Further inquiries needed on Songkran booze ban

By THE NATION

 

 

DRINKERS are being kept on tenterhooks after a ministerial panel on alcohol control has not yet decided whether to ban sales of booze during the upcoming Songkran festival.
 

The idea of forbidding consumption of alcohol during the festival was an attempt by the authorities to reduce the soaring number of road accidents.

 

 Dr Nipon Chinanonvej, director of the office of the committee on alcohol control at the Public Health Ministry, said that a proposal had been submitted to the committee to ban sales of alcohol during Songkran Day that falls on April 13 every year.

 

However, consideration of the plan has been delayed as the panel’s chairman, Deputy Prime Minster Chatchai Salikalaya, was absent when it was due to be discussed on March 15 and has since ordered further inquiries into all the issues involved. “There is not yet a new schedule to consider the proposal,” he said.

 

Nipon said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha had instructed that the laws be reinforced in order to decrease road accidents during the water festival.

 

Meanwhile Nikorn Chamnong, chairman of the People’s Safety Foundation, said that the powers-that-be should carefully consider whether banning the sale of alcohol during the Songkran festival was a good idea as suitable and appropriate measures had already been put in place.

 

“Moreover the cause of road accidents is not only drunk driving but also includes speeding and exhausted drivers,” said Nikorn, who is also director of Chartthaipattana Party. “Judging from the New Year festival, the cause of the road accidents by drunk driving has already reduced. I personally disagree with the ban during the water |festival.” 

 

The government should also respect the rights of other people who do not drive and want to enjoy the long holiday, Nikorn said.

 

Dr Nipon added that his department would intensify restrictions on the sale of alcohol beyond the allowed period and offenders could face a prison sentence of up to six months and a fine of up to Bt10,000. Moreover, those found to be selling alcohol to those under 20 years or in a drunken state could also be jailed for up to six months or be fined up to Bt20,000.

 

Nipon revealed that Pol Lt-General Damrongsak Kittiprapas, assistant national police chief and acting as chairman of a sub-committee on prevention and suppression of violators of the Alcohol Control Act, had already told police to strengthen the use of laws to help decrease road accidents during Songkran festival.

 

Other officials from authorities, such as the Excise Department, will jointly visit places that were known to be crowded with revellers, including late-finishing Songkran fairs, to make sure that the laws were being strictly followed.

 

To sell booze by the roadside was certainly illegal, the doctor |said, as they had no licence to sell. Offenders could be fined up to Bt5,000.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30366742

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-03-29

32 minutes ago, webfact said:

DRINKERS are being kept on tenterhooks after a ministerial panel on alcohol control has not yet decided whether to ban sales of booze during the upcoming Songkran festival.

They can, maybe, ban sales during Songkran, but as far as consumption goes, there are two hopes of stopping that.......................................... Bob Hope and NO Hope ! 

Come to Thailand they said. Enjoy Thai New year they said....But don't drink alcohol or we will jail you they said...????

Perhaps TAT could advertise this as part of their campaign to lure the Chinese tourist. I'm sure it'll go down a treat

 

 

 

I applaud the desire to reduce traffic fatalities during Songkran, but banning the sale and/or consumption of booze is idiotic; people are going to drink no matter what the government says.

 

If the government is serious about reducing fatalities, then force the police to get out of their air-conditioned office and patrol the roads properly.

 

The problem is not that booze is available, or that laws aren't strict enough.

 

The problem is piss poor policing.

 

2 hours ago, webfact said:

has not yet decided whether to ban sales of booze during the upcoming Songkran festival.

great example of a country fumbling to govern itself

Bullshit.

 

4 hours ago, webfact said:

to make sure that the laws were being strictly followed.

Well, that would be a first. As anyone who has experienced a few Songkran celebrations can tell you, all rules are broken all of the time. Kids, 4 up on a m'bike with no license and drinking, pick-ups overfilled with standing passengers, roadside water throwing at fast moving m'bikes. All these things are illegal and seriously dangerous but common. Songkran is Thailand in its rebellion to authority and laws, drinking alcohol being the most favoured pastime and messing with it will just induce laughter and disbelieve. Politicians and police are practical people, they know to leave this well alone. 

4 hours ago, webfact said:

the plan has been delayed as the panel’s chairman, Deputy Prime Minster Chatchai Salikalaya, was absent when it was due to be discussed on March 15 and has since ordered further inquiries into all the issues involved. “There is not yet a new schedule to consider the proposal,”

From this one gets a clear picture on the level of priority the government places on road safety.

