Bar Closing Midnight From 1st March

[Kringle]

PDNOV, Where's the house?

[tinytot]

Is this really the end of Soi Cowboy and N.E.P ? I will be devastated if the closing times mean the bars will be closing at Midnight ,Do we all head for the Grace hotel and drink to the early hours or does it mean that Sukhimvit Rd will be flocked with girls earlier than usual? Anyone know if the above mentioned places of entertainment will have to shut shop at midnight? If so it is gonna put a big hole in Thailand tourist industry! I was going to Thailand end of March for few weeks again but REALLY NOT SURE if i can have as much fun at nite as i used to , Thailand still has lots to see but at night it is good to go out and relax with a Singha and some lovelys chatting to you ...Cheers

[ChiangMaiThai]

I explained the new laws to some friends new to thailand and they were simply in disbelief. They said that it sounds like a police state and (I quote) 'what the <deleted>#k is happening here'. I won't be surprised if next time round they choose to holiday elsewhere. Its not that they are here for beer and sex exclusively, but they are here to relax and staying out late sometimes is an option they would like to have. The law regarding the 10pm curfew for 18 year olds just made them sick in the stomach. Not because they will be affected at all, but because of the general feeling it gives the foreigner about Thailand and its current leadership, like this Toxin guy is some kind of dictator. What kind of free and democratic country instills a nationwide ban on anyone under 18 being outside after 10pm? Simply put, this simply just freaks them out.

And in closing, if all of Samui and all the major entertainment areas in the major cities are not permitted to remain open til 2, the tourism industry will die.(Even people who spend all day at the temples like to let loose at night when they are on holiday). Even if they do remain open, in the other 95% of the country, the Thais themselves will be hurt tremendously. This shows once and for all that Toxin does not care whatsoever about the plight of the regualr Joe. It is all a facade and he is getting richer by the day as he plays with the laws while buying and selling companies. The whole situation makes me sick.

[gisele]

Bending the rules is common palce anyway.

In Samui last summer, you could eat right on the beach at night at just about every bar/restaurant. Then, in the Fall, the law changed and the bars/restaurant could not serve on tables. So places like the Ark bar put out mats on the beach far enough from the shore and served food, however many places suffered losses. If Samui or parts of are not entertainment zoned, I am sure some loopholes will be exploited.

[mrvietnam2001]

I would really like to know what these new rules will mean for Koh Samui ???

Can anyone tel me what "zone" Koh Samui is in?

I dont know if there will be a change or what here?

Are there diffent zones for this island?

Is Chawang for example really closing at midnight?

What about Lamai?

Do the kadaoki shops in Naton have to close up too?

Please if you know answer these questions??

Thanks from Samui

It would appear Samui is in the loop of this thing.

The big island starting to sound better and better all the time huh?

Shhhhhhh.

Mr Vietnam

[marquess]

I though that Soi Cowboy, was at the end of Ratchdepesek Road and therefore would be allowed to close at 2am. Can anyone clarify this for me?

[Maverick]

Have u got your left and rights mixed up.

Hi Maverick,

I don't think so, I have "L" on this hand, and "R" on the other.

Maybe the 14 vodkas got me a little confused last time I was down that way.

Udon

Sorry yr 'right' - down there last night and noticed the buildling works on the left u are correct - loads of investment on both sides of the road in fact and they must be a wee bit concerned about their business plans now. I guess they can always open up selling soft drinks and no music. The fun City becomes glum city.

[Maverick]

I would really like to know what these new rules will mean for Koh Samui ???

Can anyone tel me what "zone" Koh Samui is in?

I dont know if there will be a change or what here?

Are there diffent zones for this island?

Is Chawang for example really closing at midnight?

What about Lamai?

Do the kadaoki shops in Naton have to close up too?

Please if you know answer these questions??

Thanks from Samui

It would appear Samui is in the loop of this thing.

The big island starting to sound better and better all the time huh?

Shhhhhhh.

Mr Vietnam

As Koh Samui is not a designated zone it must be included in the restrictions.

[jayenram]

In the designated zones, nightclubs and bars can stay open until 2am, while pubs and discotheques are required to close at 1am.

Could anyone tell me the difference between a 'bar' and a 'pub'?

[Maverick]

I though that Soi Cowboy, was at the end of Ratchdepesek Road and therefore would be allowed to close at 2am. Can anyone clarify this for me?

Soi Cowboy is on Asoke Road at one end and Sukhumvit 23 the other therefore presume it is excluded.

