Flashermac Posted May 9, 2009 Report Share Posted May 9, 2009 Just as I started to hope that we finally might get rid of the vendors. The vendors aren't going away. Story years ago was that they paid 40,000 baht each for their little space (presumably per annum). Multiply that times the number of vendors and you come up with a nice sum for doing nothing. The Patpong daughters are supposed to have come up with the market idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mekong Posted May 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2009 Flash, You may want to add the fact that the Patpong Thorougfares are privately owned and not public highways so its more difficult to enforce closure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted May 9, 2009 Report Share Posted May 9, 2009 Yep. The family built the sois in on their own property. Once upon a time there was a klong between the sois, though it was gone by the time I arrived. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavanami Posted May 9, 2009 Report Share Posted May 9, 2009 ...go to Soi Cowboy for nite life... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
playtheblues Posted May 9, 2009 Report Share Posted May 9, 2009 What's wrong with their music? Tunes? Harmony? Rythm? Are you talking music or are you just talking style or trends or what is fashionable pop style in certain circles today? If style or trend i am not interested. If music, please substantiate your criticism and I will listen."Get a grip!" is not substance enough for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
playtheblues Posted May 9, 2009 Report Share Posted May 9, 2009 ...go to Soi Cowboy for nite life... Have almost not been to Patpong since since the "Limelight" days. Time to reorient myself nightlifewise... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavanami Posted May 9, 2009 Report Share Posted May 9, 2009 Patpong is good for the "old" places like the Madrid and the steak house there. BC Hospital is also there, but that is usually a daytime thing. The United Center is a daytime work thing, so some good activities there (at least for me). also the Irish pub or whatever with the good/reasonable price food? Can be a fun area... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
playtheblues Posted May 9, 2009 Report Share Posted May 9, 2009 I guess this talk about going after the producers instead of the vendors is an excuse for remaining inactive, right? If producing fake goods is against the law, then selling the merchandise is equally against the law. So if the police takes law enforcement seriously they cannot avoid cleaning up the vendors' market, whether they can nail the producers or not. And a lot of those factories are in China which is out of reach for Thai police authority. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavanami Posted May 10, 2009 Report Share Posted May 10, 2009 Even in Malaysia they play these games, police come and make a raid, someone is "caught" but they always seem to be back in business the next day or so. If they were serious to stop this, fine/jail all that are connected: it is illegal to be in possession of stolen property, illegal to sell stolen property, illegal to produce the copied property...lots of ways to clean it up...but TIT... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted May 10, 2009 Report Share Posted May 10, 2009 Bangkok Post 10 May 2009 Hypocrisy on the high seas of piracy While Patpong vendors were venting their anger over the high-profile crackdown on pirated goods last week, thousands of other sellers around the city were happily hawking their fake Armani bags and Beyonce CDs. Patpong may be popular with tourists eager to take home the latest pirated Hollywood hits, but it is not the only place in Bangkok that would send US guardians of intellectual property into a lather. From the open-air stalls dotting Sukhumvit Road between Soi Nana and Asoke Road to Pantip Plaza, luxury brands like Gucci, Chloe, Prada and Ray-Ban can be haggled for without even a glance from police. If you want a pre-release version of Windows 7 or Grand Theft Auto 4, they too are readily available in malls across Bangkok. A female vendor on Sukhumvit Road selling fake luxury bags, was blase about the raids, saying they were part of her business, but she is willing to run the risk of arrest and a fine to earn a living. "I know it's wrong, but you do what you have to. I don't see why they have to be so violent," she said referring to the clashes in Patpong. Korn, a seller of fake luxury belts, said they expected raids, but added sellers were not criminals to be treated violently. He said vendors had heard there would be more raids in the coming days, but they would not shut down. "We have to make a living," said Korn. An assistant at a shop in Pantip Plaza which sells genuine computer programs and games, said selling fakes was good business, but the financial rewards were not enough to entice him. He said almost 90% of the software at Pantip is pirated. His shop has been open for four or five years and has been forced to slash prices to compete with the pirates. A computer game that used to sell for over 1,000 baht now sells for around 500 baht, he said. Raids worry the pirates, but things soon return to normal, he said. "I also want to see the business change, but it will not be easy. It's not only about the sellers. We also need to ask why people prefer pirated goods," said the shop assistant. Saravut, 37, a technician at Pantip Plaza looking for new computer programs, said he preferred pirated ones because they were much cheaper at around 200 baht. "They are cheap and there are a lot of them. I don't see how raids can help make them disappear," said Saravut. Many believe the Patpong raids stemmed from the United States Trade Representative's continued listing of Thailand on the US's Priority Watch List for intellectual property violations. Being placed on the list can influence the US allowing duty-free entry of goods. The US says most intellectual property violations relate to CDs and computer software. But some observers say that the US downgrading of Thailand may have more to do with the country's compulsory licensing of drugs, which allows it to break intellectual property rights on some drugs for generic production. The government set up the Committee on the Prevention and Suppression of Intellectual Property Violation in January, with Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva as its chair, and Deputy Minister of Commerce Alongkorn Ponlaboot as its vice-chair, to try and shore up the battle against pirates. Mr Alongkorn, who has been asked by the Democrat Party to put the brakes on the crackdown since the Patpong raids, could not be reached for comment on Friday. According to the Department of Intellectual Property, officials have made strong representations over the past year to crack down on violators. Over 5,300 arrests were made in 2008 compared with 9,500 in 2006. But the average number of confiscated items increased to about 600, from about 290, suggesting that big manufacturers and wholesalers were the targets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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