4am bar closing time has begun

[Gaybutton]

As of last night, December 15, the bars are now permitted to remain open until 4am.

I wonder how many did. I wonder how many customers were still in the bars at closing time. Were the bars getting enough customers to support the 4am closing time? How did the boys seem to feel about it? Did any bars administer the breathalyzer test? Did customers comply? Was there a police presence?

In short - what, if anything happened? If any of you stayed in the bars past the previous closing time of 2am, please post and let us know the goings on.

Here is the latest publicity about it:
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Around 140 Bangkok entertainment venues now open until 4am

by THE NATION

December 15, 2023

Around 140 entertainment venues in Bangkok will be open until 4am from Saturday, mostly in the Ratchadaphisek, Silom and Royal City Avenue (RCA) areas.

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said only entertainment venues that had received permission would be allowed to operate until 4am.

Of the 207 entertainment venues in Bangkok, only around 140 have survived, while the others have shut down, such as in the Thonglor area, he said.

He added that the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration would list the entertainment venues that would be allowed to remain open until 4am.

Friday marks the first day that pubs, bars and entertainment venues in selected areas of Bangkok, Phuket, Chonburi, Chiang Mai and Koh Samui in Surat Thani province will be allowed to remain open until 4am the following morning.

Services within hotel premises, in line with national hotel regulations, would also be allowed to operate until 4am.

To further promote tourism during the New Year celebration, the regulations allow night entertainment venues nationwide to operate until 6am on December 31.

Entertainment venues that are allowed to open until 4am must strictly comply with laws, especially the Entertainment Places Act and and the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act.

Sales of alcoholic beverages to people aged below 20 years and people who fail to remain conscious after getting drunk is prohibited.

Entertainment venues allowed to be open until 4am must follow these steps:

▪︎ Check blood alcohol level of customers before allowing them to drive home.

▪︎ Operators must arrange an area where customers with high blood alcohol level can rest.

▪︎ If visitors who have high blood alcohol level decline to rest, venue operators must contact their friends or relatives to take them home.

▪︎ Venue operators must provide transportation back home for customers, and charge them for the service fee.

Meanwhile, relevant agencies have been appointed to collect information and assess the impact of the extension of the service hours.

https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand ... l/40033838
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Pattaya to Officially Enjoy Longer Legal Entertainment Hours From Today

By Tanakorn Panyadee -

15 December, 2023

Entertainment venues in legal areas in Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket, Chiang Mai, and Koh Samui will be officially allowed to stay open until 4 AM for the first night today, December 15th, in line with the government’s tourism stimulus policy.

Bars and clubs in Pattaya in current legal entertainment zones will be able to leverage the longer opening hours legally for the first night today. Several precaution plans have already been set to ensure a smooth transition and a positive impact on both businesses and the community.

The official legal area for 4AM closings will be central Pattaya, from Third Road to the beach, to Dolphin Roundabout to Bali Hai Pier. At this time, Jomtien, Naklua, and the Darkside are not included.

The Pattaya Entertainment and Tourism Association (PETA) expressed gratitude for the government’s economic stimulus measure. Mr. Damrongkiat Pinitkarn, PETA secretary, revealed that nightlife operators have been eager for extended hours to compete with international competitors, and they have already trained staff to adjust to the new schedule.

Addressing concerns about intoxicated customers drinking and driving, Mr. Damrongkiat highlighted that foreign tourists, Pattaya’s primary clientele, mainly rely on public transportation or walk. Coupled with sobering-up areas and breathalyzing regulations, this will minimize risks of alcohol-related accidents, Mr. Damrongkiat said.

For those arriving in their own vehicles, pre-entry assessments and staff-assisted departure procedures will be implemented. Alcohol level checks and driver services are also in place to ensure compliance with legal limits and customer safety.

PETA also proposes expanding the legal entertainment zones in Pattaya. Mr. Damrongkiat emphasized that the outdated Entertainment Places Act, which has been in place for 21 years, no longer reflects the city’s growth and development. He proposed the expansion and recommended it should prioritize community impact, including noise control and safety of residents. Currently, popular areas like Naklua, Jomtien, and parts of the Darkside are out of the legal entertainment zones and not officially eligible for later openings.

