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End of Soi Cowboy, Plan to concentrate nightlife on four areas


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According to the Bangkok Post from may 29th the BKK nightlife should be concentrated on four defined araes. Here the full article

 

Zoning of nightlife areas likely

End of Soi Cowboy, Patpong may be near

The Interior Ministry is to enforce entertainment district zoning in four prime areas of Bangkok.

If things go as planned, nightspots in Soi Cowboy and Patpong would be moved well away from residential areas.

Ratchadapisek road and stretches of Ram Intra road would also be affected.

Pol Col Thaweesak Tuchinda, representing the National Police Office, told a zoning seminar the government has formed a working group to study areas to be labelled entertainment districts.

The ministry's legal unit is to draft a law to facilitate their relocation but the draft must be in keeping with the constitutional rights and freedoms of the operators.

Among the incentives being considered to encourage their relocation are flexible opening and closing hours, and lower taxes.

Operators of night entertainment joints who refuse to move would have their operations closely monitored and if they are found to breach any business laws more than thrice a year, their operating license would not be renewed and their establishments ordered closed.

Similar zoning would also be launched in about 40 other provinces.

Pol Col Thaweesak said that with zoning, police would be better able to control crime and curb the use and abuse of drugs by young people.

In Bangkok, 1,800 entertainment places have been operating in compliance with the Service and Entertainment Establishments Act. But 1,700 other places categorised as "liquor-selling restaurants" are not enforceable under the Act and 90% of these are believed to be youth hangouts for roguish and rowdy behaviour.

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This reminds me of people who buy a house near the airport and then complain about how loud the planes are...

db

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Years ago I used to Live near Upper Heyford Airforce base in the UK. A lot of the locals were very vociferous in their close the base down because of the noise argument, (the base was there long time before most people moved to the area and lods moved there because of the work generated by the base.) The locals eventually got their wish and suddenly overnight the loss of a few thousand customers as the airmen left. Previously thriving Business's were struggling to survive, staff laid off. It's not just the people working in an area that depends on the money, it's the entire local infrastructure.

Almost laughed my dick off, lucky I didn't or be a waste being in LOS.

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Here is an article I found in a local asian paper here in Vancouver, Canada.

On any day of the year, Bangkook is spilling over with sex tourists on the prowl for drink, dancing and adventure.

To prevent the tide of night-crawlers from flooding all over the city, Bangkok authorities are considering a plan that would restrict night life to entertainment zones.

The new designation would allow some popular night life and red-light districts such as soi Patpong and Soi Nana to continue, but would force Khao San Road and other establishments to close their doors or relocate.

Khao San Road has long been a destination for quidebook-toting backpackers, who often use the street's bustling guest houses and Western-style bars as a staging area for Asian tours.

Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's (BMA) Town and Planning Division director Malee Maenmit was quoted in The Nation Daily as saying the proposed plan could be finalized as soon as next month.

The plan would label commercial and residential areas with dense populations as entertainment zones for economic reasons and would be based on the city's official plan, Malee said.

The entertainment zone would be centered around from Bangkok's Ratchadapisek Ring Road and cover an area of approximately 200 square Kilometres. The zone would enclose an astounding 2,000 night spots.

Famous entertainment clubs such as RCA, Ekamai, Soi Thong Lor, Klong Tan and Pattanakam would fall outside the new entertainment zone boundaries. Officials are rumoured to be offering special considerations for well-established clubs.

In an apparent concession to nightclubs that may have to relocate to comply with the zoning plan, police officials have reportedly proposed new hours that would allow clubs to remain open until 4 am.

Currently nightclubs in the Thai capital must shut by 2 a.m.

Taken from The Asian Post www.asianpacificpost.com

June 7 issue

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Hi Db,

"This reminds me of people who buy a house near the airport and then complain about how loud the planes are..."

What's wrong with that? I am building a house near the new international airport, which is suposed to be finished in 3000 something, and when it opens, i'll gonna complain about the noise and they will shut it down! Or not??? Am i mistaken??? Oeps, not in Holland anymore, where these things actually happen... Why did i leave that nice, overcrowded, overtaxed and overregulated country in the first place?? Memory gets a few crc errors while getting older...

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I wouldn't shed any tears over the loss of Khao San Rd. but I know of a bunch who would over on the Lonely Tree message board who would! LOL

It's probably the easiest of the entertainment areas to close down considering it's patrons are the poorest and spend the least amount of money.

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  • 10 years later...

Nice necro - a ten-year old thread - Stick periodically likes to stir up the rumour mill with 'end in sight' discussions on Cowboy and NEP. Patpong is a beast with a life of its own these days, and much of it has little to do with naughty nightlife - good luck 'closing it down'. Admittedly, its been a while since I've mentioned Thailand and had some bozo go 'PATPONG PING-PONG SHOW ! Fwooarrrr !'. Australians travel more than they did 10 years ago, and there is a sense of 'been there, got the t-shirt, yawn' to formerly 'exotic' destinations.

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