Pattaya Police Target Belgian National In Work Permit Raid

[Rimmer]

Pattaya Police Target Belgian National in Work Permit Raid

PATTAYA: -- A Belgian national has been arrested by Pattaya Police on Tuesday morning after being found “managing” a bar in Soi Buakhao without the required paperwork. The establishment is registered in the name of offender’s Thai wife.

Pattaya, the 17th of August 2010 [PDN]: At approximately 1:00am on Tuesday, Colonel Athiswit Kamonrat (Chon-Buri Immigration Superintendent) conducted a raid on the “Dre’s Bar” in Soi Buakhao, Central Pattaya. The raid was instigated after investigating officers had observed the premises being managed and operated by a foreign national.

Full story HERE

PATTAYA DAILY NEWS

-- 2010-08-18

[newsfooter][/newsfooter]

[gburns57au]

Editor’s note: Assuming that Mr. Verdoodt is the financier of the bar, this case stands as a prime example of how a seemingly innocent foreigner can be caught up in an Immigration nightmare for merely being in a bar “owned” my his Thai wife, let alone entertaining friends on the premises.

Despite this case being fairly minor, with Mr. Verdoodt and his wife having all the relevant paperwork for both the bar and its operations, Mr. Verdoodt will still face a tough time from Pattaya Police over the incident and a possible day in court. Unless of course the matter is solved by, other means or “dismissed” by the authorities.

I find this practice of including an editors note to a news story to be totally unprofessional and potentially damaging to any potential court action.

From the photo it clearly shows the guy on the serving side of the bar, not the customer side of the bar, He was seen serving drinks. Not so innocent, perhaps more stupid.

There is nothing wrong with the farang owner sitting customer side of the bar and chatting...once he goes into the bar proper than he is on thin ice.

Edited August 18, 2010 by gburns57au

[ukrules]

Bar owners should take note of this, I've been warning people about this for years but occasionally you do get some who will be behind the bar a good chunk of the time !

[basjke]

Editor’s note: Assuming that Mr. Verdoodt is the financier of the bar, this case stands as a prime example of how a seemingly innocent foreigner can be caught up in an Immigration nightmare for merely being in a bar “owned” my his Thai wife, let alone entertaining friends on the premises.

Despite this case being fairly minor, with Mr. Verdoodt and his wife having all the relevant paperwork for both the bar and its operations, Mr. Verdoodt will still face a tough time from Pattaya Police over the incident and a possible day in court. Unless of course the matter is solved by, other means or “dismissed” by the authorities.

I find this practice of including an editors note to a news story to be totally unprofessional and potentially damaging to any potential court action.

From the photo it clearly shows the guy on the serving side of the bar, not the customer side of the bar, He was seen serving drinks. Not so innocent, perhaps more stupid.

There is nothing wrong with the farang owner sitting customer side of the bar and chatting...once he goes into the bar proper than he is on thin ice.

Where does it show a picture from Andre at the serving side of the bar?All I see is a picture of Andre sitting at a table inside the bar with customers at both sides and him inluded as a customer.I also know that Andre would never serve drinks himself,but clearly now in the land of fake smiles it is foreigners prohibited to talk with friends in a bar.

Isn't it time for all foreigners who sponsor a Thai citizen with a business to just withdraw their investments and send their employees back to the rice fields where they come from to go earn again 50 Baht a day with hard labour.

Thank you for your work but goodbye because we have to shut down now since your government doesn't allow us to give you a job where you can provide support for your whole family.

[somtampet]

Maybe 2 reasons why this bar has been raided

1/ always busy so the cops want a hand out

2/A jealous bar owner who has an empty bar snitching on him, due to Dre bar selling cheap booze.

[gburns57au]

Editor’s note: Assuming that Mr. Verdoodt is the financier of the bar, this case stands as a prime example of how a seemingly innocent foreigner can be caught up in an Immigration nightmare for merely being in a bar “owned” my his Thai wife, let alone entertaining friends on the premises.

Despite this case being fairly minor, with Mr. Verdoodt and his wife having all the relevant paperwork for both the bar and its operations, Mr. Verdoodt will still face a tough time from Pattaya Police over the incident and a possible day in court. Unless of course the matter is solved by, other means or “dismissed” by the authorities.

