The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has revoked the licence of a massage parlour in Huai Khwang district following a police raid on a pub that was operating illegally inside the compound and where many Chinese tourists were found using drugs.
Two senior police officers attached to the Makkasan police station were transferred to inactive posts following the raid that took place at 3am on Friday.
Police and officials from the Huai Khwang district office on Saturday posted the BMA order in front of a building housing Meree Massage on New Phetchaburi Road.
Paithoon Ngammook, the director of the district office, said the massage parlour had been registered as a juristic person 50 years ago. It once sent a representative to the office to request a licence to operate an entertainment venue.
District officials later inspected the site and found it had not met safety requirements. The licence was not granted. There had been no contact between the business and the district office until news about the raid broke on Friday, he said.
Mr Paithoon said authorities had to shut down the massage parlour to set a precedent because the illegally operated pub was located inside the same building.
Officials also put up a large placard announcing the licence revocation at the building and prohibited the use of the building for five years.
A complaint would be filed against the pub for operating without permission. The offence carries a jail term of up to 6 months and/or a fine of up to 50,000 baht, he said.
On Friday, police from the Children and Women Protection Division and the Office of the Narcotics Control Board raided the Diamond KTV pub inside the massage parlour and arrested 48 Chinese tourists and five Thais. All were detained for questioning at the Makkasan police station.
At least four types of drugs — cocaine, ketamine, ecstasy and “happy water”, which is an illicit drug cocktail — were confiscated, along with drug-taking paraphernalia.
Police said on Saturday that a total of 56 people, including the 48 Chinese tourists, were detained during the raid.
Authorities said on Friday that the operation of the business they raided was similar to that of the infamous Jinling pub. The latter was the target of a raid last year that touched off investigations into widespread Chinese gang activity in the country.
Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police Division 1 on Saturday signed an order to transfer two senior officers at the Makkasan station following the raid.
The officers were Pol Col Jarin Lamluek, superintendent of the station, and Pol Lt Col Booncharaat Chote, deputy superintendent for investigation.
They were transferred, effective immediately, to the MPD Operations Centre 1.
