Offbeat | Western retirees at Thai resort busted for playing bridge
Almost three dozen mostly elderly bridge-playing Westerners have found themselves the surprise targets of a vice crackdown under Thailand’s military government.
Police in the resort city of Pattaya — a hive of prostitution and popular vacation spot for gangsters all over the world — said they raided the Wednesday afternoon gathering of 32 foreigners in an apartment above a restaurant after receiving a tip that illegal gambling was taking place there.
The bridge players, mostly British but also from Scandinavia, the Netherlands and elsewhere, were held until the wee hours of yesterday, when they were released on bail of 5,000 baht (USD140) each. Police said they would not be charged with gambling, but might be charged under a 73-year-old law limiting individuals to possession of 120 unregistered playing cards.
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