ZONE:

It is policy here that nightspots should close at 2:30 in the morning. That is not to say that policies are always enforced. But recently, this one has been.

There are lots of possible reasons for the crackdown. For one thing, the government recently changed, and the new administration represents a new political party - and it wants to show it means business.

Also, there is the drug problem. The Golden Triangle is coming out with a new product lately: methamphetimines. Police and the military here are working overtime to staunch the outflow of meth ingredients to Burma and the inflow of ready-to-take drugs into Thailand, with mixed success. Since stopping the drugs at the wholesale level is not entirely effective, they are going after it at the retail level as well, late at night.

According to the Bangkok Post, a new drug is gaining popularity in Thailand as well: Ecstasy, long popular in the west, is gaining a foothold here, and a slippery group of suppliers and users may be making the rounds of Bangkok night-spots after hours.

Then, of course, there are always the unofficial complaints. Whenever the son of a prominent politician gets into a barroom brawl, it seems that all the nightclubs close early for a time. These days, it's a matter of speculation on the dance-floor: in the words of one gay party-boy, "Whose alcoholic son are we protecting now?"