PHUKET: Police on Phuket have been warned to be wary of Bandidos bikie gang members who have been spotted on the island making visits from Pattaya and Samui.
Although many members of the Bandidos and other motorcycle gangs simply enjoy riding their vehicles, some Bandidos members have a reputation for violence and criminal activities and the gang stretches from Australia to Europe and the US.
The Deputy Superintendent of Kathu Police Station, Colonel Akanit Danpitak, told Phuketwan today that the Bandidos had caused trouble in the past and police were wary about them.
''We know in the past they have set themselves up in businesses in other parts of Thailand and the outcomes have not always been positive,'' he said.
''They tend to come into conflict eventually with other gangs and with legitimate business rivals.''
At least one Australian state has recently opted to introduce legislation designed to more closely control the activities of so-called bikie gangs.
The introduction of the legislation, opposed by civil rights activists who say the laws can be misused, follows a series of murders and violent activities, often committed in public.
The Bandidos are seen as rivals to the Hells Angels virtually everywhere, prompting a heading in an Australian newspaper earlier this month: ''Bikies waging a worldwide war.''
Fancy leather jackets, though, are not always an indication of evil intent. The Phuket riders who take part in Bike Week on Phuket each year, centring on Patong, are careful to make the distinction that those who attend are bikers, not bikies.
Although many members of the Bandidos and other motorcycle gangs simply enjoy riding their vehicles, some Bandidos members have a reputation for violence and criminal activities and the gang stretches from Australia to Europe and the US.
The Deputy Superintendent of Kathu Police Station, Colonel Akanit Danpitak, told Phuketwan today that the Bandidos had caused trouble in the past and police were wary about them.
''We know in the past they have set themselves up in businesses in other parts of Thailand and the outcomes have not always been positive,'' he said.
''They tend to come into conflict eventually with other gangs and with legitimate business rivals.''
At least one Australian state has recently opted to introduce legislation designed to more closely control the activities of so-called bikie gangs.
The introduction of the legislation, opposed by civil rights activists who say the laws can be misused, follows a series of murders and violent activities, often committed in public.
The Bandidos are seen as rivals to the Hells Angels virtually everywhere, prompting a heading in an Australian newspaper earlier this month: ''Bikies waging a worldwide war.''
Fancy leather jackets, though, are not always an indication of evil intent. The Phuket riders who take part in Bike Week on Phuket each year, centring on Patong, are careful to make the distinction that those who attend are bikers, not bikies.
I was passed by a big group of bikers being lead by a tourist police car a week back. Some were wearing bandidos, hell angles and rebels patches.
Posted by LJ on May 30, 2012 18:27