The perspective from northernmost Thailand: cat bars and hard-core places of ill-repute have all been eradicated, thanks to Thaksin/Purachai - several years ago. As always happens, the 'eradication program' is entirely subjective. Scroched earth policy in some regions (for sure here) and business-as-usual in BKK, Pattaya and tourist-packed regions down south - no doubt because vested interests are have the requisite wealth and connections to maintain. The new edict will result in much the same: shen the smoke clears the little players will get spooked (or worse) and the fatties will nearly die laughing as they roll in their own lard.

BORING, BORING, BORING!!!!!!!!!!!!

EVERY MONTH I OPEN MY MAILBOX AND READ ON THIS SITE "CRACKDOWN ON..."

IT HAS ALL BECOME A JOKE, AS NOTHING COMES FROM THESE CRACKDOWNS, JUST

ALOT OF BLABLABLA FOR A FEW WEEKS AND THEN THE NEW ONE. (T.I.T)

SO, ARE THEY GOING TO CLOSE PATPONG, PATONG AND PATTAYA NIGHT LIFE???

TO SHOW HOW USELESS IT HAS BEEN.......DO YOU REMEMBER................

NO YOUTHS UNDER 20 TO BE ALLOWED IN ENTERTAINMENT VENUES

ZONING OF ALL ENTERTAINMENT AREAS

STRICT ADHERENCE OF THE CLOSING TIMES.

I CAN USE PATTAYA AS A GOOD EXAMPLE.

THERE ARE DOZENS OF PLACES WHERE KIDS

OF 16 /17 ARE STILL GOING INTO DISCO'S / KARAOKE BARS.

SOME PLACES DO CHECK I.D. BUT ALOT DON'T ESPECIALLY IF THEY'RE 'BORROWED' FROM

A FRIEND.

SPECIAL ZONES?? WHERE? BESIDES THE BIG BUILDING SPREE GOING ON IN PATTAYA, THERE

ARE ALSO MANY MORE NEW BEER BARS/ KARAOKE BARS OPENING UP EVERYWHERE!

AND THEN TO THINK THAT NOT SO LONG AGO IT WAS QUITE CLEARLY SAID - NO MORE AND

THEY WANTED PATTAYA TO BE A 'FAMILY DESTINATION'. MAYBE FAMILIES ARE NOW GOING TO

ALL THESE NEW PLACES - THOUGH I HAVE NOT SEEN THEM THERE.

CLOSING TIMES? THAT'S THE BIGGEST JOKE EVER. HERE IT IS STILL OFFICIALLY 01.00AM.

BUT FOR A LONG TIME NOW, IT HAS BEEN FOR MOST PLACES 02.00AM.

THERE HAS NEVER BEEN ANY OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT OF A NEW CHANGE, PROBABLY TO

AVOID 'LOSING FACE' OF COURSE.

WHAT HAS JUST BEEN ANNOUNCED IS THAT WALKING STREET CAN NOW STAY OPEN UNTIL 03.00AM

BUT ONLY DURING THE HIGH SEASON! IF YOU BELIEVE THAT, YOU'LL BELIEVE ANYTHING.

GO ANYTI ME DOWN TO SOI DAY AND NIGHT FOR EXAMPLE AND THERE ARE KARAOKES GOING ON

UNTIL 06.00AM!!

PERSONALLY, I HAVE NO OBJECTION TO 'ALL NIGHT' PLACES (AS LONG AS THEY'RE NOT NEXT TO AN

LIVING/APARTMENT COMPLEX(ANOTHER THAI PROBLEM) BUT I OBJECT TO THIS BLATANT HYPOCRISY

AND FEEL SAD FOR THE PEOPLE WHO DO TRY TO COMPLY WITH THE 'LAW' AND SUFFER FINANCIAL LOSS

FOR IT. EITHER IMPLEMENT THE LAW/CHANGE IT BUT STOP WASTING OUR TIME ON NONSENSE.

Yet another thing going to be cracked down on,but after a few back handers things will be the same.Same story different heading.

Zoning, no there's a concept!

I wish they'd zone the auto body shop out of my neigborhood.

Etc.

The perspective from northernmost Thailand: cat bars and hard-core places of ill-repute have all been eradicated, thanks to Thaksin/Purachai - several years ago. As always happens, the 'eradication program' is entirely subjective. Scroched earth policy in some regions (for sure here) and business-as-usual in BKK, Pattaya and tourist-packed regions down south - no doubt because vested interests are have the requisite wealth and connections to maintain. The new edict will result in much the same: shen the smoke clears the little players will get spooked (or worse) and the fatties will nearly die laughing as they roll in their own lard.

A most perceptive observation! Even so, these so-called 'crackdowns' sound so similar to UK politics, rephrased as the setting up of yet more 'committees, csars' to produce ever more legislation'.

All designed to impress, with little chance of achieving their stated goals!

Don't fool yourself this was insider trading. This is the real reason the baht has fallen in international trade. When someone realise' that they are monkeying around with cultural and the commodity market they well let this one slide.

The police won't be happy with that. I've seen too many policemen walking away with expensive bottles of whiskey ("Christmas presents") and poorly concealed money stuffed in pockets at the various enterainment areas we've all come to love.

That poorly concealed money was the profit that the policemen that own the establishment were taking home. Lots of these places are owned and run by serving police officers (normally by a group of officers) so the chances of a crack down by those same officers having any effect is minimal.

We all know its lip service, but if this does happed where will all the stupid farang get their wive's and girlfriends. No prostitutes? my god the farang will have to cultivate decent proper girls.

We all know its lip service, but if this does happed where will all the stupid farang get their wive's and girlfriends. No prostitutes? my god the farang will have to cultivate decent proper girls.

Nah... most of them (ughh I'm a "farrang" so I guess that should read "most of us" are far too lazy for that...

what a load of frog farts. same ol' <deleted>, just different packaging. they'll never touch the fat cats just the the little guy, hence more power to the fatties. 5 years in this country and it's just keeps getting funnier.

We all know its lip service, but if this does happed where will all the stupid farang get their wive's and girlfriends. No prostitutes? my god the farang will have to cultivate decent proper girls.

yeah. and where would all the thai guys go for sex. oh my god, they might actually have to start being faithful to their wives!