12.February.2002
Had another fantastic day on the beach, many sexy girls that don't mind to show their attributes. I still love Patong but I wish everything was the same as one year ago when everybody could have a good time. Also for those that want to do more then sitting on a chair and drink all night.

Tiger was packed with people but you can't dance there. It looks like Banana is the only place left in Patong where you can dance, a popular disco always packed with people, especially now after Shark Club closed.

Stayed at Galaxy a few minutes, they had a very good show, can't wait to go back.

11.February.2002
After a wonderful day on the beach (97F) it's time to have some fun: Tiger has now reopened and the report say too many Thai girls. Of course that was from a Thai girls point of view, farang men see it little different.
Will go there tonight to check it out and I am very curious if it's allowed to dance, after all they was closed last month because Tiger couldn't show they had papers to operate as a disco.
Very strange since Tiger opened December 15 and I don't think they invested lots of money without a license.

10.February.2002
There was lots of people in Soi Katoey, Tai Pan, VIP, Pasha. Still I don't see many people that have fun. Too many people walk around in Bangla Road and don't know where to go.

I haven't visit Smokin Joe's Roadhouse in a long time and thought it was time to see if the girls still was topless. Only had to take a short look to see they was not and there was only three-four girls dancing. Before almost all girls where topless with maybe 20 girls on the stage.
Smokin Joe's it's not what they used to be, the place was almost empty.

Have never seen so many guards in Tai Pan before, looks like they come from Shark Club and as always too much police at closing time.

9.February.2002
Wasn't there much more people in Bangla Road last year at daytime?
This year I don't have to look when crossing the street, there is only 30% chance that someone will hit me. My girl friend say the same, it's much more quiet this year.

I don't visit beer bars so often no because of the early closing time. Last night it was time to visit my favorite bar in Soi Gonzo, but I was very disappointed, no action, maybe I went on a wrong day, but my impression is that Patong is much more boring this year.
If you only want to drink some beers and talk to your friends Patong is still a good place with bars everywhere.

My first impression of Thailand was lots of freedom, not rules for everything and if you broke a minor rule you didn't have to pay many thousand baht as you have to do in Norway.
This year the feeling of freedom has gone.

8.February.2002
From Bangkok Post: It looks like Thaksin is going to do a cabinet reshuffle to mark its first year in office.
If we are lucky The Interior Minister will be the new education minister.

"It would seem ideal. The man who would have our young behind lock and key after 10pm is being suggested as the next education minister to replace someone wholly uninterested in the job."

The staff from Shark Club gave me a statement last night and you can read it here. They are still protesting every night, I hope they will never give up.

THE CLOSING OF THE SHARK CLUB

The Shark Club was closed 30th of January, after Thai media had published photos from an entertainment game arranged by the club. In these photos a female participant displayed a naked upper body. This and other games were played by guests volunteering to participate.

The players engaged in the dance competition in focus were both Thai and foreigners. The sexiest dancer on the floor would win the competition and a reward. The winner was voted and decided by the guests in the club. The club and management had no intention to take off their clothes. This action must be considered a private decision of an individual.

The media have lately accused the Shark Club of arranging nude shows, which is not legal in Thailand. This ruins the reputation of The Shark Club, considering this was a onetime incident, and the players were guests and not employees of the establishment.

After the police warned that such acts is not corresponding with Thai law, the management canceled this kind of game. The photos recently published were taken long time ago, before local authorities warned that this was improper behavior. The current media rally against The Shark Club has misled the public and given a bad and wrongful image of the establishment.

We, the staff of The Shark Club, ask you to kindly give your view about the closing of our place of employment. We firmly believe that strong forces are grouped together to ruin the reputation of, and ultimately, get The Shark Club shut down. We are 140 employees who have lost jobs that we enjoy doing because of this. We know we are fighting against the odds, but hope to win and get the Shark Club reopened. Please fill in the questionnaire and help us try to get our jobs back.

Thank you.

Why are they only closing Shark Club, I have seen shows in a go-go bar where the girls showed everything and then I mean everything.
The competition they had in Shark Club last year was boring, nothing to talk home about.

7.February.2002
Tai Pan and VIP has become very popular after the closure of Shark Club, too popular, Tiger need to open soon to take away some of the pressure.

