Crackdowns have started on massage shops and beer bars in Patong

[kinmaew]

good. Hooray for freelancers, no bloody bar fine!!!!! Was in Nth Patts and presented with a 1000B bar fine yea right I walked.

[AnotherOneAmerican]

Bar girls seem to have a pitiful life - chit chat with anybody for money, drinking silly lady drinks or becoming boozers .......

Sounds a bit like the foreigners that try to talk to you in supermarkets.

(but without the money)

[Lupatria]

Sounds like a new business opportunity for Khao San Road...

[jpeg]

Anyway, back on topic. For those posters in denial about the need for these poor girls having no alternative to make a living other than prostituting themselves, I remember a post by the affable Don Battles lamenting his inability to get staff for his restaurant in Sai Yuan 'Now that the cheating side of town has spread to Rawai, I can barely get a waitress to stand on her feet for five minutes':lol:

Yes. They ARE bloody idle. Akin to the tuktuk driver who'd rather charge you over and above the national daily wage for a short ride as he's day's work is done in an hour or less.

[stevenl]

Time to clear out all the many off topic troll posts.

Isn't this whole thread from the get go trolling?

Nobody else has noticed any crackdown on massage shops, and by his own admission there is no crackdown on beer bars.

[BigC]

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 these places are offering massages they need a certificate put it this way i would not trust an untrained person to give me a thai massage twisting my neck and back extra

As for bars. I don't understand what qualification one would need in a bar. The girls normally sit on the stools out side so in theory they are not or don't have to be working for the bar to sit there. Yes they can in officially make someone pay a bar fine but if the girls don't play ball then they can be asked to leave the bar. Also they could be classes as waitress which they would not need a license for

The owner would need license to swell alcohols but that's it

[Farma]

They could not find the money to pay for massage courses to qualify for a massage certificate, as I would like to know your sources of information where the government offers massage courses for free? And what regions of Thailand these cover?

The MoPH office in your area can advise when they will be holding the next massage course. Also interested persons could ask at massage departments in Govt hospitals. In my province these courses are run by provincial health a couple of times a year.

The Govt hospital massage departments offer traditional and remedial massages at a reasonable price. A nurse will also check your blood pressure prior to the massage.

Massage parlours are required to be inspected and licenced by health department inspectors.

Edited September 10, 2014 by Farma

[Bulldozer Dawn]

What is interesting is that the Army is approaching this issue not from a moral standpoint, but upon the basis of taxation. Very clever really. They don't need to prove whether or not staff are offering special services. They just need to ensure that all staff are certified, and then with their details on record, can more effectively pursue tax revenue, or prosecute for avoidance. If a shop is forced to have qualified staff, it is then easy to track the number employed and that, in turn, provides a basis for further investigations in to how much revenue (and subsequent tax) must be paid. I wonder if they will come up with a bar girl register or similar, monitor bank accounts, and then pursue tax on offshore sponsor money. Interesting revenue prospect, we all know of the hotties who have several guys on the hook raking in several hundreds of thousand baht each year. Some perhaps raking in millions. The tax threshold in 150K THB per year. Most of the bar girls I know make well over that figure, but not one of them has EVER filed a tax return.

[tolsti]

So... Now that you have surfaced again ( no doubt due to your nympho) can you now name the bars that have converted to coffee shops? Or not?

[SaintLouisBlues]

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.

And there are so many dives in Bangkok too.

[2fishin2]

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.

No he can't. OP is a troll. The only crackdown on massage and beer bar places is in his warped mind. Not one poster has corroborated his alleged crackdown. This entire thread has been a waste of bandwidth.

Mods should close this thread until there is some confirmation to support the OP's allegations. Don't hold your breath…

My girl has a hairshop which is next door to a legit massage shop in Patong. I can tell you with 100% certainty there is a crackdown on massage shops and unlicensed workers. They CANNOT work legally anymore without a license. There's you proof now will you please S.T.F.U.? Thank you.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

Edited September 10, 2014 by 2fishin2

[Bulldozer Dawn]

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.

