Kinnaree Palace Gentlemans Club Raided By Immigration

[norrona]

yep the farang police have set up stings both with thais and the uzbekistanis....

you have the elvis bloke from the land of bulbs and the danish cretin who resembles Mr burns from the simpsons

[sriracha john]

IMO, absolutly immoral and unethical action by any law enforcement group, and certainly those foreign volunteers, if the facts described in the news articles posted by SRJ occurred as described.

I'm sure some Pattaya foreign volunteer police members view this forum. Perhaps some would step up, and justify or explain their side of the story, or at least clarify the facts.

It'd be a first if they did... they haven't previously when it's been posted, but then that's understandable to some degree.

Who'd want to give up such a good and stress-relieving gig? And free, to boot.

Edited April 6, 2009 by sriracha john

[thainet]

IMO, absolutly immoral and unethical action by any law enforcement group, and certainly those foreign volunteers, if the facts described in the news articles posted by SRJ occurred as described.

I'm sure some Pattaya foreign volunteer police members view this forum. Perhaps some would step up, and justify or explain their side of the story, or at least clarify the facts.

It'd be a first if they did... they haven't previously when it's been posted, but then that's understandable to some degree.

Who'd want to give up such a good and stress-relieving gig? And free, to boot.

< flame snipped >

Go down to WS and talk with the guys on duty, and maybe you'll change your perspective.

And until you do that and possibly see them as extremely helpful and respectful (as I and many other WS owners do) then your

< further flaming snipped >

Cheers for now..

[sriracha john]

IMO, absolutly immoral and unethical action by any law enforcement group, and certainly those foreign volunteers, if the facts described in the news articles posted by SRJ occurred as described.

I'm sure some Pattaya foreign volunteer police members view this forum. Perhaps some would step up, and justify or explain their side of the story, or at least clarify the facts.

It'd be a first if they did... they haven't previously when it's been posted, but then that's understandable to some degree.

Who'd want to give up such a good and stress-relieving gig? And free, to boot.

< flame snipped >

Go down to WS and talk with the guys on duty, and maybe you'll change your perspective.

And until you do that and possibly see them as extremely helpful and respectful (as I and many other WS owners do) then your

< further flaming snipped >

Cheers for now..

Shame they choose not to post on relevant issues that many people, other than myself, have.

[NanLaew]

I believe the Immigration Police have a broader remit than illegal workers and visa dodgers. From various recent posts, they have been the door-breakers on tax-avoidance and money forgery cases too. I guess the key is the foreign ownership here since I don't recall Kinnaree laying claim to having workers from Burma or Cambodia. I only ever visited once, chatted with the owner for a spell, had a couple of beers and left.

I guess when a 'hideaway' loses it's mystery status and becomes as well-known and popular as Kinnaree did, it's only a matter of time before it becomes a visible target of 'law enforcement'.

They are earnestly trying to clean up the city and striving to make Pattaya a family vacation hot-spot after all.

[Cuban]

>They are earnestly trying to clean up the city and striving to make Pattaya a family vacation hot-spot after all.

Indeed - when I heard of this 'raid' I wondered if it was because of a zoning violation - maybe someone had a house nearby, or was buying a section of the land around KPGC and wanted it to be more residental ?

Either way I hope that the farangs that assisted in closing this place were caught on camera and their faces circulated to other venues, they have clearly sold their souls to be involved with such dirty work.

Hope things smooth out for you Ray.

[MSingh]

The Foreign Tourist Police Volunteers at your service.... again and again...

PATTAYA VOLUNTEER POLICE INDULGE IN UZBEK STING OPERATION

Undercover Pattaya Tourist Police pretend to solicit sex from foreign women. Four women from Republic of Uzbekistan were arrested.

On the 22nd May 2007, at 02:30 am, Pol. Lt. Col. Withichart Luensukan, Tourist Police Inspector of Pattaya, and his team, planned an operation to nab Uzbek Prostitutes around the night time entertainment areas. The undercover Pattaya Tourist Police officers managed to arrest four ladies who were offering their services.

The foreign undercover officers made arrangements with the four Uzbek women for sexual services at the Pattaya Inn Hotel, Soi B.J., Walking Street, South Pattaya, Nongprue, Banglamung, Chonburi, Rooms 203, 206 and 207. When the love making sessions were concluded, the prostitutes asked for 2,000 baht each. The undercover representatives gave a total of 8,000 baht to the women, and the police placed them under arrest.

[nam-thip]

Uzbekistan’s arrested in police sting offering sex for sale?

When will the tourist police volunteers make a start on Thai’s selling sex from beer bars, go-go bars, night clubs, massage parlours, beach road and the internet.

It doesn’t happen as its illegal for Thai's to do such things?

My heads up my arse so I cant see?

[NanLaew]

What's the latest on the Kinnaree raid and follow up? Anyone spoken with Ray?

I would ask myself but out of the country right now.

[thainet]

Actually I bumped into the boss yesterday and he had to pay an undisclosed fine and will probably be allowed to reopen after all the ASEAN mess is over, although his new venue on the hill is still going ok.

