Clinton Plaza
Encyclopedia
Clinton Plaza was a thriving but short-lived nightlife district
in Bangkok
, Thailand
, located on Sukhumvit Road
between Soi
13 and Soi 15. Its location was excellent, being midway between the Nana Entertainment Plaza
to the west and the Soi Cowboy
nightlife area to the east.
The plaza, the brainchild of a Dutchman and an American, began as a collection of beer bars in 1998. The following year it was named after then U.S. president Bill Clinton
, and a number of lively go-go bars appeared in 2000. Many of the names were tongue in cheek jabs at the president, including Monica Beer Bar, Bill's Coffee House and the White House.
In 2001 the Interior Minister of Thailand, Purachai Piumsombun, began a campaign to enforce his somewhat puritanical ideas of social order. Closing hours for all bars and nightclubs were cut back to 1 am and nude dancers were definitely frowned on. The shortened hours, combined with contractual disputes related to redevelopment plans, led to the complete shut down of the bar area by May 2003. The existing structures were razed and a hotel has since been built on the location.
The Clinton Plaza bars Checkpoint Charlie and Hollywood-a-Go-Go appear in Jordan Clark
's 2005 documentary Falang: Behind Bangkok's Smile which takes a rather critical view of sex tourism
in Thailand.
Red-light district
A red-light district is a part of an urban area where there is a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, adult theaters, etc...
in Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, located on Sukhumvit Road
Sukhumvit Road
Sukhumvit Road , or Thailand Route 3 , is a major road in Thailand, and a major surface road of Bangkok and other cities it winds through. It follows a coastal route from Bangkok to Trat and is just over in length....
between Soi
Soi
Soi is the term used in Thailand for a side-street branching off a major street . An alley is called a Trok .Sois are usually numbered, and are referred to by the name of the major street and the number, as in "Soi Sukhumvit 4", "Sukhumvit Soi 4", or "Sukhumvit 4", all referring to the fourth soi...
13 and Soi 15. Its location was excellent, being midway between the Nana Entertainment Plaza
Nana Plaza
Nana Plaza is a 3 storey red-light district in Bangkok, which is rumoured to be the largest sex complex in the world. It is located on Sukhumvit Road Soi 4 across from the Nana Hotel, within walking distance of the BTS Skytrain's "Nana Station"...
to the west and the Soi Cowboy
Soi Cowboy
Soi Cowboy is a red-light district in Bangkok, Thailand. A short street with some 40 bars, it is similar to Nana Plaza and Patpong and caters mainly to tourists and expatriates....
nightlife area to the east.
The plaza, the brainchild of a Dutchman and an American, began as a collection of beer bars in 1998. The following year it was named after then U.S. president Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, and a number of lively go-go bars appeared in 2000. Many of the names were tongue in cheek jabs at the president, including Monica Beer Bar, Bill's Coffee House and the White House.
In 2001 the Interior Minister of Thailand, Purachai Piumsombun, began a campaign to enforce his somewhat puritanical ideas of social order. Closing hours for all bars and nightclubs were cut back to 1 am and nude dancers were definitely frowned on. The shortened hours, combined with contractual disputes related to redevelopment plans, led to the complete shut down of the bar area by May 2003. The existing structures were razed and a hotel has since been built on the location.
The Clinton Plaza bars Checkpoint Charlie and Hollywood-a-Go-Go appear in Jordan Clark
Jordan Clark
Jordan Clark is an English cricketer. Clark is a right-handed batsman who bowls right-arm medium pace and who occasionally fields as a wicket-keeper. He was born in Whitehaven, Cumbria and was educated at Sedbergh School....
's 2005 documentary Falang: Behind Bangkok's Smile which takes a rather critical view of sex tourism
Sex tourism
Sex tourism is travel to engage in sexual activity with prostitutes.The World Tourism Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations, defines sex tourism as "trips organized from within the tourism sector, or from outside this sector but using its structures and networks, with the primary...
in Thailand.