No he can't. OP is a troll. The only crackdown on massage and beer bar places is in his warped mind. Not one poster has corroborated his alleged crackdown. This entire thread has been a waste of bandwidth.

Mods should close this thread until there is some confirmation to support the OP's allegations. Don't hold your breath

My girl has a hairshop which is next door to a legit massage shop in Patong. I can tell you with 100% certainty there is a crackdown on massage shops and unlicensed workers. They CANNOT work legally anymore without a license. There's you proof now will you please S.T.F.U.? Thank you.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

Yep, these numpties keep calling for my threads to be locked...then a few weeks later I am proven correct. Never an apology though. My job losses thread was locked and now today it was proven correct by protesters bracing the governor. The crackdown on Patong massage parlours is carrying on as I type, but the numpties still have their heads in the sand. I could go and photograph the bars that have changed their signage from bar to coffee shop...but why on earth would I waste my time just to disprove the throw away posts of a numpty.

[NamKangMan]

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.

No he can't. OP is a troll. The only crackdown on massage and beer bar places is in his warped mind. Not one poster has corroborated his alleged crackdown. This entire thread has been a waste of bandwidth.

Mods should close this thread until there is some confirmation to support the OP's allegations. Don't hold your breath…

My girl has a hairshop which is next door to a legit massage shop in Patong. I can tell you with 100% certainty there is a crackdown on massage shops and unlicensed workers. They CANNOT work legally anymore without a license. There's you proof now will you please S.T.F.U.? Thank you.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

When are they going to crackdown on untrained hairdressers?

[bearpolar]

Anyway, back on topic. For those posters in denial about the need for these poor girls having no alternative to make a living other than prostituting themselves, I remember a post by the affable Don Battles lamenting his inability to get staff for his restaurant in Sai Yuan 'Now that the cheating side of town has spread to Rawai, I can barely get a waitress to stand on her feet for five minutes':lol:

Yes. They ARE bloody idle. Akin to the tuktuk driver who'd rather charge you over and above the national daily wage for a short ride as he's day's work is done in an hour or less.

Thats why most business get burmese workers. It's not because its cheaper its simply because they

1) show up

2) stay

3) work

We kept hiring thai staff and they'd either give up after 1 day, steal or sit around.

Im not saying thais are lazy im just saying that those without a good job/career most lilkely are, at least in phuket.

[Kasset Tak]

Anyway, back on topic. For those posters in denial about the need for these poor girls having no alternative to make a living other than prostituting themselves, I remember a post by the affable Don Battles lamenting his inability to get staff for his restaurant in Sai Yuan 'Now that the cheating side of town has spread to Rawai, I can barely get a waitress to stand on her feet for five minutes':lol:

Yes. They ARE bloody idle. Akin to the tuktuk driver who'd rather charge you over and above the national daily wage for a short ride as he's day's work is done in an hour or less.

Thats why most business get burmese workers. It's not because its cheaper its simply because they

1) show up

2) stay

3) work

We kept hiring thai staff and they'd either give up after 1 day, steal or sit around.

Im not saying thais are lazy im just saying that those without a good job/career most lilkely are, at least in phuket.

One of my friends and I compared building time between Thais and us.

He wanted to build a small resort. The labour cost for each house was quoted to 100,000. But he was not satisfied with the building time and the quality of the first house. So he wanted to check how long it would take him to do it and asked me to help him with what I could. So one former European contractor and me following the same blueprint as the Thai contractor.

Thai contractor: 5-10 people working up to 12 hours everyday for 4 weeks. (About 1600 hours)

Foreigners: 2 people working 8 hours a day, 6 days a week for 3 weeks. (About 600 hours)

Electrical work and mounting windows are not included in those times. Everything else, digging and preparing for foundations, painting and so on are included in the time.

After that my friend asked if the Thais could build the rest of the houses faster... "No, can not. To hard work, to much to do!".

And then Thais complain about their low salaries...

[BKKdreaming]

and that is why in the USA the Mexicians do all the hard work , in the UK its Eastern Europeans , the Germans are still have problems from the 70s when they were too fat and lazy to do hard work and had "guest" workers from Turkey , Italy , Yugoslavia etc drive the trash trucks and do the other dirty work.......

