AS MANY AS 500 revellers among them Thai and foreign tourists were found partying at Vampire pub in Pathumwan district in a raid mounted after a tip-off that it stays open till 4 a.m. in violation of the midnight closing time with underage youths allowed in, Amarin TV said today (June 11).
Officials of the Department of Provincial Administration who raided the packed pub together with Pathumwan police also found drugs, mainly crystal methamphetamine (Ice) and Ecstasy, stashed in ziplock bags and wrapped in notes scattered on the floor.
While 26 youths did not have their ID card with them, they were fined after verification but none of them were below 18 years of age. At the sametime 17 customers later tested positive for drug use and have been sent for rehabilitation.
This pub has a secret entrance with there being no sign in front of the commercial building where it is located. Patrons have to go in and then pass through a secret door to go up to the second floor where the venue actually is.
Mr. Ronnarong Thipsiri, head of the Department of Provincial Administration’s law enforcement centre, revealed that the premises of this pub used to be a garage but it was later converted into a pub mainly catering to foreigners. However in 2018 it was closed down under the order of the National Council for Peace and Order.
It reopened again in February last year under a new owner, a Thai national, who bought out the business but he does not have a licence to operate this entertainment venue.
He also told police he did not know this pub was ordered shut for five years. However police said as the pub is next to a school it has to be closed permanently.
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Raid on Vampire pub in the wee hours of this morning. Photos: Amarin TV
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