#Thailand - CCSA promises reopening of nightlife venues

 .

Opening of pubs, bars and karaoke palours expected July 1

Thai nightlife will soon be back in full swing as a key member of the virus-fighting state agency on Sunday promised to allow pubs, bars, karaoke parlours and other entertainment venues to reopen their doors.

The decision was reached in talks between Nattapol Nakpanit, a key figure at the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), and representatives of nightlife and musicians. It still needs endorsement, however, by the full-fledged CCSA meeting on Friday.

Musicians and entertainers made an emotional appeal on Thursday to the government to allow them to get back to work as the long closure had put them in severe financials straits.

Gen Nattapol said after the talks he will recommend to the full-member CCSA in a meeting on Friday that they be allowed to get back to work, but stressed the need for proper measures to prevent Covid-19 from rebounding.

“The fifth stage of easing restrictions will take place, with or without the extension of the emergency decree for another month,” said Gen Nattapol, who is the deputy army chief. “If the emergency decree is lifted, all closure orders will automatically end.”

The emergency decree will stay in place at least until the end of this month and it can be extended by the centre if authorities remain worried about the outbreak. Thailand has recorded no new local transmissions for 27 days, with recent cases imported by Thais returning to the country.

.

.

Sanga Ruangwattanakul, president of the Khao San Business Association, who was in the talks, said all participants were satisfied with the outcome and expected to go back to work on July 1.

All nightlife operators have prepared plans to prevent virus transmission based on the guidelines of the Public Health Ministry, he added.

A representative of the entertainment businesses said operators in other provinces needed the green light from provincial governors, since they have been given full authority to make the decision in their jurisdiction.

It remains unclear whether the planned reopening will include wet massage parlours.

Source - Bangkok Post

#Thailand - New ‘upgraded’ Khaosan Road to open in August

Khaosan Road is set to reopen in August after a clean-up and renovation during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Finishing touches are being put to renovation work in the tourist hub, said Bangkok deputy governor Sakoltee Phattiyakul on June 18.

“We also tasked the Phra Nakhon District Office and Drainage and Sewerage Dept with cleaning out pipes to prevent flooding in the area,” he said.

Local authorities are currently selecting vendors for Khaosan Road in preparation for the return of foreign tourists once the flight ban is lifted.

“We expect to open Khaosan Road by August this year,” said Sakoltee.

He added that Khaosan’s Kraisi Road was also set for renovation, with a design and contractor currently being sought.

“In the next phase, we will renovate Rambuttri and Tani Roads to beautify the Banglamphu area,” he added.

“On roads not frequented by vendors, we will plant more trees to offer shady spots for tourists.” 

Source - The Nation / Bangkok Jack

“It’s 3 months now, when can we reopen?” - Pattaya bar owners

Today marks 3 straight months that Pattaya’s world famous – and vitally important to the city’s economy – nightlife and entertainment industry has been shuttered by the Thai Government. The industry was originally told to close “for 2 weeks” on March 18. But as the Covid-19 crisis escalated and fear and uncertainty grew worldwide, the closure was repeatedly extended, with ever changing dates and conflicting, overlapping messages on when exactly the government would allow business to resume.

Chon Buri province had a total of 87 cases of Covid-19, virtually all imported from other provinces or overseas visitors. Of those, 41 were in Banglamung/Pattaya, the majority from the famous Bangkok “boxing stadium cluster.” There were 2 deaths, both foreign cases that were imported. Pattaya, despite its notorious nightlife industry, never had a significant local outbreak. This is in stark contrast to the resort island of Phuket, which had the highest number of cases per capita in Thailand, mainly around its notorious Bangla Road red light entertainment area and latterly around the Bang Tao district.

But the Thai Government has continued to state it’s is too risky to open nightlife, bars and entertainment venues, despite the country as a whole going well over 3 weeks without a locally transmitted case. They’ve been spooked both by the cases of infected Thais returning from overseas and the recent spate of outbreaks in entertainment zones in Seoul and Tokyo.

The Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration, has allowed nearly every type of business to resume – except the nightlife and entertainment industry. Despite early signs that they would allow owners to reopen and get tens of thousands of people back to work in Phase 4 of the program to reopen and unlock the country, nightlife was left out, and there has been no target date or guarantee of a Phase 5 from the CCSA.

Pattaya’s mayor and the governor of Chon Buri, keenly aware of Pattaya’s precarious situation, with an estimated 80% of the city’s businesses dedicated to nightlife and hospitality, have pleaded for patience from local business owners and say they’re working with the CCSA to reopen the bars. This week, The CCSA allowed the half measure of allowing alcohol in restaurants, but this only led to confusion as the large number of “hybrid” establishments that sell both food and alcohol were given mixed messages and police were instructed at a national level to raid and even close many already struggling local businesses.

The CCSA and the PM himself have also asked for patience from business owners, but for many, with 3 months without income and landlords and other creditors demanding payment, patience is running out.

The CCSA has stated a current goal of 28 days without a confirmed locally transmitted case of the virus. That would be next Monday, June 22.

They have dodged repeated questions from the press on whether that means nightlife could resume. Meanwhile, many bar owners in Pattaya continue to ask why their small establishments, many unable to fit more than a handful of people in, remain closed, lumped into the same group as massive nightclubs that can fit over a thousand people.

Source: The Pattaya News

Thai MP suggests making prostitution and adult toys legal in Thailand to help combat rape

 

Thai Civilized Party MP Mongkolkit Suksintharanon suggested yesterday to make prostitution legal in Thailand, along with adult toys to help combat what seems to be a growing trend of rape cases in the country.

Mr. Mongkolkit is an adviser and a member of a House committee tasked to tackle the problem of rape in the country.

He plans on formally bringing up the idea to the committee and government as a whole, an idea that has been debated for many years at the highest level of government but has been shot down numerous times by conservative politicians.

Prostitution in Thailand has been a taboo subject to many, with some ultra conservative Thai leaders and law enforcement even going as far as to claim there is no prostitution in the country, which liberal leaders say is simply not true and that instead prostitution is often viewed as the so called “elephant in the room”, with many leaders too embarrassed to discuss the reality or even claiming they will wipe out prostitution entirely. Critics say this is an impossible task and is not realistic.

The House committee says it will take a look at all proposals to deal with sex crimes before submitting its own proposals for a new bill in July.

Several high profile rape cases have been reported in Thai National media over the past several months.

Source - Pattaya One News

STDs increasing in #Thailand, because condoms mean ‘mistrust’

Latest studies show that many more teens and young adults have contracted sexually transmitted diseases (STD) partly because they have the wrong notion of trust.

“Even though I know condoms prevent STDs, I still wouldn’t ask my boyfriend to wear one,” a college student, who takes birth-control pills, said. “It feels better [without a condom] and we trust each other.”

However, the number of Thais aged 15 to 24 who have caught an STD has jumped over the past six years, statistics compiled by Department of Disease Control show.

In just six years, the number of teens with STD infection has doubled from 80.8 to 161.2 per 1,000 people.

The most common infections among them include gonorrhoea, syphilis, chlamydia, chancroid and genital herpes.

“This is because they wrongly believe that not using a condom is a way to show they trust their partner.”

The workshop was organised (a Bangkok Jack Report) by the Women’s Health Advocacy Foundation (WHAF) in Chiang Mai.

She said that teens are aware of the importance of condoms, but because they love their partners, they do not want to show they “distrust” them.

The traditional belief in Thailand is that condoms are used by women whose partner is promiscuous.

“Teenagers forget that using a condom is necessary,” Kittipong Saejeng, director of the Reproductive Health Bureau, said.

Prophylactics such as pills, injections or implants can protect women from pregnancy, but not from sexually transmitted diseases like HIV/Aids or venereal disease.

“Without condoms, girls are also more likely to contract the HPV virus and develop cervical cancer,” he warned.

The HPV vaccination does not provide complete protection from cervical cancer as it only covers 70 per cent of HPV strains. That’s another reason to use condoms, he said.

A study conducted last year by the Department of Disease Control on sexually active Mathayom 5 students, aged 17 to 18, across the country showed that 80 per cent of boys and 79 per cent of girls used a prophylactic.

