Worker detains a man who was filming him in petrol station toilets

Police are investigating an Indian restaurant where they arrested 29 people for a late night party in Pattaya’s Soi 7. The incident took place at 12:30am at a 5 story building which had the first 3 floors closed. Police say the venue was actually operating as a shisha lounge, pool hall, and bar.

The raid was based on a tip from an undercover officer who had previously confirmed the location was open and operating. When police entered the building, they found 29 people either smoking shisha, or hookah pipes, while others were playing pool, or snooker. Police say they found 18 hookah pipes (as distinct from 18 hookers).

In Thailand, shisha and hookah is illegal. 11 foreigners from India, Cambodia, and other countries were found at the venue. The remainder were Thai nationals. All 29 were arrested and taken to the Pattaya Police station where they will face charges under the Emergency Decree Act, the Communicable Disease Act and possession of an illegal substance.

Police say they don’t know who owned or managed the venue and they claimed many of the people present were “playing dumb” in terms of how they knew about the venue or who was responsible for it. Police say they will be interrogating and interviewing those arrested today to determine who should be held responsible. They also seized documents from offices on the top floor relating to ownership.

Pattaya is a “highly controlled” zone as set by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, which sees it under the toughest rules in the country in order to curb the spreading of Covid infections. Chonburi has seen 0 new cases in the past 3 days, sparking anticipation from residents and business owners for the strict measures to relax. Health authorities say they will review the measures at the end of the month, but are not promising to make a change.

SOURCE: The Pattaya News

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Chonburi province has reported another day of 0 cases of Covid-19, marking the third day in a row to see no cases. In the past 6 days only one case has been reported in the province and all of that person’s relatives have tested negative for the virus.

The provincial health office says they will keep doing doing targeted mass testing for all of next week in the community. It says those in the province’s high risk groups will receive free testing.

Those who fall into the high risk category either worked or visited places recently like the Chonburi Provincial Employment Office, are migrant workers living in crowded camps, are people showing symptoms of the virus, and people who work with the public like taxi drivers and supermarket employees.

The Department did not say if any measures or restrictions will be lifted any time soon as the province remains under stiff travel restrictions with many businesses having been forced to close. The provincial Administrative Organisation President, Wittaya Khunplume, says that the province is preparing to propose to the government to be downgraded from a deep red high-risk zone to an orange zone and ease measures.

There is no timeline or date for this proposal, however, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration is due to meet on January 31 to officially discuss measures and restrictions. But health authorities in the province say there’s no guarantee of a relaxation of measures by the end of the month.

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Chinese businessmen are helping to feed people in Pattaya after handing out over 1,000 meals to the needy last night. The handouts occurred near Third Road with Pattaya City Police nearby to help ensure social distancing and other safety measures.

Hundreds of locals were seen queing for the event well before it was scheduled to start, indicating the increasing need for aid. As Pattaya is part of Chon Buri province, an area that has been indicated as “highly controlled” due to the second wave of Covid-19 that hit Thailand in the past couple of months.

That wave, sent businesses and venues into shutdown, with many struggling to survive. But recently, Pattaya has recorded only 1 new case of the virus in the past 4 days, and only single digit cases in the past week. Local businesses are hoping this decrease in virus numbers will help speed up the reopening of businesses.

Although many venues can stay open, such as restaurants, their opening hours are restricted as well as seeing hardly any customers due to the travel restrictions in the province, which requires permission from a district official in writing in order to enter or leave.

Previously, Pattaya was relying on domestic tourism to keep it afloat after Thailand placed measures that essentially stopped foreign tourists from arriving. Now, many hotels in Pattaya are struggling to keep their staff and have resorted to selling their restaurants’ food on the streetsor offering delivery in an attempt to support their remaining staff.

Despite multiple requests for the government to force businesses to shutdown, which would put many formal workers at hotels on social security, it has been denied. Chonburi Public Health Officials say they will be reviewing the strict measures at the end of the month, but warn it isn’t a promise of allowing businesses to reopen.

Despite the area restricting tourism, Pattaya city officials have announced they will spend funds to clean up the Walking Street and decorate the streets for Chinese New Year on February 12.

SOURCE: The Pattaya News

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