Soi 4 raided again?

Rumour has it Silom soi 4 was raided last night (Friday), as friends of mine saw a large gathering of Bangkok's finest getting ready nearby. Thanks to phone calls and text messages, those who were warned left the scene before this praiseworthy tourism promotion effort got underway. Any casualties?

This has become one of the weekly traditions of Bangkok. The test is to see if you can pick up a policeman.

The test is to see if you can pick up a policeman.
I failed. However, if I want a man in uniform I may well stick to the Salvation Army these days

Friday/Saturday 6/7th Jan
Well the predicted 'raid' happened in Soi 4 last night, the place was invaded by what must have been a whole battalion of police, there was more scrambled egg than an explosion in a hatchery, quite over the top.

There were the mandatory TV crews, plastic pots for piss, (but no one to check if the piss belonged to the pisser), one guy was taken from a bar on suspicion of being underage, the police had inspected his ID in the bar. He came back with a great deal of pride, thanking the policeman for thinking he was 18 when he is really 25 (if the police can't get the ages right, or even recognise a kosher ID then what chance do the rest of us have?)

This of course in the height of the tourist season when assaults and murders of farangs are running at a high (I know I am dealing with three serious assaults at the moment -- all within the same week).

No wonder tourist numbers are down.

To paraphrase a famous person...Forgive them for they know not what they do...Nor do they have the brains to understand.

[TrongpaiExpat]

I must have missed it by a nose. I was at the Balcony till around 9, then dinner at Spinx till 1030. Lots of customers, mostly farang. Then over to the show at Bangkok Boys and back over that way around midnight, but I did not notice anything.

Anyone have the time this happen. It seems that 2300 to just after midnight seems to be the favorite hour?

I posted a few weeks back about observing a huge staging of the police at Hollywood. It seems these staging are not that well hidden. If you see people leaving after getting a text message, take the clue.

if I want a man in uniform I may well stick to the Salvation Army these days

Are you seeking salvation, homi?

[Balcony]

Yes. There was a police raid last night in Soi 4. It started at about 1145 pm and went on for approximately 45 minutes.
The only people subjected to urine testing were staff of the bars in Soi 4. None were positive and there were no arrests.
As is usual, no customers were checked or inconvenienced and service continued throughout the raid as normal and we were busy up to our normal closing time of 2.00am. As тАШCharlieтАЩ says, one Thai customer at The Balcony had his ID checked for age and was found to be much older than any of us thought.
As for wowpowтАЩs тАЬThis has become one of the weekly traditions of BangkokтАЭ тАУ IтАЩve told him a million times not to exaggerate. This is the first police raid in Soi 4 since Friday 16 September 2005 and the one before that was in March.

This of course in the height of the tourist season when assaults and murders of farangs are running at a high (I know I am dealing with three serious assaults at the moment -- all within the same week).

Three serious assults in a week? Any details of those? :(

This of course in the height of the tourist season when assaults and murders of farangs are running at a high (I know I am dealing with three serious assaults at the moment -- all within the same week).

No wonder tourist numbers are down.



---------------------------- what r u doin at KrungThep that makes u deal with such bad and scary things ?

As for wowpowтАЩs тАЬThis has become one of the weekly traditions of BangkokтАЭ тАУ IтАЩve told him a million times not to exaggerate. This is the first police raid in Soi 4 since Friday 16 September 2005 and the one before that was in March.
Indeed. But Friday raids somewhere in Bangkok are a weekly tradition. Not everyone goes to Soi 4 and does not stray

"we were busy up to our normal closing time of 2.00am." quote Balcony

Now that's interesting.

"IтАЩve told him a million times not to exaggerate" quote Balcony

Now now you only told me 999.999 times :)

I must say that the Police harassment of this Soi with it's well managed popular gay bars seems to be very unfair.

Actually, I think the reason that Soi 4 gets so much grief is less to do with the gay businesses than those damnable mid-soi hi-so knocking shops for the oh-so-cool hip-hop straight crowd that have been spoiling the ambiance for so long. After all, there MIGHT be special-precious-mama's-little-girls involved in UNDERAGE DRINKING there!

Whereas there are no similarly "important" clubs on Soi Twilight.

[DJB0Y-old]

Agreed. Aren't those places just awful.

The only one I can take is Tapas.

Whereas there are no similarly "important" clubs on Soi Twilight.

Au contraire, perhaps Soi Twilight's bars are even more "important" to the department. They're probably a much richer source of "donations" than soi 4. Now you wouldn't want to upset your donors too much, would you?

As тАШCharlieтАЩ says, one Thai customer at The Balcony had his ID checked for age and was found to be much older than any of us thought.

it's happened to me..having to show my passport only for my companion to discover one's real age with wide-eyed astonishment. :shock:

[TrongpaiExpat]

This raid did not seem to hurt business, I was at the Balcony both on Saturday and Sunday and all the tables were full. No one I spoke to knew what happen the night before. I did not see anything in the Post or Nation. The BF said nothing in the Thai papers or on channel 3 news.

