In the last few days the Army has been sweeping through the massage parlours in Patong checking to see if the staff are certified, that is, have completed a recognised massage course. Apparently the shops with untrained staff face closure. And the sweep hasn't been limited to back street parlours...in fact the first businesses under scrutiny were the shops in Jungceylon.

Previously, many of the massage parlours would have a little white board out front with staff names on it. The girls worked on a cue system for walk in customers, like a taxi rank. Now, if you check all of these boards have been removed as the mammasans don't want to display the names of their staff.

The beer bar owners are fearful they are next on the list. In the last few days I have notice several bars changing their outdoor signage from "Bar" to "Coffee Shop".

Seduction and Hollywood may have to extend to handle the influx of new freelancers.

Moved to Phuket Forum.

If properly enforced the closure of massage parlours and beer bars will add to the growing number of unemployed in Phuket. Most of these girls will still have to send money back to the village and so I see little alternative for them other than moving into the freelance environment. Higher risk for those girls and for their customers. One massage parlour I go to (no special massage available) has 8 girls...well some are properly described as old ladies. Only one of them has a certificate.

If properly enforced the closure of massage parlours and beer bars will add to the growing number of unemployed in Phuket. Most of these girls will still have to send money back to the village and so I see little alternative for them other than moving into the freelance environment. Higher risk for those girls and for their customers. One massage parlour I go to (no special massage available) has 8 girls...well some are properly described as old ladies. Only one of them has a certificate.

The ones without a certificate are to lazy to get one. A couple of time a year the government gives free courses for all kinds of work, be it massage or beauty parlour and so on. The ladies only need to invest some time, about 150 hours to get the basic Thai massage certificate.

Again the people that have done the work and gotten the proper paperwork are to blame, while the Hundreds of non certificate should get proper work documents or move on. My GF got her paperwork only to lose jobs from the other. It seams maybe some sort of Clean slate restart for phuket is what is needed or happening.

In Bangkok it is impossible to find a Thai cleaning woman, even for 12.000 Baht. Office girls who are active (don't need to be smart) and not just sitting and waiting are also hard to get. Salary can be quickly at 20-30K.

I spoke a while ago with a Dive Center who wanted the girls on the counter have at least the Open Water course so they know what they speak about. He couldn't find one willing to do it...no matter the money.

If properly enforced the closure of massage parlours and beer bars will add to the growing number of unemployed in Phuket. Most of these girls will still have to send money back to the village and so I see little alternative for them other than moving into the freelance environment. Higher risk for those girls and for their customers. One massage parlour I go to (no special massage available) has 8 girls...well some are properly described as old ladies. Only one of them has a certificate.

"Higher risk for those girls and for their customers." - slightly higher risk for the customer, but why higher risk for the girl?

Any random guy can walk up to a beer bar, pick a girl, pay the bar fine, and off they go. No different to picking a girl in a nightclub and then going home together.

Hard to keep track of all the crackdowns lately. But I haven't seen anything of this supposed 'crackdown on massage shops and beer bars' in any of the local media rags. Is there any other evidence of this outside of the OP? Anyone seen the same in their areas of Patong or the island in general?

In a related note; TVers and other locals commenting in the local medias scoffed at the beach chair and beach vendors when they lost their work. Some suggested they go look for a 'real job' or go back to Isan and work in the rice fields. I'm wondering if they'll share that sentiment should their favorite massage gals and/or bar fines find themselves in that situation?

Hard to keep track of all the crackdowns lately. But I haven't seen anything of this supposed 'crackdown on massage shops and beer bars' in any of the local media rags. Is there any other evidence of this outside of the OP? Anyone seen the same in their areas of Patong or the island in general?

In a related note; TVers and other locals commenting in the local medias scoffed at the beach chair and beach vendors when they lost their work. Some suggested they go look for a 'real job' or go back to Isan and work in the rice fields. I'm wondering if they'll share that sentiment should their favorite massage gals and/or bar fines find themselves in that situation?

"I'm wondering if they'll share that sentiment should their favorite massage gals and/or bar fines find themselves in that situation?" - perhaps a crackdown like this could see a rise in mia noi "employment."

I wonder if they'll shut down Christin's Massage?

Probably not.....after all massage lady's aren't encroaching on public land. Except maybe the ones on the beach.

Hard to keep track of all the crackdowns lately. But I haven't seen anything of this supposed 'crackdown on massage shops and beer bars' in any of the local media rags. Is there any other evidence of this outside of the OP? Anyone seen the same in their areas of Patong or the island in general?

