Silent Night

Silent Night

The government cracks down on bars

ONE night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble, goes the song. But how about seven hours? After a new law comes into effect on April 1st, night-spots will be open only from 6pm to 1am, except in a few exempt zones. The original bill said midnight, but protests from the entertainment industry forced the government to relent by an hour.

Thaksin Shinawatra, Thailand's dauntless prime minister, has noisily pursued what he calls a “social-order campaign” since coming to office in 2001. After waging a “war on drugs” last year, during which some 4,000 dealers died, he has now switched his focus to night-life.

Such restrictive measures go down well with many Thais, who deplore their country's image as a haven for louche tourists and abhor the relatively lax morals of today's urban youth. But even if the policy proves politically popular, the economic impact is palpable. Only about a tenth of Bangkok's night-spots are located inside the city's three exempt zones, where bars and night-clubs can remain open until 2am. Whole bar-crawling districts, such as Sukhumvit and Khaosan roads, fall outside. Go-go girls and “masseuses”, fearing for their livelihoods, have held protest marches. Many night-spot owners, who complain that they are already having trouble making ends meet with the 2am closing time introduced a few years ago, say they may have to shut up shop.

The likelihood, points out Chuwit Kamolvisit, a massage parlour tycoon, is that police will use the new regulations to extract more bribes from businessmen like himself. The rules are unnecessarily complicated, and Bangkok's exempt zones encompass its seediest districts, including infamous Patpong, undermining their prudish rationale.

There is hope, however, for South-East Asia's revellers. As Bangkok straightens its laces, Singapore is lightening up. Its government recently legalised dancing on bars, and has extended opening hours. But it does not seem to have occurred to the leaders of Thailand or Singapore that the bedtime of their citizens is none of their business at all.

-- The Economist March 6th