[jungleh]

I can remember when i first started travelling to Thailand in the early 90's and after my travels i used to go back home buzzing with stories about the lack of regulation and how you could party till the early hours and possitivly promoted the place , describing Thailand as a real free country and it was always a priority for me to come back for more

I wonder how many travellers of today will think the same and will work and save hard to come back here and eventually live , as i have. But i suppose as a previous backpacker i am just scum anyway , even though i have spent several million baht here.Maybe the backpackers of today will have more sense and go elsewhere when they become affluent.

sad H

[bartender100]

"Entertainment venues with female escorts: 9pm to 2am in designated zones; 9pm to midnight in other areas."

So most of pattaya from 3rd road to Beach rd,Dolphin roundabout to new pier,is designated area,are these bars all going to shut till 9pm???,somebody has given this a lot of thought.

Or is all this just a pay rise for the police

[webfact]

what does THAILAND actually mean?

Land of the Free..... ???

[sbk]

Is there a detailed listing of designated zones other than the ones in Bangkok listed in the article? Didn't see Samui/Phangan/Phuket/Pattaya listed in the article so just curious where people are getting their info about Samui not in the zone, zones in Pattaya etc.

[francois]

. Snooker clubs ?

we are lucky players ..

snooker clubs are selling food and stay open 24h

francois

or may be it's different in BKK ...

[francois]

well, could we open our eyes wide a moment?

new police in black shirts, new rules here and there ...

drug war .. thousands of deads ...

and some more rules to come .. like this stupid one!

and may be soon some more power in the hands of this ##### ...

CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN ... this idiot wants Thailand CLEAN CLEAN !!!

sabai sabai is gone ...

sanouk too

we will miss them ...

where is the Thailand we used to know and we used to love, even Thai people

wonder where

sad time for such a lovely country

francois

[Bangkok Barry]

A couple of thoughts. If the kids are being swept off the streets after 10pm, then why do we need new closing hours to protect them? And isn't that the parents job, anyway? The crackdown obviously has nothing to do with keeping kids in line, especially when tourist areas such as Phuket and Samui are included in the rules.

And where does the law enforcement come from? Are there enough police to sneak up on every entertainment venue in the country to enforce the law? Or will Toxin call in the troops to assist, taking Thailand even closer to a dictatorship.

Other neighbouring countries (some of which, like Cambodia and Vietnam, are cheaper than Thailand anyway) are no doubt looking forward to a greater number of visitors, and as in so many other ways (like IT) Thailand will be left as a backwater on the world stage.

[freddy]

When the world turns right, Thailand turns left.

Forgive them for they know not what they do

In a word................RETARDS !

[george]

BOUNTY ON THAKSIN'S (PIN) HEAD TOPS 1 BILLION BAHT

Rockhardphuket.com:

PHUKET: "Dark Figures" have said "We will whack him at all costs, even a Billion Baht" in response to the PM's new plan to shut down the country's nightlife. From March 1, bars and entertainment venues all over Phuket will have to close at 1 am, an hour earlier than they do at present. In a typical right-hand left-hand absent-minded megalomaniac move, the PM ordered the cabinet to ignore Patong's entertainment zone and shut the WHOLE ISLAND at 1am.

Speaking from his wheelchair after castration surgery, he was as vindictive, condescending and hateful as ever towards his constituents, where he was heard to say: "I don't care about reveling anymore, so why should everyone else?" He then continued to lick his greasy KFC fingers and chuckle.

The decision effectively designates the entire island as one large entertainment zone, leaving people in the after-dark industry exasperated and angry at the national government’s move to curtail trading hours. While Phuket escaped the midnight closure that will be enforced on some other parts of the country, Patong

Entertainment Business Association President Somphet Moosopon was dismayed. He said "We have to do something radical, and BELIEVE ME, we will." One angry entertainment business owner said that the government’s move was a "TITANIC" blow to the tourism industry. "Closing at 2 am is already painful for us. Closing at 1 am will surely bring slow death. It affects not only the entertainment business; it also affects hotels, motorcycle taxis, souvenir shops and so on," he said. However the PM will do nicely, as over the past few months, he has purchased 12 Billion Baht worth of 7-11 stocks... "Why don’t they just close Patong down? They might as well, because if they don't, we will do it for them, and soon. I don’t understand the government. They have concluded that all parts of Thailand are the same, which is absolute rubbish. Patong is a place for foreigners. Thai students can’t afford Patong," he said, referring to the stated aim of the earlier closing hour – to shield young Thai people from sin - Which is a load a bullocks"

Wisut Romin, Deputy Chief of the Phuket Provincial Governmental Division, said that officials will meet representatives of the entertainment industry soon in a half-hearted attempt to stop them from the upcoming riots, and the total shutdown of Patong for what may turn out to last weeks. "We have a plan to follow so that they understand government policy in Phuket," he said while laughing out loud, adding, "We know that they are not happy with this policy because it will strangle the life from their businesses, but we really don't give a hoot. What our PM wants, our PM gets, because our jobs are on the chopping block if we don't follow his authoritarian mandates." Meanwhile, the Cabinet is preparing to implement another plan – a curfew for youngsters.

