PHUKET: Police are preparing cases against entertainment venues at a hotel in Patong area alleged by a lawyer to have remained open after legal hours, governor Narong Woonciew said on Monday.
Lawyer Sitra Biabangkerd on Saturday posted a 3-minute video on his Facebook page saying he had received complaints from Phuket residents that the Patong Bay Hill Resort Hotel had kept its entertainment spots open after 11pm, the legal closing time. They were annoyed by the noise.
He questioned why the Phuket police chief had not enforced the law and instead turned a blind eye to this violation of Covid-19 rules.
Mr Sitra's Facebook post led to the transfer of the five top police officers at Patong to the operations centre at provincial police headquarters, pending an investigation.
Asked whether the hotel involved would be ordered closed, Mr Narong said he had assigned his deputy Anupap Rodkwan Yodrabam to look into the matter. The court's decision in the cases against the entertainment venues at the hotel would be taken into consideration, Mr Narong added.
The governor also said representatives of the private sector in Phuket had proposed that the Patong area be declared a special zone, where opening and closing times of businesses were different from other areas.
The proposal would be considered at a policy-making level, Mr Narong said.
He made no mention of the police transfers.