Like Clockwork: the Raids in Sunee keep on coming

[TotallyOz]

A large group of policemen invaded the Plaza tonight. The checked all the ID's of Thai guys entering to or exiting the plaza from all known entrances and exits. They also checked out the ID's of many doormen and everyone on the street. Anyone that looked like they were someone that would do Yabba aka a hip hop boy, they took for a pee test. I had been told the raid would either happen on Friday or Saturday and it did just like clockwork. It seems that the BIB are content on cleaning up the plaza and scarring off all the guys. This is not just scarring off the younger guys but all of them. They don't want to work in an environment where they are subject to this on a weekly basis. It also drives customers away. I do wonder if this is really the end of anything gay in Sunee or just a desire to clean up the streets?

[Gaybutton]

I do wonder if this is really the end of anything gay in Sunee or just a desire to clean up the streets?

 

Maybe both, although I think it's more likely a big push to clean up the area. After all, Pattaya now has a new mayor and the escalation of raids seem to coincide with his taking office. Only a few years ago these kinds of raids were virtually unheard of in Sunee Plaza or anywhere else. Now it's an expectation. I don't see how anyone can go to Sunee Plaza anymore without the possibility of a raid being in mind.

 

Also, if it's all some sort of attempt to close down gay venues, that would make little sense in that these raids are not even occurring in the Boyztown area at all. I tend to think it's more of a "if you're under-age and/or are in possession of drugs or are caught being a drug user, then you're in deep shit" type of thing.

 

If that's what it's really all about, then I applaud the intent, although I definitely have reservations about the methods being used. It probably is scaring away customers, but I'm guessing that's a side effect of what's really going on. Collateral damage. Maybe the powers-that-be are finally sick and tired of under-age boys, pedophiles, and drug gangs haunting Sunee Plaza and are finally trying to do something about it. Frequent raids just might do the trick or at least dramatically reduce the number of offenders.

 

So far, I've been fortunate enough not to have ever personally witnessed one of these raids. I was not in Sunee Plaza this evening. However, the venues operating legitimately do have my sympathy. These raids certainly can't be helping their businesses and they end up suffering through no fault of their own.

 

There are still some things that bother me, though. For example, if bar owners are still being held responsible if any of their employees are caught in a pee test, then I think that's totally absurd and unfair. How can the bar owners be responsible for what their employees do when they're not working? That aspect of it holds a high place on my "I Don't Get It" list. If the police are arresting these boys, but then releasing them to go right back to Sunee Plaza, then all they're accomplishing is a revolving door. That too would be on my "I Don't Get It" list.

 

It's a shame things have degenerated to this point, but many of us have been saying for a long time that something serious has to be done about the under-age boys, the pedophiles, and the drug problems in Sunee Plaza. The fact that something is now really being done is hardly cause for complaint, in my opinion. If anything, my complaint would be in the methods being used. I still think a few uniformed police officers, different ones each night to avoid bribery as best as possible, strolling though Sunee Plaza nightly would be effective enough to accomplish a clean-up. I wish they would give that a try in lieu of these raids. I hope these raids don't end up producing a "destroy the town in order to save the town" result.

 

Maybe the offending venues need to get the message. There's a really weird thing they ought to try, something they haven't tried before, just for laughs . . . obeying the law.

[Guest globalwanderer]

It is clear that the new mayor has an agenda and cleaning up Sunee is part of it. He 'needs' to be seen to be cleaning up Pattaya so on the gay scene what better place to start. It's as much to do with Sunee's reputation as anything else, which is why Boyztown does not get the high profile raids.

 

I don't think it is a destroy the town mentality, rather hit what is hitting the international reputation. In the first three months of the year tourist numbers in Pattaya down 30%.. they need to do what they can to reverse the numbers particularly with all the tourist related development.

[Gaybutton]

It is clear that the new mayor has an agenda and cleaning up Sunee is part of it.

 

Perhaps. Whatever the motives are, the weekend raids have become so frequent that now I might not even bother to post when a raid occurs in Sunee Plaza. It would only be news now if a week goes by and no raid occurs at all.

[fedssocr]

in the end will they really "clean" anything up? Or will they just push the issues to another neighborhood/area? If they really are sending all of these addicts to treatment that would be great. But even the best treatment methods/facilities aren't always especially effective. I can't imagine that there is funding for real intensive treatment. So these kids will just end up doing the same thing somewhere else.

 

Same thing with the underage issue. It might go a bit more underground but it won't go away forever. Too much money to be made.

[Guest GaySacGuy]

Maybe both

 

I think that everything involving the police in Pattaya/Sunee is driven by only one thing...MONEY!

 

If you really wanted to stop the drugs and underage sex in Sunee, it could be done in days, but that wouldn't bring the publicity/pictues that the large raids at night and would cut off many of the payments the local BIB are receiving. The number of personel hours used in a raid could be used to do effective police work at all times.

 

Boyztown doesn't seem to get the same attention, because boys town is probably producing a lot more revenue for the city, and it is somewhat a mixture these days of gay and striaght venues.

 

Wish there were some way for all the owners to stop overnight all of their payments for protection...then see what happens.

[Guest lester1]

As the press reports, tourism is 30% down. I would bet that this is primarily due to the world's economic situation. People simply cannot afford to visit Asia from the west as they frequently did what with the massive increases in cost of living and cost of flying. Secondary reasons particular to Pattaya are its increasing crime problems, and inability to get to grips with things tourists want eg, clean seawater. A very small percentage will be gays who have decided not to come because they have read about the raids. If gays dont come it will be more likely to do with my primary reasons rather than that.