Thailand's Huge Nightlife Industry Battles Govt

[george]

Thailand's huge nightlife industry battles government over closing times

BANGKOK: -- Thailand's internationally renowned, multibillion-dollar nightlife industry has scored a victory of sorts over the powerful government, but the bar girls are no happier about it than the bureaucrats.

Hoping to keep the young from drugs, sex and alcohol - and tone down the country's image as a hot spot for anything-goes nights - the government approved a regulation in February to move up the closing time for bars, clubs, restaurants and massage parlours outside a few designated areas.

Three years ago, officials had advanced the closing time from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m., and now they were ordering a midnight shutdown.

The move drew applause from parents and teachers, but a storm of protest from the businesses affected.

Women clad in spaghetti-strap tops and skirts rallied in front of Government House carrying banners demanding reconsideration. The protesters, led by massage parlour king Chuwit Komolvisit, said workers' incomes would be slashed by having to close at midnight.

Bar owners also complained, saying they are honest businessmen who happen to work at night. Even some senior government officials, themselves investors in the industry, said the earlier closing could hurt tourism, which is Thailand's top foreign exchange earner.

In the end, the government backed off some, saying entertainment venues can stay open until 1 a.m.

Although many Thais welcomed the compromise, others are grousing.

"It's crystal clear that Thailand's effort to sanitize Bangkok is useless. There's nothing wrong with this industry. This one-hour difference isn't going to make an impact on the problem but on the operators," said Chuwit, who owns a string of massage parlours.

A 23-year-old go-go dancer on Bangkok's big nightlife strip, Patpong Road, said the earlier closing will make it harder to support families.

"Even one hour means a lot," said the woman, who gave her name only as Mac. "They will have a really, really tough time making ends meet. Most didn't enter this industry for nothing."

Mac is among the entertainment workers who can still work until 2 a.m. because Patpong Road is one of several zones exempt from the new regulation.

But, the Interior Ministry says, 70 per cent of Bangkok's entertainment venues are outside the three zones - Patpong, Ratchadapisek and New Phetchaburi roads, which are the main red-light districts. Entertainment businesses elsewhere are mostly pubs and restaurants, discos and karaoke bars.

The government says about 200,000 people work in prostitution-related businesses, mostly in Bangkok and tourist spots around the country. By one estimate, the sex industry accounts for three per cent of Thailand's economy, or about $4.3 billion US a year. Other estimates are far higher.

There is also a wide array of other entertainment options for Thais and foreign tourists, businesses that employ tens of thousands of workers.

Some critics say the new closing time won't do much to curb rising crime, drunken driving and drug abuse among youth.

"Do adults really think we have no other places to go? Staying at a friend's is probably more fun if the opening hours are this short," said a 17-year-old girl, who identified herself as Ying, as she walked along Khao San Road, a popular district for foreign backpackers and Thai teens.

Taxi driver Supat Khoomyoo said the best way to keep the young away from trouble is not to close earlier but to punish operators who let underage youths into bars and nightclubs.

Some foreigners said trying to tame Thai nightlife could hurt tourism.

"This is probably the most ridiculous thing Thailand can do to itself," said Erik Bergsdorf, 35, a Danish tourist. "The government must admit the truth - that tourists don't only come here for temples or beaches. Many of us are attracted by the nightlife Bangkok offers."

--AP 2004-03-17

[PvtDick]

Thailand's huge nightlife industry battles government over closing times

Three years ago, officials had advanced the closing time from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m., and now they were ordering a midnight shutdown.

When was there ever a 6:00 a.m. official closing time? It's always been 2:00 a.m. as far as I can remember, but police tolerated (with ample greasing) late night constellations that stayed open all night. Actually, there are still such places, so not much has changed.