Or more accurately the dilemma they face in causing a serious loss of booze sales revenue to the big beverage companies.

1. Minister fails to show up for the meeting on March 15th. (initial pressure applied)

2. There is no new schedule to consider the proposal. (pressure intensified)

 

 

3 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

I applaud the desire to reduce traffic fatalities during Songkran, but banning the sale and/or consumption of booze is idiotic; people are going to drink no matter what the government says.

 

If the government is serious about reducing fatalities, then force the police to get out of their air-conditioned office and patrol the roads properly.

 

The problem is not that booze is available, or that laws aren't strict enough.

 

The problem is piss poor policing.

 

They appear unprepared, untrained, unwilling, incapable and disinterested in mobile traffic patrols. 

Typical Thai shortsightedness. There is SOOOOO much more money in proper driver training then upholding the road laws. Would that mean the BiB would have to get off their well padded derrieres to enforce the laws? YES! Are they gonna do it?

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Dr Nipon added that his department would intensify restrictions on the sale of alcohol beyond the allowed period and offenders could face a prison sentence of up to six months and a fine of up to Bt10,000. Moreover, those found to be selling alcohol to those under 20 years or in a drunken state could also be jailed for up to six months or be fined up to Bt20,000.

 

4 hours ago, webfact said:

To sell booze by the roadside was certainly illegal, the doctor |said, as they had no licence to sell. Offenders could be fined up to Bt5,000.

 

So, the punishment for selling booze without a licence is less that selling it if you have a licence!

I think the most accidents will happen the two days before and after songkran when everyone is on the way home or back...

However, at the end of the day they can blame the problem on a foreigner, the guy who turned water to wine and leaked the recipe to a Thai.

That will go down well in Phuket, No Booze and No Water great if you are on Holiday

4 hours ago, Thaiwrath said:

They can, maybe, ban sales during Songkran, but as far as consumption goes, there are two hopes of stopping that.......................................... Bob Hope and NO Hope ! 

Two chances - fat and slim ????

3 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

I applaud the desire to reduce traffic fatalities during Songkran, but banning the sale and/or consumption of booze is idiotic; people are going to drink no matter what the government says.

 

If the government is serious about reducing fatalities, then force the police to get out of their air-conditioned office and patrol the roads properly.

 

The problem is not that booze is available, or that laws aren't strict enough.

 

The problem is piss poor policing.

 

only way you can reduce the road fatalities is to start with education ie start with the present school leavers .have a road safety campaign in school it will take 2 generations to sort it out but it has to start with the young generation  .you see it all the time at school teachers showing 14 year olds where to park their motorcycles ,and all with no helmets? you carnt change from the top down you have to start at the bottom . 

Agree with pretty much every comment made so far. This idea seems to be wheeled out every year or so and never comes to anything.

 

Stupid idea anyway as the only way things will  change is through better education better driver training tougher driver testing and MUCH better policing. 

Why do they insist on these constant peeing in the wind attempts at reducing the carnage on the roads, do something that may take some time but will eventually work.

 

As an aside I live in a rural Isan town and Songkran is way quieter now than a few years ago the road blocks with drunken teens molesting girls on motorbikes has pretty much gone and most water throwing is by young kids. I put this down to lack of funds and more teens working away from home than any government measures to stop drinking.

 

 

Another smoke and mirrors suggestion by the people who are in charge that don't have any chance of passing even if it does then you got what you always had no enforcement.

 

The problem is much bigger than during Songkran if it was recognized that would be a start to solve it to a reasonable level.  It is a culture problem Songkran is the time when they celebrate this problem which creates a lot of other problems they themselves in the past have used Section 44 to try to correct!

