Thai Police Propose To Extend Nightlife Closing Times By Two Hours To 4Am

[slipperylobster]

If the girls look good to you at 2am, they would look even better by 4 am. Thats a plus! On the other hand, if they opened 2 hours earlier, you would be stuck with the ugly girls that much longer, methinks.

[bri1guy]

Brilliant Idea, Pattaya should have a wavier & keep places open to 4am all year... I remember those days when pubs were open till 6am ...

the businesses who sell alcohol can lower there prices a bit now if can make more money =more hours of drinking...

[yoshiwara]

Ah memories of Purachai! Thaksin's Minister for Spaghetti Straps.

[almend]

I'm new at this post, but have been traveling to BKK for many years. I remember about 15yrs ago some bars were open all night, and they had plenty of customers.

[KuhnPaen]

next story...LT rates just tripled overnight.

[GooEng]

hope it happens!

[VocalNeal]

"Changing the closing time to 4am could reduce crime, particularly rape

and robbery, because it will be morning by the time would-be burglars

and rapists leave the bars," she said.

I never heard a more stupid statement than that!

I've never heard a more inspiring statement that that. It means the person is thinking outside the box.

Maybe if they learned to embrace the nightlife they could all benefit from it,for example stop charging 120 baht for beers !

Bloody hell! Where have you found a "good" nightclub that only charges 120 baht for a beer. Spazzo's in the Dusit used to be 250B, more than 12 years ago, still packed.

The cost of a beer has little to do with the number of customers.

[KuhnPaen]

In some places in America (citing San Francisco, CA since it's a place I know), you can stay open as late as 6am but the requirement is that you can't serve alcohol past 2am. This gives everyone the opportunity to sober up before getting on the road. Staying open past 2am would be a way to reduce crime *IF* the bars and clubs don't allow the consumption of alcohol.

Yeah...I worked at the biggest club in SF. Although true they shut the booze off at 2 AM, that's when the crowd broke out their "other substances". Then we turned the alcohol back on at 6 AM and people kept dancing until 8 or 9 AM. When they left our club, they went a block down to another club which opened at 9AM--thus keeping the tweekers going all week long.

Ah, fun times.

[theajarn]

"Changing the closing time to 4am could reduce crime, particularly rape

and robbery, because it will be morning by the time would-be burglars

and rapists leave the bars," she said.

I never heard a more stupid statement than that!

What do you expect? An 18 year-old lemming.

[Donnie Brasco]

All the articles presented in favour are simply ludicrous.

When you attended your "for export only" MBA in the States, Oz or wherever it was, did they not teach you to distinguish between facts and opinion. To offer your opinion here is infantile argumentation. It has no bearing on the issue at hand.

and the media are just as dumb for running with this.

(Ditto)

You would need an electron microscope to detect one iota of intelect, reason ,logic or morality in these hallowed halls.

(Ditto. The hyperbole adds nothing to your case except to prove my previous contention that you cannot or do not see the need to separate fact from opinion.

Bars shoild be shut down by 2 am latest and they could consider a special licence for genuine clubs to stay open later.

This is constructive although I fail to see how it would discourage the invisible income issue you referred to earlier.

As an infrequent lounge lizard, alcoholically non-dependent though self-admitted horn-dog that *does* have a day job I look forward to your constructive suggestions as to where else I can spend my evening hours and my discretionary income in pursuit of the more salubrious aspects of Thai culture that you imply are there for the partaking.

Skill-testing question: What is the most lucrative and most popular profession among Thai women ?

For a clue, look in the back pages of *any* entertainment weekly in any city on the planet.

Sure, Thai women are represented but they appear to be fighting it out with every other race and gender in the game.

Bangkok's naughty bars are far more discreet than America's strip clubs or Europe's brothels or the multi- million dollar Internet escort trade.

Why, outside of a massively hypocritical, officially blessed disapproval and denial industry, in your opinion, is Thailand's contribution to the world's oldest profession an embarrassment.

You need to check out your regional history.

[rayw]

Great news as I totally disagree with prohibition and unnecessary restrictions. Bar opening times should be totally left to the bar owners to fit in with their customers, no question, no argument.

Only caveat I would make would be for noise control laws to be invoked, especially where some bars are near residential areas. It is very selfish to generate a lot of noise after midnight in residential areas and this should be controlled by law as it is a necessary restriction rather than an unnecessary one like actual opening times. Noise pollution is a big problem in Thailand and needs much stricter controls. Like for example those totally stupid and crazy trucks and cars with ridiculous bass levels pumping out annoying everyone else, that actually hurt folks' ears if they are anywhere in the vicinity. Still that is another topic so sorry to raise it here but it is related of course..

Edited April 16, 2013 by rayw

[khunken]

For once I agree with the BIB. They just can't win - propose earlier closing: just looking for more tea money, propose later closing: they supposedly benefit from extra bar profits.

I'm a very rare night owl but I would like to be able to watch a 2:00am & later football match in a bar.

Yes, the comments from both sides are infantile - what do you expect from a tiny selection of quotes (that make headlines).

There should be proper designated areas for the late night bars & clubs but this would require enforcement which is ignored for the right 'fee'.

Overall IMO it is the right way to go.

[BrianCR]

I don't believe the opening or closing time of bars has much effect on peoples drinking habits, except that closing early means drinking faster, later meaning slower drinking but usually with most people around the same amount. I could help with staggering late night traffic through!

[DocN]

For me personally: I can actually count the times I stayed up until 4 am , boozing and partying on my 10 fingers, so....

But let's face it: there are other cities in the world, where bars are open longer than in Bangkok and so what?!

Bangkok is a metropolis and whatever the reasons are behind this (and I bet there are some) : go ahead with it!

