Wednesday 19th November 2008
Beer Bar Association Protest at Pattaya Police Station relating to music copyright raids by Police and record companies.
In the early hours of Wednesday Morning a 200-strong protest of Beer Bar owners and employees took place at Pattaya Police Station led by Khun Chardree, the President of the Beer Bar Association of Pattaya. The complaint was registered with Police Lieutenant Colonel Anan and was prompted by an incident which occurred earlier in the night at the Dream Beer Bar located in Soi 3 off Pattaya Second Road. The owner of the bar, Khun Pien aged 41 was taken to Pattaya Police Station following a raid of her bar by plain-clothed Police Officers who are responsible for copyright offences and representatives from a Music Publishing Company who license Thai and International music here in Thailand. The case was referred to Police Lieutenant Colonel Wunlop and during the investigation the record company stated that they would accept a cash payment of 30,000 Baht to avoid any further action. The Beer Bar Association were then contacted for advice on whether to settle or to take the case to court. This sparked an angry protest in the grounds of Pattaya Police Station by bar owners who claim that these licensing companies are taking cash payments which are mostly unrecorded knowing that most bar owners would take this option rather than to take the case to court. The matter is now under investigation by Pattaya Police.
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