I find this practice of including an editors note to a news story to be totally unprofessional and potentially damaging to any potential court action.

From the photo it clearly shows the guy on the serving side of the bar, not the customer side of the bar, He was seen serving drinks. Not so innocent, perhaps more stupid.

There is nothing wrong with the farang owner sitting customer side of the bar and chatting...once he goes into the bar proper than he is on thin ice.

Where does it show a picture from Andre at the serving side of the bar?All I see is a picture of Andre sitting at a table inside the bar with customers at both sides and him inluded as a customer.I also know that Andre would never serve drinks himself,but clearly now in the land of fake smiles it is foreigners prohibited to talk with friends in a bar.

Isn't it time for all foreigners who sponsor a Thai citizen with a business to just withdraw their investments and send their employees back to the rice fields where they come from to go earn again 50 Baht a day with hard labour.

Thank you for your work but goodbye because we have to shut down now since your government doesn't allow us to give you a job where you can provide support for your whole family.

So the asian guy in the white shirt with the ID/key lanyard holding a slip of paper is a customer? and he has a bar where customers sit both sides of the bar? Even blind freddy can see that he is on the same side of the bar as staff.

[basjke]

Editors note: Assuming that Mr. Verdoodt is the financier of the bar, this case stands as a prime example of how a seemingly innocent foreigner can be caught up in an Immigration nightmare for merely being in a bar owned my his Thai wife, let alone entertaining friends on the premises.

Despite this case being fairly minor, with Mr. Verdoodt and his wife having all the relevant paperwork for both the bar and its operations, Mr. Verdoodt will still face a tough time from Pattaya Police over the incident and a possible day in court. Unless of course the matter is solved by, other means or dismissed by the authorities.

I find this practice of including an editors note to a news story to be totally unprofessional and potentially damaging to any potential court action.

From the photo it clearly shows the guy on the serving side of the bar, not the customer side of the bar, He was seen serving drinks. Not so innocent, perhaps more stupid.

There is nothing wrong with the farang owner sitting customer side of the bar and chatting...once he goes into the bar proper than he is on thin ice.

Where does it show a picture from Andre at the serving side of the bar?All I see is a picture of Andre sitting at a table inside the bar with customers at both sides and him inluded as a customer.I also know that Andre would never serve drinks himself,but clearly now in the land of fake smiles it is foreigners prohibited to talk with friends in a bar.

Isn't it time for all foreigners who sponsor a Thai citizen with a business to just withdraw their investments and send their employees back to the rice fields where they come from to go earn again 50 Baht a day with hard labour.

Thank you for your work but goodbye because we have to shut down now since your government doesn't allow us to give you a job where you can provide support for your whole family.

So the asian guy in the white shirt with the ID/key lanyard holding a slip of paper is a customer? and he has a bar where customers sit both sides of the bar? Even blind freddy can see that he is on the same side of the bar as staff.

Ok blind Freddy,I have no idea who the asian guy is but the table in the picture is situated at the entrance of Dre's bar and runs parallel with the street.It is Dre's favorite seat where all his Belgian friends sit together all the time.The bar is located further inside the bar and isn't pictured in the article.

Please tell me you are not one of those foreigners who work for immigration with the sole purpose of getting other foreigners set up and money extorted or deported.

Edited August 18, 2010 by basjke

[SAW]

Quite easy to prove your innocence here. There should be by law video cameras that cover every direction inside the bar, they should at least record for up to 1 week.

I would tell them to take me to court along with my lawyer and armed with video evidence for at least 168 hours (1 week) and show the judge.

The copper reading in the first picture is the same one that deals with people that get bought into the station for unlawful use of music IE no license to play Thai music etc. There is a back room where one negotiates a "fee" with the representative from the music industry that took you to the station and that fee is then no doubt shared amongst the top boys in soi 9.

To many people get frightened and intimidated by the bib, if you have done nothing wrong and are 100% innocent and you can prove that, tell them to take it to court.

Complete and utter corruption, extortion and disgraceful behavior, but that is the way it works here everything is $$ no pay no play.

Edited August 19, 2010 by SAW

[FarangBuddha]

Isn't it time for all foreigners who sponsor a Thai citizen with a business to just withdraw their investments and send their employees back to the rice fields where they come from to go earn again 50 Baht a day with hard labour.