Apparently Pattaya Immigration detectives (they are part of the Royal Thai Police by the way and have 'carte blanche' juristiction over anything 'farang' related) have been put on notice by the new Immigration Colonel to bust some of the more prominent bars/clubs etc where foreigners definitely play a big part, so this may continue, but who knows. It has also been learn't recently that apparently immigration offices all over Thailand are using foreign overstayers (and with other deportable crimes) to do there inside work for them. If you are an overstayer etc and one shitty deed gets you another few months (or no jail) then most of them will go for it obviously. This is nothing new though as it's been happening for at least 20 years in Bangkok and lately in Chiangmai and Khao San Road with drugs. I would think there are probably hundreds of these type of guys all over Thailand, and if the authorities have your passport what choice do you have. This has also happened in Pattaya over the past few years also with Immigration or Police bringing in guys from other areas and then they disperse as quickly as they came, with no one any the wiser of who they were (I know as we were caught out once). Sad the Thai authorities revert to this and it makes it much harder for us owners to differentiate. Why some places are targeted over others still eludes me after so many years.

Anyway one bright spot is that with so many police deployed for the next week of so with ASEAN, US Military, Songkran and Red Shirts they shld leave the bars alone. Happy Easter to all.

[NanLaew]

Actually I bumped into the boss yesterday and he had to pay an undisclosed fine and will probably be allowed to reopen after all the ASEAN mess is over, although his new venue on the hill is still going ok.

Apparently Pattaya Immigration detectives (they are part of the Royal Thai Police by the way and have 'carte blanche' juristiction over anything 'farang' related) have been put on notice by the new Immigration Colonel to bust some of the more prominent bars/clubs etc where foreigners definitely play a big part, so this may continue, but who knows. It has also been learn't recently that apparently immigration offices all over Thailand are using foreign overstayers (and with other deportable crimes) to do there inside work for them. If you are an overstayer etc and one shitty deed gets you another few months (or no jail) then most of them will go for it obviously. This is nothing new though as it's been happening for at least 20 years in Bangkok and lately in Chiangmai and Khao San Road with drugs. I would think there are probably hundreds of these type of guys all over Thailand, and if the authorities have your passport what choice do you have. This has also happened in Pattaya over the past few years also with Immigration or Police bringing in guys from other areas and then they disperse as quickly as they came, with no one any the wiser of who they were (I know as we were caught out once). Sad the Thai authorities revert to this and it makes it much harder for us owners to differentiate. Why some places are targeted over others still eludes me after so many years.

Anyway one bright spot is that with so many police deployed for the next week of so with ASEAN, US Military, Songkran and Red Shirts they shld leave the bars alone. Happy Easter to all.

Thanks for that update. Good point that the ASEAN circle-jerk probably caused a lot more action and this was just one of the sideshows. Nice to note also that one does not have to exclusively be a FPA or a TPV to be a grass.

[oevna]

Uzbekistan’s arrested in police sting offering sex for sale?

When will the tourist police volunteers make a start on Thai’s selling sex from beer bars, go-go bars, night clubs, massage parlours, beach road and the internet.

It doesn’t happen as its illegal for Thai's to do such things?

My heads up my arse so I cant see?

It's true, clearly there are other motivations for this raid than just an earnest attempt to clean up the city, since the same type of activity and more goes on right in front of their eyes as they patrol Walking Street.

Has anyone confirmed whether or not these are the same Foreign Volunteer Police as the ones who patrol Walking Street? Or were they the type of "volunteers" that Thainet described (i.e. people who committed deportable crimes such as visa overstays, etc. and agreed to go "undercover" in return for lenience)?

[Arkady]

Wasn't there a case in Pattaya a year or two back when foreign police informers went into a bar and persuaded to the girls to play pool strip poker style? When they had good all the girls naked they called the cops to come and arrest them for indecent behaviour. Why would the cops bother tracking down dangerous criminals when they can have fun actually creating their own crimes and arresting a bunch of naked girls and fill up their bust quotas just the same. As for the foreign "volunteers", they must be pretty desparate low lifes.

[steelepulse]

Did these volunteers have a work permit for this undercover work?  Maybe they have one for walking around in a uniform, maybe, but certainly they can't get a work permit for getting freebies can they?

[NanLaew]

Nobody can confirm if this bust was facilitated through legitimate, legal, farang police volunteers OR the Immigration Police using press-ganged, illegal, farang visa overstayers.

Since nobody here can lay claim to personally knowing anyone in the latter category and therefore legitimately deny the very existence of such a low-life person, I guess it must be the former. However, if I was a betting man, I know where I would place my money.

Either way, once the fine is paid and the ASEAN tossers leave town, it will be business as usual down Pratumnak Hill way.

[Mobi]

As with everything in amazing Thailand, the police action at Kinnaree is a total joke in every possible way.

The whole area from Beach to 3^rd road, bordered by Pattaya Ta and Pattaya Nua contains what is arguably the world’s largest whorehouse “co-operative”, operated with the connivance of, and in partnership with, Thailand’s Mafia Police.

And before anyone starts blaming the cesspit sex tourists for this state of affairs, I suggest you pop down Soi 8, off Thepasit Road, Jomtien, where you will find a growing collection of Thai operated karaoke Bars (a pseudonym for Thai whorehouses for the Thais), with so many scantily dressed girls sitting on the sidewalks (many of whom look distinctly underage) that it is starting to put Soi Yodsak in Pattaya to shame.

I have long been surprised how farangs have been allowed to operate such establishments as Kineree and Jade House, and IMO, this is at least partly a move against the farangs who own them, and if I was involved in such ventures, I would be concerned about my long term business prospects, to say nothing of my well being.

But the business will undoubtedly continue, albeit under new, loacal ownership

[Asianrider]

look at the big picture here, the business isn't shut down, just an additional "tax" payment made, and everything carries on as normal.......