Footage shows Thai police raiding a brothel which was opening after hours amid an entertainment crackdown following a nightclub fire in which at least 16 people have died.

Officers stormed into the karaoke bar where prostitutes were entertaining drinkers in Chiang Mai province shortly after 3 am in the morning on August 10.

Cops arrested the manager Kasem Laomei, 30, for allegedly 'opening a service place without permission' and 'selling liquor beyond the allowed time'.

The arrest came as police around the country in busy tourist destinations cracked down on nightlife following the horror fire shortly before 1 am last Friday morning August 5.

Thirteen people trapped in the building were burned alive while a further three have since passed away in hospital. There are 16 others on ventilators in critical conditions in the hospital, amid fears the death toll could rise further.

Questions have been asked of police and local officials about how the nightclub - which was allegedly operating illegally - was able to stay open, despite residents making a number of complaints about noise in the weeks before the blaze.

Investigators are also probing whether there were other investors behind the club. It is common practice for police and local government officials to open nightlife venues to funnel dirty money - often obtained through corruption, criminality and bribes.

The owner, Pongsiri Panprasong, 27, has been arrested and charged with 'carelessness causing death' and 'setting up a place of service without permission'. He has since attended the funerals of some of the victims and reportedly paid families of the victims 50,000 Baht in compensation.

Officials around the country have now begun cracking down on bars and nightclubs, with many working illegally by paying bribes to local police and government officers.

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said: 'BMA staff have been instructed to inspect entrances, exits and fire exits. They will report findings at the fifth day of every month.'

Thailand was ranked 110 out of 180 on Transparency International's 2021 Corruption Perception Index. Denmark, Finland and New Zealand were ranked joint first place while South Sudan was at the bottom.