"VALENTINE'S DAY - Bangkok Post
Curfew aims to guard teens from sting of Cupid's arrow
City police have put a damper on the spirit of Valentine's Day with a 10pm curfew on teens under 18 to ensure they go home early and do not fall prey to sexual temptation. Police will patrol "risk areas" where teenage lovers may be tempted to share moments of tender intimacy tomorrow night. "Teenagers under 18 years old must return home before 10pm," the deputy chief of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, Kamol Kaewsuwan, said yesterday.

Risk areas include shopping malls, public parks, pubs and discos _ places where youngsters enjoy hanging out and partying. These places tended to encourage romantic passion, he said. Youngsters still out after 10pm will be arrested and given a warning, and their parents will be summoned to the police station and informed of their child's misconduct. "We are serious about inspecting those areas all day and all night," Pol Maj-Gen Kamol said. "Love is beautiful. But it's not necessary to end up having sex," he said. Children should learn the true meaning of romance. But, instead, passions seem to dominate teenage love and, in many cases, lead to life-threatening diseases.

A public health survey in 20 provinces last year revealed that 35% of male students and 28% of female students in vocational schools had their first sexual experience at the average age of 15. Only 35% of them used condoms and this has led to the alarming number of HIV infections among teenagers. HIV infections have jumped to more than 90,000 and continue to rise.

The government has launched a public relations campaign to discourage youngsters from having sex on Valentine's Day. Public Health Minister Mongkol na Songkhla said he was still optimistic. Most teenagers are not easily lured into having sex and always take care of their sexual health. His belief is compatible with a recent Abac poll which found that one-third of female respondents in a survey of 1,578 teenagers said they valued their virginity and would not fall into the trap of easy sex with their boyfriends."
Bangkok Post

The 10 p.m. curfew for under 18s made me wonder if Sunee Plaza will be deserted? :))

Similar Threads: