Yesterday two official looking men were going around photographing houses. I presume to see if anyone is running a business who shouldn't.
Any other reasons?
Govt Photographers in my Soi
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redzonerocker
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Looked like every house but not the meters.Super Joe wrote:Were they taking pics of every house Mr P or just those with business frontages ? Immigration officials ?
SJ
Good point hh. I think they snapped the enema bags hanging out to dry.hhfarang wrote:They were probably looking for foreigners practicing medicine without a license.
But what's actually 'medicine'?
a) Hippocrates said 'let food be your medicine and medicine be your food', so eating is definitely out.
b) 'Laughter is medicine'... that shuts down all the bars and my 'Laughter yoga'.
c) If you are eating any herbs with your food, you must be 'self-medicating' and will be taken out and shot.
d) We know 'exercise is medicine'.. (look it up)... walking is exercise, that's out too, unless I employ a Thai to walk for me.
e) I absolutely believe that Yoga is medicine. Banned with immediate notice.
f) You can buy detox kits in the shops so if you use one I think you're ok but if you recommend one, you are probably 'prescribing'.
g) I'm not sure about sliding down the banisters. Is having fun therapeutic? If so, it's got to go.
Damn. It's tricky. Best I just hand myself in first thing in the morning.
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margaretcarnes
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Govt photographers in my Soi
Hi Mr P - I just picked up on this and remembered being in a well known farang bar in ChaAm last November. Police van pulled up outside, and they proceeded to take photos of customers inside the bar.
When you have run a bar in LOS you develop a suspicion of this kind of activity. Especially when the police concerned (tourist I think) don't come into the bar, or give any indication of what they are doing. So I asked the owner what was going on. He was quite OK with it, and said that the police were tasked with checking on the level of tourism in the area. Bar owners had apparently known what was going on.
All well and good. I've known it happen very occasionally in HH, and often in Pattaya, where it is done to assess taxation - and always on party nights when bars are full!
But to assess levels of tourism? This was before the airports occupations. Before the subsequent slump in tourism. And most of the customers there in ChaAm were expats, not tourists.
These 'routine' checks, and your experience, may well be innocent Government fact finding missions. But the problem we have as farangs is not knowing. Largely because partners or staff are often female, and they cannot ask the male officials what is going on.
When you have run a bar in LOS you develop a suspicion of this kind of activity. Especially when the police concerned (tourist I think) don't come into the bar, or give any indication of what they are doing. So I asked the owner what was going on. He was quite OK with it, and said that the police were tasked with checking on the level of tourism in the area. Bar owners had apparently known what was going on.
All well and good. I've known it happen very occasionally in HH, and often in Pattaya, where it is done to assess taxation - and always on party nights when bars are full!
But to assess levels of tourism? This was before the airports occupations. Before the subsequent slump in tourism. And most of the customers there in ChaAm were expats, not tourists.
These 'routine' checks, and your experience, may well be innocent Government fact finding missions. But the problem we have as farangs is not knowing. Largely because partners or staff are often female, and they cannot ask the male officials what is going on.
A sprout is for life - not just for Christmas.