Thailand has Issan , now they are getting too lazy to work hard ......and its the Burmese turn , next it will be bangladesh workers....

[2fishin2]

Anyway, back on topic. For those posters in denial about the need for these poor girls having no alternative to make a living other than prostituting themselves, I remember a post by the affable Don Battles lamenting his inability to get staff for his restaurant in Sai Yuan 'Now that the cheating side of town has spread to Rawai, I can barely get a waitress to stand on her feet for five minutes':lol:

Yes. They ARE bloody idle. Akin to the tuktuk driver who'd rather charge you over and above the national daily wage for a short ride as he's day's work is done in an hour or less.

Thats why most business get burmese workers. It's not because its cheaper its simply because they

1) show up

2) stay

3) work

We kept hiring thai staff and they'd either give up after 1 day, steal or sit around.

Im not saying thais are lazy im just saying that those without a good job/career most lilkely are, at least in phuket.

One of my friends and I compared building time between Thais and us.

He wanted to build a small resort. The labour cost for each house was quoted to 100,000. But he was not satisfied with the building time and the quality of the first house. So he wanted to check how long it would take him to do it and asked me to help him with what I could. So one former European contractor and me following the same blueprint as the Thai contractor.

Thai contractor: 5-10 people working up to 12 hours everyday for 4 weeks. (About 1600 hours)

Foreigners: 2 people working 8 hours a day, 6 days a week for 3 weeks. (About 600 hours)

Electrical work and mounting windows are not included in those times. Everything else, digging and preparing for foundations, painting and so on are included in the time.

After that my friend asked if the Thais could build the rest of the houses faster... "No, can not. To hard work, to much to do!".

And then Thais complain about their low salaries...

Burmese workers do not work 12 hour days. They work 9-5 and thats all

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[LivinginKata]

Burmese workers do not work 12 hour days. They work 9-5 and thats all

Never start so late as 09.00. More like 07.00 - 17.00. 9 hour day as have one hour lunch break.

[ericthai]

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.

No he can't. OP is a troll. The only crackdown on massage and beer bar places is in his warped mind. Not one poster has corroborated his alleged crackdown. This entire thread has been a waste of bandwidth.

Mods should close this thread until there is some confirmation to support the OP's allegations. Don't hold your breath

My girl has a hairshop which is next door to a legit massage shop in Patong. I can tell you with 100% certainty there is a crackdown on massage shops and unlicensed workers. They CANNOT work legally anymore without a license. There's you proof now will you please S.T.F.U.? Thank you.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

Yep, these numpties keep calling for my threads to be locked...then a few weeks later I am proven correct. Never an apology though. My job losses thread was locked and now today it was proven correct by protesters bracing the governor. The crackdown on Patong massage parlours is carrying on as I type, but the numpties still have their heads in the sand. I could go and photograph the bars that have changed their signage from bar to coffee shop...but why on earth would I waste my time just to disprove the throw away posts of a numpty.

You never explained why the beer bars are changing to coffee shops. The girls in these shops don't need a license so please tells us why?

[ericthai]

Anyway, back on topic. For those posters in denial about the need for these poor girls having no alternative to make a living other than prostituting themselves, I remember a post by the affable Don Battles lamenting his inability to get staff for his restaurant in Sai Yuan 'Now that the cheating side of town has spread to Rawai, I can barely get a waitress to stand on her feet for five minutes':lol:

Yes. They ARE bloody idle. Akin to the tuktuk driver who'd rather charge you over and above the national daily wage for a short ride as he's day's work is done in an hour or less.

Thats why most business get burmese workers. It's not because its cheaper its simply because they

1) show up

2) stay

3) work

We kept hiring thai staff and they'd either give up after 1 day, steal or sit around.

Im not saying thais are lazy im just saying that those without a good job/career most lilkely are, at least in phuket.

One of my friends and I compared building time between Thais and us.

