Chiang Mai to curb on 'extortive' Karaoke Bars

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Chiang Mai To Curb On 'Extortive' Karaoke Bars
By Khaosod Online



CHIANG MAI: -- Chiang Mai Governor Thanin Suphasaen said that the authorities and other related organisations are planning to curb on overpriced services within the Province.

Mr. Thanin said he had been receiving complaints against seven restaurants and karaoke bars, but it is generally understood that patrons who visit the streetside bars in Chiang Mai are often charged extorted prices for their drinks and bar companions.

The Chiang Mai provincial authority has also had a meeting and agreed to propose guidelines which would prohibit nightlife establishments from overcharging their customers.

If they fail to do so, legal prosecutions would be applied, under both criminal and administrative laws.

Police force also regularly patrol the sites and and encourage business owners to follow the new guidelines.

Chiang Mai Governor said he would instruct the Revenue Department in the Northern region to check the business performances of the 7 establishments which were the sources of many complaints, in order to oversee their performance, and advise them on revenue tax system.

According to Mr. Thanin, the authority will compile monthly reports regarding the performance of the venues, starting from 30 September onwards.

Source: http://www.khaosod.co.th/en/view_newsonline.php?newsid=TVRNNE1EQXlNelEzTnc9PQ==

-- KHAOSOD English 2013-09-25

[WinnieTheKhwai]

This is a little confusing.. I thought the main issue was with the flashier establishments such as those on Chang Klan and Chiang Mai Land.

The place pictured (and also referred to in the text as 'street side bars') does not seem to be a category that's particularly likely to be a scam place. I visit those on occasion and they tend to be very reasonably priced, with mostly Thai clientele.

[chooka]

don't all the bars charge double and triple the price of a beer than you could buy at say Tesco. I don't go to bars as a rule maybe 3 times per year when friends come over. Much cheaper and safer to do your drinking at home. I guess as more and more tourists come to Chiangmai to avoid places like Pattaya and Phuket then the scams and criminal element will follow them.

[lee b]

Never go to these places unless you want to spend 10000 thb for 2 small drinks. Oh sorry after alcohol tax went up 2 weeks ago it might be 15000 thb

[hanno]

don't all the bars charge double and triple the price of a beer than you could buy at say Tesco. I don't go to bars as a rule maybe 3 times per year when friends come over. Much cheaper and safer to do your drinking at home. I guess as more and more tourists come to Chiangmai to avoid places like Pattaya and Phuket then the scams and criminal element will follow them.

Nothing wrong with that; happens all over the world.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

don't all the bars charge double and triple the price of a beer than you could buy at say Tesco. I don't go to bars as a rule maybe 3 times per year when friends come over. Much cheaper and safer to do your drinking at home. I guess as more and more tourists come to Chiangmai to avoid places like Pattaya and Phuket then the scams and criminal element will follow them.

Well yes, except for many people (including Yours Truly), drinking is hardly the purpose of going to bars.

I got to bars to misbehave. And misbehaving at home isn't very fun.

I don't even drink at home.. don't even own alcohol, other than for cleaning stuff.

[chooka]

don't all the bars charge double and triple the price of a beer than you could buy at say Tesco. I don't go to bars as a rule maybe 3 times per year when friends come over. Much cheaper and safer to do your drinking at home. I guess as more and more tourists come to Chiangmai to avoid places like Pattaya and Phuket then the scams and criminal element will follow them.

Nothing wrong with that; happens all over the world.

That s true because of the overheads a can of beer in Australia (Melb) will cost you around 75 baht from a bottle shop and in a hotel it costs around 110 baht. (Melbourne airport 240 baht)

Edited September 25, 2013 by chooka

[anto]

Do these places get any Falang customers ?I think they cater to Thai mainly ,and maybe some other Asians .

[dru2]

This is a little confusing.. I thought the main issue was with the flashier establishments such as those on Chang Klan and Chiang Mai Land.

The place pictured (and also referred to in the text as 'street side bars') does not seem to be a category that's particularly likely to be a scam place. I visit those on occasion and they tend to be very reasonably priced, with mostly Thai clientele.

Especially as it states quite clearly over the bar pictured that three Leo beers cost 149 Baht....

[playbgnow]

I think the price should be even higher when frequenting these places, with heavy taxation to fund the recovery

[hanno]

This is a little confusing.. I thought the main issue was with the flashier establishments such as those on Chang Klan and Chiang Mai Land.

The place pictured (and also referred to in the text as 'street side bars') does not seem to be a category that's particularly likely to be a scam place. I visit those on occasion and they tend to be very reasonably priced, with mostly Thai clientele.

Especially as it states quite clearly over the bar pictured that three Leo beers cost 149 Baht....

Which is a pretty good deal in my book.

