Police inspect venue on closed Mountain B Pub site

In a morbid example of “if at first, you don’t succeed…” a new nightlife venue has opened on the site of the notorious Mountain B Pub that caught fire and claimed the lives of 26 people. Last night, Chon Buri police inspected Never Land, the new club in Sattahip, which opened just three months after the August fire that tore through the previous venue.

The last victim died less than one month ago, on October 27. The Mountain B Pub was demolished just over a month ago on October 16. Now, one month later, a new open-air nightclub has been launched on the same grounds as the infamous pub, taking over the adjacent Mountain Bar & Bistro that went up for sale after the fire.

But authorities are questioning the legality of the new nightlife venue. After the fire, the venue – and the land it stood on – were ordered to be closed for five years as punishment. So how has this new club opened on the same grounds?

Chon Buri Region 2 Police joined the Sattahip Police led by the Superintendent of Plu Ta Luang Police Station to inspect the new nightlife venue after its grand opening on Saturday. TPN National reported that police described the new venue as a mixed-use restaurant and bar, occupying the same space as the original Mountain Bar & Bistro.

The police instructed the owners of Never Land to bring their paperwork including a title deed to the police station for examination. Authorities want to verify if the venue is legally on the same plot of land as the ill-fated Mountain B Pub. If so, the venue cannot open legally for five years.

The nightlife venue may be forced to shut down until they can produce licenses and title documents that show they can legally operate the venue despite the five-year closure order.