Shutdown of Phuket Bars looming

PHUKET CITY: Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura has revealed a
long-suspected but until now unstated reason for the new rules
mandating 1 am closure of entertainment venues – the need to reduce
prostitution.

The Governor was responding to threats by entertainment business
leaders in Patong to close their doors indefinitely from October 26 to
protest recently introduced rules requiring venues in entertainment
zones to close at 1 am, and venues elsewhere at midnight.

Gov Udomsak told the Gazette, "[The government] believes that there
are many advantages to having a 1 am closing time, such as reducing
the problem of drugs. There's also the issue of human trafficking,
which is the cause of too many women coming [from other parts of
Thailand] to work in the ‘service industry'.

"If there were no entertainment venues in Patong I don't think we
would have thousands of women coming to work there.

"If we want to solve the problem of human trafficking, then we should
[enforce the 1 am closing time] because this may reduce the number of
women in the service business."

The Governor appeared unmoved by the plan by entertainment business
owners to close indefinitely in protest at the 1 am rule. "If [they]
want to protest by shutting down, what are they going to get from
that? It doesn't matter if entertainment business owners want to
protest or close their businesses. That's up to them."

Sompetch Moosophon, President of the Patong Entertainment Business
Association (PEBA) retorted, "Human trafficking is impossible in
Patong. Women coming here from other provinces are adults. They know
what they're doing. They have escaped from bad conditions at home,
from poverty and problems that the government has never fixed.

"I don't understand why the Governor has raised this matter. The
statistics of drugs and under-age drinking can be checked with the
police – there have been no reports of [these problems] in Patong.

"As for naked shows, why don't they check if the police in the area
are working properly? As long as I have been here, I haven't see any
show like that.

"The association and I will discuss this soon. The Governor should
know what is truly happening in [areas under] his control. He must
know the truth before he makes a decision. I do not know where he got
the information that we are a source of human trafficking.

Night venues threaten indefinite closure

PHUKET CITY: Entertainment venues throughout Phuket are set to close
their doors for an indefinite period on October 26 in protest against
the government's new early-closing policy.

Sompetch Moosophon of Patong Entertainment Business Association (PEBA)
told the Gazette that PEBA members had decided to take the drastic
decision to close their businesses at a meeting on Saturday at The
Metropole hotel.

According to the new laws, businesses within entertainment zones must
close at 1 am, and businesses outside them at midnight.

Business people in Patong have been particularly vociferous in their
pleas to be exempted from the regulations, arguing that the tourists
who comprise the bulk of their business hardly venture out before
midnight, and that they have each lost hundreds of thousands of baht
in revenue since the order was enforced.

"About 50 business people attended the meeting," said K. Sompetch,
"and we decided we had to do something to let the authorities know we
are in trouble.

"The Governor should realize that we are also citizens under his
control, and that he should pay as much attention to us as he does to
other people. We're in serious difficulties right now; why doesn't he
look at this?"

K. Sompetch said he was loath to take drastic action, but he believed
the association members had no choice but to close their
establishments.

He said, "This high season, Phuket is going to lose the opportunity to
earn more money; this policy will look ridiculous to many tourists in
Patong."

K. Sompetch denied that establishments in Patong had many under-age
patrons – one of the government's reasons for the new early-closing
laws – and said that he is confident there are no drugs or sex shows
in Patong. If there were, he asked, why didn't the police simply close
down the establishments concerned? "That would be much easier."

K. Sompetch said the association would ask Governor Udomsak
Usawarangkura to extend opening hours to 2 am, or even 3 am or 4 am.
The 1 am closing policy was, he said, just an attempt by the
government to make it look like it was doing something.

He added, "There were people who wanted a ‘mob' protest, but I hope we
can find a solution through discussion. We've passed all our
information to the Governor; he has enough of that now. Everything is
up to him now."

-- Phuket Gazette 2004-10-19

Bummer, dude. The nerve of some people just wanting it to be a quiet peaceful
whoreless/pimpless/barless/drugless island again. What are they thinking : I
mean do they want children playing in the streets for heaven's sakes ?

People who oppose the legitimate needs of Night People for entertainment,
excitement, and opportunities to get stoned, drugged, robbed, and contract
venereal diseases with autonomously selected gender partner(s) should be
sentenced to death or to Ph.D. programs in the "Deconstruction of Contemporary
Literature" at American Universities !

~o:37;

Bummer, dude. The nerve of some people just wanting it to be a quiet peaceful
whoreless/pimpless/barless/drugless island again. What are they thinking : I
mean do they want children playing in the streets for heaven's sakes ?

People who oppose the legitimate needs of Night People for entertainment,
excitement, and opportunities to get stoned, drugged, robbed, and contract
venereal diseases with autonomously selected gender partner(s) should be
sentenced to death or to Ph.D. programs in the "Deconstruction of Contemporary
Literature" at American Universities !

~o:37;

This is amazing!! Is the boundaries of this human trafficking now being
extended to girls working in Patong and coming from Korat? What about girls
working the bars in Patong coming from Nakorn Sri Thamaratt? People
travelling (some independently on aeroplanes) from one province to another
is human trafficking!!! My God, this will extend the work load of these
NGO's... maybe they'll never have a chance to leave Thailand!!


There's also the issue of human trafficking,
which is the cause of too many women coming [from other parts of
Thailand] to work in the 'service industry'.

"OrangeMan" wrote in message
om...
PHUKET CITY: Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura has revealed a
long-suspected but until now unstated reason for the new rules
mandating 1 am closure of entertainment venues - the need to reduce
prostitution.

And Singapore is trying to do hte reverse, allow more sex nite life
busoness to going into wee hours of the night.

On Wed, 20 Oct 2004 19:15:16 +0700, "alexander"
wrote:

This is amazing!! Is the boundaries of this human trafficking now being
extended to girls working in Patong and coming from Korat? What about girls
working the bars in Patong coming from Nakorn Sri Thamaratt? People
travelling (some independently on aeroplanes) from one province to another
is human trafficking!!! My God, this will extend the work load of these
NGO's... maybe they'll never have a chance to leave Thailand!!

I wonder if the authorities will start prosecuting the bus companies
that bring these girls from the provinces under human trafficking for
the purposes of prostitution.


There's also the issue of human trafficking,
which is the cause of too many women coming [from other parts of
Thailand] to work in the 'service industry'.

On Wed, 20 Oct 2004 19:15:16 +0700, "alexander"
wrote:

This is amazing!! Is the boundaries of this human trafficking now being
extended to girls working in Patong and coming from Korat? What about girls
working the bars in Patong coming from Nakorn Sri Thamaratt? People
travelling (some independently on aeroplanes) from one province to another
is human trafficking!!! My God, this will extend the work load of these
NGO's... maybe they'll never have a chance to leave Thailand!!

I wonder if the authorities will start prosecuting the bus companies
that bring these girls from the provinces under human trafficking for
the purposes of prostitution.


There's also the issue of human trafficking,
which is the cause of too many women coming [from other parts of
Thailand] to work in the 'service industry'.