Foreigners arrested in raid on Nana 'Ethiopian Restaurant'

[Blackheart1916]

12 hours ago, Brer Fox said:

Their encroachment into Soi 4 is suredly driving away the western falang from the area and taking away revenue for the girls, bars and others who rely on this income including those who collect the monthly donation to the Policeman's Ball. These days wandering up Soi 4 is like walking up Burka Avenue.

True, about 10 years ago Soi three was still a good place to hang out, loved the Bamboo Bar until it changed hands and bacon was taken off the breakfast menu.

[overherebc]

10 minutes ago, bubba said:

I am wondering who the blonde, apparently Caucasian woman is in the photo who appears to be part of the police contingent?

 

Duty pointer, if needed??

[ketherin]

If I have images of my passport and visa page etc also my Thai driving licence on my mobile phone would this be acceptable for the police? 

[hansnl]

In general, expats living in Thailand on an extension of stay, do not need to carry their passports, but must be able to show it within 24 hours.

It helps to have a copy of passport and extension of stay stamped by immigration with them, in paper or in the mobile.

If they have the pink ID card, it will suffice.

Tourists are obliged to carry their passport at all times, anywhere.

Thailand is one of those countries where one must carry some ID.

Source: Office of the Public Prosecutor.

[ratcatcher]

3 minutes ago, ketherin said:

If I have images of my passport and visa page etc also my Thai driving licence on my mobile phone would this be acceptable for the police? 

You will have to wait until you get stopped by the police and they request your identification. Remember in this country much depends on where you are when they stop you and your attitude and manner at the time.

[Gecko123]

A local rural policeman recently required me to return home and come back to the police station with my passport, even though I had a photostat copy of my passport front page. It turned out he wanted to verify I was not overstaying my visa.

 

I gotta think this hysteria about rooting out criminals and overstayers has got to die down sooner or latter. It's not like all these searches and roundups have resulted in huge numbers of people being deported. Once the law of diminishing returns sets in, I imagine things will return to normal. 

[Yann55]

7 hours ago, gk10002000 said:

as far as carrying the passport around, there have been numerous posts on Thai Visa.  The official rule and law is still unclear.  Most believe that carrying color photocopy of the ID page and the current visa stamp page are sufficient.  But I have heard of cases where the police still drag you down to the station.  If traveling alone, I don't know what else one could do.  There is nobody I could send to go to my hotel room safe and fetch my passport for the police to see.  Or maybe the police will go with you to your hotel at their leisure which might take some hours or days before they get around to it while you languish in the jail? 

 

Come on Thailand, make a universal statement on what is sufficient for tourists to do.  Most tourists would never want to carry their passport around with them at all times, and locking it up in the hotel safe is the best thing to do.  Carry copy for sure

 

Right on spot gk. Couldn't be worded better.

 

There is NO WAY I'll carry my passport around because I do NOT wish to find myself in the nightmarish situation of losing it or worse, having it stolen.

 

This topic has been going on and on and on. The authorities issue one contradictory statement after another, and it's exasperating. But even if they did finally issue a clear and definitive order saying that foreigners must carry their passport on them at all times, I'll just go Thai, meaning I will know the law and won't respect it. If a cop tells me to drink tap water I also won't do it. Simple.

 

If the cops can't understand the common sense in that, well, Phuket.

 

 

[Sheryl]

14 hours ago, Jingthing said:

I ate there before. It had a lot of atmospherics.

 

Me too and yes indeed...atmospherics.

 

Everytime I was there (I love Ethiopian food) my companion and I were the only people ordering food...

 

But the food, when it finally arrived, was great.

[hdkane]

13 hours ago, Brer Fox said:

Their encroachment into Soi 4 is suredly driving away the western falang from the area and taking away revenue for the girls, bars and others who rely on this income including those who collect the monthly donation to the Policeman's Ball. These days wandering up Soi 4 is like walking up Burka Avenue.

I find their baby strollers annoying as well...or perhaps I'm  just jealous that my mom and dad never took me to a hooker infested entertainment complex when I was 4 years old...and then schooled me about the evils of western society...

[williamgeorgeallen]

7 hours ago, gk10002000 said:

as far as carrying the passport around, there have been numerous posts on Thai Visa.  The official rule and law is still unclear.  Most believe that carrying color photocopy of the ID page and the current visa stamp page are sufficient.  But I have heard of cases where the police still drag you down to the station.  If traveling alone, I don't know what else one could do.  There is nobody I could send to go to my hotel room safe and fetch my passport for the police to see.  Or maybe the police will go with you to your hotel at their leisure which might take some hours or days before they get around to it while you languish in the jail? 

 

Come on Thailand, make a universal statement on what is sufficient for tourists to do.  Most tourists would never want to carry their passport around with them at all times, and locking it up in the hotel safe is the best thing to do.  Carry copy for sure

i firmly believe the laws are made in such a way they are open to different interpretations so they can be applied selectively.  makes for better business.

 

[JayBeeee]

14 hours ago, DeaconJohn said:

Keep on raiding their hangouts until they find another country to do their dirty work in.

These lowlifes spoil the scene for all of us.

 

Perhaps you could put your subjective hatred aside and explain why their work is "dirty", why they are "lowlifes", and how it "spoil the scene for all of us".

Then you could perhaps compare their activity with that of the "all of us" to which you refer.

Were they not going about their lives behind closed doors, disturbing nobody?