It may come as a surprise to many who spend most of their time drinking in the ticky-tacky bars of soi Bua Khow that these businesses add little to the over all Thai economy. So go ahead and withdraw you "sponsorship" and the only looser will be you and your dodgy "business" visas.

[QED]

Reading the comments on the PDN website, somebody said he has been snitching on other bars in competition with him for years, but someone came along with more clout / money.

I don't know anything about it, but if that is true then he deserves it.

If not, he was silly to be serving behind the bar.

[basjke]

Isn't it time for all foreigners who sponsor a Thai citizen with a business to just withdraw their investments and send their employees back to the rice fields where they come from to go earn again 50 Baht a day with hard labour.

It may come as a surprise to many who spend most of their time drinking in the ticky-tacky bars of soi Bua Khow that these businesses add little to the over all Thai economy. So go ahead and withdraw you "sponsorship" and the only looser will be you and your dodgy "business" visas.

So you mean that those ticky tacky bars don't have thai citizens employed which earn a salary they could not earn in their hometown?Do you mean that the don't order their goods from Thai business people?

Do you mean they don't rent from and some times pay silly key moneys to Thai people?

[AmericanInExile]

Isn't it time for all foreigners who sponsor a Thai citizen with a business to just withdraw their investments and send their employees back to the rice fields where they come from to go earn again 50 Baht a day with hard labour.

It may come as a surprise to many who spend most of their time drinking in the ticky-tacky bars of soi Bua Khow that these businesses add little to the over all Thai economy. So go ahead and withdraw you "sponsorship" and the only looser will be you and your dodgy "business" visas.

So you mean that those ticky tacky bars don't have thai citizens employed which earn a salary they could not earn in their hometown?Do you mean that the don't order their goods from Thai business people?

Do you mean they don't rent from and some times pay silly key moneys to Thai people?

All the rinky-dink bars, beer-bars, and other hang-outs operated by ferengs in Pattaya and the other tourist areas of Thailand could close tomorrow and the Thai economy would not miss a beat. People who spend their time in these places or are somehow connected to them get a warped sense of their importance to the overall economy (because they never get out of this environment and see the real Thai economy). If they closed, the employees would be gainfully employed in other areas of the growing service and manufacturing sectors and the buildings re-rented to more socially useful business.

[Soutpeel]

If they closed, the employees would be gainfully employed in other areas of the growing service and manufacturing sectors and the buildings re-rented to more socially useful business.

Your serious aint you ???........

[monty]

So the asian guy in the white shirt with the ID/key lanyard holding a slip of paper is a customer? and he has a bar where customers sit both sides of the bar? Even blind freddy can see that he is on the same side of the bar as staff.

The Asian guy with the ID/key Lanyard is one of the arresting cops

Edited August 19, 2010 by monty

[davyboy]

Editor's note: Assuming that Mr. Verdoodt is the financier of the bar, this case stands as a prime example of how a seemingly innocent foreigner can be caught up in an Immigration nightmare for merely being in a bar "owned" my his Thai wife, let alone entertaining friends on the premises.

Despite this case being fairly minor, with Mr. Verdoodt and his wife having all the relevant paperwork for both the bar and its operations, Mr. Verdoodt will still face a tough time from Pattaya Police over the incident and a possible day in court. Unless of course the matter is solved by, other means or "dismissed" by the authorities.

I find this practice of including an editors note to a news story to be totally unprofessional and potentially damaging to any potential court action.

From the photo it clearly shows the guy on the serving side of the bar, not the customer side of the bar, He was seen serving drinks. Not so innocent, perhaps more stupid.

There is nothing wrong with the farang owner sitting customer side of the bar and chatting...once he goes into the bar proper than he is on thin ice.

Where does it show a picture from Andre at the serving side of the bar?All I see is a picture of Andre sitting at a table inside the bar with customers at both sides and him inluded as a customer.I also know that Andre would never serve drinks himself,but clearly now in the land of fake smiles it is foreigners prohibited to talk with friends in a bar.

Isn't it time for all foreigners who sponsor a Thai citizen with a business to just withdraw their investments and send their employees back to the rice fields where they come from to go earn again 50 Baht a day with hard labour.

