The
Asoke Plaza Night Entertainment Area was demolished today without warning. Twenty-one
bar beers,
Pool Bars and other
Nightspots were reduced to rubble after only minutes'
prior warning to venue owners. For the second time in less than two years, a powerful
Bangkok landowner has destroyed an entire
Night Entertainment Area - today's surprise demolition reminiscent of
Vice Czar / Politician Chuwit Kamolvisit's orchestrated
Mafia attack in 2003 which destroyed over a hundred businesses at
Sukhumvit Square (sixty of them
Night Entertainment Venues),
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The Asoke Plaza sign is the only reminder of what used to be the popular Nightspot. Bent metal frames and wreckage are now strewn across the entire area.
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Rubble and roofing frames are all that remain of the B-52 Pool Bar.
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Although owners of some of the 21
Night Venues that were ransacked today attempted to downplay the surprise nature of the
Night Entertainment Area demolition (with stories of having heard rumors to that effect yesterday), others were more candid. They admitted outright to
MIDNITE HOUR that they did not in fact have any warning. There is much solid evidence in support of this - the most obvious was the owners themselves picking through the ruins for salvageable items - items that they would have removed if, in fact they had had any warning at all. As we took photographs this evening, we were requested by some of the bar owners to take specific pictures of the establishments that were only hours ago their sole source of 'bread and butter'. They (the owners) wanted the photos as hard evidence of what was once theirs, and how much fell under the wrecking crews' hammers. One kind woman asked us to take a picture of her neon sign, a small sign that she said she didn't even have time to remove before the area was leveled.
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A ceiling fan and what is left of a barstool sit atop the debris of what was the Sawasdee bar beer.
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Popeye's couldn't get their sign down before the demolition crews rendered it useless.
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It was claimed by some on the ground there that the land owner had all the necessary legalities taken care of prior to the wrecking of the
Night Venues - and weight was given to this rumor by the excessive number of
Bangkok's Finest present at the scene of destruction. This 'fact' however, is subject to conjecture to say the least, as few of the buildings demolished today were built by the owner, and all fixtures and property within were the personal property of the bar owners. Not to mention the fact that the bar leases run from month end to month end - and this leaves the question of whether the bar owners who had already paid their rent would be getting their money back. (If
Sukhumvit Square was any indication, they might as well give it up.
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The shambles that was the Titano (also a victim of Sukhumvit Square last year.)
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The tiny Fantacy was dragged out onto the sidewalk, lock stock and barstool. One of Bangkok's Finest watches from a distance as the bar seemingly stays open.
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MIDNITE HOUR will be providing expanded coverage and additional photographs in the coming days and weeks - as they come to hand. Full coverage will also appear in our 01 January 2005 edition, along with the revised - and final -
Thumbnail History. In the coming days, we will publish our new map showing
Asoke Plaza (Cowboy Annex) as it was immediately prior to it's demolition. In the meantime, please read on below, and see a complete listing of
Night Entertainment Venues as of this morning, 14 December, 2004, prior to the axe falling.
William R. Morledge
