Pattaya police crack down on illegal opening; possible setback for proposed 4am closing for bars and pubs?

[webfact]

Pattaya police crack down on illegal opening; possible setback for proposed 4am closing for bars and pubs?

 

video screenshot

 

Ruk Siam News reported that a large contingent of Pattaya police gathered at 4 am to enforce closing hours in the resort's pubs and clubs. 

 

This followed a morning shooting at the Teng See club in South Pattaya where local figure "Tee Lai Kor Phai" was gunned down apparently after the club should have been closed. 

 

A video showed the force going there at 4 am but found it closed. They then moved onto other entertainment places in Pattaya. 

 

video screenshot

 

The late night violence may come as a setback to tourism minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn's plans to extend opening hours at tourists sites in Thailand, notes Thaivisa. 

 

He has proposed 4 am closing to stimulate the economy. 

 

But figures like anti-alcohol activist Dr Mohamed Fahmy Tale have slammed the idea saying earlier this week that late opening would only mean one thing.

 

More violence. 

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2019-09-12

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[petermik]

 The current 2am shutdown is largely ignored by most thai establishments around the 3rd road area despite many complaints.....4am closing....no way

[jacko45k]

46 minutes ago, petermik said:

 The current 2am shutdown is largely ignored by most thai establishments around the 3rd road area despite many complaints.....4am closing....no way

I think Walking St ignores it largely too. The discos and Thai venues are kept open even later for the staff who leave Walking St at closing!

[RichardColeman]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

This followed a morning shooting at the Teng See club in South Pattaya where local figure "Tee Lai Kor Phai" was gunned down apparently after the club should have been closed. 

So, the problem is that Thais are killing each other after late opening  ? Simple, just allow farangs to drink in establishments after 2 am only !

[timendres]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

But figures like anti-alcohol activist Dr Mohamed Fahmy Tale have slammed the idea saying earlier this week that late opening would only mean one thing.

 

More violence. 

Because everyone knows that after 2am, your trigger finger just starts to itch uncontrollably.

[yellowboat]

Cambodia and other nearby countries allow establishments to make their own decisions as to opening hours.  Why is Thailand such a basket case?

[riverhigh]

"Cambodia and other nearby countries allow establishments to make their own decisions as to opening hours.  Why is Thailand such a basket case?"

 

Let money for profit establishments make their own decisions on public safety and well-being. Get real!! So a money for profit establishment opens a bar at the end of your street and decides to stay open late to serve all the loud drunks. Its okay because he is making a profit? If this was to happen you would be running to Thai Visa with your tail behind your back complaining.

[mikebell]

So Pattaya Plod went en masse to raid a late opening club but found it closed!  So they then cast about to raid other clubs as a response to an earlier shooting. 

 

A by-word in world-class resorts; another high for the BIB who are not used to working in the dark.

[ttrd]

17 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

So, the problem is that Thais are killing each other after late opening  ? Simple, just allow farangs to drink in establishments after 2 am only !

Alternatively that the sale of alcohol stops at 2am and the premises keeps open to 4am serving non alcoholic beverages only so the 2 hours window could be a sober up before leaving period ..

[HHTel]

Where in the western world would you see scenes like those shown in the video in the middle of the night?  Are they looking for terrorists, urban warfare, rogue gangs? ......... Nope, just late night drinkers!!

[BestB]

Latest shooting took place at Thai bar catering to Thai only. 

 

Any shootings at bars or clubs catering to foreigners? 

[Kerryd]

Pattaya used to have almost unlimited bar hours. I believe that at one time they were (technically) supposed to close at 6am, but could re-open at 10am ! I remember a few times where I've left a bar around 11pm and jogged past it again around 6 am and saw the same staff behind the bar and, sometimes, the same boozers still sitting on the other side.

