THE MAN who oversees the governors in all of Thailand's 76 provinces was in Phuket City today to catch up with Phuket's bar owners.
Dr Wongsak Jawatpanit had a few messages he wanted to deliver, and deliver them he did to a fairly attentive audience of about 300 people at the Katina Hotel.
That must have just about provided one representative from each of Phuket's registered bars and entertainment venues, because there are 305 formally registered.
Patong has the bulk of them, with 235 in the Kathu region (that is, Patong), 66 in Muang district (alias Phuket City) and a mere four in quiet Thalang.
Dr Wongsak talked about the need for proper fire exits and extinguishers, harking back to the New Year's eve fire in 2008 at the Santika Pub in Bangkok in which more than 60 people died.
He added that the law required entertainment venues to close at 1am, but it was understood that Phuket, as a tourist destination, needed to have venues that stayed open a little later.
Those who caused disturbances to nearby residents or created trouble would not be tolerated, he said.
He added another rule: thou shalt not rip off tourists. He said that improvements to service was what was required to boost the tourism reputation of Phuket.
MediaWATCH: Is Bangkok Set to Blow Next?Dr Wongsak Jawatpanit had a few messages he wanted to deliver, and deliver them he did to a fairly attentive audience of about 300 people at the Katina Hotel.
That must have just about provided one representative from each of Phuket's registered bars and entertainment venues, because there are 305 formally registered.
Patong has the bulk of them, with 235 in the Kathu region (that is, Patong), 66 in Muang district (alias Phuket City) and a mere four in quiet Thalang.
Dr Wongsak talked about the need for proper fire exits and extinguishers, harking back to the New Year's eve fire in 2008 at the Santika Pub in Bangkok in which more than 60 people died.
He added that the law required entertainment venues to close at 1am, but it was understood that Phuket, as a tourist destination, needed to have venues that stayed open a little later.
Those who caused disturbances to nearby residents or created trouble would not be tolerated, he said.
He added another rule: thou shalt not rip off tourists. He said that improvements to service was what was required to boost the tourism reputation of Phuket.
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How would he regulate people who break the noise rule after 1pm. Because the Governor and the Police Chief have said they want the place to stay open a lot later.
Conflicting interests, I am sure.
Posted by Tbs on April 22, 2010 00:15