British expats in the Thai beach resort of Pattaya have been caught up in another police crackdown after officers raided bars across the city.
But instead of looking for drugs or illegal booze, officers were searching for dartboards – which they claimed were being used illegally by venues.
Many of the establishments affected are visited by expats and foreign tourists to the resort city on the eastern Gulf.
Police in Pattaya, Thailand, raided darts clubs in the notorious Soi 6 strip in a crackdown on the expat community
The raids were concentrated around Soi 6, a street known for its brothels, bars and copious neon pink signs.
One bewildered bar owner on the strip reported police demanding to see a ‘dartboard license’.
When they were unable to produce the appropriate documentation police confiscated their dartboards, reports Thai Visa.
When they enquired as to how they could apply for a license they were told the license did not exist.
Pattaya Darts, the city’s largest amateur darts club, was forced to close temporarily and issued this statement via social media
The current entertainment license required by bars in Pattaya does not cover darts, staff were informed.
This meant that bars had been illegally letting patrons play darts on their premises.
The crackdown also resulted in the suspension of Pattaya’s popular amateur darts league – frequented by many of the city’s expats.
The event’s organisers took up the matter with officials at Pattaya City Hall and contacted the Thailand Darts Association to seek clarification on the matter.
This is not the first time the Thai government has clamped down on apparently innocuous pursuits enjoyed by expats.
A 2016 police raid on a bridge club saw 32 elderly expats (pictured) arrested and thrown in jail
In 2016, police raided the Jomtien and Pattaya Bridge Club and arrested dozen elderly British nationals – including a former Honorary Consul.
Over 50 police officers and military volunteers raided the club arresting 32 foreigners, and holding them until 3am.
Despite not playing for money, Thai police say the bridge club broke the law by ‘possessing more than 120 playing cards at one time’.
There are believed to be about 27,000 sex workers in Pattaya.
Many of them can be found on Pattaya’s infamous Walking Street, a two-kilometre strip lined with go-go bars and brothels.
More than eight million foreign tourists visited Pattaya in the first half of 2017.