FDA To Lift Alcohol Advertising Ban Next Month

[Jai Dee]

Thai FDA to lift alcohol ad ban next month

Thailand's Food and Drug Administration will revoke its order totally banning the advertising of alcoholic beverages next month, FDA secretary-general Siriwat Tiptaradol said on Wednesday.

The FDA's move is to comply with the recent Cabinet instruction that the state agency must act according to the Council of State's resolution that the FDA had no authority to impose the ban.

In November last year, the Ministry of Public Health proposed a total 24-hour ban on all forms of advertising for beer, wine or hard liquor on TV, radio and print ads through a regulation issued by the FDA. But the proposed order, which was due to take effect on December 3, 2006, hit a major snag when the Council of State invalidated it, arguing that the FDA did not have authority to do so in the first instance.

The FDA-issued ban has prompted a fierce protest on the part of Thailand's giant breweries, as well as liquor importers and distributors, while the ban supporters have pressed the interim government to use its power to help it pass objections.

Even though it stood firm backing the ban at the beginning, the Cabinet in its recent meeting resolved in favour of the Council of State.

Dr. Siriwat said the FDA board will meet early February to consider officially lifting the ban.

Asked about the next move the FDA will take to control advertising for alcoholic beverages, the FDA chief said he did not think any agencies would like to carry forward this issue. It must be held on until a new alcohol control bill is enacted and enforced.

Regarding the suggested possibility of instructing the Public Relations Department to extend the hours for an alcohol ad ban on TV from the 10pm-5am at present to a longer period, Dr. Sirawat said that a further order needed to be issued, which would cause more difficulty. He also noted that it appeared that the liquor industry is powerful enough to hinder any attempt to ban alcohol ads.

Source: Business Day - 25 January 2007

[cclub75]

Thai FDA to lift alcohol ad ban next month

Typical. There is no legal ban. Only in the mind of some control freaks at the gvt, and stupid journalists, all of them afraid to loose face. But actually, they did. So drole.

This a perfect "cas d'ecole" of the speciality of thai authorities : "The Z-Turn".

Here is the recipe of the "Z-Turn". It works for a lot of kinds of ban : bikini, cigarettes, G-string, currency speculation, foreign businesses, free press, works too against terrorists and other bomb plotters, etc.

-15 november : "We put a ban. Yes. Khrap. Starts 1 december. Fxxxk you".

-outcry

-1 december. the cabinet : "Okay, we need more information. We give one month delay"

-then a court says : the ban is illegal

-then... big silence... especially from the people who have designed the ban.

-wait a little bit more

-and then, magic, it's official now, "Okay, we lift the ban"

[Silurian]

Maybe they can go one step more and get rid of the part of the law that forbids the sale of alcohol between 2pm and 5pm. I don't know how many times I end up at the store between these hours and unable to purchase a couple cans of beer. I never understood the logic behind this part of the rule.

[wintermute]

Haha..this is so typically thailand. "Hey! let's implement some half-wit policies without thinking it through then a few months or a year later let's flip flop and change our minds!"

This regime is wholely incompetent, have they done ANYTHING so far that works?

[John K]

Translation: cash inflow down.