Bangkok: Raid on infamous Tao Poon casino fails as search warrant expires

[klauskunkel]

Deputy PM and Police Captain Chalerm comments: This is not really a disaster, since the police was able to turn this situation into a training exercise. Nook, nook, wink, wink, gargle, burp (damn cough syrup)

[jmccarty]

This looks like another job for....the DSI!

[bkk_mike]

I'm just wondering where the judge who issued the search warrant goes at 8pm each day....

[mamypoko]

Knowing next to nada (understatement) about the Thai legal system, I kinda got a warm fuzzy feeling hearing search warrants even exist.

[SOTIRIOS]

...what a pathetic joke....justice served in Thailand once again...

[CrisRMenumate]

Note to self: do not be surprised by the stupidity of stupid people or as Forrest Gump says: "My momma always says, Stupid is as stupid does" and it does here a LOT

[globin]

Thai Police are as good as they need to be when policing things like casino's for the purposes of gambling, thankfully they are not like the self righteous Gestapo that seems to have been given a carte blanc in many other countries.

[unanimosity]

Am i missing something here ?

Search warrant expires at 7:30pm .

They where there at 07:00pm ?

What is the problem ?

Didn't have a reservation?

[Thai at Heart]

Recounted this story to the missus,

Her comment.

"Tao Poon, lot tit maak....."

[hellodolly]

Quite obviously in Thailand you don't need to be very smart to make it to the top of the Police tree.

Just pay the money over and you are there.

Morals not called for in fact grounds for disqualification.

[AleG]

Am i missing something here ?

Search warrant expires at 7:30pm .

They where there at 07:00pm ?

What is the problem ?

The problem is they got there half an hour too early and had to shuffle around like embarrassed zombies until the warrant expired.

[MaxYakov]

What type of a search warrant expires at 7.30pm?

What a joke of a system......

The type that assures it won't interfere with the serious-money evening gamblers, of course. If they really wanted to nail them, why couldn't they just send in undercover vice agents with hidden cameras? The answer is not-so-hidden in the question. Does anyone know the details of Thai search law? We can easily surmise that he with the most money wins when it comes to LE in Thailand.

Edited June 27, 2013 by MaxYakov

[ratcatcher]

seriously... this is professional police work at its best, how can a search warrant for a night time establishment expire at 7.30 pm? are they having a lend... and the deal is they are announcing they will get a new search warrant for tonight... sending a message to all involved... and they complain about pesky tourists who harm the reputation of Thailand by complaining about getting ripped off... sorry BIB you are doing a great job yourself with the support of the Pink Cadillac driver

Police captain Chalerm might forgive you for laughing at the police force, but he will never forgive you for referring to his pink Bentley as a Cadillac.

[drdoom6996]

The right person paid the right amount to the other right person. Oops to late, lets go home.

[stoli]

Am i missing something here ?

Search warrant expires at 7:30pm .

They where there at 07:00pm ?

What is the problem ?

Thank you for noticing that also. I had the same question.

[Just1Voice]

The best comedy writers in Hollywood can't come up with skits as funny as what goes on here.

[tonneke breda]

And the Circus never ends.

[wolf5370]

What I don't understand - if intentional, then why bother at all, and make yourself look stupid. Seems to me it is just sheer incompetence rather than some conspiracy.

Thai's equivalent to "Couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery" = "Couldn't find a gambler in a casino"

[Thai at Heart]

What I don't understand - if intentional, then why bother at all, and make yourself look stupid. Seems to me it is just sheer incompetence rather than some conspiracy.

Thai's equivalent to "Couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery" = "Couldn't find a gambler in a casino"

You ever laughed at a Thai policeman to his face?

[johnlandy]

My first instinct would be to say that a copious amount of tea money ensured their "delay", or the short expiry on the warrant. But on second thought, sheer incompetence from everyone involved is all the explanation needed.

Exactly, what a bunch of bumbling dolts. Who ties their shoe laces every day.

Nothing more than could be expected from the scum though.

[TackyToo]

Am i missing something here ?

Search warrant expires at 7:30pm .

They where there at 07:00pm ?

What is the problem ?

At the entrance it took them too long to change to the required dress code

[wolf5370]

What I don't understand - if intentional, then why bother at all, and make yourself look stupid. Seems to me it is just sheer incompetence rather than some conspiracy.

Thai's equivalent to "Couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery" = "Couldn't find a gambler in a casino"

You ever laughed at a Thai policeman to his face?

"With", yes - "at", no - I also refrain from putting my penis in the blender too.

[tragickingdom]

A search warrant that expires a half hour later. It must be a first. Check upon the issuing judge and don't be baffled when he has connections. Or the police chief or the prosecutor. Nobody ever seem to bother about a search warrant when they raid the house of a poor farmer looking for drugs. Worse the police is working with pre-signed, pre stamped permits the only thing they need to do is fill in the address after they have ransacked the place and planted the drugs

[virtualtraveller]

Not sure if this is a joke or the Thai police trying to outdo their own reputation for embarrassing incompetence.

[monkey4u]

How much did it cost to wait 30 minutes?

The politics of this country are really flucked up.

Its sad as this is a great place to live, just dont read the news

[kevvy]

comedy capers

[pacovl46]

Why am I not surprised??? Everyone involved and responsible for letting the warrant expire needs to be fired immediately without severance pay!!!

[Thai at Heart]

Why am I not surprised??? Everyone involved and responsible for letting the warrant expire needs to be fired immediately without severance pay!!!

Mai dai kap. Lot tit maaaak

[EyesWideOpen]

What I don't understand - if intentional, then why bother at all, and make yourself look stupid. Seems to me it is just sheer incompetence rather than some conspiracy.

Thai's equivalent to "Couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery" = "Couldn't find a gambler in a casino"

You ever laughed at a Thai policeman to his face?

I did better than that. At a highway checkpoint where I was being shaken down, in front of his subordinates, in Thai, I told the ranking policeman he was nothing more than the mafia stealing money from poor people, and that all the Thai people hated the police. For a couple of seconds, I was not sure if he was going to have a heart attack, or shoot me........ So see , not everyone is afraid of the police. :-)

Regarding this " raid", tough call between the appearance of incompetence or interrupting their casino income stream.

Edited June 27, 2013 by EyesWideOpen

[nicknostitz]

I think i have to point out here that the issue is a bit more complicated than what many people here assume.

The casino is owned by a very influential and wealthy Democrat Party family, surrounded by a slum and a neighborhood which is fiercely loyal to that family as the family has done a lot of good in the area and is supporting a lot of local welfare causes. This is one of the last traditional godfather style areas left in Bangkok. Local police is naturally depending financially on this casino, and has to somehow keep the balance of peace in the area as well. In addition to that - the casino is not a little run of the mill backstreet operation. It a place where people with money and influence go to gamble. It's also heavily fortified.

Over the years there have been many attempts to close the casino down, so far without any success.