Chonburi authorities raided two Thai nightclubs in Pattaya flouting provincial orders to shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Chonburi Deputy Gov. Naris Niramaiwong and the Internal Security Operations Command soldiers hit a clubhouse on Soi Bongkot 8 and another one-off South Road March 21.
Both were full of young Thais drinking alcohol and seemingly unconcerned about calls for social distancing amidst the pandemic.
At Soi Bongkot 8 club, which operates a shrimp pond on the ground floor but a nightclub upstairs, authorities arrested the manager and charged him with not only violating the provincial shutdown order, but serving alcohol without a license and operating a nightclub without a license. The business likely faces a five-year closure order.
The Thai-oriented drinking and music club, authorities shut down the operation and also arrested the security guard who tried unsuccessfully to ditch an illegal 32-calibre handgun he was packing.
