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Bangkok to allow alcohol in restaurants but only until 9pm


Jonathan Fairfield

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54 minutes ago, sirineou said:

More than one or two  places I am afraid. 

I understand your frustration, I also enjoy a beer with my dinner and would leave it at that. But not everyone is as responsible, and you know that many bars are not as law abiding. 

If restaurants were allowed to sell  alcohol, but bars were not, expect every bar to become a restaurant. 

Most bars are licensed as restaurants anyway... 

 

From the onset of the bans on booze I’ve cared little of the actual ban of alcohol and more for the flaws behind the decision process in the first place (the same for the 2-5pm ban) - its the puritanical hypocrisy which bugs me ( I go months without a beer without issue, but I may want one at 3pm !!! )

 

I know the underlying logic is sound, however, issues exist because graft permits a grey area; a swathe of inconsistent regulatory tolerance across establishments which forces dumb regulators to create a regulation whereby Bob from Bolton sups on a beer at 9:05pm and could get picked up by the police.... If he does ??

.... Faux shock proceeds... reports of ’netizens outrage’ at the foreigner breaking Covid regulations... a thread on ThaiVisa(Aseannow) is published and members deplore the debaucherous behaviour of a guy having a beer 5 minutes after 9pm...  

... Someone argues... ‘If you can’t go for dinner without having a beer you have a drinking problem’ !!... meanwhile no one quite understands or is ready to take on the ‘freedom issue’ whereby a regulation was only ever enforced in the first place due to the potential for financial benefit of those ‘enforcing’ and not out of any genuine regard for the underlying logic of the increased potential for people to break more recently expected social distancing norms after a slew of appletinis !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by richard_smith237
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58 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Fair point...  I too have seen that happen.... 

 

The behaviour you describe is that of the behaviour of those in a bar, not that of most people when they dine in a restaurant. 

 

Applying sanctions on the majority based on the faults of a minority is an unnecessary measure borne of dictatorial dominance rather than balanced guidance. 

 

Thailand’s decision makers seem to believe they can apply a King Canute approach - I’m surprised they haven’t simply announced a ‘Covid Ban’... 

 

 

 

 

 

You argued a good point until you make it silly.

 

 

 

So using your logic because not every person that drives drunk has an accident it should be legal to do so.?

 

The process has been around since the beginning of time when it comes to laws you have to deal with the problem people and make the rules to protect them frm us and them from themselves.

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30 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

its the puritanical hypocrisy which bugs me ( I go months without a beer without issue, but I may want one at 3pm !!! )

The same issues bugg me also. as I am sure it does to every reasonable mind. 

No one enjoys a cold beer with his spicy  thai food. or a lime soda mixed with captain morgan rum, in my patio with the heads on and my favorite music playing. 

And you and me would go to a restaurant have a couple of beers with our food, and walk out.  

Unfortunately that's not the case with everyone and some of these bad actors ruin it for all of us.

The same with home quarantine. Remember in the beginning ? Returning Thais would go home and quarantine , until the caught this lady in the bars being a super spreader, and that was the end of that. 

let's all hope this thing ends soon am sure we all had enough of this. 

 

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1 hour ago, Captain Monday said:

It's a true story. Some countries I visited during the pandemic other than Thai curtailed alcohol sales during the pandemic. The bars here where I am in the US were closed completely for months. I can, you can, but many people absolutely CANNOT control themselves while drinks are allowed.

 

I sure dont believe in alcohol bans but I see how it could be a legitimate element of epidemic control if the goal is to limit interactions between people.

The true fact is that the ban is not being enforced, so there is no point in it being there.  This is Soi 7, Bangkok, on the evening of 29th October 2021.

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23 hours ago, Walker88 said:

Rules are made to be broken confusing.

 

At 8:59PM you order a nice Brunello di Montalcino.

 

At 9:00 on the dot the wait staff takes it away?

 

Also, other than major chains, I've never seen a restaurant with an SHA+ cert. Photocopy machines will be busy today.

 

Restaurants in Bangkok served throughout the restricted period, Little will change, though staff might come around to all the tables at 9:00 and replace the bottles, mugs and wine glasses with coffee cups.

 

And finally, damn that pesky virus for working on the clock and coming out at 9PM.

So if you order a bottle of wine at 8.59 pm, and it goes on your bill, you are not allowed to drink it after 9.00 pm ?

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2 hours ago, Captain Monday said:

It's a true story. Some countries I visited during the pandemic other than Thai curtailed alcohol sales during the pandemic. The bars here where I am in the US were closed completely for months. I can, you can, but many people absolutely CANNOT control themselves while drinks are allowed.

 

I sure dont believe in alcohol bans but I see how it could be a legitimate element of epidemic control if the goal is to limit interactions between people.

Exactly. People talk as if Thailand is the only country in the world that curtailed the opening of bars and restaurants during the pandemic. Many if not most did or still do. I don’t like it anymore than anyone else and the government should provide some sort of financial relief to the businesses they have forced to close. 

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3 hours ago, mikosan said:

The true fact is that the ban is not being enforced, so there is no point in it being there.  This is Soi 7, Bangkok, on the evening of 29th October 2021.

And what is the point then for your vainglorious post?

The same happened in Chiang Mai.

My Tai running a small bar, lady friend hauled off to pay 6000 baht and servant girl 2000

Even though monthly payment was up to date.

 

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13 minutes ago, Captain Monday said:

And what is the point then for your vainglorious post?

The same happened in Chiang Mai.

My Tai running a small bar, lady friend hauled off to pay 6000 baht and servant girl 2000

Even though monthly payment was up to date.

