Curfew enforcement getting more repressive

[WinnieTheKhwai]

On Tuesday night at midnight, police and army combined raided the Chiang Mai Entertainment plaza (a.k.a. the Boxing ring bars near the Mae Ping hotel) and actually took some people away, with threats of having to pay 20,000 Baht fines for breaking the curfew.

I don't know if the fine was actually cahrged to those people, but they were definitely a lot more forceful about it.

And then yesterday (Wednesday) even well before midnight the police showed up, which resulted in bars closing down VERY hurriedly and with a lot more urgency than normal closing hours. This to the point that customers were quickly ushered outside, then the shutters closed. This with 20 minutes to go until midnight.

So this is very different from the trend elsewhere in tourist locations where the curfew is lifted, or not really enforced.

And it is most definitely impacting personal life / tourist life. I picked up people from the airport yesterday after a long international flight, but as they had just an hour or so to go until curefew time they actually couldn't visit a pub/restaurant to get a bite to eat. They stocked up on 7-11 sandwiches. Not a nice welcome to Thailand at all.

Note: This post should serve as a bit of a heads-up and status update, to advise people that it remains unadvisable to be out near/past curfew times. Police can grab anyone and extort basically any fine they please.

[Gonzo the Face]

Sounds like a post from someone who would like and wants things to get better , as long as they themselves do not have to give up anything on do any work for it.

There is a curfew in effect so live with the rules of the curfew. Its already been relaxed by several hours.....It won't kill anyone not to be in a bar beer center for a couple hours. I am sure it will be over soon. Things seem to me to be a lot more settled and secure already.

And someone wrote that I was self centered...... Don't come off that way Winnie. ...... leave that for the I want everything to be great and perfect as long as I don't have to do anything group...... You all know the I want, I want, I want crowd........what ????? give up something for the good of all......NO WAY ! ! !

[WinnieTheKhwai]

^

Rewind -> Stop -> Playback:

Note: This post should serve as a bit of a heads-up and status update, to advise people that it remains unadvisable to be out near/past curfew times. Police can grab anyone and extort basically any fine they please.

So, that and nothing else.

(I think military rule is just great, too. But a status update / status confirmation serves a purpose IMHO.)

[Gonzo the Face]

^

Rewind -> Stop -> Playback:

Note: This post should serve as a bit of a heads-up and status update, to advise people that it remains unadvisable to be out near/past curfew times. Police can grab anyone and extort basically any fine they please.

So, that and nothing else.

(I think military rule is just great, too. But a status update / status confirmation serves a purpose IMHO.)

Opinion accepted.

[northernjohn]

I had started another thread asking how the military government was affecting people personally for the most part it was not affecting them at all. The few dissenters were like Winnie wanting the bars to stay open and there was two posters who for some reason were intimidated by the army but it did not affect there life in any way.

Wonder why Winnie didn't buy them some booze in the 7/11s? That seems to have been one of his concerns easily answered.

[Thailand]

It's simply Chiang Mai being punished for what and where it is.

[mamborobert]

If you are meant to be off the streets by midnight then establishments need to close in time to let staff and patrons return home in sufficient time. Lots of places close earlier for this reason, Thai included. Within terms of this curfew that is not imho repressive (ie uniform application of cuffew in CM). Certainly some businesses willinng to let patrons and staff have issues with enforcement because they tried to make more dollars than complying businesses is not a good move.

[khwaibah]

It's simply Chiang Mai being punished for what and where it is.

Just not Chiang Mai but all of the North East.

[robblok]

It's simply Chiang Mai being punished for what and where it is.

Just not Chiang Mai but all of the North East.

Its not exactly a party in Bangkok either. Its too bad but a necessary evil.

[PostmanPat]

Seems a bit skewed to me that the Foreign owned places (eg UN Irish, Chez Marco to name but two) seem to be respecting the fact that theres a curfew and responsibly close at a time to get people home by midnight, whereas quite a few of the Thai owned places appear to be doing their utmost to flaunt and ignore the curfew. A bit of an irony there! Suppose thats why Police and Military are now getting a bit annoyed with these places!

It does get a bit annoying to be driving close to my home in the suburbs just before midnight, only to pass by a whole load of small Thai bars and restaurants clearly still open and showing no sign of closing!

[Chicog]

I have a flight booked to Bangkok in July, and if this petty nonsense is still going on then, it will be to connect to pastures new I think.

[cmsally]

Maybe they have moved to the bars as they have more success there. I have heard a couple of times about them trying to enforce at the local markets, only to be beaten off with whatever comes in handy and told not to come back.

[chiang mai]

I don't understand the problem, there's a curfew, folks either need to live with that fact or be prepared for jail time and fines, it doesn't seem that difficult to understand.

[MartinBKK]

Well i would have no problem with this if it was consistent everywhere. It is quite clear though that some businesses (discos etc in BKK central Sukhumvit and certain places in CM) continue to operate openly through the curfew hours while others are not able to. Clearly this is because some businesses have deeper pockets than others (or are owned by people with more influence). I thought the coup was supposed to stop this corruption wasn't that what it was all about? So why is this stuff going on just a few weeks after the coup started?

[chiang mai]

But it's not consistent and is not intended to be, several tourist areas have been made exempt. But no such exemption covers Chiang Mai, the subject of this thread, so there should be no surprise when folks push the envelope and get snapped at in return - or am I missing something here?

[BlackArtemis]

I understand what you mean, I went out partying til 3am in Bangkok the other night and no one was worried about the police or army, they were only worried about which clubs were still open. Very different atmosphere from CM.

