A particularly unpleasant incident was reported by the owner of a well-known restaurant in the tourist town.
The owner – who for reasons that will become apparent does not want to be named – told The Phuket News, “On November 5, three days after we had reopened the restaurant, three cars pulled up in front and five people got out. They claimed to be working for some authorised group for the licensing of music.
“I pointed out to them that our music came through a TrueVisions tuner, and we therefore did not need a license. Then they saw that my wife was working on a computer. They demanded to check the computer. I asked them who they were. One of them flicked open an ID, so fast that I could not read it.
“They found there was music on the computer, including one song they claimed was licensed by them. We downloaded that from the Apple iStore, and we said we did not use it in the restaurant, but they insisted that she must pay a fine.”
The visitors took the computer and then took the restaurateur’s wife’s arms and pulled her to one of their cars and drove off to the police station in Krabi Town. Her husband hurried after.
There, in a makeshift office outside the police station, were more of the people the “copyright officials” had targeted, and with whom they were making deals in return for not “prosecuting” them.
In a post on ThaiVisa the restaurateur wrote, “Then came our turn, and this gentleman asked us to pay a fine. ‘Much better for you,’ he said, adding that if we did not pay he would put my wife in jail.”
Aghast, Umberto wondered, “Are we talking about paying for some license or for a crime serious enough to put my wife in jail?”
On the advice of his lawyer over the phone he asked to see the documents of the “publishing company” and some ID.
“They started to threaten us, saying that we were now in serious trouble. We were taken inside the police station, and from that point on we had to talk with the police officer on duty that night.
“We explained the situation to the officer (my lawyer was in telephone line telling me not to pay because it was a scam). Again I asked for an explanation, but the officer very coldly said that we had to pay B50,000 or he would put my wife in jail.
“I was desperate. I knelt down and pleaded with the officer not to put my wife in jail, and said, ‘Okay, I will pay but I can’t get that amount at this time.’ So he went to talk with the gentleman of the publishing company and when he came back he said, ‘Okay, you can pay just B30,000.’”
“I repeated that I was not sure if I had that amount. He was very angry. He said he was sick of my talking, he need to go sleep, so he was definitely putting my wife behind bars.
“So I started to run and when I reached the first ATM I took all the money I had – B27,500 – and ran back.”
He showed them the money and the ATM receipt demonstrating that his bank account was empty. They didn’t believe him. “Pay B30,000 now or f*** off and come back with the money tomorrow, then I’ll let your wife out,” the police officer said.
“At that point I did not know what more to do, seeing my wife clinging to the iron bars and crying. I was myself giving in to despair.
“Once again I checked my wallet and magically, in a recessed pocket I found 50 Euros that I put there for emergencies, and which I had forgotten about.”
The “copyright officials” accepted the Euros in lieu of the B2,500 “owed” and the restaurateur’s wife was released from jail. There was no police report and no receipt for the money he paid for her release.
“On the way back,” the restaurateur wrote in his ThaiVisa post, “we were speechless and shocked. It’s been two days now and my wife is still crying, and saying she had to shower many times because she can’t scrub off the smell of that night.
“This experience has shaken us and our beliefs. After 12 years living here without ever having done anything wrong, having worked and paid taxes honestly, we were treated like beggars.
“My wife, even though she is Thai, can’t believe how her country could become like this.”
Since that night the restaurateur and his wife have managed to get in touch with a more senior police officer, who advised them that the “copyright officials” were long gone and they could forget about getting the money back.
The restaurateur is resigned to the loss of the money, but balance was restored somewhat when he was told that the police officer who put his wife behind bars has been transferred to a post in Yala, in the troubled Deep South of Thailand.
A KT staff member, who asked not to be named, told The Phuket News, “Our company often faces accusations that our staff cheat people. To be honest, there are a lot of people doing this kind of thing.
“I myself was in a restaurant in Krabi and saw a man who walked into restaurant to cheat people. I asked him, ‘What’s your company?’ He answered, ‘I come from KT company.’ Then he walked out again.
“I knew immediately that he was not from our company. I ran after him but he escaped.
“We have six staff taking care of customers in the South of Thailand. Most pay the copyright fee by ATM transfer.
“I would advise people not to pay these criminals but to call and check with the company, and to call the police, too.”
The KT phone number is 02-689-2884.
Pol Col Thaksin Photchakorn, Superintendent of Krabi Police Station said, “This kind of crime is always happening. If I had known about it, I would have dealt with this case too.”
He denied that police were involved. “I don’t believe any of my underlings would dare to do this.” He hung up before The Phuket News could ask any further questions.
The number for Krabi Town Police Station is 075-611-222.