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New Bangkok Nightlife Curfew Rumors Cause Tourism Concerns


Jacob Maslow

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Bangkok nightlife and entertainment venues have been notified of an impending curfew to start this weekend and last for 2 weeks.

Entertainment and nightlife venues are concerned over the recent curfews put in place in Bangkok. Owners have been notified by police that a two week curfew will be put in place, forcing venues to close by midnight.

The enforcement is set to begin this weekend. A nightclub owner, who did not want to be identified, stated that there are no exceptions to the curfew.

Curfews at this time of year are the norm due to the Buddhist holiday of Makha Bucha. However, an extended curfew is a major concern for nightclub and entertainment venues. Wednesday night, local police and army personnel ordered many venues to close for the evening. Warnings of the coming curfews were also given to owners.

Thailand’s tourism industry is one of the country’s biggest industries. Owners of nightclubs and entertainment venues are concerned that a new curfew will cause tourists to go elsewhere.

No official response has been given by the police on the issue.

Initial reports speculate that city police are trying to focus on illegal business operations. Recently, the military has accused police of negligence for allowing illegal businesses to continue operating without taking action against them.

Last year, a curfew was put in place for nearly a month starting on May 22nd. The curfew was set at 10 PM initially, but was gradually extended to midnight. Popular resorts suffered revenue losses as a result. The junta eventually lifted the curfew on June 16th, citing that tourism needed to be revived in the country.

Mid-February through April are the warmest months in Thailand. A two-week curfew will have a major impact on the thriving tourism in Bangkok. Extended curfews come at a bad time for a struggling economy that greatly depends on tourism.

No official announcements of a curfew have been given at this time.

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-- 2015-03-05

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The Thai establishment and elite fed at the trough of Bangkok's sex trade and nightlife for decades. Now that they have their wealth off the backs of the Thai girls, they want to curfew the operations. Nice going Thais.

What has this got to do with sex? Have you ever been on a night out in Bangkok? It's not just Nana, Cowboy and Patpong you know! And as the latter two places are Entertainment Zones, as is RCA, I would think they are unaffected.

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The Philippines will be happy to receive these party tourists.

That's a long way to go for a night out!!

The people who are mainly affected are all the young hi-so Thais clubbing around Thong Lor, Ekkamai and similar places over the city. If it's actually enforced.

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The soldier rulers of Thailand should just make it a dry country every second weekend you cant get a drink here always someone's birthday or holy day, that would also stamp out most of the drink related problems with driving deaths on the roads would come down and with the 25 year old Thai teenagers drinking and causing pregnancy and youth crime

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The sky is falling, the sky is falling... this is BS, the curfew is nothing more than a low speed bump. It should be noted, only 5% (give or take 1%) of tourism revenue comes from the (lively) bars and girl businesses. That study was done a few years back (sorry no reference). Now... what revenue are we talking about, drinks...sure their hyper-inflated, and dare I mention bar-fines? Note, that when Mr. T was the man in charge, he saw a golden goose, hiding in the bars, that was taxation revenue. Now when you mix in tax revenue, you got a real tool, to cry foul. Face it...early closures, less hangovers (perhaps) and most likely better decisions made after midnight, just might save swizzlers and punters some money.

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I realize this is Thailand, so facts and laws are always in flux. I see some contradictions on this thread on what this all means. One poster says there will be no exceptions. Another says Nana and Cowboy are entertainment zones and are exempt. Does anyone know for sure?

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Maybe it would be good to use the word curfew when there is a curfew, and 'bar closing times' for what this is.

I'm sorry but the article mentions the word CURFEW.

CURFEW is something very serious happening only during war time and, speaking about Thailand, during the frequent coups.

CURFEW is NOT harmless. This is serious. With army keeping the streets empty.

So, please journos, tell us if we are speaking about a CURFEW or just a "bar closing time".

Winnie thinks we are speaking about "bar closing time" but remember that a Military Junta is running this country...

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The nightlife seems like it's been dead for a while now. I know the vans used to kind of obstruct traffic flow through Suk 11, but at least the area seemed festive and well, busy. I'm not much of a club person, or even a gogo bar person. Meeting random people over beers or buckets in the street was a favorite pasttime of mine. The streets seem so empty now, everything closes early and it's become kind of boring. Even tourists I met were kind of like, hey this place isn't what I expected at all, why is everything closed?

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