I was told the same thing by two different people in Boztown last night so it "might" be true. They said that boys from Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos had refused to turn up for work because the owner of one of the bars would not pay to get them released if the police came. Apparently the boss had said that so many boys had been taken away that it was too expensive to pay the police.
A subsequent conversation with a Cambodian boy and a staff member in another bar did seem to add further collaboration that something had happened.
Boys on strike?
Re: Boys on strike?
Good time for punters to utilize the apps, especially when hooking up with the migrant workers.
Keeps them safer...still puts money in their pockets...and keeps the wheels turning until this thing simmers down.
The bars, which are already hurting, have a long road in front of them unfortunately.
Keeps them safer...still puts money in their pockets...and keeps the wheels turning until this thing simmers down.
The bars, which are already hurting, have a long road in front of them unfortunately.
Re: Boys on strike?
The barowners in Boyztown most probably already pays large amounts in brown envelopes every month. And then they got raided anyway because it's lowseason and a certain gang feels like they need some extra money.
I can understand the barowners have limits too and can't pay too much in lowseason with so few customers. I feel sorry for the foreign boys. But the ones to blame in all of this is not the bars and their owners, but the gang that extorts people.
I can understand the barowners have limits too and can't pay too much in lowseason with so few customers. I feel sorry for the foreign boys. But the ones to blame in all of this is not the bars and their owners, but the gang that extorts people.
Re: Boys on strike?
Agreed. That gang. And the regime(s) that tolerate or even promote such corruption.
Incidentally, a bar owner in another popular gay area was of the opinion that they wouldn't be raided due to their monthly contributions. Let's see.
Re: Boys on strike?
Also remember that Boyztown and Sunee plaza are the two legal fully licensed "Entertainment zones". The areas where they pay for proper legal entertainment licenses and all other licenses and fees that comes with being an official legal entertainment business.
Re: Boys on strike?
I'm not sure what the definition of "entertainment" is.
But there are bars all over Pattaya, Jomtien and the rest of Thailand. I know of some that have all the licencing paperwork and have no form of entertainment, so are presumably legal. Yet, they still have to pay off the brown shirt mafia.
The question is why ?
Some bars have foreign staff, which is presumably illegal when there are no work permits. I know of at least one bar owner who had all Thai staff to keep his tea money bill down.
Other bars operate way past the 2:00 am legal closing time.
Re: Boys on strike?
You don't need to know how they define entertainment. But in Thailand bars can only legally exist and operate in specially designed entertainment zones, and need all kind of licenses and documents to run their business.
Everything you mentioned and see outside those entertainment zones are exclusively relying on teamoney. "This is Thailand".
My latest posts were simply pointing out the bizarre fact that it's two legal entertainment zones that have been targeted over and over for years and now struggling to survive.
Re: Boys on strike?
They were contemplating expanding the Designated Entertainment Zones (DEZ) to help increase tourism, but there hasn't been a recent update that I've seen in the press.
There's always been more BIB pressure in Pattaya on businesses that offer hosts, i.e., host bars, gogo bars, show bars with offable hosts, etc. for the mere fact that prostitution is not legal and the BIB can get away with sucking tea money out of these places regardless if they're operating in a DEZ or not. Boyztown is in a DEZ, although gets hassled by the BIB just as much (and sometimes more) than the bars in Jomtien Complex which is not operating in a DEZ.
The irony is that even if a bar follows all the rules, e.g., operates in a DEZ, keeps the licenses up-to-date, only hires legal staff, closes at the right times, etc., they are still not immune from the BIB with their hands out - but at least the amount of tea money they have to contribute is usually (not always) minimal as compared to those who are violating the law.
The migrant sex workers are getting the heat right now. That's too bad...but it's also their problem...not the bar owners. They have the option of either selling their wares on the apps until things quiet down, or returning to their home countries until they obtain the legal documentation to be here. That's just the bottom line.
As a side note: If they were to ever expand the DEZ's and legalize prostitution Pattaya would probably begin to flourish again...and the BIB would have to look for other opportunities to keep the tea money express on the tracks.
Wishful thinking!
There's always been more BIB pressure in Pattaya on businesses that offer hosts, i.e., host bars, gogo bars, show bars with offable hosts, etc. for the mere fact that prostitution is not legal and the BIB can get away with sucking tea money out of these places regardless if they're operating in a DEZ or not. Boyztown is in a DEZ, although gets hassled by the BIB just as much (and sometimes more) than the bars in Jomtien Complex which is not operating in a DEZ.
The irony is that even if a bar follows all the rules, e.g., operates in a DEZ, keeps the licenses up-to-date, only hires legal staff, closes at the right times, etc., they are still not immune from the BIB with their hands out - but at least the amount of tea money they have to contribute is usually (not always) minimal as compared to those who are violating the law.
The migrant sex workers are getting the heat right now. That's too bad...but it's also their problem...not the bar owners. They have the option of either selling their wares on the apps until things quiet down, or returning to their home countries until they obtain the legal documentation to be here. That's just the bottom line.
As a side note: If they were to ever expand the DEZ's and legalize prostitution Pattaya would probably begin to flourish again...and the BIB would have to look for other opportunities to keep the tea money express on the tracks.
Wishful thinking!
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Gaybutton
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Re: Boys on strike?
"Prostitution is the best business there is. You got it. You sell it. And you still got it."
- Rodney Dangerfield
- Rodney Dangerfield
Re: Boys on strike?
When I first went to Siem Reap about 18 years ago, I walked into a gay bar and about 10 cute money boys were watching me. Picking one up was very easy.Dodger wrote: ↑Mon Jun 23, 2025 8:47 am The migrant sex workers are getting the heat right now. That's too bad...but it's also their problem...not the bar owners. They have the option of either selling their wares on the apps until things quiet down, or returning to their home countries until they obtain the legal documentation to be here.
On more recent trips, it's been more difficult. I've had to chase a very small selection of boys on the apps. It's similar in Phnom Penh.
It appears that the latest generation of Cambodian money boys choose to work in Pattaya or Bangkok. Jomtien is the easiest place in the world to find available Cambodian boys.
If the Thai mafia insists on driving them out, I'll just have to spend more of my holiday in Cambodia.