Quote Originally Posted by scottishguy
The suggestion that the police in any country are prevented from acting if a prostitute is given a "tip" instead of a "payment" displays a staggering degree of naivety.......
Quote Originally Posted by scottishguy
The reason these matters are not routinely pursued by the BIB has nothing to do with the euphemisms used or the easily proven illegality going on......

Spotty, in your case it is far more than naivety. It is plain ignorance. These words 'payment' and 'tip' are not merely euphemisms as you assume. They are prescribed terms in law and are used precisely so that laws are not broken. Of course everyone knows what is really going on, but the law is an ass and that's how everyone likes it. It is not that the BiB are prevented from taking action in cases of prostitution, it is just that they don't have to take any action if no laws are being broken.

The systems operated in GoGo Bars in Thailand have been long established to ensure that no action by the BiB is required. You pay the bar a fixed price to compensate for the time of their employee - no laws broken there. You have consensual sex with someone who has attained the age of majority in the privacy of your hotel room - no laws broken there. You offer a cash tip (a gift) to someone on a purely discretionary basis without any request for payment being made - up to you mister - no laws broken there.

Ahhh! Another quiet day at the police station, with no chasing around and no nasty paperwork to complete. Just the way we like it. Time to count the tea money....

sglad is quite correct to point out that the BiB are often in on the whole game with ownership of some of the bars. Again, no laws broken there, so all is at peace in the world. sglad also provides a link to a wiki page on John Burdett and his excellent series of novels based in Thailand and featuring Sonchai Jitpleecheep. Here's a quote from the wiki page:

The novels involve Thailand's sex industry and the red-light districts of Bangkok. Sexual matters are part of the narrative, including the juxtaposition of often conflicting Thai and Western norms and mores. They have been widely praised for the breadth and depth of understanding of a number of different cultures. Apart from the Anglo-Saxon cultural traditions with which he was brought up, Burdett has shown considerable familiarity with Confucian, Buddhist, Latin and North African societies, due to his extensive travels.

In the absence of your own experience and understanding of Thai or Asian norms and mores, I highly recommend you read Burdett's novels, particularly the latest in the series The Bangkok Asset. They just get better and better.