Meanwhile, services within hotel premises will also be permitted to operate until 4 AM, aligning with national hotel regulations. The Thai government has also permitted night entertainment venues across the country to stay open until 6 AM on December 31 to further promote tourism during the New Year celebration.

https://thepattayanews.com/2023/12/15/p ... rom-today/
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Thai Interior Minister Orders Stricter Age Checks at Bars and Clubs

By Tanakorn Panyadee

14 December, 2023

Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul issued a stern warning to entertainment venues caught lax on age verification during today’s press conference at the Government House.

The warning comes in response to a viral story of a Thai boxing Olympic medallist, Somluck Kamsing, who was accused of attempted rape, in connection with a sexual entanglement with a 17-year-old girl.

The girl in the case reportedly gained access to a nightclub using a picture of a fake ID card and met with Mr. Somluck. She later filed a complaint with police, accusing the former Muay Thai fighter turned boxer, of sexual assault, after Mr. Somluck allegedly took her to a hotel. Mr. Somluck denied all allegations.

Mr. Anutin on December 14th said it is important for nighttime businesses to maintain strict adherence to age verification protocols. He urged venue operators to ensure that patrons don’t use fake ID cards or those belong to their older peers to stealthily enter nightclubs.

“Customers need to show their real ID cards, not photos on their phone,” Mr. Anutin said.

He further warned that circumventing this protocol could lead to serious consequences. “The more you avoid the law, the greater the risk of being searched, arrested, and prosecuted,” he stated.

It’s unclear if this will mean tourists and foreigners will also need to bring their original passport or ID card which, although technically required by law, is in practice rarely enforced, especially in popular tourist zones where many tourists won’t bring out their original passports for fear of losing them.

https://thepattayanews.com/2023/12/14/t ... and-clubs/
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Khao San wants later closing time

by Narumon Kasemsuk

December 15, 2023

With the new closing time of 4am set to begin on Friday, tourism operators on Khao San Road said it would not have much impact because this area is not included in the zone for extended hours.

Sanga Ruangwattanakul, president of the Khao San Road Business Association, said tourists are confused as they thought night entertainment venues on Khao San Road could stay open until 4am.

However, pubs and bars in the Phra Nakhon district where Khao San Road is situated are not in the permitted zone for later hours, which is restricted to Ratchadaphisek, Silom and Phetchaburi roads.

Venues outside those areas must hold an entertainment venue licence or be located in hotels to stay open until 4am. Khao San Road only has five licensed operators, said Mr Sanga.

He said Khao San operators have already called on the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to extend the permitted zone to Khao San Road, as the laws that mandate those three areas since 1991 are outdated.

Mr Sanga said 99% of tourism operators on this road have resumed business post-pandemic, while the remaining 1% were small hostels that were permanently closed as their Asian customers, particularly Chinese travellers, have not returned as expected.

However, European guests, mainly from Scandinavian countries, Germany, France and the UK have almost fully returned to normal and helped push the average occupancy rate in December to 70-80%, up from 50-60% in the previous months.

He said tourism operators agree with the government policy to celebrate Songkran in April, with other activities running for the entire month.

Tourists normally spend three days in the area to join in its famous water-splashing activities. If the government would like to increase spending per person, the event can be extended to four days at maximum, said Mr Sanga.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/ge ... osing-time

[Dodger]

I wonder how the gay bars in Boyztown, Jomtien Complex, Sunee, are reacting to this.

With the continual decline in gay tourists visiting these venues I tend to think most bars will continue closing at their normal hours. And the majority of retired expats I know are comfortably back in their beds snoring by midnight - so not sure how this would benefit the bars.

It'll be interesting seeing how this unfolds over time.

[Gaybutton]

It'll be interesting seeing how this unfolds over time.

I will be very surprised if the rigid enforcement lasts longer than 2 weeks, if even that long.

The only concern I see for now is the news articles saying the police are insisting that all customers carry legitimate ID - their real ID, not photos kept on their phones.

What the articles don't say is how, or even if, that applies to farang customers. I can't imagine they are expecting farang to carry their actual passports, so what would be acceptable to the police? If they check farang, they will find hundreds in the bars - gay and straight - and probably not a single one of them carrying their actual passport. They certainly won't start arresting everyone not carrying their passport with them. Along with being unrealistic, they would fill up the jails and there goes their sacred "good image" of Pattaya.

My guess is they probably won't even ask farang for ID unless they are suspected of some form of wrongdoing. They are after young Thais to make sure they aren't minors, drug users, or whatever else.

I am guessing the same forms of ID that have been acceptable in the past will still be acceptable for farang - photo of your passport on your phone, paper photocopy, Thai driving license, international driving license, or whatever. I believe if you at least have one of those with you, there won't be a problem if you are asked to present ID.

