British-led Card Room raided by officials in South Pattaya

[Tywais]

A telling frame capture from the video. That's just messed up.

[NoshowJones]

All were jailed for 12 hours and made to pay 5000 baht to secure their own release...at 03:00am.

good god.

What a way to treat "guests".

[kingdratsab]

Exactly what law did they break? In contract bridge each player is dealt 13 cards from a deck of 52. So at any one time it is impossible for an individual to possess more than 52 cards unless the person is the director of the event who has responsibility for any cards not in play.

Secondly Bridge is not a gambling game played for money. The Thailand Bridge League which has a role in running bridge in Thailand is a highly respected body which has organized international tournaments here in Thailand.

Many Thais play Bridge regularly and come from all levels of Thai Society, from royalty ( Kunyings and Moms through to struggling students) in fact the Thailand Bridge League's website in written in Thai. Playing bridge is not restricted to the criminal classes, in fact the difficulty in mastering the game precludes its popularity in the "Bangkok Hilton" and other penitentiaries.

The Thais and foreigners who play bridge are not criminals, as none have been found guilty of any misdemeanor as yet and even if they are found guilty of breaching this obscure statute which appears to have been intended to prevent gambling their crime would be somewhat less serious than a minor parking transgression.

As far as I am aware, none of those arrested would have known about this statutory provision and the Pattaya authorities seem to have been highly selective in its application.

I tend to agree with you about abiding with local laws, but local customs? Save me! I have no intention of entering the Sangha for six months, wearing a sarong or blue farmer's shirt here in Bangkok, nor will I be imbibing in rot gut until I am senseless all of which seem to be a customary among some Thais.

I haven't heard bridge players in Thailand, even British ones, overly whining about foreigners in their own countries refusing to conform to cultural norms. Perhaps people who drink red wine with fish, but that is understandable, even James Bond, himself another bridge player was appalled and shot the Russian who did that.

And where would you suggest the thousands of Thais who regularly enjoy bridge go?

Like chess, bridge is a fascinating and complex game based on contracts. It is played by people who wish to maintain or increase intelligence. Based on your post I would thoroughly recommend you take up the game.

This actually made the national TV news, even had the police video. A bunch of confused old folks playing Bridge.

Unclear what crime was committed, anyone know?

The offense relates to Section 8 of the Playing Cards Act of 1935 which states that an individual is not allowed to possess more than 120 playing cards at any one time. At the Bridge event, considerably more than 120 playing cards were found by officers.

I don't see the problem here except for the number of officers involved in the arrest. These people are criminals who broke the law. They knew they were committing a crime but obviously thought as affluent foreigners they were above the law or were too culturally insensitive to care. If you live in a country you should follow its laws and customs regardless of whether you agree with them or not. If you do not want to do that face the consequences or go somewhere else. I bet many of these would be the first to whine about foreigners in their on country flaunting the laws and refusing to conform to cultural norms.

This was duplicate pairs.....not contract bridge....but contract bridge can and is a gamblers game...ask Omar Sharif (still alive?) allegedly won and lost small fortunes playing.

[Jingthing]

This is a semi-serious question.

Occasionally I visit a restaurant where foreigners are often playing complicated card game (not Bridge).

I have never noticed gambling going on and this is not hidden away in a back room, actually in tables that can been seen from the street.

I'm sure they've got lots of cards ... didn't count em, but lots!

Are foreigners just eating food seen as part of this notorious card activity if the police arrive?

[JohnnyBKK]

For thai people it doesn't make any sense to play cards without money. For them cards is gambling, end of story.

[kblaze]

This frame also.

[chrisinth]

Pathetic that the Royal Thai Police Farce had to do this.... SHAME ON YOU RTP

Its not the fact that they did this in the first place, they were responding to a tip-off, going in half blind.

The really sad thing about this incident is, that on making the discovery that it wasn't a gambling den, not one of them had the common sense to let it drop and write it up for what it was, a bad tip-off.

Now that it has been escalated to interrogating a 74 yo 'ringleader', Thailand is once more at the mercy of the global press. Simply because they couldn't let it go.

Wonder how many people are talking about this on their FB's at this very minute?

Be careful out there children, you are being monitored and it would deeply sadden me to see anyone arrested for negative comments................................

If it wasn't so funny it would be really sad.

[luckyman]

All the (funny) comments on this thread aside, there must be more to this, a lot more, I imagine, as Thai Police are not that stupid and eager to waste their resources like they seem to have done here.

To be continued...

[Jingthing]

For thai people it doesn't make any sense to play cards without money. For them cards is gambling, end of story.

They can't learn something new?

[Basil B]

Have the police not got anything better to do???

Remember this is Thailand that ranks number 2 in the world for fatal road accidents per head of population...

[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.

[KunMatt]

I've never understood why Thailand is so vehemently opposed to gambling?

We've seen cases of Thais stabbing and assaulting tourists and getting a 500 baht fine. A lot of other crimes get a 200 bath fine but here these people are fined 5000 baht for supposedly gambling.

If this was Saudi or Iran I could understand the extreme fines for petty misdemeanours, but this country has rampant in your face crimes, prostitution, drugs, corruption. It's hardly a seriously law abiding nation so what's the big deal with gambling in Thailand??

[farcanell]

This actually made the national TV news, even had the police video. A bunch of confused old folks playing Bridge.

Unclear what crime was committed, anyone know?

