Bangkok Turning Off Pattaya’s Lights at 3 a.m. for 10 Days
Posted by Pattaya Ghost | Blog, Pattaya, Reader Submissions | Posted on August 15th, 2009
An admittedly blurry view of the scene outside Insomnia early Aug. 15.
Before you get too inspired by pmmp’s Pattaya trip report and jump in a cab, here’s a word of warning: For the next nine days Interior Ministry officials and Banglamung District police are turning off Fun Town at 3 a.m. sharp.
For as-yet-unknown reasons, the Office of Local Administration, the Interior Ministry department that oversees the operations of all of Thailand’s provinces, has ordered Banglamung authorities to shut down all Walking Street bars and clubs at 3 a.m.
The 10-day crackdown started last night with police in uniforms and camouflaged fatigues looking very serious as photographers from Thai Rath and other Thai-language news outlets chronicled the spectacle of hundreds of confused and pissed-off tourists filing out of discos, beer bars and go-gos.
The clampdown was signaled well in advance, however. Police took up positions around Walking Street before 9 p.m. scaring go-go bars such as Peppermint and Happy into keeping its dancers strictly covered up the entire night.
Select Insomnia VIP Club members were notified about it via SMS at 10:42 p.m. in an message which also — reassuringly for some — notified potential revelers that drug tests would not be taking place.
The police action proved more serious than Insomnia’s owners expected, however. A second SMS at 10:48 p.m. said the disco would only close its doors for 15 minutes and would continue serving customers inside at that time and then reopen. That quickly proved a pipedream.
Police parked the Thai media truck right outside Insomnia as officers ejected everyone from the first and third floor bars. Two owners admitted about 30 minutes later they had no idea what was happening, other than the disco, which doesn’t truly get started until 3 a.m., would not be reopening. If the crackdown continues, it’s going to be an expensive month for the I-Boyz.
But, in true Thai fashion, much of it was for show. Police let the media take in the circus for a half hour, then promptly departed after the cameras were turned off. Up Soi Diamond Gentlemen’s Club stayed open and fully showing until their normal 4 a.m. shutdown. Other go-gos far up the side sois might have done the same. (I didn’t check.)
While Bangkok-instigated crackdowns have happened at least twice a year for many years, this is the first one in 2009. Distracted by all the red vs. yellow warfare, authorities have pretty much left Pattaya to do what it pleases.
But the timing is still baffling given the amount of money, hot air and effort city officials have expended trying to revive tourism, including a 17 million baht advertising campaign currently blanketing Thai TV and radio. With June hotel occupancy rates 21 percentage points below normal, Pattaya Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome can’t be happy to see the big boys from Bangkok and his district superiors pissing in his pool.
Neither are the late-night partiers. One particularly drunk Russian-accented tourist almost got a free stay in the monkey house when he got up in the face of an otherwise very polite Banglamung officer. The Russian wanted an explanation of what was happening and why and when the cop told him nicely to go back to his hotel, the Russian decided to give him a piece of his mind. It took some farang intervention to save the Ruskie from a good beatdown.
28 Responses to “Bangkok Turning Off Pattaya’s Lights at 3 a.m. for 10 Days”
Leave a Reply
-
The Ball Massage by ~h
Last trip I had ball massage using warm oils.
-
The Scent of a City - By RainMan
@DW, they looked better than 200lb gorillas
@cam, thanks, interesting though, the only other blokes in there were japs, they were havi...
-
The Scent of a City - By RainMan
Great writing..... across the world - hundreds of men - checking their saving accounts
-
The Scent of a City - By RainMan
Back left corner of second floor of Nana, come on gents only YP is going to cop to knowing the name/bar? hahaha Good story, liked the wr...
-
The Scent of a City - By RainMan
So then, is it official? Was it an LB bar? Were they dudes? If so, Odd-Ball and the like don't want to know. We want to know about th...
-
The Scent of a City - By RainMan
They're cunts of things those canetoads.
-
The Scent of a City - By RainMan
" I’ve got a boner you could crack fleas with"
Nearly choked on me canetoad rissoles.
