A REPRESENTATIVE from one of the Phuket City bars involved in a debate with local residents about closing hours, parking and unsightly vomit and pee has written an email defending their cause.

The email-writer prefers to remain anonymous in case there is the wrong kind of reaction. However, in the interests of resolving the problem, phuketwan reproduces the email below.

The return of nightlife to old Phuket Town is good for Phuket. There is no doubt that benefits will come to everyone, including local residents, with the revitalisation of this attractive and historic part of town.

At the same time, the governor and the residents are right in making the point that the bars have to take responsibility for the behavior of their customers.

Only people who have had too much to drink vomit in the street. Only uncouth patrons pee in the street when toilets are available inside.

We have not noticed too many bars on Phuket where the proprietors refuse to serve customers who have had too much alcohol.

That's what has to happen. That's what has happened in other parts of the world. That's what solves the problem.

Reviving the heart of old Phuket Town is a wonderful idea, but it does need to be done in the right kind of way. Phuket City already has the island's best collection of good-value restaurants.

More are likely to come as people seek a relaxed,stylish and uniquely Phuketian urban environment.

The points that the email-writer makes that the larger bars and nightspots in Phuket City should also be subjected to early closing seem to us to be irrelevant.

The larger pubs and nightspots are mostly in areas where there are no residents, or where the residents have grown used to sharing their neighborhood with clubbers.

We know of at least one popular night spot where patrons outdoors are ushered indoors before 11pm to avoid upsetting the neighbors. That's the kind of discipline these bar proprietors need.

Old Phuket Town isn't used to all this fun after dark, and it may take residents a while to learn to join in and enjoy it.

Phuketwan is confident that day will come, especially when the real estate prices rise because the area has become desirable all over again. The bars are an adornment to the residential environment, not a threat to it.

Here's the email:

''The governor said he would go incognito to check out the bars, wearing sunglasses so he could not be recognised ''

How come we don't recognize him!!! He's a media-sweetheart icon. [We think he was joking -Ed]

"A closing time before midnight was recommended. "

Frankly, to be fair, we (all six bars) suggest that big-scale pubs in Phuket town, like Kor Tor Mor, Sofa, Eakanake, Timber Hut, moreover...

They ''must'' have a closing-time routine like us, too. Midnight!

May Phuket's government force them to do it? If not, Why? More bribes? Any Influence-notice mafias? We don't see any differences, because they are (bigger) bars, just like us all ...
Before midnight, what about them? two, three, or six in the morning? How come they have better ''privilege''? Fair?

We heard in the bar owners' meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall that, ''The six bars caused the traffic jam on the road from 9 pm to 2 am!!!

Think about it!!! the time range they mentioned, local residents who been living there, we think they might be in their beds already. Not to drive on the road and complaint about the traffic jam...

It should be clubbers who needs more spaces to park complaint about it anyway!

''The governor suggested that signs should be erected saying 'Residents Parking Only' and, jokingly, 'Only Soi Dogs Pee Here.'''

Shame on you, the governor. Bad-taste sense of humours!!! What a silly quote!

''About 100 residents who live in Thalang Road have complained in writing about six bars, just around the corner in Yaowarat Road, and a handful of the residents met with Governor Wichai Praisa-ngob at Provincial Hall today. The bars, according to the residents, have caused parking problems, kept people awake with loud music and door-slamming, and created a nuisance with vomit and urine in the street.''

This happended with Soi Rommanee before, and residents didn't like it badly... If we argue on what we have been doing it's about to create new-style pubs, new wave of music matters around Phuket town. Phuket town is not only just Sino stuffs, but all kinds of arts, like street shows, walking street culture. We do support artful cultures with our acoustic routines.

And local residents are our landlords who need us to rent their builkdings to do bars, they don't seem to recognise to destroy well-and-beautiful culture of Phuket town's heritages...

And we all interpreted from our reliable information sources that the leader of this complaint proposal is working in this business and don't get any advantages us all. This is a kind of revenge from his (or her).

Loud and noisy condition is from one of bars located there, send your team to observe the bars. It's only one place where open its windows and door while the band is playing, not all of us who break the committments, but only ONE! Come and have a look, you will know, The only one place where only make noise and always close lately... (Phuket Wan had taken double photos of this place, They have been posted on your website, too. lol)

No door slamming, cause we all use sliding door which are using vacuum-operated system! [Ed: The door-slammming reference is to car door slamming.]

About a nuisance created by vomit and pee... we are trying to advice our customers not to do that in public... always. But. How can we do it?

''Most of the bar owners were not from Phuket. Khun Wichai generously offered to transport their bar furniture back to their home towns if the complaints continue.''

Most of us are from Phuket, Just a few bar who from different other provinces. We are Phuket residents, too.

Maybe only governor needs free transportation to move out his owned furnitures back to his hometown. Not us! lol

We mention a fair judgement and same-standard treatment from Phuket Government, too. we are smaller business, we have no special privilege and trying to keep up Phuket government's committments strictly. Not only you to reserve good cultures, but we are.

And we have been created jobs and revenues to the local people here... by rented their old building and renovated them on our ways we're good for...

Be fair to us.

Sincerely yours,
One from six bars who needs to fight back!