89 travelers were arrested in a Thailand bar raid for violating covid-19 restrictions
Thai police arrested 109 people on Tuesday after raiding an illegal bar party on the island of Koh Phangnan. Eighty-nine of the arrests were visitors from 10 foreign countries, including the United States, Britain, Switzerland and Denmark, according to the Associated Press.
The partygoers received suspended one-month jail terms, which will not apply if they exhibit “good behavior” for one year, and $130 fines via videoconferenced hearings on Thursday. According to CNN, 10 Americans were in attendance, and all of the partygoers tested negative for the coronavirus after arrest.
[The U.S. is requiring covid-19 tests for international entry. Experts say the approach is flawed.]
The business, ThreeSixtyBar, had promoted the party on its social media channels as a five-year birthday party for itself, and sold tickets for the event online, which is how police discovered the illegal party, according to the Bangkok Post.
Thailand currently allows foreigners, including Americans, to enter the country if they quarantine in approved lodging for 14 days after displaying negative results from a coronavirus test taken no more than 72 hours prior. Due to those strict entry requirements, most foreigners currently in Thailand are likely long-term visitors who will need to meet their home countries’ testing and quarantine requirements to leave.
“They are stranded tourists who can’t leave Thailand due to covid,” Koh Phangnan Police Col. Panya Nirattimanon told CNN. “They may think it is OK to gather in large groups and I think they may want to relax and have some fun.”
Thailand has been under a state of emergency since March because of the coronavirus, which bans gatherings. Confirmed cases of covid-19 have been rising in the country since mid-December, which is when Thailand reopened to travelers with strict health protocols in place for arrivals. Koh Phangnan is a popular backpacking island known for its raucous full-moon parties, which have not been permitted since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
The bar apologized on Facebook following the raid, saying the owner believed the party was permitted because of low case counts in the area. The post called the event a “terrible mistake.”
Over 20 Thai individuals were also arrested in the raid, including the bar owner and bartenders, who received the same fines as well as two-year prison sentences (also suspended for one year, pending good behavior) for violating national health protocols.
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