Stay up late to see this World Championship? Not in one entertainment place in pattaya, you are not. Region 2 police are cracking down on entertainment venues in the popular nightlife city and making no exceptions to World Cup closing times. The police plan strictly enforce Seven important rules, Pattaya City officials said at a news conference yesterday.
At the press conference, Maj. Gen. Nantawut Suwanlaong laid out the rules applicable to the 1,329 entertainment venues and restaurants registered to legally sell alcohol in Pattaya’s Bang Lamung district. He set the rules and announced that police would enforce them nightly, including his pledge to personally take part in weekend patrols. The rules he lists are:
- Persons under the age of 20 are not allowed to enter bars and entertainment venues.
- Minors are not permitted to purchase alcohol in any venue, including restaurants.
- Although various zones have closing times between midnight and 2am, all entertainment venues must close without customers until the statutory closing times.
- After the statutory closing time, the sale of alcohol is strictly prohibited without exception.
- No weapons or illegal drugs are allowed in any entertainment venues.
- Human trafficking is strictly prohibited in all entertainment venues.
- Gambling is illegal and prohibited in all entertainment venues.
“Recently, many incidents and chaos have happened in Pattaya, causing public nuisance. Region 2 Police… have stepped in to enforce the rules in Pattaya. We enforce all these rules in Pattaya. From now on, dozens of police officers and relevant officials will patrol at 1:00 am every day to enforce these seven rules and encourage venues to close on time every day. I personally patrol every Friday and Saturday to ensure that the statutory closing times are observed.”
Thailand’s cabinet will discuss a proposal to extend entertainment venues’ hours of operation to 4am on November 29. The idea has received a lot of support – but also resistance – on the internet. Another proposal is to expand Pattaya’s entertainment zones to popular tourist areas with many venues such as Jomtien, East Pattaya and Nakula.
However, Nantawut stated that Region 2 police would strictly oppose either measure. They are demanding that if the cabinet approves the proposal, they will remove Pattaya from the list of areas and leave the nightly partying to destinations like Phuket and Koh Samui.
Even because of the World Cup starting tomorrow, the police representative was a thorn in his side. He specifically said they would not be making exceptions for the global sporting event, although many will be after 2am. The senior police officer also issued a stark warning to rule-breakers.
“If a venue operator is found to be violating these rules, they will face legal action and be ordered to close permanently. If they cannot follow these seven rules, zone rules or opening times, Region 2 Police will reject any proposal to extend opening hours or adjust entertainment zones in Pattaya, which are currently under consideration in the Thai cabinet.”
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