arresting the guests is just wrong.

 

[gim12]

hello tourists, welcome to 

 

 Thailand and no, you cannot have a beer

[4MyEgo]

Maybe, just maybe when they open up and see that their tourist areas are still dead like ghost towns, the might change their minds and allow alcohol to be sold in restaurants and open up bars. 

 

if they don't, well what can I say except other destinations will be taking advantage of what Thailand could have started to restore, i.e. it's tourism industry which if correct generates them 20% of their GDP, so why would you want to play with a formula that has proven to work ?

 

????

[MRToMRT]

One has to ponder why is this in the Pattaya news and not in Bangkok media? Do we have any trustable media in Bangkok anymore?

[Thailand]

Repositioned ????

[charmonman]

The CCSA should be renamed to CASA - Centre for Alcohol Situation Administration 

[itsari]

56 minutes ago, gim12 said:

hello tourists, welcome to 

 

 Thailand and no, you cannot have a beer

No , can not have a beer where social distancing can not be achieved.

Some sense in that i believe

[Captain Monday]

How about abolish the CCSA before it destroys the country?

 

[fangless]

39 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

when they open up and see that their tourist areas are still dead like ghost towns,

But they will not see that, they will just imagine what they want to see and continue publishing their inflated "success" figures! 

They will not let the truth get in the way of their imagination!

[jmccarty]

"Thai Police vow further nightlife crackdowns" This is the brilliant message incoming potential tourists read.

[Walker88]

For anyone considering a visit to Thailand as the borders 'open up' on 1 November, this is what you can expect:

 

-An onerous application process that involves uploading docs online and getting an electronic "Pass", as opposed to a COE. Such a system might be simple for young people, but older folks are likely to have problems with the new fangled system

 

-A Q-tip up your nose before departure, and another when you land, reminding you just how cavernous is the nasal pathway. One might be acceptable; two becomes overkill

 

-Should anyone in your party not be fully vaxxed, they will need to do a lengthy quarantine at their expense. Since few children have been fully vaxxed, say goodbye to those folks Thailand wanted to attract to their 'family destinations'

 

-Should anyone in your party test positive for Covid, you will need to do quarantine at your expense

 

-Should you avoid the the two previous requirements, you will not be able to enjoy any sort of alcohol with your meal, nor stop into a bar for a drink as you unwind from your day of temple visits

 

So what sort of person---who has a world of alternatives where he can spend his travel funds---is going to be attracted to Thailand at this time, where---if he accepts a drink from a restaurant scofflawing the rules he might get arrested and fined? Likely the only ones so attracted will either be those with family or property in Thailand (but the majority already entered through the Phuket Sandbox) or  else single men who are in the mood to link up with a young Thai woman.

 

Unless TAT has recently redefined 'quality tourist', it is unlikely the folks willing to tolerate Thailand's requirements will fall into the category originally envisaged.

 

It seems Thailand has a wildly over-inflated view of its attractiveness. November 1 might begin to disabuse them of their prideful notions.

[CrunchWrapSupreme]

I just got back from visiting a certain popular seaside destination over the weekend. I visited a few different eating and drinking establishments. At each I asked for alcohol, and it was not denied. Hah.

 

Cocktails were served in normal glasses, as they could pass for just soda or juice I imagine. Beer was served to me in mugs. Given the economic conditions and general lack of sales, they're certainly not going to deny what the customers want.

 

Social distancing? Covid prevention? Give me a break. Is this happening on the BTS? Is this happening at shopping centers, where throngs of people have returned? Is this happening at the hospitals where riots are occurring, as thousands of people show up for only 400 doses of vaccines?

 

Covid makes for a great excuse, for puritans to try changing what they feel is a wrong direction for the country. Same with trying to tell the ladies to stay home so that Pattaya can become Disneyland. It's not gonna happen. As far as changing the country, there are much greater issues than sex and alcohol to be dealt with.