Thank you for your work but goodbye because we have to shut down now since your government doesn't allow us to give you a job where you can provide support for your whole family.

So the asian guy in the white shirt with the ID/key lanyard holding a slip of paper is a customer? and he has a bar where customers sit both sides of the bar? Even blind freddy can see that he is on the same side of the bar as staff.

Couldn't it be that the Asian guy was only taking a drinks order for the table? :rolleyes:

[AboveAverage]

soi Bua Khow is a cesspit

[AmericanInExile]

If they closed, the employees would be gainfully employed in other areas of the growing service and manufacturing sectors and the buildings re-rented to more socially useful business.

Your serious aint you ???........

Most definitely...get out of the fereng ghettos sometime and see the real Thailand and its booming (non-fleshpot) economy [Thai stock market up 20% YTD...USA market flat YTD!].

[smedly]

soi Bua Khow is a cesspit

wonderful highly intelectual post there from someone that can easily recognise a ceespit lol

seems to me that (as already mentioned) - someone set this guy up

doesn't take too much to figure that out of all the bars in pattaya (100's) this one gets attention from the BIB

I remember reading here not so long ago about a Pharmacy on the hill getting done for selling certain stiffening drugs from India, well every pharmacy in pattaya sells them openly.

[basjke]

If they closed, the employees would be gainfully employed in other areas of the growing service and manufacturing sectors and the buildings re-rented to more socially useful business.

Your serious aint you ???........

Most definitely...get out of the fereng ghettos sometime and see the real Thailand and its booming (non-fleshpot) economy [Thai stock market up 20% YTD...USA market flat YTD!].

Let me guess,you arrived in Thailand the other day or will you come soon?

[AboveAverage]

Only the farang with tight budgets drink down in that area

[basjke]

Only the farang with tight budgets drink down in that area

So that makes it a cesspit then?You must be drinking there also if you are so well informed about the budgets of the people who drink there.Or maybe you are serving drinks...

[mark45y]

Isn't it time for all foreigners who sponsor a Thai citizen with a business to just withdraw their investments and send their employees back to the rice fields where they come from to go earn again 50 Baht a day with hard labour.

It may come as a surprise to many who spend most of their time drinking in the ticky-tacky bars of soi Bua Khow that these businesses add little to the over all Thai economy. So go ahead and withdraw you "sponsorship" and the only looser will be you and your dodgy "business" visas.

So you mean that those ticky tacky bars don't have thai citizens employed which earn a salary they could not earn in their hometown?Do you mean that the don't order their goods from Thai business people?

Do you mean they don't rent from and some times pay silly key moneys to Thai people?

All the rinky-dink bars, beer-bars, and other hang-outs operated by ferengs in Pattaya and the other tourist areas of Thailand could close tomorrow and the Thai economy would not miss a beat. People who spend their time in these places or are somehow connected to them get a warped sense of their importance to the overall economy (because they never get out of this environment and see the real Thai economy). If they closed, the employees would be gainfully employed in other areas of the growing service and manufacturing sectors and the buildings re-rented to more socially useful business.

You could take the "I know Thailand test."

How many bars are in Pattaya?

How many women work in the naughty nightlife business in Thailand?

What is the difference between money brought in to a bar or fleshpot and money brought in by auto sales? What is the ratio of actual money brought into the Thai economy?

Say I buy a car for 500,000 baht or spend 500,000 baht in a bar. How much money from the auto goes into the Thai economy as opposed to the bar?

What % of GDP is related to the bright lights business in Thailand?

Do you think the farmers in Issan get their money from growing rice?

What % of the Thai economy is agricultural?

[mark45y]

Only the farang with tight budgets drink down in that area

The dummies go to Walking street, Beach road and 2nd avenue.

The smart money goes elsewhere. Ask yourself who knows more about Pattaya. The weekend millionaires or a Pattaya expat?

Where do the Pattaya expats go?

I could tell you as I have lived here for a long time but I won’t.

[AmericanInExile]

Isn't it time for all foreigners who sponsor a Thai citizen with a business to just withdraw their investments and send their employees back to the rice fields where they come from to go earn again 50 Baht a day with hard labour.

