Yesterday afternoon, we met up with renowned architect (and now publisher) Duangrit Bunnag at the motorcycle festival he organized along with his team from Rubbers Magazine. Held at Lumphini Square, Rubbers Rebel Ground 2016 saw a concert stage, motorcycle manufacturer booths, a Chang beer garden and plenty of custom bikes on display.

Duangrit was like a little kid, offering that we ride his bike and insisting we go on a lap around the event to show it off. But to him, the event is more than just a way to show off some nice bikes. "I feel this is what Thailand needs," he said. "Events that create communities. Thais need to learn to live together."

A few hours later, the "mafia" asked him for B390,000, according to a public post he made on his Facebook page (see below)—and Duangrit's mood had soured. "Reform before elections," he noted sarcastically, a hint indicating the "mafia" that shook him down might have been the kind that has uniforms in its closet.

We reached out to Duangrit Bunnag to find out what exactly happened. Here is what he said:

“We knew we had to pay the police, B100,000, maybe B200,000. You have to pay to sell alcohol, to ‘smooth things over with local residents who are being disturbed,’ and to provide security. Every event organizer knows this. The problem here, is that the bill was double what we expected.”

“The guy said we owe B390,000 and that we would suffer the consequences if we didn't pay. There's nothing we could do. He wasn't even accepting that we pay half the day after. It was a long negotiation before he relented. He wasn't wearing a uniform but people addressed him using a military rank. The high-ranking police officers I contacted said he isn't a police officer.”

“I spoke to event organizers who had done events here and to the landowner. They all confirmed he’s in charge.”

“I really don't see the new paradigm of cleanliness we were promised. I don't care if this guy has me killed. I want Thai people to know about this stuff and talk about it. Stop taking it for granted. It's not normal.”