January 24, 2005

Pub offers chance to forget world outside

JETJARAS NA RANONG

 Only spot in Pattani to let off some steam

 WASSANA NANUAM

 Pattani is a dangerous spot, judging from reports of daily shootings and bombings, but people here can still find a place to relax.

 Drive Pub is the only nightspot in Pattani where both Buddhist and Muslim alike go to drink, dance and ease tension.

 ``Nobody else dares open a pub here because the number of night revellers is so few. But we risked it, because we believe in a climate of fear and tension Pattani people also want to relax,'' said Damrong Wuthi, 38, manager of Drive Pub.

 The pub is now three years old and the business has survived, though with few customers. ``We can survive if we make 30,000 baht a day,'' Mr Damrong said.

 He said the number of customers dropped during the first half of last year as tensions increased, but in the second half, people started coming back. The pub puts on a dance show several nights a week, when more than 100 customers show up.

 At the start, the pub had no minimum charge. Later it asked customers to buy at least a drink for 90 baht on entering.

 ``Newspaper reports cause people to believe that danger is everywhere. In fact, everything appears normal. People still go out at night to dance and drink. They get used to the situation,'' he said.

 However, the pub does take precautions. Customers and their vehicles are checked for weapons, and customers must be over 18 years old, he said.

 A pub's resident band, with 12 musicians and singers, started playing here in early 2004. The women singers are beautiful and scantily clad. Their raunchy style of dancing and friendly banter keep patrons entertained.

 ``When on stage, we say nothing about the situation outside. We want people to forget. We only want to see them smile and laugh,'' said Thirasak ``Joke'' Raksa-ngern, the band leader from Udon Thani.

 To the band's 23-year-old singer, Sat, Pattani is like any other province although she said her family wished she would return to her hometown in Trat.

 With her beautiful voice and sexy outfits, Sat is a hit with patrons. ``There is no reason to be ashamed. It is just work.''

 Juthaporn ``Shampoo'' Suksa-nguan, 23, another singer from Kanchanaburi, said she had also worked in Hat Yai, Songkhla. She found Pattani a better place to live, despite the violence.

 Fowsee Je Musor, 26, a young Muslim from Yaring district, said he often visits Drive Pub to relax.

 ``For a Muslim, it is a sin to go to a place like this. But we have to entertain ourselves instead of living in fear or stress,'' Mr Fowsee said.