Crackdown on Internet shops

PHUKET TOWN: Police last night began raiding Internet and computer game shops in a drive to exclude under-18s from the shops after 10 pm. The raids followed a warning by Pol Col Paween Pongsirin, Superintendent of Phuket Town Police Station, that Internet and computer game shops serving under-18s after 10 pm conflicts with the national government’s Better Social Order policy. In particular, officers were looking for Internet shops that served children under 18 after 10 pm, or allowed children to view lewd material online. During visits to computer game shops, officers also asked the shop owners to present their business licenses and checked on enforcement of the regulated trading hours. Computer game shops are restricted to trading between 4:30 pm and 10 pm on weekdays and between 8 am and 10 pm at weekends. If shop owners are caught violating the regulations, they will be issued a warning and may face fines. Any children found in the shops outside the specified hours will also get a warning and police will call their parents.