Who to report to

[PattayaMale]

Last night a friend and I were out and about in Pattaya and noticed that more and more bars are ignoring the no smoking laws .

 

I have tried to talk to some bar owners and managers where it is occurring with no results.

 

So I thought today I would call the city help desk 1337 and find out how to report violations. The person that took my call after putting me on hold for awhile to check came back on line and told me to call the police at the following number:

 

038 420 802...5

 

She also told me to call the city managers office if the police did not go to check. So with this information and the names and location of some of the Sunee Plaza that are violating the law, I called.

 

No answer. I tried for 10 minutes redialing all 3 numbers. No answer.

 

I thought the call center must have given me the wrong number. So I went on line to check. The number was correct and I found additional numbers 038-428-223, 038 429- 371. I tried those numbers. Same thing. Despite my redialing each number for 10 minutes, No answer.

 

Not giving up, I thought ok I will call the tourist police. I saw that they have a special 4 digit number 1155, but that number seems to be out of service.

 

So after 30 minutes of trying to get someone to answer the phone I remembered that I saw a number on a no smoking sign that was in Thai. I went to check that number 025903342. Some one answered. Apparently is was the Alcohol and tobacco control number. Problem for me was they only speak Thai.

 

So I decided that I would make up a petition. Get some people to sign it and submit it to the Mayor's Office and also see if I could get the press involved.

 

Are there any other ideas? "Vote with my feet" is not an option. It is my hope to bring these violators to their knees!!

[Guest MonkeySee]

You are a man on a mission. If I were you, I would take the no answer from the authorities, as a sign from above. Give it a rest! If you believe in karma, what goes around, comes around.

[Guest slackersam]

Did you also tell on kids when you were in grammar school?

 

Because, you know, ratting people out is soooooooooooo cool.

[KhorTose]

I hate smoking, but there are so many things in this world, in Thailand, in Pattaya and especially in Sunee plaza that are far worse then smoking. Maybe you should check on your priorities?

[Guest slackersam]

Exactly.

[Guest luvthai]

I hate the smoking also and usually turn and walk out if I see a smoker. Second hand smoke is so dangerous. I guess one could dial the tourist police or complain to the mayors office. One has a right to a smoke free enviorment.

[Guest slackersam]

Snitching people out to the cops is bad karma.

[PattayaMale]

And bars owners that are hurting the health of its customers and workers represent good karma?

 

Remember that I approached the bar owners first. I am not doing it behind their back.

[Guest slackersam]

And you don't ever break minor rules or laws in your life?

 

Don't be an informant for the cops.

 

Nobody likes a rat.

 

When I was a kid my dad once told me "The less you involve the police in your life and the less you have contact with the the better."

 

Were you the type of kid who went to the teacher when you saw kids kissing on the playground?

[Guest]

I am with you PattayaMale. I hate smoking in bars. It ruins the experience for me. I would not call the police though, I would just leave. If the owner wants to allow this that is his option. If enough people complain, they will not allow it.

 

I have been in Phuket for a week and EVERY single gogo bar I have walked into allows smoking. EVERYONE. When someone was close to me, I would simple move or leave. I think areas outside of Pattaya are less concerned with following the smoking ban than Pattaya.

 

 

 

[PattayaMale]

And you don't ever break minor rules or laws in your life?

 

Don't be an informant for the cops.

 

Nobody likes a rat.

 

When I was a kid my dad once told me "The less you involve the police in your life and the less you have contact with the the better."

 

Were you the type of kid who went to the teacher when you saw kids kissing on the playground?

 

You make the same point over and over. I think you prefer name calling to giving valid points to support your argument which in my view is childish.

 

My view is very different than yours. I don't consider it a minor rule or law. I have no problem asking for assistance and neither should you I feel

 

Why your father was afraid of the police I of course do not know.

 

Would you be able to tell me if you support smoking in the enclosed bars? Do you consider smoking harmful? What is your view on second hand smoke?

[Guest slackersam]

I say let the market rule. If enough people stop going to a bar because they allow smoking then they will stop allowing smoking.

 

At the end of the day, I don't think it's a great idea to tell people how to run their own business and I think it's always a bad idea to call the cops.

 

Who knows, one day you might do something that other people object to and they might call the cops.

 

Hell, the reason Stonewall happened was because straight people didn't like the gay sex going on in those bars and tipped off the cops - because they thought get men hooking up was offensive and dangerous.

[Guest slackersam]

1. I support the right of a business owner to do whatever the hell he wants in his own business as long as it doesn't involve blood, torture or pedophillia.

 

2. If any friend of mine ever went to the cops about anything other than a street mugging or a murder that would be the last time I'd ever call them a friend.

 

3. You'll really hook up with gogo boys who can give you chalmidia, syphillis, gonnorhea (even if you wear a condom) but are worried about second hand smoking hurting you 20 years from now? Please. Smoke annoys you and you want to feel like a big man who called the cops and did something about it.

 

 

 

 

You make the same point over and over. I think you prefer name calling to giving valid points to support your argument which in my view is childish.

 

My view is very different than yours. I don't consider it a minor rule or law. I have no problem asking for assistance and neither should you I feel

 

Why your father was afraid of the police I of course do not know.

 

Would you be able to tell me if you support smoking in the enclosed bars? Do you consider smoking harmful? What is your view on second hand smoke?

