British-led Card Room raided by officials in South Pattaya

[Woody1]

I'm starting to see the funny side of all this now.

Western tourists here are at an all time low, Thailand is / has been in the worlds focus regarding unexplained deaths, rumors of cover ups, dubious suicides (many), mass corruption, etc.

Now, anyone with a brain would pay attention to the old saying, "when in a hole stop digging". Oh no, not hear, they ask for a bigger shovel!!

[surfinglife]

They want for Thailand essentially a Chinese/Iranian expat population, this will be more closely aligned with the foreign affairs and politics that we now see taking shape in this country.

At least you can play cards in Iran (although not gamble) from memory of my time there Hokm Iranian for trump )is one of their favourite card games

Yes, you can play. But not men and women in the same room, not even 84-year old.

[soalbundy]

I am one of the bridgpplayers who was detained.

The charges of gambling have been dropped. There was no money involved.

There were no prizes.

The event is known as a "club duplicate pairs" and is played in small clubs all over the world.I will write more when I get home from the police station.

When you get home from the police station? Incredible that you even had to go there.

Yes indeed and good luck getting your next extension of stay, you are obviously all hardened criminals now

[eastendanto]

alot of ASBOs to hand out

[petedk]

Get those scum bag Farangs.

Throw them in Jail, give them very heavy fines, deport them , and black list them for 99 years.

The Pattaya Pantomime, just gets more funny every week.

Wonder who the pleasant person was who grassed on them and why ? must have been a right story that one

The bust of the century.

You have every right to be sarcastic, and yes, the whole episode is both hilarious and pathetic, but let's have a thought of deep sympathy for the 74 year-old guy who actually got arrested. Being arrested in this country is not something I would ever want to go through, whatever the reasons.

As for the guy who ratted out on them, let's just say that, once you've spent a few years in this country, you learn that grassing up is nothing short of a national sport, and it's a sad, disconcerting discovery.

Why are so many Thais prone to do that ?

There must be more than one factor but I'd say that the main one stems from a very rigid pyramidal society where each degree has very little room for independance and must kowtow to those on the degrees above. Humiliation is constant, and must be covered up with a smile, even though it is a very painful experience for all Asians, known as 'losing face'.

The resulting accumulated frustration is unfathomable. Ratting out people is one of the meanest forms of revenge. Many, if not most Thais, suffer from both a superiority and inferiority complex with regard to white people (whereas most white people have only the former with regard to non-whites). Every single white business owner I have met in Thailand was grassed out at least once by one or several Thais (staff, neighbors, family, 'friends'), and they have a field day because doing business in this country 100% by the book is near impossible, so there is always one or more points where you just have to 'make do'. These 'loopholes' ought to be called 'wells of corruption', and the combination of grassing out and corruption is a highly stinky one.

Welcome to Thailand, brave entrepreneurs !

Absolutely correct! Put an Asian in a uniform and just watch them go! Never mind the police, just look at parking attendants, or security guards, they honestly believe they are world powers.

Now amplify this X 100 when a Thai is given a uniform, whistle, a TITLE, a few daft medals that were never earned, and a bit of braiding, and you have all the ingredients for a little Hitler!!!

Also, virtually all (or most) motorbike taxi ranks will have one or more guy's working there with radios connected to police frequencies, and they love nothing more than grassing someone up! It's like a national pastime, where they think they have gained face.

Pathetic!!

Oh that's why the motorbike taxi guys have radios.

Silly me!

I thought it was so they could the whiskey bottles when they heard that the cops were coming.

[MeHere]

... there must be a compelling reason for over 50 police to have turned up.

Sorry. Not trying to have a go at you - just utterly fed up with the cops here to the point where nonsense incidents like this and the political situation are pushing me to the edge and making me want to sell up and go home after 26 years.

I've just sold my car and packing after only six years here... on our bikes this month!

[realenglish1]

I cannot believe that the Police arrested and charged Bridge players

Yes there has been a lot of change going on since the New Prime Minster has taken over

I will let you decide if it is good or bad

[Maejo Man]

Sorry guys, no matter where you go, laws are laws. Stupid or not, I don't chew gum in Singapore either.

Fine but what law was broken? Certainly not gambling but there again bridge needs a shrewd brain, which would seem you are sadly lacking.

[petedk]

This story is slowly appearing in more and more foreign news agencies.

aljazeera

ABC News

Daily Mail

Sky News

and others.

[Thaidream]

Undoubtedly, the most ridiculous use of time, energy and manpower ever wasted on one of the most ridiculous endevours I have ever heard of.. Fifty police officers to raid a room full of senior foreign citizens while the rest of the criminal world continues to sell drugs, sex, and everything else under the sun. Just when I think I have heard everything, something else happens to amaze me.

[12DrinkMore]

Someone please tell me that it is " ALL FOOLS DAY " 1st April !!!!!!!

Anybody who lives here knows it is All Fool Day every day of the year.

