CityNews – On 18th January at 8.30 a.m. police were called by two foreigners who said they had been beaten by a group of Thai men from a karaoke bar called Krelo Club on Chang Klan Road because they refused to pay an extortionate bill.
Stock photo of karaoke club
The foreigners, John Gregory (25) and an unnamed friend, told police that they drank about 4 -5 bottles of beer each at the club, although during this time they said that many women (hostesses) came talk to them.
The men said they drank until almost dawn and then asked for the bill. They were shocked when one man’s bill was 30,000 baht and the other man’s 14,000 baht.
They refused to pay stating they had been overcharged. They told police that it was then that the Thai men beat them up, and also stole their ATM cards, as well as their wallets and mobile phones.
Gregory told police that his friend was beaten unconscious, and fearing his friend had died, and fearing for his own life, he ran away. He found the nearest people and asked them to help him. The police were called by the group of people.
In Chiang Mai, and many other cities in Thailand, karaoke bars are renowned for this kind of thing, and though it has been reported in the press, and bars have been reported saying they will clean-up their act, the extortion still happens.