Pattaya bars push to reopen, officially, and extend closing times to 3am

Pattaya officials and stakeholders have been meeting to discuss the dropping of curfews and an official reopening of bars and the city’s vibrant nightlife. Kunlachart Kunlachai, the superintendent of Chon Buri Police, chaired the meeting.

Bars around Thailand, particularly in tourist magnet areas, have been forced to convert to ‘restaurants’ in order to reopen and serve alcohol. Conversions have been perfunctory, at best, but the owners have been keen to kickstart their battered businesses and have been forced to register under Thailand’s new Safety and Health Authority (SHA) guidelines before lifting up the shutters.

From May 1, restaurants, and ‘restaurants’ serving alcohol have been permitted to open for an official additional hour, to midnight, but now Pattaya’s bar owners are insisting that it’s time to drop the bureaucratic paper chase and cat ’n mouse game…