He wanted to build a small resort. The labour cost for each house was quoted to 100,000. But he was not satisfied with the building time and the quality of the first house. So he wanted to check how long it would take him to do it and asked me to help him with what I could. So one former European contractor and me following the same blueprint as the Thai contractor.

Thai contractor: 5-10 people working up to 12 hours everyday for 4 weeks. (About 1600 hours)

Foreigners: 2 people working 8 hours a day, 6 days a week for 3 weeks. (About 600 hours)

Electrical work and mounting windows are not included in those times. Everything else, digging and preparing for foundations, painting and so on are included in the time.

After that my friend asked if the Thais could build the rest of the houses faster... "No, can not. To hard work, to much to do!".

And then Thais complain about their low salaries...

Burmese workers do not work 12 hour days. They work 9-5 and thats all

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

Workers (including Burmese, khmer) at my factory start at 7am and work until 5pm if no overtime. Most (girl workers) want overtime and stay until 8-9pm with 30 minute break to eat diner.

[Hugh Jarse]

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.

In the US, Australia, Europe the UK and doubtless other parts of the world, some basic certificate of competence is required . Its basic health and safety requirements. Nothing wrong with this surely? If you are practicing massage you need some basic understanding of anatomy and physiology otherwise the untrained can cause serious injuries. Hats off to the junta for this initiative.

[Jimi007]

Odd, there hasn't been any articles in the local press about this supposed crackdown. Nor any protests. In fact no news about anything that the OP has come with. Once again a topic with no foundation other than someone who seems to have a political agenda.

[iSabai]

Odd, there hasn't been any articles in the local press about this supposed crackdown. Nor any protests. In fact no news about anything that the OP has come with. Once again a topic with no foundation other than someone who seems to have a political agenda.

From PG: (Link - http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket-news/Army-palms-off-reports-Phuket-massage-parlor/34878 )

PHUKET: The island’s leading Army officer today debunked reports that soldiers in Phuket were raiding massage parlors in Patong. “We have no intention of cracking down on massage parlors or any other service businesses at the moment,” assured Col Somchai Ponatong of the 41st Military Circle.

“Officers from the Revenue Department were carrying out inspections to ensure that massage parlors were not avoiding paying any taxes.” The soldiers just went along for the ride.

“It was nothing against those people,” explained Col Somchai. “Revenue officers asked to see any certificates staff had in order to confirm they were qualified in their chosen profession as part of the standard inspection procedure.”

No shop owners were arrested during the inspections. “The revenue officers checked and collected information for further investigations of tax payments,” said Col Somchai.

Col Somchai urged people to relax, but obey the law. “Please do not panic when you see soldiers or other military personnel joining local officers on any patrols. Just carry on with your usual activities, but keep in mind to obey the law,” he said.

Edited September 11, 2014 by iSabai

[Jimi007]

Odd, there hasn't been any articles in the local press about this supposed crackdown. Nor any protests. In fact no news about anything that the OP has come with. Once again a topic with no foundation other than someone who seems to have a political agenda.

From PG: (Link - http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket-news/Army-palms-off-reports-Phuket-massage-parlor/34878 )

PHUKET: The island’s leading Army officer today debunked reports that soldiers in Phuket were raiding massage parlors in Patong. “We have no intention of cracking down on massage parlors or any other service businesses at the moment,” assured Col Somchai Ponatong of the 41st Military Circle.

“Officers from the Revenue Department were carrying out inspections to ensure that massage parlors were not avoiding paying any taxes.” The soldiers just went along for the ride.

“It was nothing against those people,” explained Col Somchai. “Revenue officers asked to see any certificates staff had in order to confirm they were qualified in their chosen profession as part of the standard inspection procedure.”

No shop owners were arrested during the inspections. “The revenue officers checked and collected information for further investigations of tax payments,” said Col Somchai.

Col Somchai urged people to relax, but obey the law. “Please do not panic when you see soldiers or other military personnel joining local officers on any patrols. Just carry on with your usual activities, but keep in mind to obey the law,” he said.

Thanks iSabai. Just as I thought! I looked at their website earlier today and somehow missed this article. As usual, a certain member who is on a personal mission it would seem.

