Guest Posted August 19, 2001 Report Share Posted August 19, 2001 quote: Originally posted by Swenman: This just in from the Rock Hard web site http://www.rockhardbangkok.com/whatnew.html "Hot off the press: The Lumpini Police, after assuring bar owners that licenses were not necessary, tonight (August 17th) closed all entertainment venues in Clinton Plaza permanently. They say: "get a license, and you can open". However, they know very well, that such a license is unobtainable. We're done in Bangkok, that's it. It was a good try, and a good run, but the end has come." I also heard the same thing from three people tonight and, getting more than a littel tired of all the misinformation....Seems Farang gossip is just as f'd up and inaccuarate as Thai gossip, I went to investigate. Based on three people telling me Clinton Plaza was totally closed down tonight I decided to check things out personally. 12:40 Clinton Plaza. Bar Beers and GoGo Bars wide open, lights blazing and selling booze, but their were no dancers on the stage in any of the 5 GoGo Bars. Police came earlier in the evening and pulled all dancers from the stage for incorrect licenses. For those of you that don't already know about it, Clinton Plaza is a house of cards with all the bars built in what used to be a parking lot without benefit of Building Permits. Without the Building Permits it may not be possible to obtain the appropriate Business Licneses. Temporary or permanent? A lot of conflicting information. None of it confirmed. Still frazzled with conflicting reports and misnformation I continued my search for truth. rictic and others had posted that Cowboy and Asoke Plaza were open later than 1 AM. 1:AM Soi Cowboy, Asoke Plaza and the Bar Beers on soi 23. Closed promptly at 1AM. Even the public restrooms in Asoke Plaza were closed. 1:15 Soi 33. All bars had been closed at 1AM. Please note, almost everything on soi 33 is Thai owned. 1:25 Narcissus/Pegasus wide open with lights blazing, Mercedes in the parking lots and no sign of customers leaving. 1:35 Pat Pong. Bar Beers, GoGos and Night Market closed at around 1:10 -1:20. A couple bar beers on Pat Pong 2 were serving drinks in the dark with their panels 2/3 closed. Tip Top and the other restaurants were open and serving food, but I saw not a single drink or beer on the tables. I did see lots of bottled water. Both Pat Pong and Nana Plaza had a lot of girls eating at the outside foodstalls and some were giving every Farang that walked by the eager eye. A lot of push Ladyboys working the crowd. I hear but did not have time to check that the Grace Hotel is still open after 1AM because of its location in a Hotel Lobby. [ August 19, 2001: Message edited by: nepfan ] [ August 19, 2001: Message edited by: nepfan ] [ August 19, 2001: Message edited by: nepfan ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 19, 2001 Report Share Posted August 19, 2001 Well this is a very interesting thread! It sounds like the government is serious about cleaning up Thailands image. This could be good and it could be bad, but I think in the long run it will make no differnce. As far as the 1am closing I personaly have no problem with it. I was raised in the midwest, and the bars closed at 1am. I still managed to party like crazy. Just a bit more sleep was the only thing differnt. I think what will happen is that some very smart people will open up "private clubs", or non-alcohol based "coffee" bars. Hell we aready pay as much for a starbucks as a beer. Seems to me that the booze and drugs are the issue for now. Lets hope they don't start busting "johns" then we're in trouble. As far as the prices are concerned, it is a moot point. I know that the expats are having a hard time of it, but with the baht positioned where it is, inflation is inevitable. For tourists, it has little impact . I live in Las Vegas, and work in the adult industry, (DJ) in a topless bar. Let me give you an example of how my boss thinks. He has no cover charge and has touts (ok cute girls) out front getting people to come in. Once inside the customer is informed that there is a two drink min for a total of $15.50. At this point 1/2 the people leave. But he doesn't care, it is the numbers game, he doesn't care if they buy a third drink he just wants his $15.75. Now the dancers pay him $70 per shift to work there. Even though this is the highest in town he doesn't care, again the numbers game, it the girl isnt allowed to work any where else (too fat or ugly) she can alway go there. Now lets see what the customer gets from the dancers! For $20 a topless girl will dance in front of you for one song. for $30 a topless girl will dance in front of you with an occasional bump or rub. But of course the cute girls will overcharge you more like $40 or three for a $100. Then they will ad a $10 "tip". The bottom line is these guys are paying a fortune for nothing. The other day a guy came in and spent $3500 on two girls. He got nothing for his money. But yet people keep coming to this place and the profits rise each year. So you can see why a tourist will spend $3-5 for a beer and think nothing of it, and $50 for the real deal rather than a tease. I know these price make us shudder, but Unfortunately for the expats this kind of mind set seems to be coming to LOS. I just hope I can get in my first visit before it goes completely down the tubes. Again thanks for listening to my rant, and thanks for all the great imput and advice I have gotten from this board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 19, 2001 Report Share Posted August 19, 2001 1am! I wonder how this will go down with "normal" tourists once it hits the mainstream travel press - although I appreciate that 1am may be considered very late in some countries - it sure as hell isn't where I come from let alone when going on holiday to southern Europe - which is I beleive the main holiday destination for us northern europeans and an obvious competitor with Thailand for "normal" sunny holdays. Perhaps it's just as well that the LOS is not big with Spanish people - I think they only start to go out at 1am :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 19, 2001 Report Share Posted August 19, 2001 There were several posts on the thread about Clinton Plaza being closed that asked questions being discussed here. This post responds to the posts here and the posts on the other threads. It’s frustrating having three threads (End of Sanuk, Crackdown over and Clinton Plaza all dealing with the same subject. To respond to the questions here and on other threads. I'm just reporting on what was open, what was closed and what I know for sure. As to permits and licenses, there are about 48 required to operate a GoGo bar, many without any stated term or expiration. I am not aware of a single bar that has every license required. The house of cards statement is due to the fact that Bank of Asia owns the building and surrounding area after a prior owner defaulted. Bank of Asia then provided a promoter with