Confusion and Anger at Pattaya Bridge Club Raid

[HenryB]

I am amazed that people come to Pattaya to Play Bridge

[gemguy]

And.....what is the final outcome of the Thai police orchestrated event while remembering they do not do anything much at all if there is no hope of making some money off their efforts in guise of honest police work.

Not even an apology????

Cheers

[Jingthing]

I am amazed that people come to Pattaya to Play Bridge

Residents here do all kinds of surprising things here.

Like shop for groceries. Etc.

Edited February 5, 2016 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

And.....what is the final outcome of the Thai police orchestrated event while remembering they do not do anything much at all if there is no hope of making some money off their efforts in guise of honest police work.

Not even an apology????

Cheers

The case is going to court, so from a face POV, an apology would be silly.

[maoro2013]

Unbelievable, almost

[gemguy]

i believe law is law and police is right to take them. i am not sure why this is made a big deal.

if they are playing card games in Thailand, they have to follow the rules.

rules says that you cannot play more than 120 cards if they dont have government stamp on this.

so, police just did its job by checking foreigners playing cards in sin city Pattaya. There were many instances in the past foreigners opening hidden gamble houses caught by the police.

how can they know what those foreigners doing there?

moreover, you can also gamble with bridge! a simple search at google shows this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gambling_3NT

so what?

The problem is: Even if you do everything by the books and what you are told is 100 percent legal by lawyers and understood to be totally legit the police in Thailand ( Pattaya and Bangkok more so than other places) are just trying to milk the whole affair for money.

They could have sent around 1 police officer to have a talk with the directors of the club and ask them if they know about the laws pertaining to playing cards and ask request any licenses or permits needed and inform them they are in violation of some obscure laws....if that be the case.

Then invite them down to the police station where they can assist them in obtaining the necessary permits , if need be, and inform them of the need to operate under the law....thank you for coming.

But nope...They raid the place with how many police??? ( totally unnecessary ) and make a big ordeal out of it.

Stupid...just stupid police conduct on their part showing up in force and arresting everyone.

Edited February 5, 2016 by gemguy

[Jim walker]

watched it on the UK news last night just before the end of the news bulletin at the humorous spot after listening to all the depressing troubles around the world, then Thailands heavy hand approach to Bridge Club card players with 80 troops and police storming a house because people are playing Bridge was very well edited made Thais sound a little bit stupid by their lack of understanding about the game of Bridge, I am sure many people around the globe had a chuckle at this story.

[Jingthing]

And it's not over. There still may be convictions.

[Jiggo]

The only Bridge that Thai Police know about was built by slave labor during WW2. Rest in Peace.

Surprisingly (or not) most Thai's don’t know anything about the history of the Bridge.....

[brewsterbudgen]

i believe law is law and police is right to take them. i am not sure why this is made a big deal.

if they are playing card games in Thailand, they have to follow the rules.

rules says that you cannot play more than 120 cards if they dont have government stamp on this.

so, police just did its job by checking foreigners playing cards in sin city Pattaya. There were many instances in the past foreigners opening hidden gamble houses caught by the police.

how can they know what those foreigners doing there?

moreover, you can also gamble with bridge! a simple search at google shows this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gambling_3NT

so what?

The problem is: Even if you do everything by the books and what you are told is 100 percent legal by lawyers and understood to be totally legit the police in Thailand ( Pattaya and Bangkok more so than other places) are just trying to milk the whole affair for money.

They could have sent around 1 police officer to have a talk with the directors of the club and ask them if they know about the laws pertaining to playing cards and ask request any licenses or permits needed and inform them they are in violation of some obscure laws....if that be the case.

Then invite them down to the police station where they can assist them in obtaining the necessary permits , if need be, and inform them of the need to operate under the law....thank you for coming.

But nope...They raid the place with how many police??? ( totally unnecessary ) and make a big ordeal out of it.

Stupid...just stupid police conduct on their part showing up in force and arresting everyone.

Except it was the army who initiated the raid, not the police.

As it is proceeding to court, we will find out in time what, if any, offence was committed.

[IAMHERE]

The BIB have to go full court on this or else the bridge players and club would get to sue the police for defamation, right ?

[harrry]

I believe the district officer is insisting this goes to court. Big tactical mistake as tomorrow no one will run this story again but in one month they will be all over it like flies. Press love a fresh flashback...half their work done.

[gemguy]

i believe law is law and police is right to take them. i am not sure why this is made a big deal.

if they are playing card games in Thailand, they have to follow the rules.

rules says that you cannot play more than 120 cards if they dont have government stamp on this.

so, police just did its job by checking foreigners playing cards in sin city Pattaya. There were many instances in the past foreigners opening hidden gamble houses caught by the police.

how can they know what those foreigners doing there?

moreover, you can also gamble with bridge! a simple search at google shows this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gambling_3NT

so what?

The problem is: Even if you do everything by the books and what you are told is 100 percent legal by lawyers and understood to be totally legit the police in Thailand ( Pattaya and Bangkok more so than other places) are just trying to milk the whole affair for money.