As for why soi 4, It's easy to raid with a single narrow entry. I saw how many police it took to surround the Hollywood complex a few weeks ago.

Sunday night we were at an outside table, left of the main door, close to the building and in one ear was the music from the Balcony and in the other ear was a mix of all the others on soi 4 in competing volume. Of course you can go inside to avoid this cacophony, but you don't get to see the street life. Sunday night Dew was working the bar, that might be reason for some to go inside.

The only people that seem to be troubled by these "raids" are drug users and farang web board queens.

Yeah, I'm with boygeenyus on this one. More raids please, more frequently, more randomly, fewer warnings and increased police presence at all times, outside and inside all bars and other establishments. In fact, why not bring back the shoot to kill policy for all suspected druggies? Let's support the noble thai police in their honest pursuit of justice via journalism, just like boygeenyus does!

Is that a policeman over there? Quick, take a picture of him arresting someone, anyone! Ah, I feel safer already. Police! Hip hip, hooray!!!

I know lots of Thai guys who have quit taking party drugs due specifically to these raids. As I've said before, I'm happy to pee into a cup every now and then if it helps.

Shoot first, examine pee at autopsy. More thai police!

I'd support a campaign to shoot disgruntled, bitter old farang web board queens on sight. You know the type...the ones that complain bitterly about Thailand, yet either refuse to leave or refuse to stop coming back year after year.

I'd support a campaign to shoot disgruntled, bitter old farang web board queens on sight.

Shooting people on sight? Then it is no wonder that you sympathize with the Thai police! I wonder what a web board queen is? I take myself too seriously to possibly identify as a feminine farang. Besides, you make reference to queens in the plural. Perhaps it is you who has the bitter taste in your mouth.

I take myself too seriously

What do you know...you finally said something that actually makes sense!

[Smiles]

I think there has been quite a number of hysterical "raid" warnings/obituaries on this Board and the other 2 versions of Sawatdee.
I may have missed something, but to my recollection no Farangs ever get piss-tested during these little brown-shirt love-ins. It's the Thais who have to hang it out (oh, to be there in that dark salle de bain!)

Has anyone ever actually stumbled across a gaggle of Farang lined up, leaning against a wall with one hand and holding onto George with the other ... pissing up ~ on demand no less ~ their last 7 Singhas. (What a waste!)

Cheers ...

What do you know...you finally said something that actually makes sense!

boygeenyus I am glad you are able to understand the easier sentences. Smiles, even if the inconvenience is not in the direction of us farang, I still fail to understand how a farang can be supportive of selfish police P.R stunts at the expense of the public. A police force is paid to keep a person safe from those unwelcome by that person, not to smile for a photoshoot, irrespective of photoshoot regularity.

[elephantspike]

Has anyone ever actually stumbled across a gaggle of Farang lined up, leaning against a wall with one hand and holding onto George with the other ... pissing up ~ on demand no less ~ their last 7 Singhas.

I had to do just that at the raid on Babylon sauna on December 26th 2003, and so did all of the other patrons, regardless of nationality. It seems that sometimes they exclude farangs, and sometimes they don't.

So called raids are a joke, the bar owners are warned in advance I was there on Friday with some Thai friends and they were told that the raid would happen so we left before 11!

As тАШCharlieтАЩ says, one Thai customer at The Balcony had his ID checked for age and was found to be much older than any of us thought.
it's happened to me..having to show my passport only for my companion to discover one's real age with wide-eyed astonishment. :shock:

Took mother out for a drink one night.
The innkeeper carded us both.
Mum thought he was flirting.
I thought he was scrounging for a tip.

I must say that I am totally opposed to this line of tactics by Richard and his friends. Continually bringing this thread up will not make people leave Soi 4 and visit his new bar. All of us who know Soi 4 know that these raids happen periodically and that it's all a show for the press to make it look like the government are being tough on drugs. No one is ever arrested and things get back to normal the next day.
I was in Soi 4 this last Friday and Saturday and it was as busy in all the bars as I can ever remember it.
So come on guys, sure you can open up a bar to rival the ones in Soi 4 but please try to play fair.

[TrongpaiExpat]

it's all a show for the press to make it look like the government are being tough on drugs

There was nothing in both the English papers and Thai about the raid. I read about it here and apparently just left before the event. I looked in both English papers, the BF in the Thai as well as watching ch 3 news and there was nothing.

The week before I was again almost in a raid at the Hollywood and once again I looked for a story and there was nothing.

I don't know if the press has just lost interest, been there, reported that before and wants to move on or the government is just on some sort of auto pilot and have bought all these pi pi testers and have to use them up.

Maybe because it was not in any way newsworthy. These raids happen somewhere or another every single night; they are completely routine, a complete yawner.