 

Can’t you read? Vainglorious? My, that’s a big word.  A picture is worth a thousand words.

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On 10/31/2021 at 8:48 AM, lujanit said:

Bully's Pub and the Huntsman Pub in the Landmark both serve excellent food.  Will they be allowed open?

The unelected PM and his soldiers don't give a damn about ordinary people and their livelihoods, not having a drink with their meals?? What a load of rubbish, no wonder the government don't care, the Cvirus has made them richer through their insurance and PSR scams etc, while the majority of the Thai people have either lost their jobs or their income has been badly affected. Shame on these Thai generals.

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9 hours ago, kingstonkid said:
10 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Fair point...  I too have seen that happen.... 

 

The behaviour you describe is that of the behaviour of those in a bar, not that of most people when they dine in a restaurant. 

 

Applying sanctions on the majority based on the faults of a minority is an unnecessary measure borne of dictatorial dominance rather than balanced guidance. 

 

Thailand’s decision makers seem to believe they can apply a King Canute approach - I’m surprised they haven’t simply announced a ‘Covid Ban’... 

 

 

 

 

 

You argued a good point until you make it silly.

 

 

 

Expand  

So using your logic because not every person that drives drunk has an accident it should be legal to do so.?

 

The process has been around since the beginning of time when it comes to laws you have to deal with the problem people and make the rules to protect them frm us and them from themselves.

No... because you are using YOUR logic and have assumed incorrectly what my logic is based upon. 

 

IF I were to use your ‘drink drive’ example it would involve permitting drink driving before 9pm but not afterwards - you can see the obvious flaw in using DUI as a comparison.

 

 

IF the rules were really put in place to ‘protect us’ then we’d not be permitted in restaurants full stop. 

There is either a risk of spreading covid or their isn’t....   IF its acceptable to be in restaurant in the first place the risk of ’some’ getting drunk, loosing their inhibitions and interacting with other groups is not significantly increasing a risk which already exists just by sitting on the next table to someone or down-stream of them in an  Air-conditioned setting. 

 

The regulation is ill thought out, not really based on any scientific fact, is simply an emotional and knee-jerk response with somewhat puritanical undertones. 

 

 

 

 

 

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On 10/31/2021 at 2:18 PM, Trujillo said:

Welcome back international tourists, but you can't go to a pub, because they are all closed. 

 

Does the right hand know what the left hand is doing? .... that's a rhetorical question. 

 

By the way, wouldn't this be a great time to abolish the bizarre alcohol sales times? 

This is going on since the Thaksin's government and it is ridiculous.  When you restrict the sale of alcohol then you also are hurting the economy, the same about closing at midnight.  If you are open all day and all night, you then double the employment and the health of the Thai economy.  Let the market rule, be it during the day and during the night money is flowing for the benefit of all. 

 

Hanoi a few  years back reinstated the all night economy and I am sure the government taxes coffers increased for this.  Let the money flow 24 hours a day.

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12 hours ago, mikosan said:

Can’t you read? Vainglorious? My, that’s a big word.  A picture is worth a thousand words.

Well thats what we like about Thailand. Despite "rules" there is always a way. I saw bars being run out of private homes for friends only. There is no way to stop people from drinking and enjoying themselves other than completely banning all sales and locking us in field hospitals.

 

Then we would probably home brew it!

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7 minutes ago, Captain Monday said:

Well thats what we like about Thailand. Despite "rules" there is always a way. I saw bars being run out of private homes for friends only. There is no way to stop people from drinking and enjoying themselves other than completely banning all sales and locking us in field hospitals.

 

Then we would probably home brew it!

There were reports of houses getting raided and people having 'group dinner’ being charged with breaking regulations !..... 

 

We would regularly have friends around, dinner and drinks  (about 8 or 10 ppl) - we were actually breaking regulations as while gatherings of <20 were acceptable, booze was banned....  

 

But, as you said, there is always a way - I just don’t like the idea of giving the BiB wiggle room to extort when out in public and having a beer in a tea-cup with dinner. 

 

 

 

 

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30 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

There were reports of houses getting raided and people having 'group dinner’ being charged with breaking regulations !..... 

 

We would regularly have friends around, dinner and drinks  (about 8 or 10 ppl) - we were actually breaking regulations as while gatherings of <20 were acceptable, booze was banned....  

 

But, as you said, there is always a way - I just don’t like the idea of giving the BiB wiggle room to extort when out in public and having a beer in a tea-cup with dinner. 

 

 

 

 

I heard about it too in Phuket and Pattaya. Turns out there was more to the story in Chiang Mai "Big Police" came from Bangkok one weekend they staged a crackdown and she was let off with a warning. The time I was there turns out she has a Thai Male stalker type who in his unrequited love jealousy grassed her out so the police probably had to take action

 

I turned around suddenly there were 6-7 cops on bikes and a truck outside "pouncing" like a SWAT team. I thought "I'm busted". They could have made it tough on me an the other foreign guy there sure we both did not have passports. Did not even look at us. The gang made it up to her later. This is just a tiny place down a dark soi for friends, and yes they started a "food menu".  There were major shut ins going on at fairly large bars in Chiang Mai this summer into late night no way the cops don't know exactly what is going on. AMAZING Thailand

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8 hours ago, Captain Monday said:

Well thats what we like about Thailand. Despite "rules" there is always a way. I saw bars being run out of private homes for friends only. There is no way to stop people from drinking and enjoying themselves other than completely banning all sales and locking us in field hospitals.

 

Then we would probably home brew it!

Precisely my point.  So what is the point in keeping everything closed?

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