[NamKangMan]

Odd, there hasn't been any articles in the local press about this supposed crackdown. Nor any protests. In fact no news about anything that the OP has come with. Once again a topic with no foundation other than someone who seems to have a political agenda.

From PG: (Link - http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket-news/Army-palms-off-reports-Phuket-massage-parlor/34878 )

PHUKET: The island’s leading Army officer today debunked reports that soldiers in Phuket were raiding massage parlors in Patong. “We have no intention of cracking down on massage parlors or any other service businesses at the moment,” assured Col Somchai Ponatong of the 41st Military Circle.

“Officers from the Revenue Department were carrying out inspections to ensure that massage parlors were not avoiding paying any taxes.” The soldiers just went along for the ride.

“It was nothing against those people,” explained Col Somchai. “Revenue officers asked to see any certificates staff had in order to confirm they were qualified in their chosen profession as part of the standard inspection procedure.”

No shop owners were arrested during the inspections. “The revenue officers checked and collected information for further investigations of tax payments,” said Col Somchai.

Col Somchai urged people to relax, but obey the law. “Please do not panic when you see soldiers or other military personnel joining local officers on any patrols. Just carry on with your usual activities, but keep in mind to obey the law,” he said.

Thanks iSabai. Just as I thought! I looked at their website earlier today and somehow missed this article. As usual, a certain member who is on a personal mission it would seem.

“Revenue officers asked to see any certificates staff had in order to confirm they were qualified in their chosen profession as part of the standard inspection procedure.”

Wouldn't this be sending a message that next time we come around, if you have any staff that are unqualified, there will be some trouble?

Therefore, unqualified staff will be fired and jobless.

Otherwise, what's the point of checking for certificates if they allow non-qualified staff to work along side qualified staff - why bother getting the certificate?

Edited September 12, 2014 by NamKangMan

[bubblegum]

4 those you asked about free government education, yes there is a website but its all in Thai so I can't find it anymore. My wife did about 6 different massage courses, all 4 free. Thai massage, deep tissue massage, healing, foot and so on.

I rember it is an official government website so can't be that hard to find if one reads Thai.

[tolsti]

ok.... so now where is the OP and his allegations regarding massage parlours and coffee shops.

total load of <deleted>..... troll.

[SilverBeast]

Caveat Emptor.

Only thing that should be required is a declaration of if they are certified or not. If you want a massage from someone who isn't qualified well that is up to you. Caveat Emptor.

Taxation is theft anyways...

[Old Croc]

In the old country your home electrical wiring may very well be installed by a, yet to be qualified, apprentice or you could be treated by a medical student in a hospital.

Many new masseuses may not yet have the formal qualifications, but can be quite capable of giving an excellent massage.

Most of these ladies coming straight from the village don't have the funds to attend formal training courses before starting work.

On the job training is very common. They usually start by massaging each other and slowly graduate to working with customers. The same way that workers all over the world learn new jobs. If a customer is unhappy with the skill level of a masseuse ask for someone else. All, who stay in the job, eventually obtain the formal qualifications.

One of my wife's shops was visited by authorities a week or two ago. The visitors weren't jack booted, armed soldiers seeking out unqualified workers to throw out of employment and deport to Issan.

The single visitor was a lady from the Tesseban who left a list of matters that needed to be attended to. The list included the need for the manager to complete the registration process, as outlined in a meeting of all shop managers many months ago, the provision of a first aid kit, "No Smoking" and "No Sex" signs and a folder containing details of workers in the shop.

The hysteria and misleading words in the OP were completely unnecessary.

I can't give any details about requirements for sex parlours nor beer bars.

[jpeg]

In the old country your home electrical wiring may very well be installed by a, yet to be qualified, apprentice or you could be treated by a medical student in a hospital.

Yes well thanks for that, but if I needed brain surgery, I prefer a competent qualifed neurologist to perform it. I'm aware that this comparison is a stretch, BUT, I've had too many massages from ex bar girls masseuses to lead me to believe a Certificate of competence most certainly is worth the paper it's written on.

Edited September 13, 2014 by jpeg