And this year we get a bonus day too.

[Tywais]

Hitting a lot of international media now.

news.sky.com

aljazeera

abc.net.au

dailymail

[stoffel45]

Shame on the Police and Military officers, arresting these elderly people and carting them off to jail where they were forced to pay 5,000 baht to get out.

Shame on Thailand if the people responsible for this act of ignorant barbarity are not publicly exposed and dismissed from office.

Shame - Shame - Shame.

[eddie61]

British-led Card Room raided by officials in South Pattaya – UPDATE

UPDATE – 4 February 2016 – 10.00am

PATTAYA : -- One of the card players contacted Pattaya One to update the story.

He revealed that ALL of the card players were arrested and eventually released from Pattaya Police Station at 03.00am after almost 12 hours in custody and paying 5,000 Baht Bail each. They will all appear in Court later on Thursday, even the 84 year old Dutch lady featured in one of our photographs from the scene.

The Bridge club was formed in 1994 and has never encountered a problem such as this. The players are believed to have been charged with gambling offenses, even though they claim no evidence of gambling was present. In addition because the playing cards did not possess an official government seal on the card boxes, this was another offense the officials added to the report of the raid.

UPDATE – 4 February – 12.00pm

Pattaya One was contacted once again by a member of the Bridge Club...

Full story: http://pattayaone.net/pattaya-news/221251/british-led-card-room-raided-officials-south-pattaya/

-- Pattaya One 2016-02-04

I do really hope that world media pick up on this, and thus allow the world to see the Thai "Justice" system in all its magnificence. It's going to make headlines!!!

[thaimite]

Is it 9k to play solitare or Snap?

[prk888]

Has anyone sent this article to that British newspaper which shall remain unmentioned. They'd have a field day with this.

have you ?

All my contacts abroad got it immediately and their reactions are a delight to behold

[12DrinkMore]

And just as an aside, I seem to remember a local gambling den in Jomtien getting busted a few months back.

A fairly insignificant amount of money was confiscated. But to the best of my recollection everyone was fined100 or 200 baht and released.

How did this case end up being 5000B bail after 12 hours in a police station and a court date when there was not even any gambling and they had to dig up a law about holding too many cards?

Amazing really.

Don't ask questions, you know the answer to already, .... FARANG money 5000baht (x32=160.000baht)

It seems all charges are already dropped and no court.

Wonder if they will get their 5000baht returned and a (monetary) apology?

Apology?

Joke.

That would be a loss of face.

The words simply cannot be spoken.

Nope, there will be awards and self-congrats all around, with a photo too.

[prakhonchai nick]

I am one of the bridgpplayers who was detained.

The charges of gambling have been dropped. There was no money involved.

There were no prizes.

The event is known as a "club duplicate pairs" and is played in small clubs all over the world.I will write more when I get home from the police station.

When you get home from the police station? Incredible that you even had to go there.

Are there small casinos in villages all over Thailand? some staying open all night, Why is this allowed to continue? I have heard stories of Thai women who are married to wealthy farangs losing millions and having to sell their land and home to pay the debts unbeknown to the poor guy. Maybe its all just local gossip.

Not gossip at all -totally true. In the villages around me (radius 5km) there are gambling dens everwhere -some known to police who "collect" and others where they change houses every 2/.3 days.

I know of many who have lost everything (including farang wives) whilst many others have lost large sums of money as they have been foolish enough to lend money to the card players..who always expect to win on the next hand!

It stopped for around 2 weeks after the general took power, then like everything else, its back to normal! A 1.000 baht fine just does not deter. Make it 10,000 baht with a doubling up for each subsequent arrest, and Thailand would become a far better place for all (families and kids especially)

[Woody1]

Hitting a lot of international media now.

news.sky.com

aljazeera

abc.net.au

dailymail

Looks like they've made a right c**t of it again!

[Baerboxer]

Website of the Thailand Bridge League... http://www.thailandbridgeleague.com ....farang mafia too mutt. Personally I think that the person who instigated this farce just didn't grasp the concept of a card game without money.

I sometimes play Freecell on the computer. I'll be keeping the door locked and barricaded in future, just in case.

I think you're right. It's not that long ago a group of poker playing farangs were busted in Pattaya. And they certainly were gambling.

No one involved in this raid understood the difference and even dreamed a card gain could be played for mental challenge and not just gambling based on luck.

[Johnniey]

There is a very fine line here when it comes to playing cards. As we all know, they are for sale in nearly every 7/11 and legal.

The truth is that the police usually control organized gambling and if they suspect they have competitors or some not paying the tea money they are angry.

The truth is that gambling only comes with 1-2000 baht fine.

I've been arrested for playing cards and the law states that even if there is a tally book/chips or even matchsticks one can get charged.

