The Pattaya grey MAFIA - A bridge too far?

THe Keystone cops couldn't have done a better job....

I for one am grateful to the RTP.

Finally I can now leave my house again to get drunk, have sex with prostitutes and ride my motorbike home without a helmet and not be put at risk by these foreign animals who put us all at risk with their behaviour.

A new low in RTP work.

Is the RTP trying to send a message to people who retired in Thailand?

Get Out! We don't want you here!

Don't be surprised, if Thais start checking on your lungs, if you took too much oxygen from local air. It might be a fine in the making.

No doubt cops tipped off by competing Whist Mafia

and don't let any of x'pats let your children play SNAP they could be the next crime scene needing 50 cops to catch them

Up against the wall gramps!

Spread 'em!

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Crimony this is stupid.

Was the poor old guy accused of concealing a 'dead weapon'?

I actually had to stop and check the calendar.

I expect some of the older ones had to be woken up when the S.W.A.T team came flying through the windows to arrest them

I do hope the chess clubs are going to be next there are a lot of political figures on that board let alone that big piece with the crown on its head which always seems to be the target.

Dangerous words!

Do you think they were shocked it was bridge they were playing and thought these young revelers were up to something much more sinister+!+

The Thai police is really hurting for their image, they are trying so hard to make it worse.

What a waste of government funds! Absolutely disgusting! Is that all the police have to do? Sounds like another attack on the westerners.

Oh my god, playing bridge is illegal here? Whoda thunk.

But seriously, this is really really PATHETIC. Let's wait for this to hit the international press, especially in the UK. Thailand, the military and the RTP are going to look like total fools, and rightly so.

this is oh so ridiculous and completely inappropriate.

I hope someone can make an official complaint to the chief of police, the Mayor of Pattaya and to the central powers in Bangkok.

The police should be ashamed !!!

all hooligans!

hahahahahahaha.

The Thai police is really hurting for their image, they are trying so hard to make it worse.

Bargirls try so hard to give thais a good image. The powers-not so much!

Is it April 1st already? It must be April 1st! I mean, fifty of them? Did they have helicopter gunship support?

Originally thought this was a satirical piece by Not the Nation.

.......and they worry about their country's reputation. Sheesh.

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

Good.

If you go to Pattaya and end up playing bridge then there is something wrong with you.

Deport them all.

I understand gambling is illegal. Sometimes gambling involves cards but this is clearly pathetic.

I suspect this story will be published in UK and Aussie newspapers. Many 'oldies' will think again before retiring to this "gambling den"! Playing Bridge! what next? Snap maybe? or even Patience !!!

I understand gambling is illegal. Sometimes gambling involves cards but this is clearly pathetic.

50 police officers to arrest pensioners..... yeah! Right!

There is a bridge club running in Chiang Mai, has been going for years and was thinking of joining. Now glad I didn`t.

I suppose technically anywhere where there are groups of people playing cards on a regular basis, even if not for money but the fact that there are cards involved could be classified as a gambling house. In Thailand people that run and organise such events should take advice first, because in Thailand never take anything for granted and why I would not become involved with the running of clubs or groups here.

The only crime committed was it probably smelt a bit "Fresh" in the room with that many pensioners

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.

The law says "per individual"......not per group.

What's next Bingo!

I have a feeling this is going to make more than the national Thai news.

Yes, it would reassure all those potential tourists, who fear Thailand for its rape, murder, road accidents, boat accidents, and corrupt police. At least they are protected from card wielding grannies!!!

Millions of Thais gamble every week on the lottery which costs them 80 baht a ticket ! So what is the problem ??????

Here's a tale from my days in the shipping business.... Machine gets imported and with the machine comes all sorts of tools for the engineers to put it together. One of the engineers had his deck of cards in the toolbox as he always does... Skat is very popular among Germans during lunch breaks.

Illegal import of playing cards. Entire shipment stuck in customs. Major upheaval, no partial release even though it was technically several imports and everything was triple and quadruple checked to look for more violations of Thai laws....

Just one of the reasons I stopped importing & exporting from Thailand.....It was a bloody nightmare and I never had playing cards.

Oh man, I wish I could get this incident onto the world stage. How childish. Just another example that the current Thai authorities just don't want a falang expat population in Thailand. 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.

Anywhere around the world, on any day, you will find expats (mainly of English or English extraction origin), in groups playing Bridge. For God's sake what harm are they doing ? It is a harmless (and civilised) game. Are they trving to radicalise the nation, planning a second closure of BKK, planning to smuggle 200 Angel flippen Children across the border at a secret location in the south. No, that would torment our arthritis.

I would love to see this reported on the BBC or front page Sydney Morning Herald. People have to soon see what is happening here.