They could have sent around 1 police officer to have a talk with the directors of the club and ask them if they know about the laws pertaining to playing cards and ask request any licenses or permits needed and inform them they are in violation of some obscure laws....if that be the case.

Then invite them down to the police station where they can assist them in obtaining the necessary permits , if need be, and inform them of the need to operate under the law....thank you for coming.

But nope...They raid the place with how many police??? ( totally unnecessary ) and make a big ordeal out of it.

Stupid...just stupid police conduct on their part showing up in force and arresting everyone.

Except it was the army who initiated the raid, not the police.

As it is proceeding to court, we will find out in time what, if any, offence was committed.

OK...so the Army people are even more inept than the police.

[Pete Beale]

Arrested under 1943 laws, when of course Thailand was a member of the Axis powers along with Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany.

[stephenterry]

i believe law is law and police is right to take them. i am not sure why this is made a big deal.

if they are playing card games in Thailand, they have to follow the rules.

rules says that you cannot play more than 120 cards if they dont have government stamp on this.

so, police just did its job by checking foreigners playing cards in sin city Pattaya. There were many instances in the past foreigners opening hidden gamble houses caught by the police.

how can they know what those foreigners doing there?

moreover, you can also gamble with bridge! a simple search at google shows this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gambling_3NT

so what?

READ post 171.

[tx22cb]

We need the Minister for Tourism to step in pronto to stem the damage

[elgordo38]

We need the Minister for Tourism to step in pronto to stem the damage

Sorry she is not available she is to busy counting all the new tourists coming into the country 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 time to take a shoe off.

[novanova]

Here is an account from a bridgeplayer, in a bridge forum:

http://bridgewinners.com/article/view/confessions-of-a-bridge-criminal/

[harrry]

We need the Minister for Tourism to step in pronto to stem the damage

Sorry she is not available she is to busy counting all the new tourists coming into the country 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 time to take a shoe off.

then we really will have a problem.

[brewsterbudgen]

We need the Minister for Tourism to step in pronto to stem the damage

Is there much bridge tourism?

[harrry]

We need the Minister for Tourism to step in pronto to stem the damage

Is there much bridge tourism?

yes

[brewsterbudgen]

We need the Minister for Tourism to step in pronto to stem the damage

Is there much bridge tourism?

yes

Watch the numbers fall!!

[nkg]

The police knowing Bridge was a legal card game and not being fond of the military may have let them walk into a trap of their own making. Maybe we are in for a period of TIT for TAT

TITs for TAT - sounds like a sexy new tourism initiative

[masuk]

Next, Monopoly playing...

what! and risk losing all that money??? and my apartments in Mayfair....

[nontabury]

Maybe the police had been informed that they were playing strip poker.

[amja]

i believe law is law and police is right to take them. i am not sure why this is made a big deal.

if they are playing card games in Thailand, they have to follow the rules.

rules says that you cannot play more than 120 cards if they dont have government stamp on this.

so, police just did its job by checking foreigners playing cards in sin city Pattaya. There were many instances in the past foreigners opening hidden gamble houses caught by the police.

how can they know what those foreigners doing there?

moreover, you can also gamble with bridge! a simple search at google shows this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gambling_3NT

so what?

Hope this is a sarcastic(but very bad) comment!

Othervise, get a life, open your window and smell little reality!

Must be hard to live with all those small minded thoughts in your head.

Elderly bridgeplayers caught, forced to 12 hours arrest, leave their passports and made to pay 5k!!!

If you think that is ok, you need to think about if planet earth is the right place for you!

I´ve been following these threads and even Swedish morning Tv had some reporting

Police or military aside, I think the saddest things are the posters, like you, that can not see beyond outdated laws!

I feel sorry for you and hope you return to your homecountries ASAP (Bet you know your own countries lawbooks by heart)

Ok, now you can crash down at my writing, but english is my third language.

Amja

[bangon04]

you know, i don't come here to bash Thais, they do it to themselves.

This story has gone viral and the Thai police are being ridiculed around the world.

AGAIN........

[bkkcanuck8]

We need the Minister for Tourism to step in pronto to stem the damage

Is there much bridge tourism?

Yes, I know my parents have gone to huge tournaments in New York City (placed 3rd out of I think 10,000 people), and gone on "bridge cruises" where it is a combination of bridge and touring..... I would gather that a large number of duplicate bridge players skew more towards the upper income/upper-middle income/class brackets than your average tourist. (though I am not sure of this group).

[Ulic]

Seems no-one wants to hear or read that it was not police who conducted the raids and that it was not fines but bail money (returnable) prior to going to court (if it now goes that far). When Army and City officials bring such a case to police, then they must act upon it even if it now seems like charges are spurious,

Not so sure you are correct. All those who were released has to sign an admission to gambling.

Take note, they signed an admission to gambling. The lone hold out, had the money but would

not confess to a crime she did not commit. The rest did. Now with all the world wide embarrassment

this story has caused, they may well be refunded the money. But remember they all signed

a confession to gambling to be released. The police or army will make a play to keep the money

from confessed gamblers. I think it will depend on how long they are ridiculed for. I am shocked

it has taken this long to resolve a no brainer asinine error.

[Jingthing]

Again, they're going to court. No talk about a resolution before then.