Dear Sir:

We all know that TAT (Tourist Authority of Thailand) likes to believe that only rich farang families visit the land of smiles to stay in top class hotels, view cultural sites, go to shows, shop madly in expensive stores and are all safely tucked up in their hotel beds by 11 p.m.

It remains to be seen just how long the local bar owners and police will tolerate this situation (early closing) as their profit margins continue to plummet. This may result in protracted and angry protests by owners of late-night establishments who are currently hurting badly in terms of finance. The real danger for the Thai economy and Pattaya in particular is that fun-loving tourists who like to party all night will simply go elsewhere for their annual holidays.

Yours sincerely,

Editor;

I’m a 46 year old American who has been to Pattaya 4 times in 4 years. I will not apparently be returning in the near future due to laws related to entertainment zone closing time, and I.D. checks at the doors of entertainment establishments. I can say I personally have not seen “underage people” or “drug related activity” going on in any businesses.

I do not understand why Thailand would enforce unnecessary laws. I can say that I have not even seen a single bar fight, which happens every weekend in America somewhere. We have a 2:00 to 3:30 a.m. closing in most places and it has no affect on underage drinking or drug use. If a person wants a beer or a drug they will likely be able to find it in America or Thailand, I think.

These new laws only cheat Thai businesses out of baht and tourists out of what they come to Thailand for, a good time.

Many other countries are more than willing to take Pattaya and Thailand’s place as one of, if not the number one tourist destination for westerners or Farangs. Places like Spain, Netherlands, Cuba and just about every country in Central and South America understand the word “holiday” to it’s fullest.

My question is, why is the Thai gov’t so willing to kill off one of Thailand’s most profitable businesses? And yes it will cause westerners to go to other Holiday spots. Please keep Thailand as it is and has been and do not become the West. No reason to go to Thailand if I can have the same experiences at home. Holiday or vacations are just that, to be a holiday. Leave Thailand alone!

Dear Editor,

It is very clear that the disorganised state of things in Pattaya has led to a decline in farang visitors. Never have I seen the place so bereft of revellers as over the past few months and the early closing that has only recently been enforced cannot be blamed. Neither can the fact that more bare flesh can be seen in many nightclubs ‘back home’ than in go-go bars here since the ‘crackdown’.

Authorities the world over can appear to be fun-spoilers and we all know the early closing will not remedy drug problems. Other factors such as the noise pollution that is widely complained about have to be considered. Until the situation is resolved and Thailand in general and Pattaya in particular recognises where its principal attraction lies (Chinese shopping trips to a local department-store not being the only priority), one must feel sorry for those people like ‘Ed Eagle’ (Mailbag 31/8/01) who seem only able to have fun after 2 a.m.

Just what it is they are only able to do only at certain hours I can’t imagine and one has to wonder about the parameters that Ed and his like fix for themselves. In my experience very late-night nomads are far from ‘carousers’ and quite simply cannot face daylight reality for one reason or another. What lineage Ed has we don’t know of course.

Assuming however that Vlad the Slayer is not an ancestor of his and he is not restricted by working hours, I do assure him that if done with sufficient enthusiasm, the pleasures of partaking in few things are adversely affected by what time they are indulged in. May I suggest to Ed that he tries being a little more versatile, perhaps going out earlier and whereupon he can maintain his rest-and-play time-management ratio.

He does though admit to being a creature of ‘habit’ and as such is maybe not so adaptable as some of us. My suggestion failing and he is still desirous of finding a new favoured holiday or retirement destination, those in Pattaya who know him personally will no doubt see him after he has tried those other places he mentions.

A little tip for you before you go though Ed. If you criticise the authorities in some of them you will not only learn just what a police state is but how attractive a place Thailand can really be!

Dear Editor:

I would like to reinforce the words of advice from “A Long Time Resident”. A similar thing just happened to me today.

I went to a KFC in a shopping center for lunch as usual. I placed my tray on a table and put my shoulder bag on a chair, then went to wash my hands in the basin in the store. When I went back to my table, my shoulder bag was gone! It was just a matter of a minute or so!

I immediately told the guard standing at the exit, expecting him to call the police or at least the management. I returned to my table to wait for someone in authority to come. Well, no one came. Amazingly, the guard just went back to his post and did nothing! He even had a walkie-talkie in his hand but never used it.