[DrFeelGood]

Please come to Phuket also!

[BDG]

My 24 year old son and his friend were kept hostage at a CM karaoke bar, by a gang with a gun and several knives. Their only crime was to have stepped inside the establishment and drank two beers each. When they wanted to leave, the bill was 10000 baht. They pleaded the whole night. In the morning one of them was let out to collect the cash. I had to bail them out.

It is pure criminality I tell you guys: NEVER attempt to get into a Karaoke bar in CM (or Phuket/Pattaya for what it's worth). Once you're in you turn into prey. It's Mafia with a capital M

[stoli]

Never go to these places unless you want to spend 10000 thb for 2 small drinks. Oh sorry after alcohol tax went up 2 weeks ago it might be 15000 thb

?????? A bit negative, are we?

[bristolgeoff]

mostly thais go there very few farang,so if there do something it will affect thais more farang

[aTomsLife]

I went to one of these establishments, during my first month in the country. Looked at the bill, they charge for things like turning the TV on to sing karaoke.

7500 baht for an hour of Karaoke. Not as bad as some of the horror stories I've heard, but at the time I was pretty upset about it.

[Just1Voice]

I've been in a total of 2 karaoke establishments in CNX in the 6 years I've been here. Both times it was with my wife & adopted son (he's 28 now). First time to Ten Karaoke where it was a total of about 5k for an hour in a private room for the three of us, plus 2 beers each. The 2nd time was at a restaurant that had once been a huge buffet with shops on the side. They had turned it into a full restaurant, all the shops had been removed and replaced with rooms with all glass fronts and sliding doors. You could reserve one, and have your dinner there as well. 4 people, 2 hours, only around 6k if I remember right.

From the things I've heard from others, the one area you really don't want to go is Chiang Mai Land. The husband of my wife's favorite cousin is a SnrSgtMajor with RTP, and even he has warned me not to go there.

[Bagwan]

don't all the bars charge double and triple the price of a beer than you could buy at say Tesco. I don't go to bars as a rule maybe 3 times per year when friends come over. Much cheaper and safer to do your drinking at home. I guess as more and more tourists come to Chiangmai to avoid places like Pattaya and Phuket then the scams and criminal element will follow them.

Nothing wrong with that; happens all over the world.

It may well happen all over the World but that doesn't make it right. Murders happen all over the World too.

[Wat dee]

Not a CM expert but nice attitute Khun Thanin!

[Bagwan]

Never go to these places unless you want to spend 10000 thb for 2 small drinks. Oh sorry after alcohol tax went up 2 weeks ago it might be 15000 thb

?????? A bit negative, are we?

I admire your restraint Stoli.

[slipperylobster]

Just looking at the place....no proper seating for big tood chang tourists..... why even stop there in the first place?

[SPIKECM]

The trouble with this is that the majority of karaoke bars in Chiang Mai are completely honest with their customers. There don't though all fit into one category. I have heard similar stories as your's from a friend of mine who was in the Tourist Police (like most, for a very short time). These crimes in their own are quite despicable, but these criminals are exploiting the decent Thais who don't rip you off. If this practice was widespread, Chiang Mai would not be the destination that it is. I have lived in Chiang Mai for 13 years and I am so sad that this can happen in a city which has such good people. Maybe in Bangkok in the places you are warned of, but not in Chiang Mai. Despicable, but more down to the fact that Thailand has a police force in name only.

I am truly disheartened to hear your story. Chiang Mai is a wonderful town with (the vast majority) are quite wonderful people. The "police" should be truly shamed of themselves to allow this to happen, but of course money is all that matters to them. Money made on the backs of the good people here more than the bad.

My 24 year old son and his friend were kept hostage at a CM karaoke bar, by a gang with a gun and several knives. Their only crime was to have stepped inside the establishment and drank two beers each. When they wanted to leave, the bill was 10000 baht. They pleaded the whole night. In the morning one of them was let out to collect the cash. I had to bail them out.

It is pure criminality I tell you guys: NEVER attempt to get into a Karaoke bar in CM (or Phuket/Pattaya for what it's worth). Once you're in you turn into prey. It's Mafia with a capital M

Edited September 25, 2013 by SPIKECM

[zoroastra999]

In my experience sexy (and sometimes not-so sexy!) girls are employed by karaoke bars to use whatever charm they may have at their disposal to extract as much money as possible from the wallets of their (almost exclusively) male clientèle. The promise of sex is the carrot that sucks the money.- and more often than not it is a promise which is destined to be broken once the overpriced girlie drinks and garlands of flowers have been paid for. The ill-gotten gains are shared between the girls and the bar owner while the punters stagger home poorer and usually not much wiser.

Extortion with a 'legal' face.

Or am I missing something?

