4AM CLOSING STARTS SMOOTHLY, OTHER AREAS MAY BE CONSIDERED
The 4am closing of nightlife venues in selected areas in Patong went smoothly without incident early last Saturday morning (Dec 16), fuelling hopes that the late closing will be allowed to continue, and may be even expanded further to other areas.
“Everything went smoothly and without incident. By 4am all shops were closed. and we did not find any drunk tourists running rampant or causing any incidents,” said Kathu District Chief Theeraphong Chuaychu after the first night of late trading.
Phuket Governor Sophon Suwannarat last Friday night led an inspection of the security and safety measures in place on Bangla Rd, the heart of the Patong nightlife area, to assess their effectiveness.
“Emphasis has been placed on strict inspections on a daily basis, and to assess the situation on a day-to-day basis. If any defects [in the security measures] are found, we will hurry to improve them urgently,” Governor Sophon said.
“Overall, the measures seem to be effective, but they still need to be evaluated day by day. It’s only the first night, we still do not know the full impact, and there will be strict inspections every night in the future,” he added.
Governor Sophon noted the number of tourists staying on to enjoy the late closing time. “Tourists are using the extended hours, but it is not yet possible to estimate the actual increase in trade at this early stage,” he said.
However, he noted the potential economic impact the late trading may bring. “Business operators are confident in the various measures. That will help increase confidence among tourists and will make the overall economy better,” he said.
Pol Maj Gen Sinlert Sukhum, the new Commander of Phuket Provincial Police, led administrative officials, police, public health officers and other officials on an inspection of the checkpoints set up at each end of Bangla Rd for screening people entering the area.
The inspections also included several bars and restaurants and a nightclub.
At the checkpoints people entering the area must pass security checks to prevent drugs and weapons from being brought into the area, Maj Gen Sinlert explained.
CCTV cameras along Bangla Rd and also throughout the surrounding area play an important role by using facial recognition technology and for police in tracking and apprehending offenders, he said.
Venue operators themselves will use the ‘Thai ID’ app to confirm that no people younger than 20 years old are in the nightlife venues, he added, explaining that the measure is to help prevent the use of fake IDs.
“More than 30 officers both in...
...and out of uniform deployed to patrol the area to take care of the safety of tourists until everyone has left the entertainment venues [after 4am],” Maj Gen Sinlert noted.
“When we asked foreign tourists, most of them said they did not know about the 4am closing, but said they thought it was a good thing,” Maj Gen Sinlert said following the tour of Bangla Rd.
“As for safety, they said they were confident that there are officers to take care of them, so they didn’t have to worry,” he added.
“Preparations have been made in terms of manpower as well as increasing the duration of patrols to be more frequent, especially those who patrol on foot, which will be organised in shifts to ensure continuity and so officers can access the area quickly,” he said.
CARROT AND STICK
Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who also serves as Interior Minister, warned the public that the extended operating hours for night venues can be revoked if operators or customers fail to abide by the law.
“Restaurants can operate until the early morning, but they are not allowed to sell alcoholic drinks after midnight. Only venues which have a valid licence can sell alcohol after 12am,” he said.
The new regulation allows night entertainment venues to open until 4am in selected areas in Bangkok, Phuket, Chon Buri, Chiang Mai, Koh Samui in Surat Thani, and bars registered in hotels nationwide.
However, the Interior Minister also said that he was ready to consider expanding the zones where entertainment places can open until 4am in order to boost the economy (see page 7).
Operators were complying well with measures to ensure that public safety was not jeopardised by the later closing time, he said last Saturday.
“Operators promise not to sell alcohol to heavily drunk customers... There must be no narcotics, weapons, drink driving or visits by young people aged under 20,” he said.
Asked if the government will expand the zones for entertainment places with extended operating hours, he said that “We are ready to support whatever will boost the economy. [Extending] The operating hours until 4am increases money in circulation, employment and even the income of taxi drivers.
“This is the intention of the government. But it must be subject to regulations. If it is under control and every party cooperates, we are ready to consider [zone expansion],” he said.
WAR ROOM
Ahead of the official start of late trading in Patong, Kathu District Chief Theeraphong explained that a ‘war room’ had been set up to monitor the effectiveness of measures introduced to make 4am closing of nightlife venues in Patong safe.
“Administrative officials, police and Patong Municipality are jointly making an MOI [sic] to create an operational plan appropriate to the situation toward management that covers all dimensions and bring maximum benefit to the people as well,” he said.
Patong has six zones in which the 4am closing will be in effect, affecting more than 150 establishments, Mr Theeraphong said.
“The venues have prepared procedures according to the plan to take care of the safety of tourists… We are ready to assess the situation and address defects to improve and correct the system, including the addition of ‘waiting areas’ by operators in collaboration with Patong Municipality and police officers,” he added.
The ‘waiting areas’ are places where patrons can sober up before heading home in the hope of preventing drunk customers from driving, as ordered by the National Alcohol Beverage Policy Committee only a week before the the 4am closing began.
To that effect, Governor Sophon joined a host of other leading officials on Bangla Rd last Friday night to hold up posters saying, “Don’t Drink and Drive”.
ZONES
Patong is the first area in Phuket to introduce 4am closing following each district on the island holding public meetings to determine whether or not 4am closing was appropriate for their areas.
Kathu District held its public meeting on Nov 14, when it was agreed for Kathu District to have six 4am closing zones, all in Patong.
Following its meeting, Muang Phuket District will have two 4am closing zones in Phuket Town: one near the Seahorse Circle on the east side of town, the other along Kra Rd.
One 4am closing zone will be along Soi Tai Na in Karon, which for years had already been designated an ‘entertainment zone’. The fourth area in Muang District to have a 4am closing zone will be Soi Ta-iad in Chalong.
Rawai failed to have any 4am closing zones receive support.
According to an official report of the meeting, the venue operators agreed that 4am entertainment venues should be allowed to remain open until 4am, but also noted that Muang District area as a whole was “still not ready in many aspects”, including in terms of safety, environmental and economic factors.
The operators were ready and willing to work with officials to “drive forward with stable measures in allowing entertainment venues to open until 4am”, said an official report of the Muang District meeting.
However, the operators also agreed that it would be best to pilot the 4am closing conditions in Patong, the traditional area for late nightlife entertainment, which they said would help to stimulate Phuket’s tourism industry.