Poolice have reportedly informed bar and club operators in Patpong that all venues must be closed with lights out by 2 a.m. 

It’s rumored that the order, which takes effect on Monday, could be a measure taken in connection with the big APEC gathering next month.

Is any bar there currently open at 2am?

They may technically close at 2, but if customers still there they will keep going till they leave or police come along and say time to go home.   

At 2 a.m. I'm usually romantically engaged so can, t care less

11 hours ago, reader said:

Poolice have reportedly informed bar and club operators in Patpong that all venues must be closed with lights out by 2 a.m. 

So, um, where are the after-hours clubs?

They are called our bedrooms

Maybe a reaction to the big bust of that Chinese club a few days

8 hours ago, paulsf said:

They may technically close at 2, but if customers still there they will keep going till they leave or police come along and say time to go home.   

Absolutely NOT true.
All the Patpong bars under Bang Rak jurisdiction have been ordered to close at 02:00 --- and they have done!
One soi 4 'bar' used to open till the early hours, has been ordered to close at 02:00 for one month. (this, considering it's ownership is surprising!).

However, walk along Silom to Saladeng, another police district, and one bar close to Silom, is packed into the street!

Now I have seen this ,over the years, whenever a new commander takes over a district, it all becomes very strict for a week or two.

Read into that all you like. I'm only talking from 20+ years being a local.

And I just live down the street from Patpong and know what I see. (And hear) So absolutely true.   

if there’s one thing I’ve learned about Bangkok (this is, after all, Thailand), there are no absolutes. What is true today is not necessarily so tomorrow.

 I was sitting at the bar with PaulSF when the bartender related the news about the closing and how it would affect what they’ll do going forward. 

i agree that new district police commanders frequently exercise their authority as a way of announcing their arrival only to revert to same same once they’re known and established.

Yesterday the cops closed all the massage shops on Silom Soi 6 at 16:00 only to allow them to reopen three hours later. 
 

 

 

4 hours ago, paulsf said:

And I just live down the street from Patpong and know what I see. (And hear) So absolutely true.   

Yes paul, of course we all know that to be true but I was talking about an order that went out LAST night. I promise that all bars obeyed last night and as you know, you live on the border of at least two different police districts. 
As I pointed out, further along Silom different rules applied.
As I also said, this seems to be an annual thing when police commanders(?) change and after a few days it all settles down again with some bars flouting the overall regulations.

I can foresee it becoming strict again during the forthcoming APEC conference next month.

And if you had made this post first instead of telling me I’m wrong we wouldn’t be having this conversation.  
I mostly agree with your second post. 

34 minutes ago, paulsf said:

And if you had made this post first instead of telling me I’m wrong we wouldn’t be having this conversation.  
I mostly agree with your second post. 

Sorry to have impinged on your important time.

9 hours ago, reader said:

 

Yesterday the cops closed all the massage shops on Silom Soi 6 at 16:00 only to allow them to reopen three hours later

 

That, s just outright lunacy

13 hours ago, reader said:

Yesterday the cops closed all the massage shops on Silom Soi 6 at 16:00 only to allow them to reopen three hours later. 

I wonder what happened to the customers who were within the premises at 16:00 and halfway through a massage....

Was the "treatment" suspended and resumed 3 hours later 😛?

Shops were informed about an hour in advance from what I understand. 

2 hours ago, reader said:

Shops were informed about an hour in advance from what I understand. 

At least that makes sense