Heng,

Correct me if I'm wrong, but you are saying that if I were to buy a bar in Pattaya and I didn't do anything illegal I would most likely not have to pay any criminal element associated with or without the police. There is the possibility that I would be forced to pay criminal police as was the case for your friend with the net shop, but that is not as likely since so many other businesses are operating illegally.

I understand there are police associated criminals that can effectively shutdown the business on trumped up "legal" charges.

My question is are there non-police associated criminals that would demand payment from me for running my bar? This is what I have seen in Taiwan where night clubs had to make payments to non-police associated criminals or their establishments would be ransacked. Do such criminal elements exist in Thailand?

Donx,

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but you are saying that if I were to buy a bar in Pattaya and I didn't do anything illegal I would most likely not have to pay any criminal element associated with or without the police."

Myself, I'd rather stay away from blanket generalizations as such. IMO 'taxation under threat of enforcement of the law' is the realm of the police mafia, and other forms of protection rackets are the exception, usually cases of immigrant mafias targeting business owners of their own nationality (Russian on Russian, Vietnamese on Vietnamese, etc.). Yes, I think you can generally avoid it in bars IF you can keep prostitution, narcotics, gambling, etc. out of your establishment.

Heng,

Correct me if I'm wrong, but you are saying that if I were to buy a bar in Pattaya and I didn't do anything illegal I would most likely not have to pay any criminal element associated with or without the police. There is the possibility that I would be forced to pay criminal police as was the case for your friend with the net shop, but that is not as likely since so many other businesses are operating illegally.

I understand there are police associated criminals that can effectively shutdown the business on trumped up "legal" charges.

My question is are there non-police associated criminals that would demand payment from me for running my bar? This is what I have seen in Taiwan where night clubs had to make payments to non-police associated criminals or their establishments would be ransacked. Do such criminal elements exist in Thailand?

Donx,

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but you are saying that if I were to buy a bar in Pattaya and I didn't do anything illegal I would most likely not have to pay any criminal element associated with or without the police."

Myself, I'd rather stay away from blanket generalizations as such. IMO 'taxation under threat of enforcement of the law' is the realm of the police mafia, and other forms of protection rackets are the exception, usually cases of immigrant mafias targeting business owners of their own nationality (Russian on Russian, Vietnamese on Vietnamese, etc.). Yes, I think you can generally avoid it in bars IF you can keep prostitution, narcotics, gambling, etc. out of your establishment.

Heng,

Thanks for the clarification. Can you answer my questions which I placed in bold print above?

Thanks.

EDIT: Nevermind. After more carefully reading your post I see the answer. Thanks.