Local police and Bang Lamung district officials raided a Pattaya & Jomtien Bridge Club meeting above a restaurant off Thapprya Road in the resort city yesterday (Feb 3), taking into custody 32 people, mostly British nationals, and holding them until 3am.
Pattaya police chief Sukthat Pumpunmuang said today (Feb 4) that the raid was sparked by a member of the public complaining to the government’s anti-corruption centre. It was initiated by district officials, local media said, not by Pattaya police.
“The chairman of the bridge club is arguing that they were not gambling [for money],” Pol Col Sukthat said.
Local media today reported that police later acknowledged that no money was involved in the bridge games, but that the arrests were made because the meeting violated Section 8 of the Playing Cards Act of 1935 which prohibits the possession of more than 120 playing cards at one time. The decks of cards used reportedly also lacked official government seals.
Pol Col Sukthat added that all but one of those arrested were freed on B5,000 bail after 12 hours in custody. The final person was unable to pay bail and remains in jail.
Police said those arrested included 12 British nationals, three Norwegians, three Swedes, two Australians, a German, a Dane, a Canadian, a New Zealander and a Dutch and Irish national. The other nationalities were not made public.
A British embassy spokesman said officials were in contact with local authorities “following the arrest of several British nationals”.
The bridge club is a venue popular with elderly foreign players that advertises publicly and meets three times a week above a restaurant. It has been in operation since 1994.
Local media said this afternoon that police have deferred further legal action, pending more investigation, and that a representative of the Contract Bridge League of Thailand was travelling to Pattaya to educate police on the rules of bridge, specifically that it is played for points, not money.
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