In a related note; TVers and other locals commenting in the local medias scoffed at the beach chair and beach vendors when they lost their work. Some suggested they go look for a 'real job' or go back to Isan and work in the rice fields. I'm wondering if they'll share that sentiment should their favorite massage gals and/or bar fines find themselves in that situation?

Yes

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The majority of girls working in 7/11 etc don't earn enough to support themselves, never mind a child and a family.

Most of the girls who work as bar-girls offering "special" services to foreign men do so out of a real need, of course some are just lazy, but often it's the only way they can support the family.

If properly enforced the closure of massage parlours and beer bars will add to the growing number of unemployed in Phuket. Most of these girls will still have to send money back to the village and so I see little alternative for them other than moving into the freelance environment. Higher risk for those girls and for their customers. One massage parlour I go to (no special massage available) has 8 girls...well some are properly described as old ladies. Only one of them has a certificate.

What is the crackdown on the beer bars? Massage shops I can understand they need a certificate but no certificate is needed to be a server, dancer, cashier etc.

Also, when did the Junta announce this crackdown on massage shops and beer bars?

Is this actually news or just Bulldozer Dawn's fantasy day.????

So now the police are selling certificates?

If properly enforced the closure of massage parlours and beer bars will add to the growing number of unemployed in Phuket. Most of these girls will still have to send money back to the village and so I see little alternative for them other than moving into the freelance environment. Higher risk for those girls and for their customers. One massage parlour I go to (no special massage available) has 8 girls...well some are properly described as old ladies. Only one of them has a certificate.

What is the crackdown on the beer bars? Massage shops I can understand they need a certificate but no certificate is needed to be a server, dancer, cashier etc.

Also, when did the Junta announce this crackdown on massage shops and beer bars?

No , nowhere that Ive seen.

This is simply a TV members observations presented as news.

I have read of no announced crack down on Massage Parlours or Bars.

Ive witnessed no crackdown either , but thats not to say that the army /police havent been around.

The police often visit the bars , but we wouldnt have called that a 'crackdown' before.

The news of the daily doses of crackdowns make me think, wouldn't it be easier to crack down the entire country for all possible reasons and start from the scratch? What happened to the slogan: restart Thailand?

Please ThaiVisa, can we stop overusing the word "crackdown" in threads/news headlines ... especially when in this case it's ONE PERSON'S opinion.

The certificate requires 150 hours training. If you know the right trainer, he certifies the therapist after one afternoon ( they are very long... ) for 5 k.

Job done, BiB's happy. TiT.

Bars calling themselves coffee shops because of what crackdown fear exactly?

Life here in Patong gets more humorous with every new rumour.

Certificate? Go pay someone for a damn certificate & get you butts back to work!! Jeesh.. this is all just for show.

<deleted> , football 7s in Phuket in November , I can see it being a poor Turnout now

yeah... rumor mongering...

Let's see at first if there really will be a crackdown on massage places and beer bars, and if there is one, how it will be carried out.

Personally, I don't believe one second that they will close the standard beer bar.

Let's see what really happens.

Oops Pattaya next? Don't forget the Prime Minister said he wanted to change Thailand from the hub of sleaze to a one of HiSo attractions.

If every Bar Beer was closed down - and the empthasis was on restaurants, upmarket bars, clubs and tourists no longer considered every employee as a possible sex worker- would this be a good thing?

The answer has to be yes, absolutely .

I am sure that the OP can provide the names and locations of these Beer Bars that have now turned into coffee bars.

Put up or shut up time.

News to me! I had no idea massage parlours offered massages.

I have another question: how could a rumor-mongering post by "Bulldozer Dawn" end up in the ThaiVisa email newsletter?

If you write a list of things that need fixing and were a danger to the population in Thailand I think beer bars and massage parlours would be very low on the list.

Its become almost a religious type fervour to rid Thailand of anything that vaguely brings people some pleasure.

The internet with social media is a powerful tool and if this keeps up you won't have to be worried about offending tourists, there wont be any.

Other than Wat Po Massage school, who benefits from this crackdown, and what could be motivating it? Has Jerry Falwell joined the army as a moral advisor? Is this meant to target untrained massage personnel, or the "trade"? What is up with this? Anybody know, of can anybody speculate on this? It makes very little sense. Are they trying to make the entire country a family destination, much like they are already doing in Samui? Are they trying to get rid of the punters? Is fun and games of all sorts going to be targeted next? Will Thailand become America, where fun is frowned upon at all costs?