With soldiers closing down Bangkok's notorious go-go bars and tourists forced to sneak sips of beer from paper cups, Thailand is dialling down its raucous party scene out of respect for the country's late monarch. The passing this week of 88-year-old Bhumibol Adulyadej has thrust the Buddhist nation into a period of profound mourning, with masses of tearful Thais filling the streets to pay respect to a king worshipped as an exemplar of moral virtue.
Like nearly all of their compatriots, Thai bar girls swapped their normally racy attire for more modest black dresses and shoes when they showed up to work Friday night. In Bangkok's Soi Cowboy -- a famed alleyway of luridly lit go-go bars and a barometer of the city's adherence to temperance during coups, street protests and religious days -- patrons who trickled through were soon disappointed. At around 10pm soldiers pulled the plug on the blinding neon lights as they enforced an early closing time in compliance with government orders to "tone down" celebrations as the nation grieves. "Suddenly the army came. It was a group of five guys," said Geroem Bonami, a 31-year-old tourist from Belgium. "We were asked to pay and they started to tidy up everything and the girls disappeared."
Minutes after the ailing monarch's passing was announced on Thursday, Thailand's junta chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha took to national television to declare a one-year official mourning period. He also asked the public to refrain from celebrations for at least 30 days, and dozens of events -- from concerts to fun runs, wedding parties and religious festivals -- have been cancelled since. Television networks are also under orders not to broadcast any overly joyous images -- such as dancing -- with one major channel saying it would not be airing its roaringly popular soap opera series.
While the military regime has not issued an all-out ban on alcohol, which is common on Buddhist holidays, many shops have opted to stop selling drinks and bars around the capital are taking special measures to show that no one is having too much fun. On the Khaosan road, a grubby centre for foreign tourists a stone's throw away from the king's palace, bars silenced the normally pounding music and served alcohol in paper cups instead of beer towers and buckets. "There's no music tonight and no party because all the people are so sad. Everywhere in Bangkok, you cannot have loud music," explained Ret Chhuon, a Thai barman, adding he was worried about an extended loss of custom. "But we must do this because the king has died and we are so sad."
Bhumibol was the only king most Thais have ever known, a father figure with an image of moral rectitude whose loss has profoundly touched millions in the country. On Friday tens of thousands of his grieving subjects, many holding aloft portraits of the king, lined the route of a motorcade that bore his body to the royal palace in Bangkok from the hospital were he died at the age of 88.
Foreign governments have urged their citizens to act respectfully as the kingdom mourns, while Thai tourist authorities have asked travellers to dress in sombre and appropriate clothing. Analysts have warned that any protracted clampdown on the party scene could drive visitors away and hurt the tourism sector -- a crucial pillar of the kingdom's economy. On the Khaosan Road some visitors said they were happy to keep it low-key, but would likely leave Thailand if the party didn't rev up again soon. "If after a couple of days there are still no parties and alcohol, I might leave Thailand, said a 24-year-old Dutch tourist who only gave his name as Kaz. Others were simply awed by the mass outpourings of grief. "It hasn't put a downer on the holiday," said British tourist Callum Knight. "We got to see a part of history."
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Black clothing booms
Thailand's government has warned of a national shortage of black clothing, which is flying off shelves as a distraught nation mourns their beloved late king. The commerce ministry also said it would work with manufacturers to ensure a stable supply of mourning wear while threatening stiff punishments for price-gouging by merchants.
Thailand has been plunged into grief. A range of public activities have been cancelled and television programming and nightlife has been ordered to tone it down for the next month out of respect. The directives have raised some concern that the economy would suffer, but sales of black clothing, at least, are booming.
The commerce ministry's director-general of internal trade Nuntawan Sakuntanaga has called on consumers to put off purchases of mourning wear until manufacturers can catch up with demand. "The supply of black shirts may be low for a few days but garment manufacturers have insisted that there will not be a shortage, while they will quote prices as normal," she said, according to The Nation. Since the king's death, black clothing was being sold at double the normal price in some cases, Nuntawan said. Price-gougers could face fines of up to 140,000 baht (Rs 26 lakhs) and seven years in jail, she added.