-
The Scent of a City - By RainMan
Aroma therapy BKK style....and throw in a good fart.
-
The Scent of a City - By RainMan
Nothing like the scent of barbq and open sewage, chased with unhindered exhaust to make ya wanna hoof down a pack of cigarettes while get...
-
Mango Fortnightly - 16th May
ahh! that's was a good time!
Recent Comments
Translator
Interesting. Not good for the month at all. There are rumors of an impending big police shuffle which may have something to do with this but I have not seen anything unusual in Bangkok and late night seems to be okay.
fun fun
View all comments by sideshowBOB
Gee whizz, if you can’t get your end in before 3.00am, you are probably already too pissed and won’t be able to get it up. So the sherrif has done you a favour and saved you the price of a pouch you couldn’t use, or a freckle, depending on yer’ fancy.
View all comments by wrecks
I agree, 3am is plenty enough time to find a receptical for the evening.
Hooray for the BiB.
View all comments by dangermouse
d and w – I am sure u guys are trying to be funny but life is not about the pull. Some of us just want to party all night and have a blowout.
more importantly this is just bad for biz and continues to show how thailand is ruining their tourism industry by being inconsistent and by not growing up. the rest of asia – even china – is open all night. why not thailand? this silly 1 week crackdown is for show in the pu yai circles – but all it does is show tourists that thailand is run by thugs and is not the place to go and have a nice vacation since you won’t know when u can drink, how late u can stay up and when u might run into the BIBs for doing nothing more than having a good time.
its pathetic
View all comments by sideshowBOB
“but life is not about the pull”
u didn’t just type this, did u ?
View all comments by jack dawson
jd – i meant to say only but in theory its the same deal. not sure why my entire night out has to revolve around the pull. for instance maybe I pulled daytime and banged to my hearts content for the sheer purpose that the night time was for partying. I may still find something but at some point I dont care.
still none of this makes curfews cool. never.
View all comments by sideshowBOB
I have some Thai reporters asking questions, but I’ve found a bit more scuttlebutt online.
Apparently all the 3rd road beer / music / disco and karakoke bars were also hit between 3 and 4 a.m. No word on whether it was the city or the same folks as above.
Rumors and speculation on the message boards also suggested it was part of a new cleanup plan from the Mayor, but I don’t see it. Another suggested a Team Yellow granddaugter is in town. Again, if this is going to go 10 days, I don’t see that either.
Hopefully my reporters will get back to me, but not likely for about 2 days.
View all comments by Pattaya Ghost
Anyone complaining 3am is late should be retired. I don’t step foot into Insomnia until 2:30am. Most of the talent doesn’t show up until 4am.
I stay out until 5am, (sometimes shit-faced, sometime not) I’m at the pool by 10am the latest. I agree with SSB – Its not always about the pull.
This whole crackdown is b.s. Talk about screwin’ your customers over. Thai officials are morons. Businesses are suffering and these guy’s want to clean house. Mine as well let the doors open to the Christian Right while they are at it.
A friend just arrived for 3 days. 1st time in Patts in 10 years and now this…
@ PG – where you inside when they locked the doors and wouldn’t let anyone out? That was a bit distressing for some of the tourists. They looked really nervous. I was surprised people didn’t start getting rowdy due to the congestion at the door.
we always stand near the bathroom and last time they did this some farang took a bottle over the head as the lights were on. They my girl sold her piss for 500 baht. If that’s the deal for drug tests Im drinking a case and selling mad….
View all comments by Canadianboy
“the rest of asia – even china – is open all night”
You should try Vietnam. Shuts up shop at midnight, about the time I go out.
View all comments by JL
vt – kind of sucks in that regard. dont count it as one of the party cities but bkk is and does not stay open late. hk, sing, china, indo, phil and such do
View all comments by sideshowBOB
PG – Well I went to Noir on 3rd road last night and it was still open at 6am when I left for JP bar where it was business as usual.
View all comments by mart
Insomnia is a mostly to blame to the downfall of Pattaya as we once knew it . Girls not showing up for work at soi 6 and beer bars because they have been out all morning chasing some guido at insomnia whi doesnt want to pay them or pays very little ! Increase in the drug activity. Its killed JP bar whic used to be a great late night pickup joint . feels way too much like a UK super club for my liking .
