Gay Boy Thailand

Another evening in Straight No Conspiracy Internet cafe, and another police raid. This time the cops were in plain clothes.

Still they were easy to spot as police officers. For a start they carried two-way radio sets. And they behaved in a loud and obnoxious way, as if they were masters of the universe.

There were four or five of them. The sister of the ladyboy-in-training confirmed they were policemen when I (in a low voice) asked her.

This time they searched all the rooms. One of the soi queens with orange hair was caught and they took him outside. What was his crime? Maybe he was under 18. But it was only 8pm. Did they change the rules? Wait, what am I saying? The rules in Thailand are whatever the authorities say they are.

The cops questioned the soi queen outside and took a photo of him with a digital camera.

Inside another cop teased the ladyboy-in-training, who was playing a game. The policeman slapped the ladyboy-in-training several times on the head, quite hard. The ladyboy-in-training ignored him. Then the cop mock-ordered him to leave the premises, and the ladyboy-in-training got angry and refused. The cops thought this was funny.

Two of the cops went to the bathroom to check if anything immoral was going on there. They found nothing.

Only ten minutes later a trio of known moneyboys had left the Internet cafe. They lingered outside for a while, smoking cigarettes. Then they went somewhere else. They probably knew about the police routine. How are they known moneyboys? Well, I know they are and if they are obvious to me the local cops must know too.

I can see why the policemen are so interested in patrolling Internet cafes for vice. It has become big business and the cops go where the money is.

This Internet cafe has 50 computers. At 20 baht per customer/hour they can make 1,000 baht an hour when they are full. They are full only Saturday and Sunday afternoon, but if assuming 50% use of capacity they can make 360,000 baht per month.

They also have income from sellling snacks and drinks and warm meals from the restaurant next door. They have expenses too, of course, computer equipment, salaries, rent, electricity and bribes. But well-run places like this one can obviously make a profit.