a one-year lease while they attempted to sort things out. The promoter then provided multiple year leases to the, mostly unknowing, GoGo and Bar Beer owners who then built their shops without Building permits which is a common enough practice in Thailand and most bars have at least some un-permitted work. As to why the police would act now. I have no idea. As to why the owner would say on his web site that his bar was closed when it was still open. I have absolutely no idea. You will have to ask him that question. For those of you that say this all doesn't make any sense then you haven't operated in Thailand. If it actually made sense then, this being Thailand, it indeed wouldn’t make sense. Sounding a bit like “Alice in Wonderland”? Now you get it. “Farang in Thailand”. I participate on this board because I pick up valuable and interesting information from a few knowledgeable posters. Also get a little intellectual stimulation from some of you out there. Since I am receiving info I should pay for it by contributing info about which I have knowledge. Any information I pass along to this board will be something I have seen myself, understand myself or know to be true because it has been related to me by someone I trust. If what I pass on is a rumor or opinion then I try to attribute it as such. I do not pass on information that would violate confidences. Oh, I could tell you stories; but then nobody would tell me stories. I, like everybody, have biases, bars I like and bars I don’t like. But, I try to keep biases out of my posts. Several days ago several posters on this board, said, with authority, that Soi Cowboy and Asoke Plaza were staying open past the new 1AM closing. I believed these posters because several Cowboy owners had earlier told me they thought they might be able to stay open until 2AM. Subsequently I passed on this information to interested parties. My information was greeted with skepticism, which is why I was hauling my silly ass all over Bangkok at 1AM last night to see, with my own eyes, what was happening. The posters on this board had provided bad information and, this morning. I have had to apologize for being a gullible fool.. What will be the situation this evening? I have no idea and would hesitate to speculate. But if I post it here then you can believe it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattaya127 Posted August 19, 2001 Report Share Posted August 19, 2001 quote: Originally posted by twoluckyone: I remember last July when I was in Pattaya: the beerbars in Soi 8 were slow. Still some of the betterlooking girls were picky on which customer they would go with. They could afford to reject customers because later at night they would just go to Marine to choose one of the guys there. So they were sure they always had a customer. Usually,there are at least 2 to 3 girls for every man in marine. And the guys who hang out late usually party a while (into marine2 and else) without being too prone for a quick pick up. Not the best technique for making money, unless you're a real stunner, IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orion76 Posted August 19, 2001 Report Share Posted August 19, 2001 The police ordered the bars in CEP not have girls dancing until they have obtained some sort of entertainment license which can only be obtained during the week. Thanks to the boys in brown for bringing this to our attention on a SATURDAY. Of course all the bars in CEP have had business permits from the start or they would not have opened at all. Girls should be back on stage by Tuesday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khunsanuk Posted August 19, 2001 Report Share Posted August 19, 2001 Hi, Just to add some more fuel to the fire, my wife just got off the phone to one of her friends who works at Nataree and it, as well as the other karaoke bars on Ratchadapisek, have been closing at 2:00-2:30 on Fri-Sat, 1:30 on other days. Business as usual. Sanuk! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 19, 2001 Report Share Posted August 19, 2001 nepfan, you have to understand that you don't see the big picture. someone sitting in his armchair in america has the necessary distance to be able to judge things more objectively. sorry, just kiddin'. i find your posts very interesting, and to the extend i can judge, very true to reality. but then, wild rumours are always more interesting than the truth... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 19, 2001 Report Share Posted August 19, 2001 quote: Originally posted by Tired76: The police ordered the bars in CEP not have girls dancing until they have obtained some sort of entertainment license which can only be obtained during the week. Thanks to the boys in brown for bringing this to our attention on a SATURDAY. Of course all the bars in CEP have had business permits from the start or they would not have opened at all. Girls should be back on stage by Tuesday. OK, now this makes sense. And it is easy to verify. What I find even more curious, however, are the posts coming in reporting that places frequented by Thais are not subject to the 1:00 a.m. crackdown. ("karaoke bars on Ratchadapisek, have been closing at 2:00-2:30 on Fri-Sat, 1:30 on other days. Business as usual.") Anyone have more news on this? It seems as though the contours of this "crackdown" are beginning to take shape. I recall reading a several weeks back that this "crackdown" would only last two weeks. That no longer seems to be the case. I also recall hearing that this was an across the board crackdown applying to both Thai and farang venues. From what I am reading now, that may not be the case, but I trust the marketplace of ideas to sort out the truth in the days to come. As a new member to this board safely ensconced in his Mid-West “armchair”, I would like to express my thanks to Nepfan, Tired76 (see above quote) and others for their reports on what is actually happening on the ground. As to wild rumors, misinformation and mistruths, I put my trust in the market place of ideas to vet that out [ August 19, 2001: Message edited by: Uncle Miltie ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 19, 2001 Report Share Posted August 19, 2001 A couple more thoughts: On street prostitution, Khun Sanuk says that more girls are applying to work in Nana Plaza. That may be the case, but they are still going to have to go somewhere after 1am. I believe that the first real test for the new opening hours may well come on Sep 1st, Germany v England world cup qualifier, kick off...yup 1am. I think there will be a lot of people keen to stay on in the bars then. Incidentally, Khun Sanuk, I dont mean to have a go at you but I think you are wrong to close the Clinton Plaza thread, it is an big issue on its own and I can see this one getting very messy. [ August 19, 2001: Message edited by: Johnny Was ] [ August 19, 2001: Message edited by: Khun Sanuk ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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