View all comments by sir dinks a lot
I think this whole thing could be a revolt against the constant overplayed Micheal Jackson songs that have plagued the Kingdom over the past two months. – Lets see a raise of hands…
How many of you have heard repeated and way overplayed MJ songs in your favorite Go Go Bar/Late Night Club, or even Local Watering Hole over the past months? = Uh Huh! Just as I thought!
Even far and away BKK places like the Sky Club had a MJ Tribute – The Ultra shitty house band with Dualing Ladyboys Singing, Dressing, Acting, and even Dancing Moonwalk type moves to the MJ songs. It was truly revolting. My hired “Crumpet” that evening was clapping her hands, and shaking her hips to the MJ tunes. I felt like heaving all over her skimpy evening gown!
I think the Patt’s Top Brass probably just heard 1 too many MJ songs and blew a head gasket. The punishment…. Shut down the late night party scene, thereby limiting the amount of MJ songs that can be played in a 24 hour period.
I think even YP must be sick of MJ songs at this point!
View all comments by Radicalron
rr – I was over MJ when he was still alive. yes – way too much MJ. done with it. of course there was that one late night in the mango with daywalker…
View all comments by sideshowBOB
I am going to BKK for 3 weeks in November. What is the deal with the drug tests? You cant mean that cops are making tourists pee in a cup can you? This all sounds a bit insane.
View all comments by tom
tom – the current crackdown, pattaya only, is not normal but it is a police state and drugs are illegal – so yes if they suspected you and wanted to piss test u they could. normally they dont but if you are busted with stuff be prepared to open the wallet or make a trip to the ATM. Or go to jail. This is pretty much the norm in asia. the country is not broke so they dont need to legalize drugs to pay their bills.
View all comments by sideshowBOB
sdal – interesting theory about Farangs at Insomnia not paying girls. Any figures? JP can be hit or miss but it still is a good pick-up joint by the way, just show up there at 7am and u’ll see by yourself. If u cannot stay awake until 7, go to sleep early and wake up at 6.30.
ssB – u can make much more cash out of drugs when they’re illegal. Especially if you’re both the one who sells and prohibits them.
tom – most of the time they piss test only Thais but Farangs occasionally too. They test only for meth though. Meth metabolites don’t stay too long in your piss, say 3 days approximately.
View all comments by mart
mart – so very true.
View all comments by sideshowBOB
Regarding drugs, the police had last year been using (at least once at Lucifer’s) a device that could measure meth levels from your sweat. They just rubbed it on your arm and got a reading. I know they’re back to urine tests, so maybe it didn’t work. But when they were using at L’s, they were testing farangs as well.
By the way, Marine got raided last night with farangs tossed out and Thais tested. I don’t know how the 3 a.m. thing went, though, as I wasn’t on the main strip at that time. The bar I was in normally closes at 3 anyway.
View all comments by Pattaya Ghost
ssb… you wannabe startin somethin?
View all comments by Daywalker
dw – nice one
View all comments by sideshowBOB
maybe the police just showing they have power.then back to normal in pattaya
View all comments by geoff
geoff – nice one
View all comments by mart
coming to thailand tomorrow, is this curfew now over?
View all comments by Leigh
As of Thursday night, yes, the crackdown is continuing. I’ve learned pretty much the reason for it and it’s stupid, Thai-ego related shit that cannot be talked about. But I’m told “negotiatins are under way” and the mess should be sorted out soon.
View all comments by Pattaya Ghost
Aug. 22 — The crackdown is over. Bars were told the curfew would be “relaxed” as of the early hours today. While the full reasons behind what happneed will liekly never become public, what’s certain is that this was not some philisophical, moral or policy decision to close up early. It was one Thai guy with his nose bent out of shape who used his position to teach a particular late night venue a lesson and, by doing it to the whole street, make sure everyone knew it was that one venue that cost them money.
Welcome to Thailand.
View all comments by Pattaya Ghost
pg – I imagine that venue is screwed now
View all comments by sideshowBOB