Another Crackdown

[Central Scrutinizer]

Gringo,

 

Yep. I think the western pharmaceutical companies are screaming just as loudly lately as the movie and recording industry is about "intellectual property" issues. I was with a friend in a BKK shopping mall recently this past month and although the copy dvd/vcd's were no longer "visible" or openly displayed we were approached by a Thai lad who took us to the parking lot area where he was selling the copy dvd's and such XXX videos. So it's still there, just a lot less visible. I suppose the same will be true in the pharmacies. Shouldn't be a problem I'd think if you are a steady customer that they know by sight. I don't have the problem with my pharmacist in Surin, but when trying to buy when in BKK and Pattaya at places I've gone before, but am not a steady customer they know by sight. As I said though, my Thai wife has no such problems as a Thai customer. It's the farangs they are afraid of, as the NGO/Company detectives for copyright infringement are probably all farangs I think they see us as possible rats to the government people.

 

Same will probably one day apply to the nightlife scene here. Farangs won't be welcome in the new "undercover/underground" bars and massage parlors and brothels and "gogo" type establishments, but Thais won't have much problem knowing where to go and getting in. They'll just become "Thai Only" type places just as the Japanese "Japanese Only" places. It's our own western governments that will close the scene to us, while the Thais will be doing what they've done for centuries, discretely. I blame the "in your face" style of gogos in Nana and Cowboy and Patpong and such for bringing so much attention to it all. (And the recent advent of the internet to a large part the past 5 years or so.) It's a western phenonenom that has grown since the VN war days, and brought too much attention by the do-gooders who hate the scene and want to close it down. But I doubt it'll be closed down for all, just the farang. For the Thais it'll be business as usual, away from prying eyes of the farang media and NGO types, as it used to be. I can see this hapening in the next few years really as the Thai government cracks down more and more trying to please the western governments requirements to having free trade agreements.

 

Cent

[Guest]

Cent said:

Same will probably one day apply to the nightlife scene here. Farangs won't be welcome in the new "undercover/underground" bars and massage parlors and brothels and "gogo" type establishments, but Thais won't have much problem knowing where to go and getting in.

 

Doubful. No intelectual property there, so not much reason for western corporations.... err, I mean governments... to give a shit.

 

As for nightlife going underground at all.... last I heard a few weeks ago, debate in the Thai govt. was whether or not to decriminalize prostitution/gambling. (my bet is on status quo on at least the former)