Today I did what Gov Pongpayome wants us to do: I went on a walk to see Phukets natural attractions.
And I agree with him, Phuket is a beautiful and peaceful place. Only wish it was not so dark at night, then it would be easier to see snakes.
Picture is taking from a viewpoint on top of the hill behind Nanai Road, very beautiful, it feels like another world far away from busy Patong.

6.February.2002
As far I know there haven't been any crackdown on beer bars yet, I think so long the girls don't take their cloths off they will be safe for this time. But we can wonder for how long since Gov Pongpayome thinks that "the number of entertainment venues should decrease".

After the closure of Shark Club, VIP don't have happy hour any more.
No competition = expensive drinks.

Check out rockhardphuket.com for nightlife news. I like his style: "And we are so lucky to have an Interior Minister like K. Purachai. (I think I'm going to throw up)".
But I am very sorry that he has been censored after his blowout when Shark Club was closed.

I still can't believe that Shark Club is closed, what I remember best from my first day in Thailand is Shark Club.

At the moment I think the best place for dancing is Phi Phi Don. I am going there next week to get away from Patong.

5.February.2002
Extract from Postbag Bangkok Post:

Tourism dealt another blow
The recent attack on and closure of the world-renowned Shark Club in Phuket is further testament to the discriminatory crusade by the slanted and uninformed Thai media, local "law" enforcers and corrupt political hacks to eliminate free enterprise, foreign business and destroy tourism, a major revenue source for the country.

...Whether done consciously or unconsciously; the governor of Phuket is destroying a very popular tourist destination.

...Thais are a beautiful people and have a very beautiful country. Don't let a few modern day politicos destroy what they have and want to show to the world. This is no way to gain popularity on the world stage.
W.West, Canada

Extract from Phuket Gazette:

Gov rebuffs Shark lawyer
“The Canadian financial press and the international media will find this matter very newsworthy. Mr Radke has authorized me to bring this matter to the attention of my contacts at those media, including the Financial Post and the BBC World Service, if your closure of the Shark Club is not immediately reversed.”

Gov Pongpayome retorted, “We need good foreign investors, not bad ones. If they think it’s too difficult to invest here, or believe that they cannot realize their plans, then they shouldn’t come here. We don’t want them anyway.”

He added, “I’m certain that tourists come to Phuket because we have a beautiful island. We sell its attractions as a natural, peaceful place.

“[For tourists], entertainment is just the sauce; they don’t care about it much. We don’t need more entertainment investment; in fact, the number of entertainment venues should decrease.

“As for bars, service girls and gays, we don’t support them, but if they follow the rules we’ll put up with them. If they break the rules, we won’t put up with them anymore.”

Staff from Shark Club protesting.

4.February.2002
Tai Pan, VIP and Banana was packed with people last night and Shark staff protesting the closure of Shark Club had already gone home at 01.30am.

I was bored last night, for the first time I think it's more fun in Norway then in Patong, I thought I would never say that.

3.February.2002
There are too many families and couples in Patong = boring nightlife, can't they go to Karon instead.
I am sure families and couples want a quiet nightlife. So why do they go to Patong? Why don't they go early to sleep in Karon and Kata, but instead take a expensive taxi to see Patongs famous nightlife.

There are not so much left to see:

   - Katoeys are still popular with the tourists.

   - Go-Go bars can impossible last long time, there is only a question of time
      before photos from shows last year appear in a Thai newspaper.

   - Or photo of a topless girl in Tai Pan.

   - And then we have beer bars, where it was very popular among the girls
      to show tits and pussy.

   - I am sure many have photos to show The Interior Minister.

Will this nightmare never stop? Today I read in Phuket Gazette: "Jammin latest victim of crackdown."
Is there a ban on having fun?

2.February.2002
Today our thoughts go to the staff at Shark Club that was abrupt out of work. The banner in the picture tell about a women cleaning the toilet with a child to support.
But the Vice Governor told her that 'The troubles of 131 people are far outweighed by the reputation of Thailand, which is worth more than any money'.

Shark Club with banners from last night, February 2.

Governor close Patong Beach

This is not a true story. All characters are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, whether living or dead, is purely coincidental.

PATONG: Interior Minister Purachai Piemsomboon went on a walkabout at Patong beach today, and ended up ordering the temporary closure of Patong Beach.
K.Purachai and his team which also included Governor CEO Vasaputi - set off for their tour of Patong Beach just after 01.00pm on February 1.

As they walked along the beach they came across several hundred semi naked women both farang and Thais. K.Purachai ordered police to arrest them for having a negative effect on the image of women and Thailand.

