Weerawit Kuresombut, President of Patong Entertainment Association, told The Phuket News yesterday (November 27), “We have already agreed among us, and with the police, to close at a ‘proper time’, he said, though he declined to say what that time is.
“The authorities understand the situation – that it is only in the few months of the high season that we can really make money.
“Before [when Thai bar owners announced that they would close all bars from November 14 to 16], it was not intended to be a threat. It was just that we were suffering from being forced to close early.
“However, we wanted to be a good host for the good image of Phuket, so we decided to wait until after the Asian Beach Games ended. Now everything is going back to normal,” he said.
There has been a perennial tussle in Patong between bar owners who argue that a closing time of 1am gives them only about two hours a day of profitable business.
Eventually, a behind-the-scenes deal is reached that both sides can live with – until the next time.