Chiang Mai provincial authorities will be asked to close down Marlin Sky pub after it was discovered that it is located in close vicinity to an educational institution which is prohibited by law, said Mr Visit Visitsora-ath, director-general of Department of Juvenile Observation and Protection, on Thursday.
In his capacity as secretary to a committee tasked to follow up the orders issued by the National Council for Peace and Order, he said he had ordered a probe into the operations of the pub and found out that the pub had defied an earlier order of the NCPO to shut down the premise for being located too close to an educational institute.
He explained that defying the NCPO order was a different issue from the issue about whether the pub has an operating license or not.
Mr Visit went on saying that the pub might have a license to sell liquor but, however, the Excise Department had confirmed that no additional license to sell liquor had been issued to any pub or entertainment venue located near an educational institution.
Meanwhile, Mr Prayong Preeyachit, secretary-general of the Government Sector’s Anti-Corruption Commission, said he had instructed his officials in chiang Mai to investigate if any government officials were involved in the pub’s business or in the assault of the victim, 23-year old Isaranuwat Wakkavisan.
He said the probe would especially focus on the performance of Chang Phoek district police in the handling of the assault case.
The pub’s owner and three other individuals have been charged with assault although they are yet to be detained.
The Marlin Sky pub in Chiang Mai’s Muang district became the talk of the town because it was the venue where the son of an army general was badly beaten up allegedly by a gang of the pub’s guards on the night of September 25.