 

[Guest]

I agree with the ban on smoking and wish it was out of all bars and all public places. All my BF's have been smokers but kind enough to go outside to do it. They never once lit up in front of me inside any building. To do so, IMHO shows a total lack of respect. If you care so little of others, then you are not a person worth knowing anyway. I don't even know if you smoke or not but your view is very strong and I wonder if the reason behind it is you are a smoker? If so, and you have a boyfriend, would you light up in bed if he were not a smoker? How about at dinner?

[Guest slackersam]

I'm a very occasional smoker who would never light up when alone with someone who was bothered by it.

 

If I was bothered by a business allowing smoking I'd simply not go there.

 

My strong views come from the fact that I feel like everyone breaks the rules in some ways and it's rarely a good idea to get the police involved.

 

Once we start informing on each other it's a pretty quick trip to 1984.

 

Remember how many gays lost their jobs and their reputations years ago when people who were bothered by homosexuality "outed" them to their friends, bosses and family?

 

Those rats did so because they were bothered by homosexuality and thought it was the right thing to do.

 

Plus, think about the types of people who run some of these bars - would you really want to get a reputation as someone who ratted them out (which is what will happen if you give them a warning and then the cops show up the next day.)

 

Beyond that, this is their country - not ours - and we are guests here. Simple manners dictates that when in Rome do as the Romans do.

[PattayaMale]

Slackersam do you really think Stonewall and non smoking enforcement are similar?

 

Businesses have all sorts of rules and regulations that they must follow. It is simply part of doing business. If an owner does not like the rules and regulations they do not have to be in business.

 

Can you tell me one thing? Should business owners simply ask those smoking in bars to go outside and smoke? If you feel they should not, why?

[Guest slackersam]

I'd rather they asked people to go outside to smoke, but it is there business and I think they have the right to make the rules.

 

Anyway, my point isn't about smoking at all. It's that it's pretty creepy to be a police informant. And, let me tell you, once you go to the cops about one thing, the odds are the cops will come back to you and try to get you to inform on people for other things.

 

That's simply the way the cops work.

 

When I was a journalist covering crime cops used to tell me all the time about "snitch jackets" where they'd keep the names, addresses and phone numbers of people who reported minor crimes - so they could go back and question them when major crimes occurred later on.

 

There feeling was that even as cops they thought informers were scum of the earth, so they might as well make them useful scum and hassle them once in a while to see if they had good information.

[Guest xiandarkthorne]

As a smoker, I can never understand why people don't make an effort NOT to smoke where it says NO SMOKING. I am a pretty heavy smoker and I never have a problem having a puff outside.

 

Xian

 

PS

If you go to certain European countries, you will find that the rule is also ignored there. I once saw the mayor and the chief of police happily puffing away together right under a NO SMOKING sign at an unnamed village in the Southern Alps.

[Guest slackersam]

In europe these days it depends on the establishment. If the owner doesn't want people to smoke in his bar or restaurant he enforces the law. If he doesn't mind it, he doesn't.

 

What the law is generally used for is to give back up to business owners who want to tell people not to smoke.

 

Which means, in general, that about half the places allow smoking and the other half doesn't - which seems like a reasonable compromise to me.

[Gaybutton]

If you folks want to go into a pissing contest about this, fine with me. However, none of the arguments alter the fact that the bars are not supposed to allow smoking inside, period.

 

When this law went into effect all the non-smokers were delighted. At that time I predicted this regulation would last about as long as most of the others. Actually, I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did. Here we are, a few months later, and apparently the regulation is not going to be enforced. I doubt that phone calls, petitions, or anything else will change a thing if the bars won't voluntarily comply. Unfortunately, the only thing I believe you can really do about it is to patronize the bars that comply with the regulations to the exclusion of the ones that don't.

[PattayaMale]

Slackerman, If I understand what you wrote, your objection is someone filing a claim with police for relief because you feel the police will come back and ask that person to be an informant at some later date. I see that we agree on having the owners/managers ask customers to step outside if they need to smoke.

 

So if instead of going to the police about a specific bar, how would you feel about a group of people putting some pressure on the police to enforce the non smoking law through letters to the editor or a petition to the Mayor?

 

How do you feel about owners chaining exits so if a fire occurs people may not be able to get out? Do business's have that right to make those rules?

 

If you agree that a harm will occur in 20 years as you suggest, is it because the harm is not immediate, you feel the owner has a right. The workers do not really have the leeway to just walk.

 

In my view, the non smoking law was passed to protect people including the workers. It is not just because it is annoying in many ways.

[Guest slackersam]

I agree with GayButton 100 percent.

[Guest fountainhall]

I agree with GayButton 100 percent.

 

Seconded! You can vote with your feet if you wish. You can write to the media if you wish. You can petition the Mayor if you wish. Sadly nothing will do any good whatsoever!

 

[Gaybutton]

Sadly nothing will do any good whatsoever!

Even if Pattayamale's suggestions about pressure, petitions and letters-to-the-editor would actually work, how long do you think it will be before enforcement goes by the wayside again?

 

Jaded as this may seem, I believe there is only one way you'll ever see these regulations seriously enforced: Pay the powers-that-be more than the bars do.

 

 

[Guest slackersam]

Or don't go to bars that let people smoke and let the market regulate things.