Thread: Thai market vendors pelt police with rocks for cracking down on counterfeits.

BANGKOK—Thai police were licking their wounds Wednesday after an enraged mob of vendors chased them away when they tried to seize fake goods at a famous border market.
The Department of Special Investigation said 12 officers were injured when police and French Embassy observers went to the Rong Kluea market on the border with Cambodia to seize items such as fake perfumes that violate intellectual property laws.
A DSI statement said its officers identified themselves and presented court orders to vendors before trying to seize their goods, which it said the vendors acknowledged were counterfeits.
It said about 400 Cambodian labourers then surrounded the police and began pelting them with rocks and bottles, and also pushed over a police pickup truck and damaged a second bigger truck. Video circulating on social media showed people running up to remove items from the back of the bigger truck before it drove off as people tossed rocks and other objects at it.
The DSI said the police were withdrawn from the market, in the Thai district of Aranyaprathet, to ease tensions.
Thailand, like much of Asia, is awash with counterfeit products ranging from cosmetics to DVDs.
The market sells clothes, bags, shoes, watches, food and knock-offs of famous fashion brands, though it originally was best-known for second-hand goods.
The DSI described the market as one of the main centres in Thailand for counterfeit goods, and vowed that those involved in Wednesday’s action would face criminal charges.


Thai market vendors pelt police with rocks for cracking down on counterfeits | Toronto Star

Good for the little people to stand up and fight for the integrity of their fake products, or something like that...

DSI threatens actions against assailants over a violent incident at Rong Klua market

The Department of Special Investigation has threatened to take legal actions a large group of Cambodians who assaulted eight of its men and damaged two cars while inspecting fake brand-name products at the wellknown Rong Klua market close to the Cambodian border in Sa Kaew province.

DSI chief Pol Col Paisit Wongmuang said Wednesday that the person or persons who might have hired the Cambodian workers to assault DSI officials and to disrupt their performance of duty would face stiff actions to set an example for the others who may follow suit.

Accompanied by an official from the French embassy and officials from the intellectual property office, the DSI officials went to the Rong Klua market in Aranyaprathet district to inspect fake brandname products.

In the course of their inspection, about 400 Cambodians showed up throwing missiles at the officials, turning the DSI’s car one side up and damaging a truck. Seeing the incident Klong Luek police intervened to stop the trouble and led the officials out of the market.

The injured officials were later treated at Klong Luek hospital.

DSI threatens actions against assailants over a violent incident at Rong Klua market - Thai PBS English News

Originally Posted by Chittychangchang

about 400 Cambodian labourers then surrounded the police

A little exaggeration?

^^ You just knew that was coming...

It is a huge market, it's grown to the size of about 10 football pitches, with thousands of Cambos crossing the border backwards and forwards from Poi Pet every day.
A big sign at the entrance calls it the friendship market.

Is that where they follow you around trying to sell you sunglasses at the same price you can get them in Bangkok?

Clearly not enough brown envelopes for the police share?

Originally Posted by mykthemin

Clearly not enough brown envelopes for the police share?

Another deep, insightful comment on Thai policing.
It's say's DSI, not BIB, why bother commenting if you know nothing about the system.

HA! fair play to em.

Governor admits it is difficult to stamp out fake products at Rong Klua market

Sa Kaew governor admitted on Thursday it is difficult to stamp out fake brandname products at the Rong Klua market near the Thai-Cambodian border.

Mr Pakarathorn Thienchai said that, in the past 6-7 months, provincial officials, troops and officials from the Intellectual Properties Department and Department of Special Investigation had occasionally launched crackdowns against the fake brandname products at the market under the so-called Sa Kaew Model but with little success.

He disclosed that traders at the market had been warned about the necessity for them to change the practice and that they should concentrate on second-hand products.

He noted that it was practically difficult for the traders to change their practice and also the market is huge and many traders missed meeting with the officials and were not aware of the warning.

Despite coordination with Cambodian officials, the governor said that fake products continue to be smuggled across the border into Thailand.

Governor admits it is difficult to stamp out fake products at Rong Klua market - Thai PBS English News

Two Cambodians arrested for attacking DSI officials



Two Cambodians were arrested for allegedly beating up a group of officials of the Department of Special Investigation and damaging their two cars at the Rong Klua market near the Thai-Cambodian border in Aranyaprathet district of Sa Kaew.

The two suspects, 23-year old Som-one Kone and 24-year old Sai-ha Yim, reportedly told Klong Luek police enquiry officers said they heard their compatriots at the market place shouting that the DSI officials were imposters trying to take away fake brandname products from shops at the market.

They said they were furious and ran toward the officials throwing missiles at them while the other Cambodians joined in the scuffle.

Police said the two suspects work as labourers at the market. They are detained for further interrogation to find out the mastermind behind the attack of the DSI officials on Wednesday.

Accompanied by an official from the French embassy, troops and officials from the intellectual property protection office, the DSI officials went to the market to investigate fake brandname products.

