Foreigners online slam "ridiculous" booze ban - no drinking from 6pm Saturday to 6pm Sunday

[webfact]

Foreigners online slam "ridiculous" booze ban - no drinking from 6pm Saturday to 6pm Sunday

 

File photo for reference only
 

Foreigners living in Thailand have been taking to social media to slam this weekend's alcohol ban due to local elections.

 

The sale and distribution of alcohol and even parties with alcohol are banned from 6pm Saturday to 6 pm Sunday for the Provincial Administration Organisation elections. 

 

Foreigners, of course, have no right to vote. 

 

Weddings and parties can go ahead but they must be dry, reported Sophon Cable TV in Pattaya saying that violators will go to jail for six months or be fined 10,000 baht. 

 

When the ban was announced earlier in the week many foreigners went online to say it should not apply to them. English language print media in Thailand is reporting that the elections will be a "damp squib" with many Thais not even bothering to vote.

 

D.R. on facebook asked angrily: "What the #### is having a beer got to do with putting an X on a ballot paper?"

 

Y.A. called it and other government measures against drinkers a "ridiculous war on alcohol" adding: "Farang can't vote and should be exempted from this foolishness". 

 

Many clicked "Like" to those suggestions. 

 

Mr M chipped in: "Why should people on holiday.....be subjected to (this)?"

 

M-san suggested it was a "ridiculous law".

 

Taking Pattaya as an example there are just 228,140 registered voters in Bang Lamung district. 

 

Many will say just those might be banned from drinking, not visitors on a potentially busy pre-Christmas weekend that could provide much needed income in these disastrous economic times caused by the pandemic. . 

 

Others think that even stopping registered voters is a waste of time. 

 

Some people went online to say that there will be queues for alcohol before the ban. 

 

Others felt it would be ignored but Pattaya's police and those in other areas of the country have been told by RTP chiefs to strictly enforce the law. 

 

Meanwhile non-drinkers or those with well stocked fridges told the complainers to "get over themselves - this is Thailand". 

 

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[petermik]

TIT...live with it..

[Ventenio]

no drinking

 

?????????  So if I bought some beer last week I can't drink it?     lol.  Perhaps they mean, "cannot buy alcohol or go to bars."  Is this really the end of the world?   I still have 10000000 rolls of toilet paper and 893894374832 bottles of Lao Khao that i bought in March.

[CharlieH]

Reported post removed.

[Stradavarius37]

LMAO at all the 7-11 curbside Chang warriors....what will you ever do?  Perhaps buy in advance and <deleted>?  555

[YetAnother]

13 minutes ago, webfact said:

Foreigners, of course, have no right to vote

and should be exempted from this foolishness; as is done in some other countries

[Somtamnication]

Note to self: Go to mom and pop shops and avoid the conglomerate shops.

[bdenner]

Quote

Meanwhile non-drinkers or those with well stocked fridges told the complainers to "get over themselves - this is Thailand". 

 

This says it all. The elections have been on the books for months and the law is common knowledge. Have a "quite" beer with your friends at home, won't hurt for one day!

[darksidedog]

Come on folks. Common sense and Thailand have never gone together and probably never will.

It being announced in advance just means everyone will buy what they need the day before, so the stupid "ban" won't actually have any meaningful impact at all.

 

[WineOh]

 

In my last stock check I counted: 5 litres whiskey, 6 Litres vodka, 3 litres gin, 3 litres rum, 1 litre malibu, 2 bottles baileys and 16 bottles of wine.

 

What ban are we talking about exactly? ????

Edited December 17, 2020 by Liverpoolfan

[Captain_Bob]

Once again it is either a minor "inconvenience" so what? 24 hours without a drink? Big deal - not. OR it's the principle of it, including the usual Thai hypocrisy and contempt for farang. When it comes to dual pricing (at national parks, for example) treat farang with conspicuous unfair discrimination even those who have lived here for many years, have work permit, legit jobs, Thai families, property, etc. But when it comes to nation-wide booze ban during elections which mean nothing and have nothing to do with farangs, nope the same law applies to everyone, we are all suddenly "equal" ????  

[KannikaP]

11 minutes ago, bdenner said:

 

This says it all. The elections have been on the books for months and the law is common knowledge. Have a "quite" beer with your friends at home, won't hurt for one day!

Quite rite!   

[NanLaew]

10 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

Come on folks. Common sense and Thailand have never gone together and probably never will.

It being announced in advance just means everyone will buy what they need the day before, so the stupid "ban" won't actually have any meaningful impact at all.

 

 

Since this seems to have reached disproportionate levels of 'public' criticism, I can only assume that a whole slew of "stranded" farangs, who have quietly been milking the visa amnesty and subsequent extension for all they're worth, have stubbed their Thailand cultural assimilation toe quite badly on their first ever election.

[robblok]

12 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

Come on folks. Common sense and Thailand have never gone together and probably never will.

It being announced in advance just means everyone will buy what they need the day before, so the stupid "ban" won't actually have any meaningful impact at all.

 

Thing is that to enforce a ban is hard, excluding foreigners from a ban makes it even harder to enforce a ban. Because then they cannot check the till of businesses that sell alcohol. The excuse for alcohol sales is then it was a foreigner. Effectively making the ban not enforceable.

 

So I see the points of why it is a total ban. Its easier to enforce (and sure wont be enforced everywhere)

[Neeranam]

Calm down, has anyone here actually heard of a foreigner being prosecuted for drinking during elections?

It is illegal to ride a motorcycle with no helmet but doesn't seem to stop foreigners I see. 

[Disparate Dan]

22 minutes ago, YetAnother said:

and should be exempted from this foolishness; as is done in some other countries

Name one.

[Neeranam]

If anyone is upset about not being able to drink for one day, I suggest these people to help.

 

https://www.aathailand.org/

[orchis]

It's electoral law.
Join AA if it gets too much.

[JeffersLos]

32 minutes ago, Ventenio said:

"cannot buy alcohol or go to bars." 

 

I'm sure many bars will be serving big mugs of 'tea' for those that can't go without.

[Jack Mountain]

25 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

Come on folks. Common sense and Thailand have never gone together and probably never will.

It being announced in advance just means everyone will buy what they need the day before, so the stupid "ban" won't actually have any meaningful impact at all.

 

Yes and those overworked bar workers/owners can have a well deserved day off ...

[KC 71]

1 minute ago, JeffersLos said:

 

I'm sure many bars will be serving big mugs of 'tea' for those that can't go without.

"Where there's a will ~ there's a way"

[Crossy]

12 minutes ago, Disparate Dan said:

Name one.

 

India, in certain states and particular hotels.

 

Other hotels will actually empty the mini-bar ????

 

Mumbai we could get drinks in the Hyatt hotel bar on production of a non-Indian passport, Bangalore was a total ban. 

 

[VocalNeal]

It's all a storm in a teacup! Well at least in some establishments!

 

What officer? No this is just tea! 

 

 

[Skallywag]

54 minutes ago, webfact said:

a potentially busy pre-Christmas weekend that could provide much needed income in these disastrous economic times caused by the pandemic. . 

This is the problem. Saturday night is a big night at LK Metro, Walking street, other bars as visitors from Bangkok and other areas come to Pattaya for some partying ....  So only hurting economy with this Sunday election ban

[Neeranam]

10 minutes ago, Crossy said:

 

India, in certain states and particular hotels.

 

Other hotels will actually empty the mini-bar ????

 

Mumbai we could get drinks in the Hyatt hotel bar on production of a non-Indian passport, Bangalore was a total ban. 

 

I was in Orissa, very strange as there was no booze at all apart from at a 5 star hotel and we had to drink it in our room. Across the road was a government 'bang shop' where we could buy marijuana and opium. 

[Surelynot]

Do Thai restaurants do corkage? If so, is that allowed on Saturday/Sunday during the ban?

[Mr Meeseeks]

52 minutes ago, bdenner said:

 

This says it all. The elections have been on the books for months and the law is common knowledge. Have a "quite" beer with your friends at home, won't hurt for one day!

And if you are on holiday? 

 

It's a nonsense rule that should not apply to tourist venues. 

[Bruce Aussie Chiang Mai]

Fill the baby bottles with Sam Song. Go to bed for 24hrs, stop crying and no one will know.

????????????❤????????

[ChipButty]

37 minutes ago, Disparate Dan said:

Name one.

India

[Neeranam]

As a recovered alcoholic, I'm pretty sure these foreigners are not worried about the booze. Booze can be got under any circumstance. They are worried about staying home alone with no 'takeaway'.