It may come as a surprise to many who spend most of their time drinking in the ticky-tacky bars of soi Bua Khow that these businesses add little to the over all Thai economy. So go ahead and withdraw you "sponsorship" and the only looser will be you and your dodgy "business" visas.

So you mean that those ticky tacky bars don't have thai citizens employed which earn a salary they could not earn in their hometown?Do you mean that the don't order their goods from Thai business people?

Do you mean they don't rent from and some times pay silly key moneys to Thai people?

All the rinky-dink bars, beer-bars, and other hang-outs operated by ferengs in Pattaya and the other tourist areas of Thailand could close tomorrow and the Thai economy would not miss a beat. People who spend their time in these places or are somehow connected to them get a warped sense of their importance to the overall economy (because they never get out of this environment and see the real Thai economy). If they closed, the employees would be gainfully employed in other areas of the growing service and manufacturing sectors and the buildings re-rented to more socially useful business.

You could take the "I know Thailand test."

How many bars are in Pattaya?

How many women work in the naughty nightlife business in Thailand?

What is the difference between money brought in to a bar or fleshpot and money brought in by auto sales? What is the ratio of actual money brought into the Thai economy?

Say I buy a car for 500,000 baht or spend 500,000 baht in a bar. How much money from the auto goes into the Thai economy as opposed to the bar?

What % of GDP is related to the bright lights business in Thailand?

Do you think the farmers in Issan get their money from growing rice?

What % of the Thai economy is agricultural?

Why the need to defend the sex-industry in Thailand...all I said was that the low-rent side of the bar/entertainment industry could disappear tomorrow and the OVERALL Thai economy would not miss a beat. Tourist numbers have been down for years now (both sex-tourists and normal folks) but the Thai economy is doing fine. Agricultural and manufacturing exports make up most of the Thai economy, with tourism a nice cherry on top.

[mark45y]

Not defending it. But your facts are in error.

Might not hurt to learn something about the real Thai economy before making statements about business in Thailand.

When you can answer the questions I posed correctly it will give you a starting point.

You might also want to determine what percent of the Thai economy is off the books. Would 50% surprise you?

[AboveAverage]

Farang shouldnt be allowed to owns bars in thailand.

Edited August 19, 2010 by AboveAverage

[Soutpeel]

If they closed, the employees would be gainfully employed in other areas of the growing service and manufacturing sectors and the buildings re-rented to more socially useful business.

Your serious aint you ???........

Most definitely...get out of the fereng ghettos sometime and see the real Thailand and its booming (non-fleshpot) economy [Thai stock market up 20% YTD...USA market flat YTD!].

I cant get out of the Farang ghetto and see the real Thailand..cos I dont live in Farang ghetto to start with....

Pop quiz

Are you

A: A pensioner living in Issan, and therefore you are at one with Thainess and really know the real Thailand ----

B: An "English teacher" living on the bones of their arse dreaming of being the next George Soros,

C Dont even live in Thailand/or have just arrived and havent quite taken the rosey spectacles off ??

[Soutpeel]

Farang shouldnt be allowed to owns bars in thailand.

most dont, they mearly provide the funds to open them....

[basjke]

Farang shouldnt be allowed to owns bars in thailand.

Are you a Thai national(ist)?

[mark45y]

If they closed, the employees would be gainfully employed in other areas of the growing service and manufacturing sectors and the buildings re-rented to more socially useful business.

Your serious aint you ???........

Most definitely...get out of the fereng ghettos sometime and see the real Thailand and its booming (non-fleshpot) economy [Thai stock market up 20% YTD...USA market flat YTD!].

I cant get out of the Farang ghetto and see the real Thailand..cos I dont live in Farang ghetto to start with....

Pop quiz

Are you

A: A pensioner living in Issan, and therefore you are at one with Thainess and really know the real Thailand ----

B: An "English teacher" living on the bones of their arse dreaming of being the next George Soros,

C Dont even live in Thailand/or have just arrived and havent quite taken the rosey spectacles off ??

I would say he was an older guy who does not drink much or like women. Probably does not know much about the bar scene. If one looks at the information available on the web about bars and tourism and Thailand's economy one might draw the same conclusions. However when you look at the real numbers and the black and gray market economy you get a totally different picture.