Illegal Bangkok pub venues crackdown
Bangkok Post: 13 Dec 2009
Crackdown on illegal pub venuesMore than 1,000 pubs in Bangkok do not meet safety standards and regulations, putting the security of their clients in jeopardy, the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission said yesterday.
Most of the unlicensed pubs, which were found to have been illegally modified, did not have permits to operate a night entertainment establishment or an emergency exit, said Phinyo Thongchai, secretary-general of the PACC.
Some pubs which were raided and shut by authorities simply close for a few days and reopen with a new name, said Mr Phinyo, adding that most of the customers were teenagers.
A crackdown was recently ordered by the government on night entertainment spots with drug problems, particularly those targeting young people, he said.
At about 1.30am yesterday, a combined force of about 100 officers from the PACC, the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) and the city police raided the Susie Pub on Rong Muang Road in Pathumwan district.
Caught operating beyond closing time, the pub was found to have modified the building without official approval and did not have an operating licence, said Mr Phinyo.
The urine of 81 of the 400 pub goers tested was positive for drugs.
Prayong Priyachit, the director of the ONCB's Bangkok office, said there were a number of foreign tourists among the 400 pub visitors, but the officers did not ask them to undergo the drug test.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration will be asked to inspect the building again.
www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/29162/crackdownon-illegal-pub-venues
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