Then came the "crackdown" and early closing times, which, like many other things, lasted only a short while before various bars/clubs basically just started ignoring them. I think they actually had a midnight closing time for a short period.
That caused an uproar which lead to the idea of "designated Entertainment Areas" wherein establishments could stay open longer than those in non-designated areas. (Naturally it didn't take long before that was largely ignored as well.) 
That is basically where we still are now, as I don't recall an "official" changes to the status since then (but it's been a few years now since they came up with the "Entertainment Areas" idea and I may have missed some things in the interim).
I believe that establishments within the designated areas could stay open until 2 am. Some places were honest and would close then. Many didn't. I was out with friends many a time, leaving bars/clubs at 3-3:30 in the morning, then sitting on Walking Street drinking from a "Booze Vendor" cart until sunrise.

 

And it won't matter what time the officials decide to allow bars/clubs to stay open as they (the bars/clubs) will (almost) all comply for a short period and then start pushing the limits as far as they (or their brown envelopes) allow them until they are virtually open 24/7.

(Think of it like a bar/club owner would - you're paying your staff next to nothing any ways and working them 10-12 hours a day, 6-7 days a week. What difference would a few more hours make ? A slightly higher electricity bill is about it and and maybe a couple thousand baht more in the till everyday which far offsets the cost of staying open longer.)

Even back when the bars were "supposed" to close at 6am, what a lot of them did was simply put the customer's "bin" cup below the bar and pretend he was just finishing the last drink he'd ordered before closing. (Even if that was hours afterwards and yes - I personally saw that happen and personally heard mommasans/bar managers tell that to the cops.)
Back when they were closing (sort of) around 6 am, some bars basically had 2 shifts of workers. The 10am-8pm and the 8pm to 6am(ish) shifts. At some bars, the "late" shift basically had to stay at the bar as long as there were customers still drinking !
I'm sure a lot of bars wouldn't have a problem with changing their shifts to an 8am-8pm and 8pm to 8am cycle (or whatever timings better suit them). Especially considering it probably wouldn't cost them much more (if anything).

I've got to say though, even back 10-15 years ago - when it got to 3-4am, it wasn't really a "party" anymore. It was mostly just a bunch of drunks trying not to fall off their bar stools. By then most of them were too drunk to even think about bar fining anyone or going dancing or much of anything except how to get back to their room without passing out on the street. The "fun" level was pretty much long gone by then.

[rossco1]

oh dear where to pay my tea money 

[SS1]

1 hour ago, riverhigh said:

"Cambodia and other nearby countries allow establishments to make their own decisions as to opening hours.  Why is Thailand such a basket case?"

 

Let money for profit establishments make their own decisions on public safety and well-being. Get real!! So a money for profit establishment opens a bar at the end of your street and decides to stay open late to serve all the loud drunks. Its okay because he is making a profit? If this was to happen you would be running to Thai Visa with your tail behind your back complaining.

The problem there is the noise, not the fact that a bar stays open. They used to have some isolated, underground nightclubs in Bangkok that stayed up until 9am. Who can this possibly bother when there is no noise? 

I normally go to bed at 10pm and have never had an issue with noise from a bar when trying to sleep in Thailand. It's not that hard to choose a location to live that's away from this kind of stuff. 

[hotchilli]

2 hours ago, yellowboat said:

Cambodia and other nearby countries allow establishments to make their own decisions as to opening hours.  Why is Thailand such a basket case?

Because its full of basket heads that cannot control themselves and act responsibly!

[Beggar]

17 minutes ago, Kerryd said:

I've got to say though, even back 10-15 years ago - when it got to 3-4am, it wasn't really a "party" anymore. It was mostly just a bunch of drunks trying not to fall off their bar stools. By then most of them were too drunk to even think about bar fining anyone or going dancing or much of anything except how to get back to their room without passing out on the street. The "fun" level was pretty much long gone by then.

It is exactly like this. Many of them are afraid to sober up and/or being alone in their rooms. And the next evening the same story. But the TAT seems to be looking for such tourists to add more quality tourists... 

[a977]

This is not looking good for the Police Xmas fund.

[sammieuk1]

When doing the oki koki your supposed to put your left leg in and out first not both together you end up looking a fool????

[Thaifriends]

Most were open until 04:30am in May 2019 so whats new about it ????

[Cadbury]

Better send an SOS to the Tourism Minister who is probably in Italy right now researching late night closing.

