Shark Club boss kicked out of Thailand

PATONG: Kevin Radke, manager-shareholder of Patong’s Shark Club, was expelled from Thailand on Friday and was told he will not be allowed back into the country, after authorities decided his activities on the island were in conflict with Thai morals. Pol Col Apirak Hongtong, Superintendent of Phuket Immigration Police, told the Gazette that the police cancelled Mr Radke’s visa on Friday. Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi ordered the Shark Club closed on January 30 after it was discovered that the operating license for the disco – which can hold more than 1,500 revelers – contained irregularities and had, in any case, expired. Gov Pongpayome said that it would not be renewed. The check on the license followed the publication in Thai newspapers of photographs showing girls dancing topless in the club, and a game in which male customers knelt with their hands behind their backs, eating ice cream out of cups gripped between girls’ thighs. Mr Radke could not be reached today, and on Saturday, Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi declined to comment about Mr Radke’s expulsion. However, when asked why the Shark had been closed while other entertainment venues featuring nude shows, and places such as massage parlors, remained untouched, he said, “We have the power to close such places whenever we wish. But we want to tackle the problem step by step.”