Fake police bribes, real police fines nor multiple arrests are stopping Pattaya’s Sky Mountain bar from illegally selling alcohol.
The Bali Hai watering hole, which seems to have nine lives, was raided again for the fourth time in an age where other businesses would have been shut down with five-year closure notices long ago.
Pattaya police hit the ‘bar masquerading as a restaurant’ around 9:30 p.m. Nov. 11, finding about 100 Thai and foreign customers enjoying adult beverages in contravention of current government orders banning the sale of alcohol in restaurants.
Unlike previous raids, none of the customers – who now are experienced in finding exits when police approach – were arrested. Instead, they were told to settle their bills and leave.
Not only was booze on sale, but shisha, as well, which was illegal even before the pandemic.
The manager again was arrested with two shisha pipes and 54 bills for booze. He was charged with violating disease-control rules, alcohol rules and shisha rules.
One can only guess what connections owner Wattana Meesuta has for his joint to be allowed to open repeatedly, with Pattaya police seemingly aware he has no intention of following the law.
Police had already raided Sky Mountain three times: In October, May and February.
After the May 28 raid, where police seized eight illegal shisha pipes, Wattana went crying to the same police two days later, complaining that a man claiming to be a deputy police chief had approached them with an offer to drop the charges in exchange for a bribe of 40,000 baht.
The cop turned out to be fake and the real officers expressed no sympathy, but did allow him to open again.
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