The market is quiet on Thursday with most of the shops closed and the number of Cambodians crossing the border checkpoint to work at the market has dropped substantially to a trickle.

An informed source said that many Cambodian traders who own shops at the market did not open their shops for fear that they may be harassed or bullied by Thai officials.

Meanwhile, a Cambodian radio today (Thursday) broadcasted interviews with several traders who criticized the DSI officials for their bullying practice.


Two Cambodians arrested for attacking DSI officials - Thai PBS English News

Originally Posted by wasabi

It is a huge market, it's grown to the size of about 10 football pitches, with thousands of Cambos crossing the border backwards and forwards from Poi Pet every day.
A big sign at the entrance calls it the friendship market.

Also a great place to load up on knives, knuckle-dusters and stun guns.

It's almost impossible to stop counterfeit goods anywhere in the world, if you live in a country that has 3 land borders, with countries that don't care about counterfeit goods, no chance.

Thing here is, the trade doesn't really impact on the sale of some goods, when you see a peon with a Rolex, Rolex didn't lose the sale to a copy.

In some ways, have little time for the Brand names, crying foul.
Out my way brand name cloths, for sale in border markets, not copies, real thing.

Big brands donate excess stock to the poor of Cambodia, tax right off in their home country. Goods are sold in border markets and elsewhere, poor never see the cloths or money and everyone, from top to bottom knows what's going on.

Hun Sen asked to help two Cambodians arrested for attacking DSI officials

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has instructed the Cambodian Foreign Ministry and its embassy in Thailand to help the two Cambodians arrested for assaulting a group of Department of Special Investigation officials at Rong Klua market on Wednesday.

According to Kampucheath Mey newspaper, Cambodian posted in their Facebook pages appealing Mr Hun Sen to approach his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha, to provide help to the two arrested Cambodians and to ask the Thai government to allow Cambodian traders to return to the border market.

The two Cambodians, Somon Kong and Saiha Yim, who worked at the market were each sentenced to three months imprisonment by the Sa Kaew provincial court on Thursday for involvement in the attack of DSI officials.

The paper said that Foreign Minister Haw Nam Hong passed on the Cambodian people’s appeal for help to Mr Hun Sen.

DSI officials believe that the attack was plotted by some influential figures whose business at the Rong Klua market affected by frequent raids by DSI officials in search of fake brandname products.

Hun Sen asked to help two Cambodians arrested for attacking DSI officials - Thai PBS English News

Another aspect of this border post that is intriguing, is the Thai police prisontrucks that are rammed full of standing all male prisoners staring out of the top grills as they are driven upto the border post.
Do these illegal Cambo workers being deported count on TATs list of visitors to Thailand?

I had a couple of those Lacoste polo shirts and they stayed immaculate for a few years
A football shirt I bought faded fast and became all loose and baggy

A couple of good and bad sides of purchasing counterfeit clothing

Rong Klua border market ordered to stop selling counterfeit goods in two months

Thailand will make one of the country's largest border markets, Talad Rong Klua, free of counterfeit goods within two months.

This was an agreement reached at a meeting of several relevant government agencies at Sakaeo to address the problem of large scale sales of counterfeit goods at this famous border market, following last week’s riot by Cambodian traders and workers angry at the raid and seizure of counterfeit goods from one of their countrymen at the border by officials from the Department of Special Investigation (DSI).

At the meeting chaired by Sakaeo governor, recommendation for the setting up of a ‘Sakaeo Model’, which authorities hope will be able to tackle the problem both in the short-term and in the long-run, was proposed.

Under the guidelines of the ‘Sakaeo Model’, the Sakaeo police will handle short-term monitoring with continuous patrols to put direct pressure on merchants at the popular market to stop selling counterfeit goods.

A deadline of two months was agreed to put in force for the complete eradication of counterfeit goods at the market.

The deadline is expected to be met by March – May of this year before another official evaluation of the effort is made.

Meanwhile the meeting which imvolved more than 30 relevant government and private agencies also agreed on long-term plans on the problem.

This will involve the difficult task of converting the practices of Cambodian nationals who cross over the border to sell these counterfeit goods at the Talad Rong Klua market.

To achieve the task, efforts will be made to convince them to turn to selling legitimate and authentic goods.

Thai authorities are in the process of coordinating with their counterparts in Cambodia to reeducate merchants so that long-term cross border trade at the market will not be undermined as many other merchants here deal in authentic goods and are prospering.

On the riot incident at the market last week, the meeting was informed of the ongoing legal procedures for the cases following the DSI’s raid last week.

The cases are progressing in accordance with official guidelines and thus far three suspects have been arrested while warrants have been issued for the arrest of another two recently identified suspects.

Authorities are also waiting for 6 other warrants to be issued for suspects charged with resisting arrest, causing damage to public property and causing injury or harm to state officials.

Rong Klua border market ordered to stop selling counterfeit goods in two months - Thai PBS English News