It is the ONE year anniversary of closing Thailand bars and nightlife for “two weeks”, a year later still legally closed

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By Adam Judd

 

Thailand-The following is a weekly feature article looking at this same time period LAST year in Pattaya and Thailand news. This week, we are mostly focusing on the one-year legal closure of bars and nightlife in Thailand.

 

This weekly feature takes a look back at news from the same period last year (and sometimes different time windows, such as six months or three months) to see how things have changed, follow up on the progression of stories, as well as look at potentially broken promises or things that didn’t take place as promised in Pattaya and Thailand.

 

As we publish dozens of stories a week this is a quick way for people to take a look at what the biggest stories were a year ago, as chosen by our editorial team, and how they impact us today and relate to current news. They are in no particular order of importance, however, are roughly in order of publication.

 

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This week, we cover the second week of April 2021, from Sunday, April 4th, 2021, to Saturday, April 10th, 2021.

 

Let’s go!

 

This week last year is when the Thai government legally closed bars and nightlife for “two weeks” in 41 provinces, including Chonburi after the third “wave” of Covid-19 began in Thailand.  Eventually, this led to an eight-month ban on alcohol at all restaurants until the government finally relented just before Christmas last year, but only partially.

 

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Full story: https://thepattayanews.com/2022/04/09/it-is-the-one-year-anniversary-of-closing-thailand-bars-and-nightlife-for-two-weeks-a-year-later-still-legally-closed/

 

 

-- © Copyright The Pattaya News 2022-04-11

 

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[garyk]

Hospitals and quarantine centers are open,, that is what counts.

Have a great vacation.

[mania]

It is at a point the people themselves need to decide if they will continue to

board the trains to their economic destruction willingly like sheep or not

[ThailandRyan]

1 hour ago, garyk said:

Hospitals and quarantine centers are open,, that is what counts.

Have a great vacation.

You meant a Staycation right?

[ThailandRyan]

1 hour ago, mania said:

It is at a point the people themselves need to decide if they will continue to

board the trains to their economic destruction willingly like sheep or not

People can not get the train rolling again in this country the Governments emergency decree keeps it as it is   

[mania]

4 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

People can not get the train rolling again in this country the Governments emergency decree keeps it as it is   

" the trains to their economic destruction " is what I wrote , Which have been traveling at breakneck/runaway speeds for many years now ????

[ezzra]

Thailand is well known for knee jerk reactions and throwing the baby with the bathwater, unlike western countries where people who were affected by the Covid got nearly full pay Thailand paid nothing to many millions who were left to fend to themselves with no work and no income..

[ThailandRyan]

40 minutes ago, mania said:

" the trains to their economic destruction " is what I wrote , Which have been traveling at breakneck/runaway speeds for many years now ????

No, I understood that, it was in response to your stating people need to decide...

 

2 hours ago, mania said:

It is at a point the people themselves need to decide if they will continue to

board the trains to their economic destruction willingly like sheep or not

They have no choice or voice..and the non thais can go elsewhere but the Thais can not.

[Andycoops]

With corrupt anti alcohol, ultra conservative Buddhist Muppets running the country for 8 years who've done nothing but lie since they came along. It's no surprise at all.

The country sinks further into the abyss.

[Skeptic7]

The COVIDIOCY runs strong and deep in this place. ????

[Tarteso]

Nice pic to attract international turism.

[mikebell]

The picture above shows more police than I have seen in a year round Pattaya.  The bars may be 'legally closed' but the BIB only selectively enforce it depending on protection money payments.

[hotchilli]

1 hour ago, ThailandRyan said:

People can not get the train rolling again in this country the Governments emergency decree keeps it as it is   

Vee Vill have complete control.

[ThailandRyan]

26 minutes ago, Skeptic7 said:

The COVIDIOCY runs strong and deep in this place. ????

Care to explain your comment? I do not for one believe it has anything to do with what you indicated, it is a way to destroy an industry this Government does not want Thailand to have as it remakes its "Family Friendly Destinations and New Chapters Tourism.....The Mormons, it appears, have been giving this Government their playbook.  Covid was not the beginning of closures and regulations.

[mania]

1 hour ago, ThailandRyan said:

No, I understood that, it was in response to your stating people need to decide...

 

They have no choice or voice..and the non thais can go elsewhere but the Thais can not.

All citizens of every country have a choice (In this case the Thai citizens of Thailand)

 

If they decide as you claim that they do not have a choice then as the saying goes,

"The people get the government they deserve "

[JimTripper]

With bars and nightlife closed I do think a different quality of people will come around, eventually.

 

If they want family friendly and classy people that is what they need to do.

 

However, making the country a name for itself in this niche could take many years and would probably never be able to compete with established destinations in this regard.

 

 

[ThailandRyan]

8 minutes ago, mania said:

All citizens of every country have a choice (In this case the Thai citizens of Thailand)

 

If they decide as you claim that they do not have a choice then as the saying goes,

"The people get the government they deserve "

Go on believing that....you'll go far here in Thailand, if you have ever been here and watched things occur.....Folks go to Jail here when they voice their opinions and try to flaunt the government injected restrictions....you must miss all of the articles posted about more foreigners and Thais being arrested for a violation of the rules.  Either that or your just baiting and trolling.