[MartinBKK]

I'm talking about places under curfew. If the curfew has been lifted then that is another matter altogether.

Also, if you want me to be specific about CM i know of some places here which continue to operate 24 hours a day with the full knowledge of the authorities but others are not allowed to.

[Tywais]

Permanent Secretary for Tourism and Sports Suwat Sitthilor disclosed a plan to ask the NCPO to consider deactivating the curfew in more areas next week after Phuket, Pattaya and Koh Samui were cleared of the restrictions recently. The additional areas consist of Krabi, Phang Nga, Trang, Hat Yai district of Songkhla, Koh Chang of Trat, Cha-am district of Phetchaburi, Hua Hin district of Prachuap Khiri Khan and Chiang Mai.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/731827-thai-tourism-min-to-propose-curfew-lifting-in-more-vacation-spots/

Will see how his request goes.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

I had started another thread asking how the military government was affecting people personally for the most part it was not affecting them at all.

It's not subject to opinion, and it's not a matter of 'for the most part'. Because:

* Everyone with a lifestyle that results in being home by midnight is completely not affected by a curfew. 100% of this group is not affected.

* Everyone with a preference or need to be out close to midnight and/or before 4am is affected. They may not mind and they may not have a problem with it, perhaps even appreciate it. But all 100% of this group is affected.

Does it matter if 90% of us are in the first group and 10% in the second? That's an interesting lifestyle statistic about TV forum members, but it's not an possible answer to 'does a curfew have an effect yes or no'. Because there isn't a single answer to that.

The few dissenters were like Winnie wanting the bars to stay open and there was two posters who for some reason were intimidated by the army but it did not affect there life in any way.

?! 'Dissent' to your apparent claim that nobody should rightly feel impacted in any way? Ok.

(Even after it was explained that some people appreciate having insurance, and that flights do come in around 10-11pm and that those tourists have no option but to quickly grab a sandwich from 7-11 and then lock themselves in. The rationale seems to be "I'm in bed by 10pm and therefore nobody else can possibly be impacted in any way. )

Wonder why Winnie didn't buy them some booze in the 7/11s? That seems to have been one of his concerns easily answered.

I have no idea what that means. People had been in the air for 24 hours out of the US, and normally I'd drop them at a place like Riverside so they could get a bite to eat and take in some atmosphere. Instead it was a 7-11 visit, then get indoors.

[kjhbigv]

At a guess, who do you think were taken away? Bar owners, staff or customers?

Sent from my GT-I9300T using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Oscar2]

I have a flight booked to Bangkok in July, and if this petty nonsense is still going on then, it will be to connect to pastures new I think.

you're going to leave the country over a 4 hour curfew??? why not just stock your fridge? want a drink after midnight? problem solved.

[Oscar2]

I don't understand the problem, there's a curfew, folks either need to live with that fact or be prepared for jail time and fines, it doesn't seem that difficult to understand.

i agree. curfew in place. why is it so difficult?

[khwaibah]

Just in.

NCPO plans to lift curfew nationwide, proceed with reconciliation measures to lead to reform; strict measures against gambling, illegal weapons /MCOT

[Chicog]

I have a flight booked to Bangkok in July, and if this petty nonsense is still going on then, it will be to connect to pastures new I think.

you're going to leave the country over a 4 hour curfew??? why not just stock your fridge? want a drink after midnight? problem solved.

No, I'm just not going to stop in it. I prefer to go to a place where I might have a better chance of being treated as both a paying guest and a responsible adult.

[BillyBobThai]

Winnie, you knew that the curfew was midnight and your friends from the states should have known about it before they boarded their flight to come over. Should not have been a big deal to anyone.

Myself, I am a night owl and I ran out of lemon juice at midnight and had to wait until 4 am before I could go to Tesco Express.

Let me tell you, that was a real bit(h.

[chiang mai]

I have a flight booked to Bangkok in July, and if this petty nonsense is still going on then, it will be to connect to pastures new I think.

you're going to leave the country over a 4 hour curfew??? why not just stock your fridge? want a drink after midnight? problem solved.

No, I'm just not going to stop in it. I prefer to go to a place where I might have a better chance of being treated as both a paying guest and a responsible adult.

You realize of course that the curfew applies to all, doctors, surgeons, judges, university professors, captains of industry, resident and non-resident!

[true blue]

propaly the reason they not lifted the curfew in chiang mai,is because of the civil disobedience,by all and sundry including lock ins,people will never learn an understand military rule can get very nasty.especially if you break there dictates.

[Chicog]

I have a flight booked to Bangkok in July, and if this petty nonsense is still going on then, it will be to connect to pastures new I think.

you're going to leave the country over a 4 hour curfew??? why not just stock your fridge? want a drink after midnight? problem solved.

No, I'm just not going to stop in it. I prefer to go to a place where I might have a better chance of being treated as both a paying guest and a responsible adult.

You realize of course that the curfew applies to all, doctors, surgeons, judges, university professors, captains of industry, resident and non-resident!

You realise of course that I have a choice in the matter?

[Briggsy]

Winnie, you don't fully understand. The curfew is for your own good. You would be the first to complain if you took a bullet in the head as a result of cross-fire from behind the counter of Lek Bar or Tim Bar or "I'm a bloke really even though I look like a woman when you're pissed" Bar.

It is like seat belts. People complain about them unaware that they have saved their life on a number of occasions.

[evenstevens]

winnie is just stirring the pot again, give it a break