[Moo2cm]

Their are a couple close to Central Airport Plaza also. They just keep bringing that 100 baht bucket of ice.

Of course they work with the biggest mafia in Thailand the P*l*c*. So good luck. Or maybe the second biggest.

[elektrified]

My 24 year old son and his friend were kept hostage at a CM karaoke bar, by a gang with a gun and several knives. Their only crime was to have stepped inside the establishment and drank two beers each. When they wanted to leave, the bill was 10000 baht. They pleaded the whole night. In the morning one of them was let out to collect the cash. I had to bail them out.

It is pure criminality I tell you guys: NEVER attempt to get into a Karaoke bar in CM (or Phuket/Pattaya for what it's worth). Once you're in you turn into prey. It's Mafia with a capital M

I met a Japanese guy about 3 years back that this very same thing happened to. He said that he just wanted to check out the vibe in one of the places, had 2 glasses of whiskey and rejected all other offers for girls to sing to him, food, etc. When 2 girls came in and began singing to him, he got suspicious, got up and walked out and said that he wanted to close his tab, pay the bill and leave. They told him his tab was already 10,000 THB. He had 8K on him and 2 thugs escorted him to an ATM to get the balance. He said he thought they were "mobsters".

[Larry001]

don't all the bars charge double and triple the price of a beer than you could buy at say Tesco. I don't go to bars as a rule maybe 3 times per year when friends come over. Much cheaper and safer to do your drinking at home. I guess as more and more tourists come to Chiangmai to avoid places like Pattaya and Phuket then the scams and criminal element will follow them.

Nothing wrong with that; happens all over the world.

That s true because of the overheads a can of beer in Australia (Melb) will cost you around 75 baht from a bottle shop and in a hotel it costs around 110 baht. (Melbourne airport 240 baht)

You obviously have not been in Melb for awhile. Beer in a basic Pub is now over 125Bt. Flashier Pubs; over 200Bt

[elektrified]

In my experience sexy (and sometimes not-so sexy!) girls are employed by karaoke bars to use whatever charm they may have at their disposal to extract as much money as possible from the wallets of their (almost exclusively) male clientèle. The promise of sex is the carrot that sucks the money.- and more often than not it is a promise which is destined to be broken once the overpriced girlie drinks and garlands of flowers have been paid for. The ill-gotten gains are shared between the girls and the bar owner while the punters stagger home poorer and usually not much wiser.

Extortion with a 'legal' face.

Or am I missing something?

I've been told by a reliable Thai friend that many of the girls who work in these karaoke places do not offer any sexual services. They are trained to do what this poster said, extract money from unsuspecting, gullible Japanese and Korean men tourists and in the end the men are rejected; 10K or more the poorer. Sometimes the men are told that the establishment's policy is that the girls can only offer their contact info to the men and they can be contacted after business hours to meet. But this usually ends up never happening as the telephone numbers and email addresss are of course, no good or that of the mobster owner who tries to extort more money from the men.

[louse1953]

don't all the bars charge double and triple the price of a beer than you could buy at say Tesco. I don't go to bars as a rule maybe 3 times per year when friends come over. Much cheaper and safer to do your drinking at home. I guess as more and more tourists come to Chiangmai to avoid places like Pattaya and Phuket then the scams and criminal element will follow them.

Nothing wrong with that; happens all over the world.

That s true because of the overheads a can of beer in Australia (Melb) will cost you around 75 baht from a bottle shop and in a hotel it costs around 110 baht. (Melbourne airport 240 baht)

How long since you been down under Chook,i can't afford to drink in Oz.Have a dry out when i go back(khao pan sar).

[hanno]

don't all the bars charge double and triple the price of a beer than you could buy at say Tesco. I don't go to bars as a rule maybe 3 times per year when friends come over. Much cheaper and safer to do your drinking at home. I guess as more and more tourists come to Chiangmai to avoid places like Pattaya and Phuket then the scams and criminal element will follow them.

Nothing wrong with that; happens all over the world.

It may well happen all over the World but that doesn't make it right. Murders happen all over the World too.

I don't understand the comparison? Obviously a bar is going to charge more than a Tesco. A steak in a restaurant also costs more than at the butcher's. I think charging double of wholesale prices is OK, it is actually probably a lot more than that anyway. I work in a5-star hotel and sell a draft for USD 2.50 when the cost is 60 Cents. Put I have to pay bar staff, A/C, taxes, garbage collection, trade union fees, furniture, glasses, dish washer, etc.......

[tragickingdom]

Maybe he should order the closure of government sites too. Dual pricing is as bad as extorting money in a bar. The governor probably has a good explanation why it is not done to charge a foreigner 10 times the price of a beer of that of a Thai customer but why it is acceptable to charge 10 times the entrance fee of a National parc or waterfall, even when a foreigner has a Thai tax card.