79 Bangkok entertainment venues ordered shut following citywide checks
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The campaign aims to improve safety and boost public confidence in entertainment venues in Bangkok.
PHOTO: THE NATION/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
- Bangkok authorities inspected 865 entertainment venues and ordered 79 to halt operations due to licence and safety violations.
- The inspected venues were grouped into three categories: 168 passed, 618 needed improvements, and 79 faced suspensions or closures.
- The campaign aims to improve safety standards, ensure legal compliance, and boost public confidence in entertainment venues across the city.
AI generated
BANGKOK – The Bangkok authorities have ordered 79 entertainment venues and similar establishments to halt operations after inspecting 865 premises across the capital in a week-long safety and licensing campaign.
The inspections, conducted from July 19 to 26, covered 72 per cent of the city’s target of 1,204 establishments, Deputy Bangkok Governor Pornphrom Vikitsreth reported.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) classified the inspected establishments into three groups.
The first group comprised 168 businesses that passed inspection. All held valid licences and met the required safety standards.
The second group comprised 618 establishments that were ordered to make improvements.
Of these, 570 held valid licences but were found to have minor shortcomings. Officials issued inspection notices advising them to rectify the problems.
A further 48 businesses in the second group held valid licences and had previously been warned but failed to complete the required improvements within a specified period. The authorities therefore issued formal corrective orders.
The third group comprised 79 establishments ordered to halt operations.
Of these, 19 were instructed to suspend live music performances because they lacked the required licence for such activities. Another 60 businesses were temporarily closed because they did not hold operating licences.
The BMA said it would continue inspecting entertainment venues and similar establishments across the capital to strengthen safety standards and ensure that operators comply with the law.
City Hall said the campaign aims to increase confidence among members of the public using the venues.
The inspections come in the wake of a deadly pub fire in Bangkok on July 13 that killed 35 people and injured dozens.
The blaze at the Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao pub is believed to have started after an overloaded electrical system triggered a short circuit. The emergency exit near the toilets was reportedly bolted shut when the blaze broke out. THE NATION/ASIA NEWS NETWORK