For fans of the naughty bars, and especially guys about to fly in, get ready for one hell of a shock to the system. You very well might feel an urge to make an 11th hour change to your holiday plans. Strong rumours have it that bars will be prohibited from selling alcohol and in all likelihood closed on the 13th, 14th and 15th of this month *IN ADDITION* to the election days the following weekend which will definitely see the bars closed, the 22nd until the 24th. On election weekend, there will be no alcohol available from 6 PM on the 22nd, until 6 PM on the 24th. This utter madness would essentially knock out two full weekends of partying in the second busiest month for tourism of the year! And to make matters even worse it has been mooted that there will be heavy-handed enforcement including, get this, jail time for any establishments of any description selling alcohol and 6 MONTHS JAIL TIME FOR ANYONE CAUGHT DRINKING! Tourists' enjoyment is obviously of no major concern to the authorities. To make matters worse still, getting conformation from any authority is impossible and things remain unclear. In typical local style, we won't know for sure until the last minute. As soon as I know one way or the other exactly what days the bars will be open and what days they will be shut, I will put a notice up on the front page of the site.
Stock up on duty free and make sure you have a nice hotel room with a kickass home theater system!
Seriously though they did this about 6 years ago with elections and bars closed on xmas eve, couldn't even have lockins, we were in a small bar on Soi Kanjanomai called "The Hare and Hounds". The BIB came round and rapped on the doors, it was like a scene from WWII.
We scoured the sois for restaurants as they could at least stay open, those that wanted to risk it drunk the elusive amber nectar from coffee mugs.
Welcome to Thailand
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
As soon as I know one way or the other exactly what days the bars will be open and what days they will be shut, I will put a notice up on the front page of the site.
You do that BaaBaa, and I will think of you each day as I'm enjoying a long cool beer in dear old blighty - while you're suffering so much in Thailand
As soon as I know one way or the other exactly what days the bars will be open and what days they will be shut, I will put a notice up on the front page of the site.
You do that BaaBaa, and I will think of you each day as I'm enjoying a long cool beer in dear old blighty - while you're suffering so much in Thailand
Maybe we could swap places?
That was a quote from Stickman, not me.
I suppose I'll just have to kick back at the house with a few Singhas instead of going to the bars that weekend Big Boy.
But, I don't believe that any tourist or expat will be thrown into jail...Of course, our MiB will threaten them seriously with it...
Just another way to rip off farangs and to increase the salary!
That's normal in TH !
No need to make clear announcements from official sides!
THEY know already what's going on!
A Farang doesn't need to know anything...he just need to prepare his self and should have always a valid ATM-Card in his pocket to pay the punishment!
From what I saw during the last 2 elections, the bars that did open were full of off-duty MIBs. Maybe they were there waiting to catch an unsuspecting Farang.
I heard there is a new bar in Hua Hin. They having an opening party on 30 Dec. live ska band!! reggae, jazz and pop music. its all wooden and really funky!! I think they going to have free drinks early in the night on the opening night. should be a good one.
Very bad for bar-owners, and another stupid decision made by goverment. But tourist industry is not so important to Thailand,..so.....
I am happy i not arrive before Dec 31, so i will survive. For the rest of you,... get som bottles of this and that and a GIG before the days in metion,... and have a happy Christmas.
I've heard various rumours about this one. Some say it's only for BKK, to allow voters to register, others that it's nationwide. I have also heard that patrons will be liable to being locked up, the same as the bar owners. Maybe you'll have to stock up in the supermarket for your first few days, BaaBaa?
"The question is not, can they reason? Nor, can they talk? But, can they suffer?" - Jeremy Bentham, philosopher, 1748-1832
The last time i came across this sort of thing was in Cochin in India. We were staying in a hotel, ordered a beer and the waiter said we couldnt have any as there was an election on and all alcohol sales were banned. Oh bugger says I.
The waiter wanders off, and over comes the head waiter. He said we should give him a few hundred rupees, and go up to the roof terrace and he would see what he could do.
10 minutes later the head waiter appers with a hotel laundry bag full of beer. He then explained that his brother ran the grog shop nearby, and he had smuggled us some Kingfishers from the shop.
We were so grateful we insisted he had one with us and explained what the hell was going on. He explained that at election time people got crazy drunk and started shooting and rioting if the beer sales were continued.....
Is that why they do this here?
"Science flew men to the moon. Religion flew men into buildings."
On Grand Hotel (Minimarket) the MiB gave some "flyers" already, that there is an alcohol-ban from 14th-16th (3 days)
It starts from tomorrow about 6pm!
After that "news" I called 2 owners of bars in Soi Bintabath by phone, but they didn't get anything yet!
It's typical TH...useful informations you just can get like water in the desert!
