Chiang Mai police raided a pub on Huay Kaew Road on Friday night, finding what they described as around a hundred young people under 20 drinking alcohol inside, at a venue that turned out to have no entertainment licence.
The operation, dubbed “Clearing the Graveyard” in keeping with the Halloween season, was ordered by Maj Gen Yuttana Kaenchan, chief of Chiang Mai Provincial Police. It was led on the ground by Col Narubal Jittayanan, deputy provincial police chief, who is also standing in for the superintendent of Chang Phueak Police Station. Officers went in after receiving complaints that the pub was letting minors in.
Police have filed two charges: operating an entertainment venue without a licence, and selling alcohol to people under 20. They also plan to ask district authorities to ban the premises from operating as an entertainment venue for five years.
Police used the occasion to remind all operators to follow the law, check customers’ ages and stop selling alcohol to anyone under 20.