I went back to him and asked him what he had done. He finally took me to the office. They told me to go to KFC, which didn’t help. No one would call the police. The guard just pointed to a public phone out on the sidewalk.

I went back to the office and finally got through to them that I wanted to make a police report. They said the police wouldn’t come. I would have to go to the police station.

Since I don’t speak Thai, I was dreading trying to find the station on my own, then explain what happened to the officer. Although everybody was reluctant to do anything, even to look for the bag, eventually the management had an employee take me to the police station on a motorcycle, and he helped me get a report from the police, which cost 10 baht.

By the way, I had complained to the staff of KFC on an earlier occasion that they shouldn’t let strange people - both students as well as adults - come in a sit down without ever having the idea of buying anything. I told them that I was afraid to get up to get something with all these people sitting around who weren’t real customers. The staff just did the “mai ben rai” thing.

The bottom line - don’t leave your stuff unwatched for even a minute, even inside a restaurant!

Editor,

May I put forward some different views counterbalancing the letter from ‘Charles Parker’ (PM17/8, headlined ‘2 a.m. closing bad for the economy).

I think the Thai social and police authorities know exactly what they are doing when considering to close down entertainment venues at 2 a.m. - it seems to me to be a measure full in line to the protection of health and welfare of Thai society. The Thai economy in a broad, deep and reasonable sense is not necessarily synonymous with the economic interests of the entertainment entrepreneurs.

As to the fight against proliferation of drugs and its relationship with a proliferating and abundant/unrestricted ‘nightlife’, one cannot only take the simple look to the United States or Europe, which comes forth in that letter. As far as I know from certain European countries, one estimates that the closing down restrictions on entertainment venues has been helpful as one measure against the proliferation of drugs. It is namely well known that certain kinds of ‘entertainment venues’ are very beneficial to the marketing and proliferation of drugs. They make drugs incredibly available. The closing down, restricting open-hours and increasing the prospect of the police authorities to handle this grave, unfavorable situation is one way to disturb the drug market and make drugs less available. It is certainly true that drug use is a complex spiritual-social-cultural problem but that doesn’t mean that there are no practical steps to counteract it. I really think the Thai authorities deserve praise and appreciation when they actually do something reasonably tactic without short-sightedly ogling at the nation’s immediate economic situation. Human resources of the youth are much more important to the nation’s economic stability and welfare the economy of survival for entertainment venues in the long run.

Then there is the ‘disastrous’ fate that tourists will meet when there are not so many venues where they can stay awake the whole night on alcohol, speed and ecstasy. Certainly this measure would work against their natural desire and right of just having unrestricted fun!

But I think personally that a small part, however little a contribution that may be, of the solution to problem could be to change the attitude of some tourists. They can and should not take for granted in all eternity that Thailand will correspond to their personal need of a place to just have fun, which generally means to satisfy their senses - the seeking of sense pleasures, by consuming drugs, food, sex and other kinds of ‘fun’. Thailand is also a nation, a culture, a people, a society with the need for a long term survival strategy as to material, social and spiritual needs. Thailand has a tremendous fortune to offer its visitors and inhabitants, more than ‘nightlife’ after 2 a.m.

So in short, I think it’s fair to support Thai authorities in this case of ungrateful uphill task against the proliferation of drugs and other social vices.

Editor;

Chonburi governor Sujarit Pachimnan agreed with the PAO chairman and said the decision to change the 1966 regulation rests with the minister of interior. The official closing time stands as 2:00 a.m. and as yet there are no special exceptions. There may be no exceptions in Pattaya but I read in Phuket Gazette several weeks ago that Patong Beach was given a later closing time, also in today’s Phuket Gazette I see that airport arrivals from foreign and domestic tourists are up about 5% even though this is low season, probably in part that they can party longer there. I don’t drink or use drugs but like to hang with friends at bars to dance, meet girls, have fun and if the closings in Bkk and Pattaya continue I and friends (7 on this trip - start on 9 Sept) will simply go to Phuket where there is a later closing time that we can enjoy after spending days at beaches tours, etc. Maybe this should be brought up to those in charge of closings, I really like Pattaya, hope to maybe retire there one day, but that closing time is ridiculous. Simply control the underage attendance and drugs or suffer the consequences.

Sincerely,

Boston Mass USA