[wombat]

Only 12 months?

Isn't it more like just over 2 years?

[Tom H]

Super Spreader places are closed .Why? Because of a Pandemic. Good so.

Actually the government took a better care than all Farang countries except NZ.

Just look at the death numbers.

Well done Thailand.

[RandiRona]

Well they have figured out a new business...Sell Insurance for which you have to never pay back. Also may be not every tourist would visit go go bar ...but every tourist is gurranted to buy one....Generals happy....Wais all around!!

[KhunLA]

And yet ... I can have a munch & wash it down with any bev I want, during most of those 2 years.

[Peterw42]

Whatever measures Thailand has taken to manage covid, it appears to have worked.

 

UK population 67 million

 

Thailand population 67 million

[Skeptic7]

54 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

Care to explain your comment?

Nothing to explain really. While I get your point and somewhat agree. It's actually a bit of both, but mostly "Covidiocy" IMO. Thailand is always way behind the 8-ball and never ahead of the curve. Never ahead of anything come to think of it. 

[KhunLA]

18 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

Whatever measures Thailand has taken to manage covid, it appears to have worked.

 

UK population 67 million

 

Thailand population 67 million

Agree, and letting people back in was their downfall, as kept the death count near 100, until people started entering, legally or illegally.  Chasing that baht cost a lot lives.

[Walker88]

1 hour ago, JimTripper said:

With bars and nightlife closed I do think a different quality of people will come around, eventually.

 

If they want family friendly and classy people that is what they need to do.

 

However, making the country a name for itself in this niche could take many years and would probably never be able to compete with established destinations in this regard.

 

 

'could take many years'

 

First, there might be a half dozen people on earth who have avoided visiting Thailand simply because of its worldwide reputation for nightlife. I'm at a loss as to who these 'classy' people might be, as it isn't unheard of to see multi-millionaires, Oxford-Cambridge-Ivy League types, diplomats, UN Officials, NGOs, even church deacons in the agogos.  Ain't nobody innocent when it comes to the biological imperative and how it manifests itself in entertainment decisions. I'm only slightly red-faced to admit that even I, who through no fault of my own fits multiple of my aforementioned categories, have entered an agogo or two over the years. I guess I'm of the same stripe as Oscar Wilde, who said "the only thing I can't resist is temptation". Most of us are quite human.

 

Second, even if it was a noble goal to erase the nightlife image from Thailand's reputation, before those 'classy' types will pile into the country, it might help to clean the air of 2.5 particulate matter, ban open field burning, install proper sewer systems, stop the flow of untreated effluent into the waters, get rid of dual pricing, and remind officials---whether elected or appointed like cops---that public service does not mean always having one's hand out waiting for tribute.

 

Now cleanup of a society where corruption is entrenched is possible, but not easy. Hong Kong used to be equally corrupt decades ago, but an anti-corruption effort was put in place and---at least until the commies took over---HK had built a reputation for being pretty darn honest. Perhaps, given a miracle, Thailand can do the same.

 

All of this is not to say Thailand does not have its pluses, as it surely has many. One of these pluses, however, to a good many people, is the very thing some authorities are wont to eradicate. They might remember the old line, whose source escapes me at this time:

 

"If my demons leave me, I fear my angels will soon follow".

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, JimTripper said:

With bars and nightlife closed I do think a different quality of people will come around, eventually.

And I think hardly anyone will come.

[ThailandRyan]

26 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

And I think hardly anyone will come.

The allure for the  majority of single men has been vacated and tarnished.  Glad I am not a tourist coming for 2 weeks to enjoy the fun in the sun as a 2 week millionaire 

[ikke1959]

The result of a failing Government and cheap and corrupt vaccination system. If the Gvernement had good vaccinations from the start instead of the cheap Sinovac and so, but used Pfizer and Moderna  Astra from the start, a lot of problems would have been prevented.

Now the cheap vaccinations needs a 3rd or 4th and with all the mixes nobody knows what is working for how long anymore. In the meantime, they filled their pockets and emptied those of the Thai people...just to stay in power and with false promises. In the western countries everything is alm ost back to normal and although Thailand want people to believe they are going back to normal it can take even more time maybe 1 January 2023. Back to normal means also that protestors will come on the street with their demand for a very needed reformation and that is what Government doesn't want. But in the meantime the Thai people will have the burden of poverty

[JimTripper]

There are plenty of prudish people in the world who won't go anywhere near Thailand, or even Asia, due to the sexpat reputation it has.

 

Ditto, any nightlife location where you find skint customers. Sure, you may get some straggler wealthy people, but it's an exception.

 

If you want wealthy families and such, the reputation needs to be cleared so people with images to maintain don't get tarnished. That means getting rid of seedy venues.

 

Not saying it's right or wrong, just reality. If you disagree the stigma exists go back to your home country and tell everyone you have been sitting in a Thailand go-go and watch their responses. It's not for high class oriented people.

 

The high class orientation typically means wealthier in most cases, as they are gravitating to goods and services that set them apart from middle and lower classes. A lot of it is reputation and image.

[RandolphGB]

The highlight of the pandemic has been seeing bar owners suffer ????