[Thai at Heart]

How about 4am on Fridays and Saturdays?

[timewilltell]

Ha ha ha. And the police want to extend the bar opening times WHY? What has it to do with the police. Oh yes I forgot it's them who are raking in all the corruption money from the bars they don;t own, them who run the taxi mafia in Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket and them who own a huge number of bars and 'entertainment' venues as well. Great to have an impartial and truly honourable police force.

Seriously, you would think they would be a little more circumspect!

[KimoMax]

Reading all the Comments, appears most have never been anywhere in Thailand but Bangkok, Pattaya, and Phuket. And have not been to Thailand when Bars in Bangkok were open until they wanted to close.

Sukhumvit did not have after hours street bars until the BIB enforced the 2:00am closing times.

Things were more contained and orderly back then

In most areas of Thailand, Bars are supposed to close at Midnight. Many of them stay open later until 1 or 2am unless the BIB come by after midnight and tell them to close.

But the connected Thai Disco's are open until about 4:00am.

Rarely up country do the BIB close the Thai Disco's before 3 or 4am.

[LuukKoeyKorat]

<deleted> ???????????? I seem to recall just last week there was some

sort of crackdown on bars that were open late ? Oh well, never a dull

moment here in miracle Thailand...

In my local municipality all bars tend to close on time except one very " well connected ' establishment which closes when the last customer leaves and has never been troubled by the BIB.

Nong Bar? :-)

[hellodolly]

Yep, giving people two more hours in the wee morning to get good and boozed up before wandering drunk down the streets, will certainly help to reduce the crime rates; and no doubt improve Thailand's image and reputation at the same time! More tourists will no doubt come flocking to Thailand, Oops, for whom the government is already concerned about not having enough service industry workers.

With all this great material, why isn't there a great, hugely successful Thai-American stand-up comedian? Or better yet, I can envision a hilarious weekly sit-com on cable TV. We could have famous actors/actresses fighting for cameos to be this week's Prime Minister, or Minister of Science, or Police Chief, or Minister of Culture, etc. Lesser stars could be bar girls, Russian mafia and drunken western expats. We could even figure out a way to have Thai Visa on the show... with all the weekly cameo stars reacting to various criticisms posted by TV experts. You just can't write this kind of material--people would think it was too far out. Where are the screen writers out there????

Well now that you mention staggering down the street drunk at 4:00 in the morning I got to thinking that it would be a real good reason to invite more muggers to Thailand. Just think about it higher number of tourists and bigger chance of tea money for the BIB.

A win win situation.

[hellodolly]

I'm new at this post, but have been traveling to BKK for many years. I remember about 15yrs ago some bars were open all night, and they had plenty of customers.

That's because the police owned them and were enforcing the closure times at nearby bars.

elementary economics. And people think that Thais can't think that deeply.

[MoonShadow]

If This proposal had come from sort of "Bar owners federation" or the like I could have understood it but the METROPOLITAN POLICE???????. The proposal from bar owners would have been to make more money however the proposal from the police is purely to --------- make more money!!!!!!

OK------ lets do it and make everybody happy------------Never heard so much crap in all my life

Seriously, who do you think owns the bars...??????

[ginjag]

Ha ha ha. And the police want to extend the bar opening times WHY? What has it to do with the police. Oh yes I forgot it's them who are raking in all the corruption money from the bars they don;t own, them who run the taxi mafia in Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket and them who own a huge number of bars and 'entertainment' venues as well. Great to have an impartial and truly honourable police force.

Seriously, you would think they would be a little more circumspect!

Agree with you--what has it to do with the police ??? enforcing law --protecting the public.

National level makes the law, aint it about time P.M. you rained in the BIB.

[Credo]

A good friend of mine owned a bar for many, many years. It was located near a disco. He sold the bar about 12 years ago. The disco was very busy and paid 30,000 baht per week to the police to operate. He paid 4,000 baht per week to the police. His bar was a quiet venue and he seldom broke any laws. Basically, all he got was information about when the police would be raiding etc. If he didn't pay, he would have had problems of one kind or another.

So, basically, the police will probably not lose any money by longer hours.

[hellodolly]

"Changing the closing time to 4am could reduce crime, particularly rape

and robbery, because it will be morning by the time would-be burglars

and rapists leave the bars," she said.

I never heard a more stupid statement than that!

Yes, but she IS a UNIVERSITY student... So you have to give her some credit for that!

Speaking personally, I'm for anything that will keep the ne'er do well farangs off the streets as much as possible!

She has all the makings of a future Prime Minister. I presume she has a brother.

[KuhnPaen]

Drink til 4 AM

Eat, take taxi ride home, shower, and shag the companion of your choice.

Pass out by 6 or so

Sleep til 3 PM

Wake up, shag again, shower, eat, go get a massage

Hit the bars at 8

Lather, rinse, repeat.

It's called "vacation", why not?

I have plenty of time to be a responsible adult when I am back in the real world.

[Credo]

None of the bars I've frequented were owned by the police. Why go through the hassle of actually owning one, when you can let someone else own it and you still get the profits without the headache.

[Lingba]

"Changing the closing time to 4am could reduce crime, particularly rape

and robbery, because it will be morning by the time would-be burglars

and rapists leave the bars," she said.

I never heard a more stupid statement than that!

I agree...this has got to be among the stupidist things I've ever read

[animatic]

Extending the billable hours of DAILY Tea Money, every day, not only for infractions.

[Scott]

Off-topic reply has been removed.

[jackspratt]

.

I do not understand how the boys in Blue would gain.

I suspect this statement confirms your general powers of observation - particularly on the political threads.

Boys in Blue