Or more likely sitting in the front row of a pole dancing Go Go club in Italy stuffing lira into the straps of thongs.

[Bangkok Barry]

20 hours ago, jacko45k said:

I think Walking St ignores it largely too. The discos and Thai venues are kept open even later for the staff who leave Walking St at closing!

 

There are plenty of videos on YouTube of people still coming out of some venues at dawn, mixing with the monks doing their rounds. I guess they pay into the 'Do Whatever You Want Club' fund, and we can't see that changing, can we. Maybe there'll be one of their two-day crackdowns before it's business as usual, that's all.

[digger70]

It doesn't matter what time the Pubs/Clubs close there will always be some violence , just look at the rest of the world.   ????

[Benmart]

Ownership of some bars are reported to be owned by those very same players who are tasked with enforcing closure laws etc. It's a mad, mad, mad, mad world.

[Chazar]

20 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

So, the problem is that Thais are killing each other after late opening  ? Simple, just allow farangs to drink in establishments after 2 am only !

With the Thais  having to do a "where are you after 2 am tm30" everyday.

[BobinBKK]

20 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

So, the problem is that Thais are killing each other after late opening  ? Simple, just allow farangs to drink in establishments after 2 am only !

I agree!!! We come here for holiday and retirement. We come here to live in peace and don't want to cause trouble. Thailand's worst enemy is it's own people.

[Nanaplaza666]

Mohamed doesn't like it so all bars have to close early , the muslims are starting to take over here as well ?? If you don't live by their rules, your a infidel and should die or be punished by the law of allah . Please pattaya take in more muslims trying to push thier laws on to us . But if you look at the area around marine plaza they are the ones staying open untill late and playing the loudest music of all including disco's and by the coran alcohol and hookers are forbidden but the bunch of liers are braking those rules like their crackers . Same as in my country during ramadan when the sun goes down you see those buggers walking around the redlight district and walking in to the widows of the biggest south american transvestites there are . So please thailand don't listen to MOHAMED !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[MartiniMan]

Long ago now there was no violence because everyone was aware of what would happen and respected people now you have these try hards and not enough door men

It should go back to control the way it used to be. Motorcycle club presence and door men are better enforcers as they are constantly there and keep the party going safely. We need regulators and cannot expect police to be in 100 places at once - each club must hire adequate security force that is equipped with taser and has a restraining area and it should be allowed to run a premises for 24 hours a day if they have the permit and paid the tax and local business owners have not voted against it. So this means a zone where the party never stops. THAT is economic stimulus and believe me it used to be the thailand I loved. To much enforcement from high above and not enough power in the business owners hands has ruined the status quo. This is a ecosystem and its been destroyed
 

[MartiniMan]

3 minutes ago, Nanaplaza666 said:

Mohamed doesn't like it so all bars have to close early , the muslims are starting to take over here as well ?? If you don't live by their rules, your a infidel and should die or be punished by the law of allah . Please pattaya take in more muslims trying to push thier laws on to us . But if you look at the area around marine plaza they are the ones staying open untill late and playing the loudest music of all including disco's and by the coran alcohol and hookers are forbidden but the bunch of liers are braking those rules like their crackers . Same as in my country during ramadan when the sun goes down you see those buggers walking around the redlight district and walking in to the widows of the biggest south american transvestites there are . So please thailand don't listen to MOHAMED !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thats right brother this is a buddhist country they should go back to their country if they do not like it. This is thailand.

[BobinBKK]

1 hour ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

There are plenty of videos on YouTube of people still coming out of some venues at dawn, mixing with the monks doing their rounds. I guess they pay into the 'Do Whatever You Want Club' fund, and we can't see that changing, can we. Maybe there'll be one of their two-day crackdowns before it's business as usual, that's all.

There is a bar 5 minutes walk from my condo that closes at 6:00 am. Right next door to it is a massage parlor that's open from 6:00 pm to 6:00 am and a soapy massage parlor right across the street from it with the same hours. All three venues are frequented by Thai locals. You can form your own opinion and conclusions to what exactly is going on here.

[kevin612]

Walking street always closed late.