A Bali Hai Pier drinking hole whose owner lost 40,000 baht trying to bribe fake police to escape charges from one of two previous raids, was raided again for serving booze and breaking curfew.
Police swooped in on the Sky Mountain bar, sirens blaring, only to see about 50 people run out, jump in cars and on motorcycles and escape. No one paid any heed to sirens and calls to halt, nor the fact they were on the streets after the 10 p.m. curfew.
Inside, officers found employees sweeping up and a manager they know well from a May 28 raid where 32 drinkers were arrested. He was taken in again.
Police have already raided Sky Mountain twice: Once in February and then again around 12:30 a.m. May 28, seizing eight illegal shisha pipes and hauling all the party people to Pattaya Police Station to face charges of violating the emergency decree and using illegal baraku tobacco.
Owner Wattana Meesuta went crying to the same police two days later, complaining that a man claiming to be a deputy police chief had approached them with an offer to drop the charges in exchange for a bribe of 40,000 baht.
Wattana said he was bombarded with phone calls from a “Ton,” who refused to pay the bribe in person, fearing CCTV cameras would catch him on video.
The owner recorded the telephone calls but nonetheless wired two payments totaling 40,000 baht to have his case cleared. The scammer even suggested they have dinner together once the charges were dismissed.
That was the last time Wattana ever heard from “Ton” and the charges weren’t dropped.
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