Actually, I really hope that they ban alcohol sales.  Then watch the floor drop out of the bottom of the tourist numbers.  May as well start fining people for throwing water to, then they can completely kill the holiday and it's heritage.  I've no dog in this fight.  I stay home in our village, I might have a couple of beers or nothing at all, I don't 'play water' (been there, done that, don't need to do it any more, but when I used to do it I had a really wonderful time), and we visit old people and pay our respects.  But!!!  I recognize Songkran as a really one of a kind holiday and have in the past suggested to my foreign friends to make the trip over and enjoy the world's biggest water fight.
So please -- Thai government.  Go ahead a drive a stake though the heart of this holiday, they follow-up by destroying Loi Kraton by completely banning Komfai lanterns and all fireworks.  And you've already destroyed the street markets at least in Bangkok, so you can keep working at destroying street markets in other cities like Chiang Mai, Pattaya, Phuket, and elsewhere, and of course, sanitize places like Koaw San Road - why not gentrify it too.
Honestly - what good is power if you can't control the masses and make sure that they aren't allowed to have fun.  Having power means you can make people miserable, destroy popular cultural events, implement boring Hi-So events only the rich can attend, and wipe out the events that brought tourists to your country -- but you have all the power!!!  Oh boy oh boy.  Ain't power great.  As Henry Kissinger once said, "Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac."

5 hours ago, webfact said:

The idea of forbidding consumption of alcohol during the festival was an attempt by the authorities to reduce the soaring number of road accidents.

By the way, if you look at the actual statistics, I believe you'll find that the traffic fatalities are lower during the holidays (Sonkran, New Years, Loi Kraton) then during any given average non-holiday day.  So now what?  Why not ban alcohol permanently in Thailand.  Make it a dry country.  That will take care of the problem.  And if people keep drinking - build more jails. 
No booze, no drugs, heck, ban sex too.  Maybe you can bypass the USA as the incarceration capital of the world.

1 hour ago, Benmart said:

They appear unprepared, untrained, unwilling, incapable and disinterested in mobile traffic patrols. 

I have to ask you a question, well actuallt two, how long have you been here and how many times have you seen a police car on the road patrolling and pulling someone over. They do not train for this nor is part of their culture. Stop expecting to see something happening that has never happened and never will

yeah this'll work! 

 

our people are too stupid to stock up the day before (cue: evil laugh!!!)

 

[facepalm]

Someone (above) used the expression ,

"Road deaths during Songkran are SOARING".

I beg to differ -looks fairly consistently bad according to this chart ....

 

SOURCE - http://www.thaiwebsites.com/caraccidents.asp

 

 

9 minutes ago, moe666 said:

I have to ask you a question, well actuallt two, how long have you been here and how many times have you seen a police car on the road patrolling and pulling someone over. They do not train for this nor is part of their culture. Stop expecting to see something happening that has never happened and never will

 

actually it does happen and i've witnessed it a few times. however its rare for, as my thai friend's explained, the police are loath to enter into blind confrontations

 

not paid for that level of danger i guess!

 

5 hours ago, Thaiwrath said:

They can, maybe, ban sales during Songkran, but as far as consumption goes, there are two hopes of stopping that.......................................... Bob Hope and NO Hope ! 

Exactly, no hope until they get real and change the traffic behaviour, the new government could easily do this from previous knowledge and use attitude adjustment camps.

They could use the whole of Thailand as the area for the camp.

Face the Fact: There are never less traffic victims than over the Songkran days. 

They should ban all the alcohol factories in Thailand. An easy way to guide Thailand towards the alcohol-free country. Everybody will be happy not to come to Thailand.

Who's this Prime Minister Prayut???? Thought we just had an election!!!!!!!!!! 

Is there really no limit to their stupidity. Ban sales during Songkran, so people will simply buy before Songkran. You have to be a special kind of stupid to not realise that is what people will do. These 'officials' seem to have the mind of a three-year-old.

1 hour ago, gregsmithy said:

Why do they insist on these constant peeing in the wind attempts at reducing the carnage on the roads, do something that may take some time but will eventually work.

 

You don't understand the Thai mentality. They can appear to be concerned and to be doing something when all they are actually doing is nothing at all. Saying something is not the same as doing something, which is too much effort. But then the authorities can say that they tried. Their conscience is clear, while the people do what they always do when such stupid declarations are made - they ignore them.

50 minutes ago, moe666 said:

I have to ask you a question, well actuallt two, how long have you been here and how many times have you seen a police car on the road patrolling and pulling someone over. They do not train for this nor is part of their culture. Stop expecting to see something happening that has never happened and never will

We're just back from UK, yearly reality check, and my wife made comment on the number of police cars on the motorways and in general around the roads.

In addition she mentioned how much more relaxed she felt travelling by road in the UK. 

Yes you do see the idiots now and then but most times you also see them pulled over 10 miles further on.

PS.

Road works are a nightmare on the M5, down to 1 (one) lane in a couple of places.