BANGKOK, Thailand – The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has met with business operators and community representatives around Khaosan Road and Rambuttri Road to discuss legal compliance and safety measures, including fire prevention, operating hours and licensing requirements.
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt chaired the meeting, which followed the fire at Rong Beer Na Ladprao in July. The discussions focused on finding practical measures suited to the area while ensuring the safety of customers and visitors. Inspections of Khaosan Road and Rambuttri Road identified 42 entertainment venues and businesses operating in a manner similar to entertainment venues. Four were found to have all required licenses, while 38 were operating in a similar manner without full entertainment-venue licensing.
Of the 42 businesses, five held licenses for live music performances, 25 held food-selling licenses, and eight had neither a music-performance license nor a food-selling license. Fire-safety inspections conducted by Phra Nakhon District Office between July 14 and August 7 found that only two venues initially met the required standards. Officials issued inspection notices recommending improvements to 37 venues, while three failed to meet the requirements. Authorities subsequently issued orders under Section 45 requiring the three non-compliant venues to stop operating. A follow-up inspection found that six venues had subsequently met the safety requirements, while three continued to fail the standards.
Authorities also checked whether venues were operating beyond the legally permitted closing time of midnight. A total of 13 venues were found to be at risk of violating the operating-hour rules. During two rounds of inspections, nine venues were identified in the first round and 12 in the second, with eight found operating beyond the permitted time on both occasions.
Phra Nakhon District Office coordinated with local Metropolitan Police stations following both inspection rounds to address the operating-hour violations. Governor Chadchart instructed officials to prepare detailed information on the problems identified at each venue to determine which issues the BMA can help resolve within the legal framework. He also called for the relevant measures to be accelerated and for safety requirements to be adapted to actual conditions at the venues. The BMA will continue to prioritize public safety while considering appropriate flexibility in entertainment-venue zoning for the Khaosan Road area. (TNA)
