Sukhumvit Posted August 29, 2001 Report Share Posted August 29, 2001 It seems quite bizarre that the police are enforcing early closing. After all not everyone goes to LOS for the bars. A minority of tourists patronise them. When I first went to BKK I hardly moved out of the KS Rd area apart from the obligatory gawp at the Patpong nightmarket with sly glances at the bars alongside. Brothels are legal in Australia, Germany, Holland, Nevada and lots of other places besides. Not everyone that goes to Amsterdam goes to get stoned or to visit the sex shows. Yet it's there if it's wanted in certain environments. Similarly BKK is huge and yet the farang bar scene in geographic terms takes up a very small portion of the city. Especially when one thinks of the vast Massage Parlours the size of hotels that cater almost exclusively for non-farangs. (Pattaya is an exception of course with its acres of bars.) Seems to me that the Thai government is desperately trying to appeal to the dumbest of all voters by ill thought out, popularistic actions. Remember the story about the Japanese gold. That was a tale worthy of ASFO. It's a bit like the situation in the UK a few years ago. The mass media tabloids had a spate of horror stories about people being savaged by Rottweilers and American Pitbulls. Next thing the British government brought out the Dangerous Dogs Act and also, I seem to recall, made it illegal to own Pitbulls. After a few months there was another media hype and "devil dogs" were forgotten about. And if obvious bars and clubs were closed down then the "problem" still wouldn't go away. One only has to look at the way the Vietnamese deal with prostitution and yet it still flourishes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 29, 2001 Report Share Posted August 29, 2001 quote: Originally posted by Sukhumvit: And if obvious bars and clubs were closed down then the "problem" still wouldn't go away. One only has to look at the way the Vietnamese deal with prostitution and yet it still flourishes. Yeah, when there is a glut of girls willing to sell themselves, and buyers, I don't think it's going away, but it's face may change. I wonder the hell could they do about beer-bars and similar hostess type bars? "Sorry, bars with too many female staff are illegal..." For the most part in my experience they do not really solicit prostitution. I wondered last night if what my girl was doing was could legally even be seen prostitution. I barfined her from a beer-bar. That's not paying for sex. Went and played some pool, asked her to come to my room, she did. Nothing wrong with that - conscenting adults and all. We never discussed money. While she was in the shower in the morning I slipped a 1000B note in her bag. Don't even know if she even noticed it. Drove her home. Prostitution? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Toad Posted August 29, 2001 Report Share Posted August 29, 2001 What about a contribution to help her sick parents? Or the cab fare home? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagoturner Posted August 29, 2001 Report Share Posted August 29, 2001 I think it's important to re-emphasise that this crackdown is not just on farang bars. Food stalls, most of which sell beer, have to close down their operations by midnight. As a huge number of foodstalls, such as those on Sukhumvit and some in Prakhanong, only open at night, after the day markets have moved away, this destroys them. Night clubs frequented by Thais have been closed down for allowing under twenties inside while serving alcohol. The idea is to turn the Bangkok night into a dead zone except for in some key high priced areas that will be zoned. Do not be surprised if relatives and friends of Purachai and Thaksin happen to own real estate around those zones. When I first heard about these crackdowns I figured it probably was an attempt to scapegoat and drive out bar hopping foreigners. I'm sure that is still among the aims just going by Purachai's banal and stupid statements about tourists wanting to see Thailand's natural beauty's not exotic dancers. But it is a much broader issue. It is actually a large attempt to further curtail the movements and freedoms of all Thai people. Keep them in at night watching TV and you can sell them the vision of Thailand you want them to believe. Take a few private entrepeneurs and black economy workers out of the deal and they will have to work in the factories that produce rubbish for multinationals. They'll have to work for the kind of pathetic wages paid by businesses like Nike all over South East Asia. And they'll have to pay taxes. Very important. How many more antiquated laws will be dusted off by the Thaksin administration to completely eradicate the entrepeneur spirit in all but the best born Thais. Once ordinary Thai people start getting past poverty they might be more inclined to take an interest in the way their country is being run. By pushing a large number of Thai people back down into the paddy fields and factories this administration must be aware that less questions will be asked. My wife, after reading about the way certain businessmen (not gogo bar owners or ones specifically involved in prostitution) had been made poor by this crackdown on nightlife, and how future tourism looked set to be damaged by heavyhanded enforcing of licensing laws, she asked me why the King didn't step in. I didn't know what to say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 29, 2001 Report Share Posted August 29, 2001 Chicago Dave writes: quote: If, howver, their purpose is to drive the farang nightlife away, any excuse, including drugs, will do. I think the drive on drugs and is genuine and the reason behind it all, as the clampdown is universal and not just aimed at farang orientated bars. However if a side effect is to clean up the farang sex industry the powers that be are happy enough. I believe that the clean up will continue, though, but it will be a clean up and NOT a clear out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 30, 2001 Report Share Posted August 30, 2001 The most intelligent and global slant I've heard yet! Good post, Alexander Turner! I do not live in BKK, which is a fact that may give me a little different view, as opposed to those who do live in BKK. When this "crackdown" first started, seemed as though "locals" thought this as "a re-occurring incident that happens every few years, or so". I'm thinking that this present situation is much more serious than that, and many posters have stated that "in 20 years, I have never seen the likes of this". It seems to me that the "powers that be" are very serious in their determination to carry out what they are stating. To do less, at this point, would be showing a great "loss of face". I think also others see the writing on the wall. I was perfectly content to spend my upcoming 6 days in BKK. I have since revised my trip to 2 days BKK- 2 days Pattaya - 2 days Cambo. I love BKK, and have only been there twice, and only just the last time, was there for sanouk. I truly believe the writing is on the wall, from what little I know. I can see it in the decisive posture of present government, and the desire of same, to hold a positive "face" in the arena of global acceptance. I also feel I am not alone in my feelings, as dictated by my, and others, change in travel plans. Is all this being done to eradicate drugs from the Thai culture, as opposed to a political posturing? I think you are right in your analysis of present situation. The powers that be are just positioning themselves by suppressing the general populace, and trying to gain popular opinion in any way they can. Just my thoughts! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 30, 2001 Report Share Posted August 30, 2001 sorry...it's 4:30a.m. in Hawaii, so if I don't respond in the next 7 hrs., you now know why! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 30, 2001 Report Share Posted August 30, 2001 Purachail's statment about tourist coming to Thailand to see it's natural beauty Correct me if I am wrong but I thought the girls were the baeuty of Thailand? R.R. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashman Posted August 30, 2001 Report Share Posted August 30, 2001 I think there might be an ulterior motive like the man behind the man-no pun intended Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattaya127 Posted August 30, 2001 Report Share Posted August 30, 2001 quote: Originally posted by chicago dave: Lastly, every time a nation's economy truly goes into the dumpster, it starts looking for a bad guy to point to - Germany had the Jews to blame in the 30's, etc., etc. Thailand has us terrible farang. I'd love to get inside their minds for a while to see what's really going on, but it would probably frighten me. Anyway, cheers. Chicago Dave It increasingly looks like this new government has no idea how to redress the economy, last Toxin's speech was about scolding journalists for not smiling enough. next, he will ask the Natl geographic to run the country...for free. That's what happens when you let an ex-cop turned billionnaire run a country. Poor Thailand! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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