[Mickmouse1]

Soi Nana pays millions of bahts to local officials n police.Soi Nana brings billions of bahts to Thailand. Keep raiding n you will scare the other good tourists away.

Ethiopians are not sames Nigerians etc..

They look black but look at history. 

[soalbundy]

I never carry anything with me except my Thai driving license but then living in Isaan has its advantages, the police don't care. At road checks i've been stopped but all they want is the license.

[JayBeeee]

1 hour ago, maoro2013 said:

We have been advised time after time on this forum that carrying passports is not necessary.

 

Advised by whom? TVF expert commenters?

Or does the Police Help Dept. have an account here?

[TheFishman1]

so the question is to carry or not to carry?

[JerryinTH]

12 hours ago, JHolmesJr said:

6 storey entertainment establishment…..on soi 3…..hmmm…..it hjas been a while since I stomped through that area leaving a trail of destruction in my wake.

 

Pray, what building is this? Grace?

 

I think its the building where the only entrance is an elevator. 

[sahibji]

i am amazed at the thinking of the overstayers. what do they plan to achieve. trouble is the inevitable consequence from over staying.

[sahibji]

4 minutes ago, JerryinTH said:

 

I think its the building where the only entrance is an elevator. 

ha ha ha . it has got to have some address or name.

[Bluespunk]

17 minutes ago, JayBeeee said:

 

Advised by whom? TVF expert commenters?

Or does the Police Help Dept. have an account here?

The police help dept?

 

Ha, ha, ha, 

 

ah, it does you good to have a laugh...

[JerryinTH]

5 minutes ago, sahibji said:

ha ha ha . it has got to have some address or name.

 

Just guessing but theres no other building I can think of on that Soi that resembles the pictures. The only entry / exit is an elevator. It's right before you turn left, down to Sukhumvit road. 

[sahibji]

16 minutes ago, TheFishman1 said:

so the question is to carry or not to carry?

my suggestion is to print out on the immigration form what the specific instructions regarding carrying the passport are. that will leave out any  possibility of misinterpretation. 

[sahibji]

16 hours ago, Bluespunk said:

I quite like Ethiopian restaurants.Their  coffee is usually kick ass. 

 

This place however would seem to have held other attractions.  

obviously with 55 foreigner there being at one go.

[ezzra]

 

The whole of the nana Area is a hot bed and a known center for every shady activates

that you can imagine is going on there,

I have known the place for 30 years now, and every year it's get worse and worse, especially

since African and Arabs people has discovered the place 20 years or so,

IMHO, a permanent police post should be stationed there  checking

the coming and going in that cesspool of a place....

[Bluespunk]

7 minutes ago, sahibji said:

obviously with 55 foreigner there being at one go.

I was referring to this part of the linked story

 

"The building, called Ornchira Fashion Backs, held an entertainment venue called “Ethiopian Restaurant” on the third and fifth floors, along with a pub, Middle Eastern-themed dance bar, massage parlor and restaurant."

[chrisinth]

We have been advised time after time on this forum that carrying passports is not necessary. May be sensible to have a copy with you.

 

Why is this issue continually being raised by the media, and presumably by the police/military?

Any thread on this forum that has advised that carrying passports isn't necessary has also advised that having a copy is a must. It makes sense.

The problems I would have with some of the advice (from the police and immigration side) is that carrying photos on your mobile or using a driving licence is acceptable. Reasons?

It is just too easy now-a-days for the average person to amend a photograph to whatever they want to see using a variety of different softwares. Options here are widely available for 'professionals' to amend this for you. It is easier to hide these changes on a photo on a mobile than on a printed copy.

As for the driving licence, it does show a passport number which may or may not be current, but gives no details about permission to stay in the country.

Just for clarity, I never carry my passport with me unless I have to in my home province, relying on a laminated copy. If travelling outside the province, I always bring my passport with me but leave it in a safe place where I'm staying. If a problem occurs it is available at short notice. This has worked well for the last 19 years.

[JayBeeee]

16 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

The police help dept?

 

Ha, ha, ha, 

 

ah, it does you good to have a laugh...

Yes.... that's why I wrote it!

[gamini]

2 hours ago, o2eZy said:

thought you did not need to carry passport with you now ..I just have Thai licenses and passport copy on my phone with current Visa

maybe they have changed the rules again for the umpteenth time ...ooohhhhh Thainess

I am sure that the people who were arrested for not carrying a passport had no other identification.

[atyclb]

15 hours ago, DeaconJohn said:

Keep on raiding their hangouts until they find another country to do their dirty work in.

These lowlifes spoil the scene for all of us.

 

 

they dont spoil it for the rest of us.  thailand attracts international criminality and low lifes owing to the nature of society itself.

[Jingthing]

 

Me too and yes indeed...atmospherics.

 

Everytime I was there (I love Ethiopian food) my companion and I were the only people ordering food...

 

But the food, when it finally arrived, was great.

You enter from a street elevator which is odd. I had read don't go at night because it's more of a nightclub. So I went for lunch. But when I went it was packed and the crowd except me appeared all Africans that didn't look like Ethiopians. Many Ethiopians have a classic distinctive ethnic appearance. It was definitely a party atmosphere than a restaurant for that crowd but I didn't witness any illegal activity but I wasn't looking for it either.

[wombat]

35 minutes ago, ezzra said:

 

a permanent police post

 

the "eldarado" of posts