[sammieuk1]

Crackdown crackpot land where every effort to eliminate living from your life is taken. if only the same effort was put into vaccine procurement ????

[hotchilli]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Bangkok – Five senior police officials from the Lumpini Police Station were ordered repositioned by the Royal Thai Police on Sunday, October 17th, after allegedly neglecting the illegal sales of alcoholic beverages at a restaurant in downtown Bangkok that was raided on Sunday.

Re-positioned.. has a nice ring to it.

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, gim12 said:

hello tourists, welcome to 

 

 Thailand and no, you cannot have a beer

Or wine, smoke on the beach, vape, buy toys, use certain sun-tan creams, or stay out after 11pm.

The list is endless, but tourists patience is not.

[ezzra]

For a senior police man to be "re positioned" it's even worse than getting the sack as senior cops pays good money for those top jobs that recuperate their investments in no time, now re positioned elsewhere that will hurt them badly in the pockets... 

[GeorgeCross]

23 minutes ago, ezzra said:

For a senior police man to be "re positioned" it's even worse than getting the sack as senior cops pays good money for those top jobs that recuperate their investments in no time, now re positioned elsewhere that will hurt them badly in the pockets... 

between a rock and a hard place.. if they'd done their jobs that would have hit them hard in their pockets too 

 

 

[fangless]

16 minutes ago, GeorgeCross said:

between a rock and a hard place.. if they'd done their jobs that would have hit them hard in their pockets too 

 

 

Difficult choice for a Policeman;  Should I uphold the law or take a bribe?

[Grusa]

I have not seen this anywhere. What are the rules on BYO? Is it against the law to drink your own booze, after all the restaurant did not sell it to you? 

[Danderman123]

If this keeps up, the only bars open in Bangkok will be those owned by the police.

[spidermike007]

Mob rule continues. It is well known that nearly all restaurants, and many bars have been defying the order against alcohol for some time. And that is a good thing. Anytime the leadership behaves in a highly selective manner, engages in highly selective shutdowns, and allows the masses to travel from the epicenter of Covid, to anywhere in the nation without any attempts to control the flow, allows super corrupt border officials to "sell entrance" into Thailand, to infected Burmese and Malaysians, they deserve to be defied, in any way we can.

 

So, this is just one more example of draconian policy, and the hurt they have inflicted upon the nation. Good on them for the defiance. Beer does not cause Covid. Stupidity and systemic corruption does. 

[ChrisY1]

Hillarious......" law enforcement “looking the other way” .......they never look the other way except when rewards are forthcoming!

[DefaultName]

Perhaps a check on the ownership of those bars?  Any RTP owners should be sacked, not "repositioned".

[Scott Tracy]

Here, where I am...went to a bar on Saturday night. Plenty of Regency.

Hotpot Monday, beer there too, popped outside to a bar prior to driving home..plenty of beer and Regency there too.

 

I don't drink while driving, but just saying, the wife and her sister were drinking as if there was no tomorrow. 

 

[Burma Bill]

3 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Re-positioned.. has a nice ring to it.

 

 

 

[ukrules]

8 hours ago, Walker88 said:

Police and govt officials were out en masse last night in Bangkok, from Soi 4 to Soi 8, making sure all restaurants were in compliance with the 'no alcohol' rule.

Until this complete nonsense ends I suggest that people cancel their plans to return to Thailand for holidays.

 

If you live here then of course you don't need bars or even alcohol in restaurants but for people on holiday I find they often like to relax with some alcoholic drinks and it will 100% be a deal breaker.

 

The no alcohol message needs to be reinforced to would be tourists before they book any holidays in Thailand after the reopening in 2021.

 

When they get here - everything you do on holiday has been banned - do not go to Thailand, go somewhere else.

[PETERTHEEATER]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

Five senior police officials from the Lumpini Police Station were ordered repositioned by the Royal Thai Police on Sunday,

Yes folks, they had to switch arm chairs and sofas......They who know the loneliness of command......????