However, when asked if they had used a condom the last time they had intercourse, only 76 per cent boys and 71 per cent girls said yes.

“In order to tackle this problem, we need to think like them [teenagers]. We need to change their attitude. Using condoms does not mean that you love or trust your partner less,” Kanokwan said.

Source - Bangkok Jack / The Nation

Pattaya’s bars desperate to reopen

The Covid-19 pandemic has hit Pattaya’s bar owners terribly. Some among the 10 in Soi Wong Amat, aka Soi Na Klua 18, have packed up and gone. The remainder are desperate for the government to ease restrictions on them opening. There is still rent to pay, accommodation and food for staff and utilities. They don’t want to abandon their employees. 2 owners spoke to the media.

59 year old “Saengdeuan”, who has run the well known TJ Bar for 16 years, was in tears as she told Nation TV how she won’t abandon her 20 staff.

“What else am I going to do?” I’ll just have to wait for the tourists to return, whenever that is.”

The ‘whenever’ could be months away. And even if the government allows the bars to re-open at the start of July (the hot tip), the sight of foreign tourists may not be familiar until the end of the year.

44 year old “Buapha”, who owns the Blue Marlin pub begged the government to let her open. She says there may be no foreign tourists but she could serve Thais in the meantime.

“At least that would be something.”

.

.

Pattaya’s economy is almost entirely dependent on tourism. While the city’s beaches were allowed to reopen last Monday, pubs and bars remain shuttered and restaurants are prohibited from selling alcohol, leaving tens of thousands still out of work. Many of the workers have returned ‘up country’ to live with their families.

Source - The Thaiger

.

#Thailand - Truth about Thai prostitutes, TEN things you should know

Truth about Thai prostitutes, the bar-girl’s Top Ten Commandments.

Translated from Thai language, these forms are available in Pattaya to ALL newbies from Isaan. They are handed out as soon as the girls arrive in Sin City.

This is how the Thai girls view foreigners. (Known as the White Book)
Thai bar girls commandments.

1. When looking for customers, it is very important to ensure you pick your customer correctly. Thailand have many people who don’t have a lot of money.

2. You have customer, forget all, not worry if he is very ugly, over weight, smells very bad.

Always tell your customer that he makes you happy and he is handsome. Important to remember that he has paid the bar, the rest is easy.

3. If customer go home, it’s not the end of your work with them. Get his e-mail address’s and keep in contact with him. This is easy for you to get the customer again when he comes back.

If you have contact with him, you can request money from the Farang when he be home. Most Farang have a soft heart.

A good way to ask for money is to say you have a sick buffalo. Failing that your mother/father been sick or been pregnant is the best way to ask for money.

.

.

4. Farangs are soft, tears from the eyes can make them easy softer. It is important to be able to cry on ‘queue.’ This will give you a chance getting more presents or money from the Farang. Thai girls need to be a pro and producing crocodile tears on command.

5. Your customer stay longer then 2 nights, you request he take you out for shopping.
Gold is an excellent item to get. Makes your customer happy you wear it while he is in Thailand. As soon as he leaves you can sell it at the gold shop.
 –
6. If you working in the bar, and local ex-pats are there, speak in your local dialect.

Many Farangs can speak Thai which it make not easy for us. Important that the Thai local and Thai regional dialects remain just for Thai people.
Learn to cry on command

7. Your customer leaving Thailand, go with him to the airport. Many times he will have thousands of baht left over. The Farang be happy to give it to you as he can’t use in his country. When you say good bye, start to cry and ask him for email addresses.

8. You can better have Asian customers. They understand our love to gamble and that we have many sisters and brothers at home who need food. They generally pay more then a Farang do. (Japanese/Korean’s pay very well). –

9. When you leave your customer, ask for Taxi money. Even when you live next door. This help you for another 200-300 baht easily. The Farang complains about your taxi paying, remember the cry on command. This will be your ticket for more money. Explain it is dangerous to walk and you live far away.
–
 

10. If you not make money in your chosen city, it’s time to move. Pattaya, Bangkok and Phuket are choices to find the Walking ATM’s, Farangs with money. – ThaiMBC

Source - Bangkok Jack