Police is Thailand’s most famous tourist-attraction district Pattaya have been continuing raids at various nightclubs while there is crackdown on foreigners illegally staying in Thailand.
According to media report, a Walking Street nightclub was raided after hours for the third time in a year and now faces permanent closure. Flexx Club, located at the south end of Walking Street in Pattaya, was raided by Pattaya police around 4:30 am on March 27, 2023 with about 50 Thai and foreign customers still drinking and dancing.
Pattaya police blocked exits, divided customers by gender and checked ID cards. The manager was arrested and charged with operating the club without a license, selling alcoholic beverage beyond legal hours and staying open later than allowed.
Flexx Club was earlier raided multiple times, most recently at 3 am on December 3, 2022 and 5 am on July 24, 2022. Police source said, a letter will now be forwarded to the Chonburi governor’s office calling for the permanent closure of the venue due to its repeated license violations.
In July’s raid, three people were arrested for drug use, and 33 shisha pipes and three kilograms of illegal Baraku tobacco were seized. The club was closed and reopened illegally without a permit, police said. It may be mentioned here that, shisha and e-cigarette are banned in Thailand.
Iraqi national arrested in Thailand
An unemployed Iraqi man was arrested for overstaying his visa for eight years.
Khalid Majeed Ali, 52, was taken into custody on the front steps of his house on Soi Nernplubwan by Chonburi Immigration Police March 27, 2023. The distressed man fainted when officers arrived.
Police said Ali had been keeping a low profile in the Mabyailia Community for years. He did not work and did not socialize with neighbors.
Ali arrived in Thailand in November 2014 with a tourist visa and just 60 days allowed for his stay. His total overstay is 2,993 days. He will be deported and banned from the country for 10 years.