Ironically, when I play poker ladbrokes, it's perfectly legal and they even have a Thai web page. I asked their legal team and they confirmed that it is not against Thai law as the bets are being made outside Thailand.

http://fbg.ladbrokes.com/en?lad_lang=th&value=home-gen-overview/banking

[gandalf12]

British-led Card Room raided by officials in South Pattaya – UPDATE

UPDATE – 4 February 2016 – 10.00am

PATTAYA : -- One of the card players contacted Pattaya One to update the story.

He revealed that ALL of the card players were arrested and eventually released from Pattaya Police Station at 03.00am after almost 12 hours in custody and paying 5,000 Baht Bail each. They will all appear in Court later on Thursday, even the 84 year old Dutch lady featured in one of our photographs from the scene.

The Bridge club was formed in 1994 and has never encountered a problem such as this. The players are believed to have been charged with gambling offenses, even though they claim no evidence of gambling was present. In addition because the playing cards did not possess an official government seal on the card boxes, this was another offense the officials added to the report of the raid.

UPDATE – 4 February – 12.00pm

Pattaya One was contacted once again by a member of the Bridge Club...

Full story: http://pattayaone.net/pattaya-news/221251/british-led-card-room-raided-officials-south-pattaya/

-- Pattaya One 2016-02-04

I do really hope that world media pick up on this, and thus allow the world to see the Thai "Justice" system in all its magnificence. It's going to make headlines!!!

They have. I posted the link to Sky News

[brewsterbudgen]

i did not realise it was a muslim country and islamic state

It isn't.

[Jonathan Fairfield]

A bridge too far: Cops smash crime ring of, er, elderly card players

By Coconuts Bangkok

PATTAYA:-- A vow by Thailand's junta to rid the country of foreign criminals has netted an unlikely group of outlaws — elderly bridge players.

Police and military volunteers raided a bridge club last night in Pattaya, a resort town renowned for its go-go bars and links with organised crime, arresting 32 foreigners, most of them British.

"There were 32 people, all of them foreigners arrested for gambling on Wednesday night," Colonel Suthat Pumphanmuang, Pattaya police superintendent, said today, saying the raid was sparked by a member of the public complaining to the junta's anti-corruption centre.

Almost all forms of gambling apart from the lottery and bets on some animal fighting is outlawed in Thailand, though underground betting is rampant.

Full story: http://bangkok.coconuts.co/2016/02/04/bridge-too-far-cops-smash-crime-ring-er-elderly-card-players

-- Coconuts Bangkok 2016-02-04

[harrry]

I don't suppose they will dare raid the Bridge Section at the Royal Bangkok Sports Club. They would get instant transfers to Nakhon Nowhere, if they hauled off a bunch of khunyings and retired police generals' wives from there.

I think they already are in enough trouble..the President of the Bridge Association of Thailand came to see the Police...and if you look at their membership list they proubly outweigh even the pattaya mafia

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Story now receiving international coverage

Britons Arrested As Army Raids Bridge Club

Officials storm into the gathering and arrest retirees for gambling, despite protests that they were not playing for cash.

Twelve British bridge players have been arrested after police and the army stormed their club as part of a gambling crackdown in Thailand.

Officials raided the three times a week gathering in Pattaya, a resort town known for seedy go-go bars and organised crime links, after the country's anti-corruption centre received a complaint from a member of the public.

Photos showed members sipping water and beers held in plastic coolers moments before stern officials dressed in military uniform shut down the game in a rented apartment above a bar.

Even though the club's chairman explained the group were playing for points rather than money, 32 foreigners were arrested for gambling, Pattaya police superintendent Colonel Suthat Pumphanmuang told AFP.

Full story: http://news.sky.com/story/1635731/britons-arrested-as-army-raids-bridge-club

-- Sky News 2016-04-02

[Beats56]

While no money might have been on the Bridge tables and no money was being played for, playing for prizes is considered as gambling and that seems to be what occurred here. We can debate the seriousness of offences and the police numbers involved for ever but the reality is that Thai laws were broken and someone could have and should have checked beforehand.

Then the police was right, its gambling.. and if prizes were there then people probably paid an entrance fee. Looks a lot more as gambling now and seems the police was justified.

Of course not with the amount of police and so on, but these are the laws of the country.

Just like many laws i think they are crazy but when you live here you have to accept them, or break them and not moan when you get caught.

[English 1]

How completely ridiculous.

All these elderly people arrested and put iin buses to go to the Police Station.

Why did they pay 5,000 each as they have not been to court yet??

And where is that money now!!

There was no money visible on the tables so where was the Gambling?

And to add that the cards did not have a government seal....omg.

It's not illegal to own playing cards.

A rip off.

[Basil B]

Hitting a lot of international media now.

news.sky.com

aljazeera

abc.net.au

dailymail

Nothing on the BBC News yet... must be Jonathan's day off.

[English 1]

The Police should be ashamed of their actions.

The crime scene could not look more innocent.

They had to pay 5,000 Baht each even though not having been to Court.

Where did that money go?

Tea Money Con.