Pattaya Go-Go clubs and bars targeted in new crackdown
Authorities in Pattaya this week launched a new crackdown on bars and go-go clubs in the resort city.
As part of the crackdown licensing officials in Pattaya have temporarily prohibited the opening of new Go-Go bars and that licenses for such establishments will not be issued for the foreseeable future – although no time frame has been determined as to how long this may be.
The crackdown also seen Pattaya’s notorious Soi 6 the subject of increased scrutiny by authorities this week with all owners informed bars are not permitted to open until 6pm.
Bar owners have been warned that failure to comply will result in fines and suspension of licenses.
“They [the authorities] told me I can not open my bar until 6pm”, one bar owner who requested not to be named told Thaivisa on Saturday.
“They told every bar the same”.
“It is already hard to make money from the bar [with so much competition] but if I can not open during the day I don’t know how I can stay [open]”, the bar owner added.
“But some bars still open in the day but some have closed and only open at 6pm”
“I don’t know why some can stay open but some have to close like us”.
Thaivisa has also learned that the crackdown is part of a wider change to the way licenses for bars and clubs are issued in the city, with the whole licensing process set to be overhauled.
The changes would mean that rather than having to revoke licenses from bars that fail to comply with licensing laws, offending bars would simply not be allowed to renew existing licenses and therefore be prevented from trading legally.
Officials are set for further discussions on proposed new licensing measures this coming week.
The new crackdown comes as officials in Pattaya continue to try and transform the seedy image of the city, which has seen it proclaimed as the ‘sex capital of the world’ by foreign media, to that of a modern, family friendly tourist resort.
The crackdown also follows an increase in the number of undercover stings used to target bars and massage parlours that are suspected of selling sexual services.
Source: Thai Visa