The offense relates to Section 8 of the Playing Cards Act of 1935 which states that an individual is not allowed to possess more than 120 playing cards at any one time. At the Bridge event, considerably more than 120 playing cards were found by officers.

Got it (that will teach me to read the link).

Holy bat dung!

I thought "Never Me" was being rather witty... My mind is indeed boggled

[Jingthing]

I've never understood why Thailand is so vehemently opposed to gambling?

We've seen cases of Thais stabbing and assaulting tourists and getting a 500 baht fine. A lot of other crimes get a 200 bath fine but here these people are fined 5000 baht for supposedly gambling.

If this was Saudi or Iran I could understand the extreme fines for petty misdemeanours, but this country has rampant in your face crimes, prostitution, drugs, corruption. It's hardly a seriously law abiding nation so what's the big deal with gambling in Thailand??

Well, it's a matter of Buddhist beliefs and Thailand is a very Buddhist nation.

[KunMatt]

I've never understood why Thailand is so vehemently opposed to gambling?

We've seen cases of Thais stabbing and assaulting tourists and getting a 500 baht fine. A lot of other crimes get a 200 bath fine but here these people are fined 5000 baht for supposedly gambling.

If this was Saudi or Iran I could understand the extreme fines for petty misdemeanours, but this country has rampant in your face crimes, prostitution, drugs, corruption. It's hardly a seriously law abiding nation so what's the big deal with gambling in Thailand??

Well, it's a matter of Buddhist beliefs and Thailand is a very Buddhist nation.

So all of the other crimes I listed are ok in Buddhism are they?

Why can you stab someone and get a 500 baht fine but a 5000 baht fine for playing cards with your friends?

Anyone a bit more clued up want to have a go at answering why gambling is taken so seriously by authorities here when they are so lax on everything else?

[Jim walker]

80 army and police rush in for a game of Bridge must have been a right laugh when they discover no money on the tables to be made are the Junta getting more stupid by the hour or what and who ordered such a ridiculous raid on foreigners playing a game of bridge provided any of soldiers/police can count to 120 cards to find if the law has been broken there will be a few medals issued for this gallant and fearless raid a few soldiers / police sticking out there chests to have a medal pinned on it, and to think a few hundred feet away from the crazed bridge playing pensioners killings and muggings corruption payments being made illegal brothels where prostitutes being paid money for sexual services going at full kilter.

[Beats56]

Well dont they give prizes to winner's at festivals?

Like the dart balloon game , shoot the star out with a air gun etc. Well you get my drift. Then by definition that has be gambling too. Is it not?

[harrry]

I've never understood why Thailand is so vehemently opposed to gambling?

We've seen cases of Thais stabbing and assaulting tourists and getting a 500 baht fine. A lot of other crimes get a 200 bath fine but here these people are fined 5000 baht for supposedly gambling.

If this was Saudi or Iran I could understand the extreme fines for petty misdemeanours, but this country has rampant in your face crimes, prostitution, drugs, corruption. It's hardly a seriously law abiding nation so what's the big deal with gambling in Thailand??

Well, it's a matter of Buddhist beliefs and Thailand is a very Buddhist nation.

could you indicate which Budhist belief.....

monks can not but is it one that ordinary people are forbidden.

[maoro2013]

Totally unbelievable, almost.

[Johnniey]

One law for the Pattaya dweller and another for the members of the Royal Bangkok Sport club who have a cards room

[dfp]

How come they are still playing cards in the photos? One cop is standing there smiling watching them play..

What a joke.

Re-enacting the "crime".

[harrry]

One law for the Pattaya dweller and another for the members of the Royal Bangkok Sport club who have a cards room

THe Bangkok Sports Club is a member of the same bridge association the Pattaya one is.

[vogie]

One law for the Pattaya dweller and another for the members of the Royal Bangkok Sport club who have a cards room

Don't do as I do, do as I say.

[SOTIRIOS]

...how perverse....

...this is really getting out of hand....

...and the international community should step in.....

....this is abusive.....

[manarak]

the Chief of Banglamung District, who instigated the raid

why don't we have a finger pointing photo with the his name published everywhere to take due credit ?

[wavemanwww]

Hope the Thai cops are reading this and especially the Police chief of Pattaya. The keystone 50 Thai cops to a bridge game-no money mmmmm.... sounds like a cartoon. yet at the same time they deny the sex industry exists in the same area and only pretend to do things to ensure it never happens. I love Thailand there but gee whiz when will the so called so called uncorrupt police reality do there job. Its Disneyland.

[Pompey50]

I love the country and people of Thailand. But why oh why do they keep shooting themselves in the foot. This is nothing but an embarrassment for the Pattaya police. I expect that when this gets to court it will be thrown out as it should BUT this is Thailand so who knows?

I will leave you with this song (Britain's Christmas No 1)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8qHXlShfUQ

[jesimps]

All were jailed for 12 hours and made to pay 5000 baht to secure their own release...at 03:00am.

good god.

If the various embassies don't get involved in this then I'll be disgusted.

What an awful way to treat old people.

I thought Thais were supposed to revere the elderly, or does that exclude farang elderly?

This country has become a scary place in recent times.

[DavisH]

All the (funny) comments on this thread aside, there must be more to this, a lot more, I imagine, as Thai Police are not that stupid and eager to waste their resources like they seem to have done here.

To be continued...

160K for an afternoon's work....does't sound like a waste of time to me....

[wavemanwww]

Disneyland or DIZZYLAND mmm not much difference!