Transcript of the above video:

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing further easing of nightlife restrictions in Thailand. I got to think of making this video when reading a recent article from the Bangkok Post, that is bangkokpost.com, the article is titled: Bars call for end to midnight closing. Quoting further: "Vendors of alcoholic beverages and hotel and retail operators are calling for the further relaxation of nightlife entertainment rules and an extension of opening hours until 2:00 to 4:00 a.m. as pubs, bars and karaoke lounges struggle to survive." Quoting further: "Thanakorn Kuptajit, executive advisor at the Thai Alcohol Beverage Business Association, said the group was grateful for the Government's decision to allow entertainment venues to sell alcohol until midnight, although some regulations remain." I am going to come back to that in a minute. Quoting further: "but he urged the Government to relax other the rules imposed on service providers and customers if local infections continue to wain in order to facilitate nightlife spending by tourists."

Long story short, this is all a good thing. I think it should continue to happen. Not only do we need the revenue for the businesses and things, tax revenue, we do need tax revenue. I am the type of person, I am not in love with taxes but I kind of like roads, I mean I do enjoy certain Public Services. One thing that really struck an off note in this article, again quoting directly: "said the group was grateful for the Government's decision to allow entertainment venues to sell alcohol until midnight!" “Grateful!” What? Huh? No, nobody should be grateful. Either this thing is necessary and this is a public health initiative and they are just doing their jobs and things have evolved to the point where we no longer need that; no gratitude necessary they are doing their jobs OR and I am not saying this is the case, this is an overbearing rule that really isn't all that necessary and if that is the case, again gratitude is most definitely not necessary. Sometimes certain aspects of the English language media out here, I am kind of taking aback when I read something like that: "Grateful for the Government's decision to allow entertainment." Well they don't have the unfettered right to just close people's businesses. They did this for a specific reason under a specific section of the law and we have gone into that in other videos previously; the Communicable Diseases Act, the Emergency Decree associated therewith, it was supposed to be a temporary measure so long as it is needed and I would argue that its necessity is waning by the moment if it already hasn't been extinguished in the twilight of the past few months but let's leave that aside. But this whole notion of gratitude and all of this! No I mean it is either necessary for the public health and they are just doing what they need to do or if it isn't and they are doing it based on some arbitrary and capricious decision of theirs well that is not really right. They shouldn't be doing it, they shouldn't be shutting down people's businesses for that reason. So the thing I would hope is in the future we don't use the term "gratitude" when in connection with these kind of things in the future.