Somsak Suksai

Lampang - Illegal liquor producers in the North are working overtime to produce enough moonshine to cater to the thirsts of labourers and other workers in Bangkok and the surrounding areas, a local official said here yesterday.

Illegal liquor producers, mostly in Lampang and Phrae, are reportedly expanding their markets into Bangkok and nearby provinces to serve large numbers of migrant labourers in the capital, said Supak Nakthewan, Lampang's chief excise officer.

However, small-scale local producers are not the only ones trying to tap into the moonshine market. According to the official, major registered local distillers have also been secretly manufacturing and distributing illegal liquor.

The sale of outlawed spirits throughout the North has increased considerably over the past year, the official said. There are more than 400 lawsuits still outstanding against local producers in connection with the fermenting and sale of illegal moonshine, he said.

Mr Supak said at least 20 major local distillers registered with the provincial excise offices in Lampang and Phrae are suppliers of illegal moonshine themselves.

"They have built extensive networks to distribute their products in the upper North for years," he said.

"It is tough to control and crack down on them. Six fast-moving units have been set up to stalk them, but staff numbers are still inadequate."

He said moonshine dealers had been marketing illegal liquor in Bangkok and nearby provinces for a number of years, with the increasing number of workers there as their prime targets.

Last year, more than three million baht in tax was collected from local distillers, but sales of illegal liquor are still thriving despite tough measures against them.

Lampang and Phrae are major producers of starter cultures - small balls of starch rich in various microbes used to assist liquor fermentation.

http://www.bangkokpost.net/News/06Apr2007_news09.php

can't be so ,

there's specific legislation to address this very issue .......................

And I pose the question:

How would an across the board ban on alcholol advertising fix this problem???

Absolutely no idea!!

Soundman.