He then walked into a open place on the beach and saw people dancing to music from a radio. This was too much for the Interior Minister: He ordered police to close the beach for 30 days with immediate effect.

This was not a true story. All characters are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, whether living or dead, is purely coincidental.

30.January.2002
This story is just in from Phuket Gazette.

PHUKET: The biggest disco in Phuket, Patong’s Shark Club & Discotheque, was today ordered closed permanently on instructions from the Minister of Interior, Purachai Piemsomboon.

.....After a meeting of top officials today, Gov Pongpayome also displayed photographs of girls dancing semi-naked amid a crowd of onlookers in the club, which he said were taken in the club in July or August last year.

Go to Phuket Gazette for the whole story.

LATEST UPDATE: Stories is coming in from all over the world that people are in shock, strong men are crying for the first time in their life, others are at this moment canceling their plane tickets to Phuket.
The whole world don't believe what they read about what has happened to Phukets most famous disco.
Where are we going for dancing now after the government have closed down so many places that I have lost count.

Our thoughts is going to Kevin and Bob at this hard times and we all hope you will fight back, Patong without Shark Club is not Patong.

26.January.2002
I checked out Soi Katoey last night, it was around 10.00pm and that was little bit too early to go out, it was only half full. But I noticed that every bar played the same music, that makes it more quiet then Soi Gonzo, but if you like to dance you can't ask the bar play your favorite music.

Another thing I also noticed was that there where many women with small children in Soi Katoey and nearby Bangla Road. One little boy looked around with big eyes at the many bar girls and Katoeys.
So I don't understand why so many complain about that they can't take there family's to Phuket because of Patong. Phuket is much more than Patong, if you don't like Patong go somewhere else in Phuket as this is a big island.

24.January.2002
There was a fight outside Tai Pan last night between two girls, but after what I was told one of the girl was attacked for no reason.

Tai Pan was like a big party with happy people everywhere, and as always the band was very good. It was full at VIP too, but this is more a place to meet girls and as we all now Tai Pan always have more girls than men.

There is not so many places to go after the Interior Minister closed down Galaxy and Tiger for 30 days. I am counting down to the day they will reopen.

Pasha is still only for Thais. There has not always been like that, I remember when the dancing music was so good! But almost no one went there.
In my opinion Pasha could be the best disco in Patong together with Shark Club so long they don't play the same music, but looks like it's too late now.

For those that like dance music for people over 20 years old, there is a bar in Soi Sunset a few meter from Tai Pan with live music and I am sure if you ask them they will play whatever you want.
I forgot the name of the bar, but you can't miss it. Only minus is that the drinks cost the same as Shark Club.

15.January.2002
Interior Minister Purachai Piumsombun has ordered provincial governors to blacklist and permanently close entertainment venues found condoning prostitution. ( From my favorite newspaper Bangkok Post ).

9.January.2002
Shark Club are always packed with people after midnight, so it's important to get here early if you want a table.

VIP is also popular after midnight, but then you must pay double for the drinks. Tai Pan have always been popular after 01.00-02.00 am, but with the early closing time I wonder how much money they are earning. Whinecooler have gone up to 110 baht, that is very expensive when it cost 70-80 baht in a beer bar. At the moment I prefer VIP before midnight and Tai Pan after, since drinks are cheaper there, but the atmosphere is much warmer at Tai Pan.

Before midnight most people stay at Soi Katoey, this is still the must popular soi in Bangla Road.

1.January.2002
Last night we all celebrated New Year. For the first time in many months police was happy, bar owners was happy, everybody was very happy. Today we go to sleep and wait another year to have fun or the government decide to go back to 05.00 am closing time.

22.December.2001
The interior minister have decided that for the first time in many months we don't have to go to bed early, at New Year Eve we can stay up to 06.00 am.

Since beginning of April has the government enforced early closing time of bars and discos in Thailand. Before April closing time was around 05.00 am, now they close 01.00 - 02.00 am.
Not everybody is happy with this and there have been many protests from bar girls and entertainment owners complaining they are loosing money.

And in Patong police have been closing go-go bars and discos for shorter periods last months after breaking the law. And this month (September) Flash A Go-Go is again closed after being caught with live sex shows, this time for one month.
As everyone can understand this is not good for Patongs reputation as a place where you can have a good time both day and night.

But the good thing is that you save money on drinks!!

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