Two years ago, the Purachiian Social Order Campaign was launched by the incumbent government.  The Campaign's primary objective was the zoning of 'approved' Night Entertainment Areas.  This would be their key to absolute control.   Three areas were approved: Rachadapisek at Huay Kwang, which caters mostly to Asian tourists, Patpong Road, which caters to mostly Western tourists, and Royal City Avenue (RCA), which provides for mostly youthful local clientele.  This plan was woefully inadequate, as it provided for no approved areas in other holiday spots such as Phu Khet, Pattaya, Koh Samui, etc.  Nor did it provide for approved Night Entertainment Areas anywhere else in the country.   Realizing their horrendously inadequate oversight, they commenced with the issuing of a steady stream of 'midcourse corrections' to the scheme.  Not surprisingly, they cleverly decided to do nothing while they attempted to rethink their way through the briar patch they had created.

         Despite the 'recall' of the original plan, the Government's engine of self-destruction has remained the same: -the Social Order Campaign continues to pursue its form-over-substance approach to restoring a perceived loss of national dignity by linking virtually all forms of Night Entertainment for foreigners and Thais to the country's illicit sex industry (read: "prostitution in all its forms").  While the Social Order Crackdown is across the board (foreigners and locals alike) the authorities have nevertheless 'scapegoated' any and all foreigners who partake of the nightlife here.  Specifically, they have lumped these tourists together under the label 'sex tourists', and are fingered as the cause of the out-of-control prostitution problem.  These authorities, in turn, perceive these 'undesirables' to be the cause of Thailand's unbearable embarrassment.

         But while the Social Order mob have been studiously doing nothing these last two years regards getting an ordinance passed, they have been furiously batting ideas back and forth, changing their minds, and planning to improve on the ways they might commit economic suicide, vis-a-vis tourism.  The Social Order Campaign has, without fanfare, backed off from its originally stated goals of limiting Night Entertainment Areas to Rachadapisek (consisting mostly of massage Godfather Chuwit's establishments), the RCA (reportedly controlled by the Military Mafia), and Patpong Road (the influential Patpong family's privately owned enclave).  Of course, in the case of Rachadapisek, it was almost inevitable that this area would not be considered for approval in the grand scheme of things-to-come, what with massage Godfather Chuwit taking on the entire National Police Force with his kidnap and corruption allegations.  (The police happen to be under the same Ministry as the Social Order Campaign.)

         According to all we read in the Press and hear from outside sources, the Social Order folk decided sometime last year that instead of attempting to implement the original two year-old edict, and instead of waiting for a revised proposal to be sent to the government for vetting & passing into law, they would develop and implement an ad-hoc policy of 'slow strangulation', which would call less attention to itself, achieve its goals over a slightly longer period of time, and be much more comprehensive.  This would/could or should mean that by the time the New Social Order ordinance is ready to be passed, most of it would have already been implemented.

        This policy of 'slow strangulation' is already well under way in the form of various crackdowns, which have dramatically increased this last year.

The most prominent of these 'strangulations' being a radical increase in closures of Night Entertainment Venues for infractions on the minimum age of employees (18 years), which is not a labor code violation, but a self-imposed 'ordinance' -- one which coincidentally matches the current 'age of consent' laws.  Ahennnnh!  Is anybody listening?

There are also arbitrary closings of Night Venues for types of shows and nudity-dress code violations - neither of which are in violation of laws, but, once again, only infractions of administration-imposed, police-interpreted 'ordinances'.

Probably the most incomprehensible form of harassment inflicted on Night Venue owners is forced closure for not having the correct sign on the building.  No one has yet explained how this is hurting the New Social Order Campaign.  If not having the correct sign is, in fact, a contravention of a Municipal code or guideline, the venue in question might rightfully be warned by the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority (BMA), and if the warning were not heeded, the venue in question might be fined. But a police raid is more than just a little Draconian, and is seen as yet another arbitrary abuse of power by Bangkok's Finest.

But probably the most obnoxious and unlawful of these Social Order crackdown tactics are the raids where Night Entertainment Venue customers, for having committed the sin of being customers, are ALL required to urinate into cups for analysis by police for traces of drugs.  The government sees forced drug testing as a case where the ends justify the means, regardless of its level of repugnance or illegality.  In defense of their heavy-handed drug inquisitions, officials have repeatedly stated that they do not care if they chase these "undesirable" foreign elements (tourists) from Thailand, as it is all for the ultimate good of the country.  (It is as if these oft-repeated public pronouncements somehow make their stand on this controversial issue somehow 'righteous').  Have the Powers-That-Be really failed to see that such police-state tactics are already reaching the international Press and such brutish behavior could only be detrimental to tourism?  It should be noted, by the way, that they have been notoriously unsuccessful at 'catching' anyone through these snap-raids.

         This last month (October) we saw in the Media that the Social Order folk are ready once more to serve up Revision X to the Government for debate, ratification and implementation.  Meanwhile, almost as if it were a coordinated initiative, further crackdowns were introduced during the APEC Conference a couple of weeks ago.  In addition to the usual 'bars', discos and massage parlors, we have seen that Karaokes and 'Cafes' have been warned that they will also be under the scrutiny of the New Social Order Ordinance, and that no hanky-panky will be brooked.  Also, and try to believe me when I tell you I am not making this up, a prominent Police official announced that Foot Massage/Traditional Massage parlors and condominiums will toe the New Social Order mark -- or else.  Really.  An acquaintance known to the MIDNITE HOUR bunch ventured that they might as well include public libraries and pizza parlors, as it is actually possible for a male to meet a female at either of these venues, as well.  His sarcasm was noted, and yet he made his point - condominiums?  Will they be raiding condominiums and asking us to urinate into cups?  What?  Was it the country's APEC public relations coup that has emboldened these comedians to include foot massages on their rousts?  Someone help me out here - anyone.

         Alas, it appears that it will never dawn on this New Social Order crew that virtually all tourism is broad-spectrum; foreigners come for the nightlife as well as the temples, as well as everything in between.  For example, business conferences have been, and are held here in Thailand because there is a full range of other activities - including the nightlife.  Less than one-tenth of one percent would come to visit temples alone, as those in the in "the Ministry" are wont to have each other believe.  

         The fear, self-evident to Expats in the region, is that Thailand will make the same mistake the Philippines made when they closed down the Ermita Night Entertainment Area in Manila, and their tourism immediately went into the toilet.  They fear that Thailand will make the same mistake Singapore made when they closed down Bugis Street (and then unsuccessfully tried to reopen it).  Even comparatively straight-laced China and Vietnam have come to see the economic sense of a reasonable, reasoned Night Entertainment policy. It seems only Thailand is charging full-throttle in reverse.  

"Rumor Of The Month" Award
'Where There's Smoke, There's Mirrors' Department