Tourists who visit Pattaya this weekend may be surprised to see the town turns dark and dull on Saturday night as many local entertainment venues, pubs and bars including those in the famous Soi 6, Walking Street and Soi Buakhao will be closed. Nevertheless the city will come back to live on Sunday evening.
To comply with the general election law, alcohol sales will be banned in Pattaya and throughout Thailand to avoid unnecessary incidents or complication from Saturday evening until the end of voting period on Sunday.
Night entertainments, grocery stores, restaurants, hotels are not allowed to sell alcoholic beverages to customers from 6:00 PM on May 13 (Saturday) until 6:00 PM on May 14 (Sunday).
The ban applies to everyone living in the country and violating it can result in a prison sentence of six months or a fine of up to 10,000 baht, or both.
Authorities also urged voters to familiarize themselves with the rules for the next election in order to avoid unintentional violations, such as photographing a marked ballot paper or taking a ballot paper out of a voting station.
Among those on the list are buying or selling votes, purposely destroying ballot papers, and stopping eligible voters from voting. Violators will face harsh penalties for breaking the law. (NNT)
