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PussyLover 69
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Report fromBangkok Post dated Friday 8 May 2009
Piracy clash in Patpong - Vendors lash out with sticks, bottles, stones
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The government will press ahead with its crackdown on pirated goods and intellectual property violations despite the outcry of vendors who attacked its officials in Patpong.
About 200 vendors on Wednesday night attacked 50 Commerce Ministry officials who raided sellers' booths and arrested them for selling pirated goods.
Vendors attacked the officials with wooden sticks, glass bottles and stones. Some reports said guns were fired to scare off the officials.
About 10 officials were injured in the melee, and one is in a serious condition.
Officials arrested some vendors, and loaded four vans with confiscated pirated goods, mostly counterfeit copies of bags and clothes.
They headed for Bang Rak police station.
The vendors blocked the road and stormed one van after another three vans broke through the crowd.
Vendors in Patpong Road complained that the counter-piracy officials were too harsh.
They filed charges with Bang Rak police against the officials for physical assault and robbery.
The government, however, says its anti-piracy drive will continue, and Patpong vendors can expect raids every two days.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said the vendors attacked the officials after they tried to seize their pirated goods.
Mr Abhisit said he would ask Deputy Commerce Minister Alongkorn Ponlaboot, who oversees the government's anti-piracy campaign, how to avoid future clashes.
"The government must continue to carry out its policies to suppress pirated goods and to confront unlawful influence," he said.
'Countering goods piracy is a policy of this government."
However, the government would also take action against any official who was found to have used excessive force against the vendors.
Mr Alongkorn said his ministry would crack down on pirated goods and intellectual property violations every two days. Patpong Road would be raided again in the next two days. "The government cannot allow their unlawful businesses to continue," he said.
Vendors said officials seized all products from their outlets, although some of their products were not pirated.
The officials did not discriminate between pirated goods and goods which they sold legally, which angered the vendors, they said.
Officials including police who fired their weapons in the air during the scuffle were over-reacting, they said.
Mr Alongkorn said vendors who attacked the officials enjoyed support from some influential figures, some of whom were connected to high-ranking law enforcement officers.
The deputy minister said he had ordered an inquiry into the clash, but insisted the officials did not start the violence.
Trading in pirated goods cost the country more than 200 billion baht every year, he said. Most pirated products were imported. The influx of pirated goods undermined the competitiveness of Thai products.
Mr Alongkorn said he would also order a study of state authorities in areas where large volumes of pirated goods were available, as this suggested they were not doing their job properly, or had fallen prey to dark influence.
The Commerce Ministry declared it would crack down on intellectual property piracy after the United States Trade Representative (USTR) put Thailand on its special watch list of nations that fail to crack down on copyright and patent violations at the end of April.
The USTR also listed China, Russia, Algeria, Argentina, Canada, Chile, India, Indonesia, Israel, Pakistan and Venezuela as the world's worst offenders. Under US policies, listed countries could be subject to penalties, trade barriers and embargoes.
In Bangkok, the USTR identified five popular areas as the world's most "notorious markets" for pirated goods: Pantip Plaza, MBK shopping centre, Klong Thom, Sukhumvit Road and Patpong Road.
Executives and singers from RS Promotion Plc, a large entertainment firm, led by director Sutthisak Prasatkharukarn, yesterday called on Prime Minister Abhisit at parliament to thank the government for taking action against pirated products.
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 5:05 am on May 8, 2009
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PussyLover 69
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The United States Trade Representative (USTR) had identified five popular areas as the world's most "notorious markets" for pirated goods: Pantip Plaza, MBK shopping centre, Klong Thom, Sukhumvit Road and Patpong Road.
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Bangkok Women : Meet Sensual Bangkok Women
Posted on: 5:07 am on May 8, 2009
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LastSurvivor
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Just stay away from Fortune IT mall and I'll be okay. 
LS
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 6:05 am on May 8, 2009
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DrLove
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Good advice.... overpriced.
Pantip and MBK are much better places for illegal software.
There were already crackdowns on illegal software 25 years ago when I first visited Thailand.
Give Abhisit a couple of months and he'll be gone and every cools down again.
Money, money, money... it's so funny in a rich men's world.
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Sexy Bangkok Girls
Posted on: 6:41 am on May 8, 2009
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samsri
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Well, for sure will they not raid MBK. They select a couple of showcases so all the tourists see it but they will not go after places where Thais buy fake stuff.
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Thai Women : Meet Matured Thai Women
Posted on: 11:28 am on May 8, 2009
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LastSurvivor
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Quote: from DrLove on 6:41 pm on May 8, 2009
Good advice.... overpriced.
I guess that is your way of saying Fortune IT is overpriced. I find the prices about the same as MBK. If they are a little higher it might be 20 baht or so per disc and I only buy 10-15 discs at a time. I like the BTS/MRT ride and the eye candy on the way plus I usually pop into Lotus Tesco while I'm there. I did buy some software titles at MBK this time as they have some nice eye candy wandering around as well.
LS
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Bangkok Women : Meet Beautiful Thai Girls
Posted on: 12:49 pm on May 8, 2009
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DrLove
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==========================================
If they are a little higher it might be 20 baht or so per disc and I only buy 10-15 discs at a time.
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As most software in Pantip is 100 baht (Fortune 130-150 baht) and Cocowalk is 70 baht, I suppose you agree with me.
10-15 discs is 200-300 baht cheaper. 2 or 3 CDs for free.
But actually nothing beats Rapidshare.com.... only $8 per month for 150GB of downloads. Free if you have the time to wait before every download.
Not really concerned about those raids... haven't bought movies and/or software in over a year.
I am kind of surprised most of the American BTFers haven't exploited or are familiar with the joys of file sharing.
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 1:08 pm on May 8, 2009
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LastSurvivor
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Good Doctor,
The price I paid at Fortune IT was 100 baht per disc so they do compare to MBK in price at least. They are certainly not as cheap as 70 baht tho. I use Bit Torrent for a few things and have used rapidshare as well. My preference is to pay for the software in Thailand when I am there rather than wait for it to download. There is also no concern on a record of my having downloaded something via BT or RS. For movies I use Netflix which ships DVD's to my door and I copy them and return them. I usually copy/watch 36 to 48 titles a month as my wife also has an account. They also offer free streaming of titles in SD or HD via the internet. Another service is Redbox DVD rentals where you can rent the new release movie for $1 and I copy those as well. I just try to avoid the download via the internet as much as possible in case they ever crack down.
LS
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Thai Girls : Meet Active Thai Girls
Posted on: 6:53 pm on May 8, 2009
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mokewen
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good luck!
that's like the periodic push to get rid of bar girls & close the massage parlors.
everyone seems to push fake goods. I took a walk yesterday and a thai guy tried to sell me fake rolex's on soi 13 - 8 blocks off of sukhumvit. there weren't even food carts that far off sukhumvit!
it's going to a tough jog routing all those rascals.................
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Thai Women : Meet Matured Thai Women
Posted on: 11:20 pm on May 8, 2009
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DrLove
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Watch 36-48 titles a month? Ever got the time to do other things?
Actually that Redbox concept is a very good idea and the price is right. But I've checked some boxes in New York City and most of them had no more than 400 titles available. No older titles.
Rapidshare websites offer around 50,000 titles for free.
Furthermore if HD streams well on your connection, I guess there's no need to wait for downloads because you should have a multi multi megabit connection.
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 5:47 am on May 9, 2009
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