Pubdate: Tue, 03 Feb 2004
Source: Bangkok Post (Thailand)
Copyright: The Post Publishing Public Co., Ltd. 2004
Contact:  http://www.bangkokpost.co.th/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/39
Author: Irving Waldorf

WHY MUST ALL SUFFER WHEN A MINORITY ERR?

I had read articles about the continuing raids on gay venues in Bangkok and 
other cities, and was in one on Jan 16 when a "police action" occurred 
which brought the evening to an early end.

If drugs are the issue, isn't there some better and more efficient way to 
handle the problem than ruin the evening for everyone? If underage drinking 
and/or having underage people in the nightclubs is the issue, why not 
simply "card" people to prevent this. If there is an issue with regard to 
fake ID cards, then the holder of one should be dealt with instead of 
ruining the evening for everyone.

Actually, the government of Thailand has set itself up on this issue by 
having two different age minimums, one for customers and one for workers. 
Here in California, it is 21 for customers and workers. It would be 
ridiculous to have it set at 19 for workers as that could cause all sorts 
of problems as it apparently has in your country.

And lastly, I would like to say that the proposed uniform closing time of 
midnight will be disastrous for all concerned.

Others have rightly pointed out that this would result in private parties 
at undisclosed locations. That sort of reminds me of the prohibition era in 
the US in the early 20th century, when "speakeasies" existed out of view of 
the authorities.

Prohibition didn't work and an early closing to nightclubs wouldn't work 
either. After all, what adult wants to be told by his or her parents that 
they must be home by midnight?

Irving Waldorf San Francisco
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom