BMA tightens safety measures for 4am nightlife

BMA tightens safety measures for 4am nightlife
Bangkok’s Khao San Road is visited at evening by visitors. ( Photo: Satrabhaya Pornprom )

To ensure that nightspots strictly abide by the law and are prepared for the government’s plan to extend opening hours to 4am, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration ( BMA ) has started tightening safety measures.

On Wednesday, Teerayut Poomipak, chairman of the BMA’s Office of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, announced that the organization was getting ready to address any potential issues.

Before the modification takes effect on December 15, he claimed, the department was scaling up security and fire prevention system inspections at bars and pubs in collaboration with the Public Works Department and district offices.

According to him,” Business owners who disobey laws governing building health and fire protection practices will face legal repercussions.”

According to him, the BMA is providing support to companies that may need training in fire protection and building safety.

Team members were collaborating with the Ministry of Justice and the Department of Disease Control to maintain a close eye on adherence to the 2008 Alcoholic Beverages Control Act, according to chairman of the BMA’s Health Department Sunthorn Aufhornchart.

Alcohol sales to children under the age of 20 and people who are already seriously intoxicated, as well as drinking selling outside of business hours, are all strictly prohibited by this law.

Unless otherwise specified, alcoholic beverages may now be sold between 11am and 2pm and again from 5pm to evening.

City Hall has 63,900 surveillance cameras installed throughout the city, according to Thaiphat Tanasombatkul, director of the BMA’s Transportation and Transport Department. According to him, the BMA will work with the Royal Thai Police to install additional AI-equipped surveillance cameras at locations where the opening hours extension may be implemented that are thought to be at risk of injuries.

Cholnan Srikaew, the public health minister, stated that he was aware that not all places in Bangkok, Chon Buri, Phuket, and Chiang Mai, which were chosen to pilot the 4am final time, may be covered by the policy.

According to him, the government was looking into ways to assist the policy while attempting to prevent any negative effects on public health.

The DDC will keep an eye on any potential negative effects of the 4am shut on public health, such as alcohol-fueled accidents and crime, according to Opas Karnkawinpong, lasting minister for public safety.