In any case, I think all of us would be grateful if any of you are visiting the bars during those new hours and letting us know the goings on.

Will I venture out during the wee hours to personally see what is happening with my own eyes and report back? Sorry,not a chance. At those hours I will be sound asleep, dreaming, and hopefully it will be a wet dream (haven't had one of those in years) . . .

[Jun]

▪︎ Check blood alcohol level of customers before allowing them to drive home.

They're still presuming that we're all driving home, or that the bars have some magic way of telling who is driving and who is not.

Since the initial official 4:00 am closing applies in tourist areas, I would guess that over 99% of the farang will not be driving home. Many will be tourists without cars and the majority of the expats will be responsible enough to have alternative means of getting home.
I'm not sure what the habits of the Thai customers are at such venues.

▪︎ Operators must arrange an area where customers with high blood alcohol level can rest.

Presumably this area must be available for about 12 hours for sobering up ? So I guess the bars would assign some outside area. That would meet the requirement & nobody will use it anyway.

[Gaybutton]

They're still presuming that we're all driving home, or that the bars have some magic way of telling who is driving and who is not.

Again I doubt they're worrying about farang, at least not our kind of farang. I think it's Thais they're worried about, especially young Thais driving motorbikes. Then again, there is no shortage of irresponsible farang out there too.

I just don't see how this is workable, but we'll soon see.

Operators must arrange an area where customers with high blood alcohol level can rest.

I guess the bars would assign some outside area.

That'll work great in the rain . . .

[Jun]

I just don't see how this is workable, but we'll soon see.

It's not workable. I suspect all this nonsense serves 2 purposes:

1 Just putting out some BS to deflect criticism of 4:00 am opening

2 The police can no longer collect tea money for late opening, so all the daft rules provide alternative reasons for bribes to be collected.

I suspect #2 is the main one. The government sit on top of this corrupt system.
You follow the news more closely than I do, but I don't remember reading anything about the current or previous government taking serious action to reduce corruption. Perhaps too many of them benefit from it ?

[Gaybutton]

I don't remember reading anything about the current or previous government taking serious action to reduce corruption.

Maybe their idea of serious action is different from ours. From what I see, when caught they are transferred to different positions - and usually that's the last I ever hear anything about it. Going back to that terrible pub fire in Rayong, as far as anything I've read, none of the burn victims have received a single baht in compensation. None of the upper echelon police officers have seen so much as five minutes in jail. That seems to be typical.

And that's talking about the corruption that has been caught and exposed. I wonder how much of it goes on and those involved haven't been caught.

[Dodger]

Passing laws that are both ridiculous and totally unenforceable seems to be a favorite pastime over here.

Laws, like the ones being discussed here, which have a gazillion loopholes, do nothing more than make the ground more fertile for the flow of $$tea money$$.

If the Health Ministry was really concerned about "Safety" they would start enforcing the safety laws which have been on the books for years instead of continually turning a blind eye, e.g., driving a motorbike without a helmet, erratic/unsafe driving including speeding, improper lane usage, running red lights, operating a vehicle (car or motorbike) without a drivers license, etc.

If they were to get more serious about enforcing these laws it would be to everyone's benefit as intended, but to add another ridiculous layer of laws on top of these laws - without enforcing the original laws, is about as useful as a screen door in a submarine.

TIT

[Gaybutton]

to add another ridiculous layer of laws on top of these laws - without enforcing the original laws, is about as useful as a screen door in a submarine.

I definitely agree. If they would just enforce the driving laws that are already on the books and have been for many years, there would be no need for additional laws.

Rather than posting numerous news articles about the first night of extended bar hours, I'm going to summarize what I have read. There has already been one death, along with other people injured, in Chiang Mai - by a drunk driver.

In Pattaya the police set up road checks, but did not release any information about how many people were caught driving drunk. No accidents reported.

I have seen no reports at all about Bangkok or any other areas throughout Thailand.

[Jun]

In Pattaya the police set up road checks, but did not release any information about how many people were caught driving drunk. No accidents reported.

They probably didn't release any information about the amount of tea money collected either.

Anyone going to a bar drinking is probably over the limit for driving within 45 minutes.
Therefore, I don't quite see how bars opening until 4:00 am should significantly affect the number of drunk drivers.

I suspect the main factor affecting the death rate could be the number of other road users around. If that number were lower at 4:00 am than 2:00 am, the death rate would probably fall.