The plan requires everyone under the age of 18, including and especially children of tourists, excepting Thai youth ages 3-17 selling flowers and chewing gum, to stay at home after 10 pm unless accompanied by an adult. This would mean a 16 year old hooker could be accompanied by her 18 year old pimp, but a 17 year old foreigner would have to be accompanied by a person over the foreign adult age of 21. Oh, how well thought out this crap is!! There were more rumors of additional plans to choke off tourism: 1) Live government web cams in all gay bars, massage parlors, go go bars, discos, bar beers and foreigners' hotel rooms. Also, web cams in all male toilets at nightspots nation wide. Government monitors would be given high tech computers, a private room and a case of KY in order to scan the faces and genitals of violators for their big-brother databases.

Financial rules are also rumored to go into effect soon: All Farangs will be required to carry 10,000 Baht cash (the Thai's 50 Baht) to bribe various officials while reveling, and upon returning to their residences. The fine for not carrying 10,000 Baht? 10,000 Baht. Another troubling rumor concerns immigration: All foreigners' visas will be limited to 15 days, no matter if they are legally employed in Thailand, or if they are simply here on vacation. These are rumors only, mind you, and with any luck (a silver bullet) they, along with the moronic new closing times, will be thrown in the sewer along with the ###### who wrote them. All of this broughaha could actually be a good thing, because it will likely wake the Thai up to the fact that they are dealing with not "Thai Love Thai" party, but instead the "Thai Screw Thai" party, for which there is always a vote. GO DEMOCRATS!!!

--Rockhardphuket.com 2004-02-12

[francois]

"Dark Figures" have said "We will whack him at all costs, even a Billion Baht" in response to the PM's new plan to shut down the country's nightlife.

a bit rough ... but how many think the same out there?

...

What our PM wants, our PM gets, because our jobs are on the chopping block if we don't follow his authoritarian mandates." Meanwhile, the Cabinet is preparing to implement another plan – a curfew for youngsters.

a banch of new rules ... to implant their power as we are used to see now.

...

The plan requires everyone under the age of 18, including and especially children of tourists, excepting Thai youth ages 3-17 selling flowers and chewing gum, to stay at home after 10 pm unless accompanied by an adult. This would mean a 16 year old hooker could be accompanied by her 18 year old pimp, but a 17 year old foreigner would have to be accompanied by a person over the foreign adult age of 21. Oh, how well thought out this crap is!! There were more rumors of additional plans to choke off tourism: 1) Live government web cams in all gay bars, massage parlors, go go bars, discos, bar beers and foreigners' hotel rooms. Also, web cams in all male toilets at nightspots nation wide. Government monitors would be given high tech computers, a private room and a case of KY in order to scan the faces and genitals of violators for their big-brother databases.

Financial rules are also rumored to go into effect soon: All Farangs will be required to carry 10,000 Baht cash (the Thai's 50 Baht) to bribe various officials while reveling, and upon returning to their residences. The fine for not carrying 10,000 Baht? 10,000 Baht. Another troubling rumor concerns immigration: All foreigners' visas will be limited to 15 days, no matter if they are legally employed in Thailand, or if they are simply here on vacation. These are rumors only, mind you, and with any luck (a silver bullet) they, along with the moronic new closing times, will be thrown in the sewer along with the ###### who wrote them. All of this broughaha could actually be a good thing, because it will likely wake the Thai up to the fact that they are dealing with not "Thai Love Thai" party, but instead the "Thai Screw Thai" party, for which there is always a vote.

rumours and blablabla ... but as we say, no smoke without fire

if this turns out to be true ... it does look like KGB

I had always said that we are far to be able to understand Thai politics, which remains true in most cases, but lately we have seen that incompetence could lead to a real catastrophy ...

I won't be happy to see this pm being the man who with complete irresponsability

let the bird-flu spread widely and would be considered like the real responsible one for this human catastrophy ....

he is so worried about his business plan, that nothing count more than numbers on a paper !

and truely, all these new rules concern who?

