this one is for the bar owners out there, and especially those still smarting from last years "Grammy Scam".....that shoddy excuse for extortion where so called IPT enforcers accompanied by a goon squad of police raided bars confiscating laptops and computers for the music on them.
I read in the Bangkok Post this week a letter from some poor sod in Pattaya that owns a bar with his wife and was hit by a similar goon squad this week.
The place was visited by the local plod and they were told that they needed a music licence to play Thai CDs...note the difference...now its CDs they are interested in.
Mr Bar owner points out he only has "farang" CDs. He is advised by the police visiting the bars that this is fine, and he is safe.
A day later a police accompanied IPT Grammy goon squad raided his bar, took all his CDs and music equipment and arrested his Thai wife. He goes down to the police station where the usual "pay up or your wife goes to prison and court" extortion is applied. Wife points out that the CDs are farang music, theres no Thai music, and the self burnt CDs belong to the husband, who doesn't work in the bar.
No matter what they said the goalposts changed. They ended up shelling out 20K so the missus got to go home, and they got their CDs back. Of course no paperwork....after all reports and receipts would be traceable. He said other bars in town got hit the same night.
So
I know theres been music licenses issued to HH bars, but be warned. Check they are valid, and that they cover all music - Thai, farang, on CDs, PCs, memory sticks, the moon etc. If you have a lawyer keep the number in your phone.
You know as well as me that these buggers will probably try the same crap here in HH soon.....maybe last years tea fund has been depleted or the car payments are due.
Chin chin chaps
"Science flew men to the moon. Religion flew men into buildings."
Complaining about the ways of Thailand by writing to the Bangkok Post is usually an exercise in preaching to the converted. So while this might sound at times like another expat rant, I hope your readers will take this primarily as a cautionary tale.
My Thai wife and I have lived in an Eastern Seaboard town for eight years, where she owns and operates a bar-restaurant. During those years, we have been good citizens and followed the rules and regulations governing such establishments. A few weeks ago, a local policeman told my wife to ‘‘be careful’’ because businesses playing music for customers must have the proper licence.
The next day we visited the chief of police, who explained more fully. He said that music licences were required for places playing Thai music, especially karaoke shops, to ensure that Thai companies (like Grammy) receive the proper royalties. Because Thai music is sometimes played in my wife’s restaurant, he suggested she get a licence. She bought one the following day: 6,000 baht for one year. When asked about Western music, he said a licence was not required for farang music.
Lo and behold, last weekend my wife’s restaurant was raided by what can only be described as a Gestapo-style goon squad. They confiscated all the Western CDs and proceeded to the local police station, where my wife and I spent the next four hours (until 1am) ‘‘negotiating’’ how much extortion money this shakedown was going to cost us. It did not matter what the chief of this very police station had told us two weeks ago; he was obviously misinformed. You must have a licence for farang music, and burned or pirate CDs are illegal. Yes, there were many burned CDs in the restaurant: some were burned by me at home so the originals could avoid damage in the restaurant; some were from friends; some were mailed by my brother overseas; and perhaps a few were from Bangkok where they had escaped the annual dog-and-pony show when fake Rolexes and pirate CDs are steamrollered.
Anyway, the head goon demanded 35,000 baht, my wife’s ‘‘guilty’’ plea, and no return of copied CDs. Another sanctimonious little goon gave a fractured lecture on intellectual property rights, as if one single baht of the fine they eventually put into their pockets was going to filter back to the allegedly aggrieved musicians.
At night’s end, with the help of a few local policemen, the fine was brought down to 20,000 baht, a guilty plea, and our CDs were returned. The alternative was a night in jail for my wife, and into court the next day, which could cost anywhere from 50-100,000 baht if found guilty. I offered to spend the night in jail and roll the dice in court since the CDs were my personal property. That flustered the goons, but only momentarily: ‘‘Cannot, cannot. Your wife’s restaurant.’’ Unwilling to have my wife in jail, I paid up.
The goons took her ID card (which was not returned), entered its information and her signed confession into their computer, and returned my CDs. While we appreciated the sincere help of some local policemen, it is clear that the police were complicit in this operation since they allowed the goons access to their offices, including a computer hookup. There were also quite a few smiles and backslaps on the part of both goon squad and local police at the end of the episode.
This is just another example, dear Thai people. Your various governments have already mortally wounded tourism with 10 years’ worth of increasingly restrictive visa rules and property ownership laws for foreigners, reduced nightclub hours and absurd alcohol sales hours. And now they are allowing quasi-legal goon squads to target musicplaying establishments and worse, to attack small businesses who must close their doors because they can’t afford to pay extortion money. Thailand, you smile with your teeth, and the shine is well and truly off.
Finally, my apologies for not using my name or the names of the restaurant and town. But I still must walk the walk, keep my head down and wai people undeserving of respect.
Thanks for that bro - couldnt find it as Mrs S chucks the paper after I read it. I was talking about it with a mate last night so was reminded of last years scam squad visits and though a heads up was wise.
The point is that this time they came looking for CDs, so some HH bar owners that didnt get hit last time as they looked for PCs then, are new to the business, or have let their license lapse may be in for an unpleasant ride this year.
There is an IPT govt department in Thailand that is supposed to handle this but these and last years lot dont sound like they are from there.
Like I said check you are covered and have a lawyers number handy just in case....
"Science flew men to the moon. Religion flew men into buildings."
These little scams really wind me up sometimes .I don,t mind 200 baht for no seatbelt,I have broken the law after all .I don,t mind buying tickets for the annual police ball,used to do that when i had a pub in England .No more knocks on the window when you are having a lock-in .
If you have not broken the law pay nothing .If they ask for money tell them to charge you .They will resort to saying you and your wife will go to jail .Fine, charge me and speak to my lawyer .If I have done something wrong by mistake I will apologise and accept the judgement made by the courts .At this stage the amount of money involved will drop and/or the threats will intensify .Pay nothing and stand firm .No official charges=no crime=no fine .
3 real test cases some of you may be familiar with .
1 Fully legal business owner pulled by the police and asked to show work permit .(note I said police not labour dept) All in order but 40k or we put your wife in jail .Panics and pays .He had done nothing wrong .
2 Girl pulls pregnancy scam (several of her friends confirm she has had the snip) 50k .Guy tells them that when the non-existent child is born he will surrender to a DNA test and go from there .In the meantime can you tell me what law there is against making a 30 year old woman pregnant ?
Money asked goes down .Guy gets up,says goodbye and walks out .Officer steps in front of him and pulls a stungun .Guy shoves the officer up the wall and makes enough noise to attract more officers from elsewhere .One of whom must have been straight because the corrupt one panics and lets the guy go .Girls friends confirm again later that no baby ever existed .Bar loses a few regular customers .
Friend calls me 2 weeks ago and tells me a motorbike drove into him whilst he was stationary and the police want 5k .I advise him to tell them to do it on the insurance and ask them for a large amount of money for the car damage .The bike riders go mad .My friend politely asks if he can go to get the insurance details from the car .The officer follows him out and asks him could he please pay a 400 bt fine with official receipt so as to help the officer save face .He pays 400bt .
If,however you are in the wrong then you might just change your mind about the whole corruption issue .As sandman pointed out have your lawyers number handy .
I hope the bar owners don't get hit too badly .Good luck guys .
