Mayor
Itthipol Khunplome chairs the meeting to discuss the ongoing zoning plan for
the city.
Staff reporters
Area officials have resumed work on drafting the “Pattaya
Model” plan to revise zoning, operating hours and tax systems for
entertainment venues.
Assistant Justice Minister Peerapat Boonjareon attended
the Jan. 18 Pattaya City Hall meeting to hear opening presentations from
Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome and Banglamung District Chief Mongkol
Thammakittikhun.
Spearheaded by the National Counter Corruption Commission
– whose criticism of the Pattaya Police Department’s lax enforcement of
national bar-closing times prompted a November bar crackdown – the new
zoning plan is being eyed as a possible model for tourist-centric cities
around the country. It would not only cover operating hours, but business
zoning, tax collection, security, and advertising.
Itthiphol said the city has set up three committees to
study bar closing times, zoning and licensing.
Pattaya Permanent Secretary Suthorn Ratanawaraha
acknowledged that extending closing times was a key issue for many community
groups, but said the city has more than 900 licensed entertainment venues
and many more unlicensed ones and that finding a plan to cover all of them
will take time.
At a December meeting, Itthiphol warned that there will
be no change to bar closing times until at least 2012, as the Pattaya Model
plan will take at least a year to complete.
The hope is that if the draft plan is successful, it can
be used as a model for Phuket, Chiang Mai and other tourist cities.