BKK and other big places like Samui Pukhet Chiang Mai ...

what about the 75% of the country where there are no :"red-zone", did they think about? or is it going to be up to locals ?.. (read to local police)

once, I loved to live here ... but we are ready to leave anytime

soon, it's going to be worse than any western country

francois

[ChiangMaiThai]

A couple of thoughts. If the kids are being swept off the streets after 10pm, then why do we need new closing hours to protect them? And isn't that the parents job, anyway? The crackdown obviously has nothing to do with keeping kids in line, especially when tourist areas such as Phuket and Samui are included in the rules.

Very good point. If all the kids are home by 10, then if anything, they should be extending the opening hours. Obviously then, this is about more than saving the kids. Yesterday, I saw kids on Thai TV saying that they would either ignore the law or go to hotels for more drinking, drugs and sex. What a ridiculous plan by TRT. If they are a party for the people, why do they have no concern for all those Thais who will lose their jobs? Do they not undersatnd that these people will turn to whatever neccessary in order to make a decent living?

As far as the billion baht bounty, I mean no threat to anyone, but I have to wonder how a certain leader sleeps well at night. I suppose a massive ego is of some help. Likewise, knowing without even the slightest degree of doubt that you are right about everything and can solve every problem in Thailand must put one's mind at ease.

Human beings are perhaps never more frightening than when they are convinced beyond doubt that they are right.

-Laurens Van der Post, The Lost World of the Kalahari (1958)

Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is an absurd one.

-Voltaire (1694 - 1778)

[thatguy]

i thought it was rather funny that someone posted the original story in the jokes forum.

nuff said.

[george]

CURFEW BACKDOWN: Blanket ban dropped; patrols mooted

Minister warns youngsters that they must remain on their best behaviour

BANGKOK: Education Minister Adisai Bodharamik’s holding back of a planned 10pm curfew for minors is not an all clear signal that young night owls can still party into the wee hours.

“We won’t interfere with well behaved children. But we will need to ensure that children in risk groups don’t wander out at night,” Adisai said yesterday without elaborating. The ministries of Social Development and Human Security, Interior, Justice, and Education have been working on ministerial regulations to thrash out the Children and Youth Protection Act, which goes into effect on March 29.

Adisai ruled out a blanket ban on anyone under 18 years of age leaving home.

Until Thursday the Education Ministry was reported as ready to impose the measure.

But other means will be used to supervise youths, such as recruiting volunteers to check on their activities.

“We will also have clear working guidelines on how patrols to monitor the children will work [to prevent any abuse],” Adisai said.

Adisai and Justice Minister Pongthep Thepkanjana said separately that they would welcome a public hearing on the 10pm curfew.

As bar owners across the country plan their attack on midnight closures, the Interior Ministry yesterday vowed to punish provincial governors and district chiefs who fail to enforce the restrictions.

Prasart Pongsiwapai, deputy directorgeneral of the Local Administration Department, reminded officials that the ministry wasn’t afraid to carry out its threat.

Since Octo-ber 2002, he said, the ministry had dismissed a deputy district chief and blocked the promotion of a district chief for failing to enforce restrictions.

It temporarily closed 217 entertainment venues outside Bangkok, indefinitely closed 43 venues, suspended 22 licences and withdrew 10 others. “Officials should come forward if they are tired of nightlife and do not want to work in areas full of entertainment venues. We will transfer them to areas with beautiful scenery,’’ he said.

From March 1, entertainment venues outside designated zoning areas will be required to close at midnight. And those inside the zones can stay open until 2am.

Prasart invited the 26 provinces that earlier opted out of the entertainment zoning system to contact the zoning committee if they want back in.

Deputy Prime Minister Purachai Piumsombun, the former social order crusader, chairs the zoning panel.Ruangnam Chaikwang, president of Koh Samui Tourism Promotion, opposed zoning on the Surat Thani resort.

He urged the government to enforce the law on Thais only, as restrictions against foreigners would just affect tourism.

Daeng Kessaro, president of Phuket’s Entertainment Venue Operators Club, urged the Phuket authorities to allow all bars to stay open until 2am, even those outside the zoning areas.

He said he would go to Bangkok to speak to Purachai if they refused his request.

--The Nation 2004-02-14

[Gfunk]

Only one thing to say, bunch of backward idiots, regression simple as that, told the 10 mates i had coming over in april to cancle their flights and i'll be meeting them in kl instead, why even come here on holiday? im outta here im not funding a police state,

post ya from kl

[Rinrada]

"except in Chiang Mai, Lamphun, Samut Prakan and Uttaradit, where entertainment zones have yet to be designated".

A couple of months ago the BOOM - BOOM bar in The-tep was very quiet at 2-30am (my night cap)wonder what I will find on March.1..Roll on fun city Sam -Prat.

[udon]

Gfunk.

How about a report on KL, please?

[joinme2leave]

oooh yeah....really looking forward to my mar/apr Thailand vacation...

will spend LOTS of Baht LESS this time.

not used to start drinking earlier than say 10 p.m. which will give me 2-3 hours happiness.

Anyhow that should be enough time to watch and lough at all those drunken ones who started earlier of course.

And to watch (or ignore) the sex tourists accompanied by their (over 18 yrs old) 'friends' who went into action 2-3 hours earlier than it used to be before mar 1.

Back home in good old europe I will certainly give recommendations to all those families who think about having a Thailand holiday soon: go elsewhere as you cannot want your children watch that scenery!

if it wasn't so expensive drinking everyone should consider spending some relaxing days e.g. in:

...ITALY....or AUSTRIA...here we START having fun when Thailand already prepares to stop...

[Ricardo]

Bars are being restricted to a few hours per day, and tourists discouraged.

You can get shot anywhere/anytime , without investigation by the forces of justice, who are too busy planting the evidence and moving on to the next target.

Massage & related-activities are being heavily discouraged.

Fun is officially banned ,except for chicken cook-outs, which are mandatory for all citizens.

The media are bought-up or silenced. The official oposition ignored or side-lined.

Foreigners are denied many rights normally found in other First-World countries.

This all feels familiar ? I have it ! The government's plan , to stop the revolt in the Southern part-Moslem provinces is revealed to me , Thailand will shortly become an Islamic Republic !

Thanks be to God !

[Axel]

oooh yeah....really looking forward to my mar/apr Thailand vacation...

...ITALY....or AUSTRIA...here we START having fun when Thailand already prepares to stop...

Come anyway, I mean it's the temples.

And think positve, once all the bars are closed you don't pay the bar fine

[george]

Follow-up:

Curfews and 'fun zones' take bang out of Bangkok

Early closing hours and stringent zoning regulations are taking the bang out of Bangkok.

BANGKOK: Legislators, who have already dented Thailand's reputation as the nocturnal party animal of Asia by requiring all bars in the kingdom to close at 2am, have ruled that from next month businesses must be shuttered at midnight, except in designated fun zones. The owners of massage parlours, discos, karaoke halls, hostess bars and restaurants are howling that one night in Bangkok cannot be very memorable - or profitable - if it has to end at midnight.

The clampdown on after-hours clubs may be followed by a strict curfew for teenagers nationwide. Without a parent chaperone in tow, anyone under 18 must keep off the streets between 10pm and 4am. Visitors to entertainment venues must carry proof of identity or face fines up to the equivalent of £45. Anyone under 20 years old is supposed to be turned away.

Unsuprisingly, fake IDs are readily available, and red-light districts have recently attracted motorcycle gangs from rival schools. Clashes have resulted in murders, kidnappings and gang rapes. In an effort to curb crime, Thailand's government is reviving the Youth Protection Act, which has languished on the books since a military government passed it in 1972. A list of 16 "inappropriate behaviours" to be avoided by students is circulating. These include gambling, visiting brothels, carrying weapons and damaging property. Fair enough - but the blacklist also bans sex between consenting teenage partners, dyeing hair, skiving off class and using rude gestures, as well as going out in public after 10pm.

But there is a growing backlash against the "family values" promoted by the Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, who wants to impose the work ethic of stodgy Singapore on freewheeling Thailand. Last night, tens of thousands of defiant adolescent couples were intent on dancing till dawn with their Valentines. Multi-level discos off the Sukhumvit Road, such as X-Club and Q-Bar, were heaving with hormones.

In Thailand, Valentine's Day is an imported holiday that involves more than sending teddy bears or roses. Recent surveys revealed that 17 per cent of Thai schoolgirls choose to surrender their virginity on 14 February as the ideal token of love. Last night, police were put on alert to prevent "Valentine gang rapes", and pairs of cops were sent to motels, public parks, vacant lots, empty buildings and supposedly haunted houses on love patrol.

One factor that might temper the law-makers is the impact on tourism. At least 600,000 Britons visit Thailand each year. Under the new regulations, the entire resort island of Phuket will be deemed a "designated area", open until 2am. But until the government started regulating opening hours, many bars did not even open their doors until midnight. In Bangkok, 1,000 masseuses came out in broad daylight to protest against the government's prescribed fun zones in the capital. They demanded that far more space be allotted to entertainment venues.

"I believe we close earlier than any other city in Asia," said Chuwit Kamolvisit, a massage parlour tycoon who is running for mayor of Bangkok.

--Independent.co.uk 2004-02-15