New Year alcohol controls - no selling up to 2 am outside special areas

[webfact]

Picture: Naew Na

 

Naew Na reported that the National Alcohol Policy Committee agreed with proposals to limit alcohol during the 2023 New Year celebrations to help with DUI considerations and protect youth.

 

This means that outside of special zones alcohol will not be available up to 2 am. The committee has also opposed the opening of bars from 11 am to 4 am, a move that has already been shelved after Tourism Ministry proposals were knocked back.

 

Dangers to the public and an increase in crime were cited.

 

Alcohol will only be available from 11 to 2 pm and 5pm to midnight in most areas. 

 

A special watch would be on before and after New Year to make sure that these well established rules were not flouted. 

 

Youth access to alcohol was being carefully scrutinized. 

 

The committee at a MoPH HQ meeting decided that the last thing Thailand needs was freer access to alcohol, especially at New Year when accidents are high and abuse of the drug is most prevalent. 

 

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[smedly]

What the ##

[smedly]

16 minutes ago, webfact said:

The committee at a MoPH HQ meeting decided that the last thing Thailand needs was freer access to alcohol, especially at New Year when accidents are high and abuse of the drug is most prevalent. 

how about police doing their job and actually catching drunk drivers - this country is going backwards

[AhFarangJa]

20 minutes ago, webfact said:

Youth access to alcohol was being carefully scrutinized. 

.............Try looking in almost every village in the Country. Every day, mom and pop shops sell bottles of drink and cigarettes to 6-7-8 year olds who are out shopping for their Father or Grandfather.

Every night, and I mean every night, the local youngsters ride past on their motorbikes to the local kids watering hole where they get stoned on yaba, and lao khao. 

[Dmaxdan]

14 minutes ago, smedly said:

how about police doing their job and actually catching drunk drivers - this country is going backwards

They do catch thousands of drunk drivers. The problem is that the punishments for being caught are nowhere near harsh enough to become a  deterrent. 

And of course, some that are caught just make a phone call to a friend or family member in a high position of authority and get off scot free.

[Gottfrid]

Yes! Much better with prohibition! No need for common sense and parental guidance.

[ikke1959]

Good.. I hope they enforce it too...Teach people to follow the rules, they have to start somewhere and this is ok.. You can party till 2.00am , that is ok.

[Mickeymaus]

"The committee has also opposed the opening of bars from 11 am to 4 am"

 

A great move ????????????. Maybe I didn't get it right. But obviously the party lovers have achieved what they wanted. They can start now at 4am.

Edited December 23, 2022 by metisdead
Format reset to normal.

[VocalNeal]

They know their populace better than we do.????

Edited December 23, 2022 by VocalNeal

[StayinThailand2much]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

This means that outside of special zones alcohol will not be available up to 2 am. The committee has also opposed the opening of bars from 11 am to 4 am (...)

So, no alcohol (...) till 2 a.m., and bars closing at 2 a.m.?? ????

[StayinThailand2much]

2 hours ago, Gottfrid said:

Yes! Much better with prohibition! No need for common sense and parental guidance.

The kids will get their alcohol before 2 a.m. from the nearest mom-and-pop shop, T.i.T...

[KannikaP]

14 minutes ago, StayinThailand2much said:

So, no alcohol (...) till 2 a.m., and bars closing at 2 a.m.?? ????

Do you understand English?

Booze sales, as usual 11am to 2pm and then 5pm to midnight. In SOME places bars can sell up to 2am. NO SALES after that.

[StayinThailand2much]

4 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

Do you understand English?

Booze sales, as usual 11am to 2pm and then 5pm to midnight. In SOME places bars can sell up to 2am. NO SALES after that.

Do you understand sarcasm? Guess not...

[petermik]

2 hours ago, Gottfrid said:

 No need for common sense and parental guidance.

The above do not exist here..........

[Big Bert]

1 hour ago, KannikaP said:

Do you understand English?

Booze sales, as usual 11am to 2pm and then 5pm to midnight. In SOME places bars can sell up to 2am. NO SALES after that.

Yes I understand, so bars and restaurants cannot sell alcohol 2pm - 5pm is that correct?

 

[Classic Ray]

Citing road safety or child protection as reasons are fatuous.

 

Do they think people can’t get drunk enough by midnight to be a danger? Those who want to will drink as much as they can before midnight, no problem.

[Mad mick]

Glad I'm in Vietnam,  we have huge street party bbq viet street food , bars / cafe's live bands  Vinhomes district 9 HCMC No mask do what you like up to you wear or not wear , stand or sit walk whatever considering VN non mainstream religious country .. Going to be one big party ! Can't wait for New year ! Let alone Tet to follow merry Xmas all glad lm here VN For NY Apparently going to blast here also friends said Philippines planning big Xmas parties with no interference from Government ! Thailand really WEF Davo groups WHO UN Party pooper like Australia US UK EU Still in covid theatre and renewable scams Merry  Xmas & let's hope Free New year from past 3 years of bs !  life's good in VN

Edited December 23, 2022 by Mad mick

[Archie Baker]

3 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

Good.. I hope they enforce it too...Teach people to follow the rules, they have to start somewhere and this is ok.. You can party till 2.00am , that is ok.

Not a cat in hells chance of Thais following rules. 

[thailand49]

5 hours ago, Dmaxdan said:

They do catch thousands of drunk drivers. The problem is that the punishments for being caught are nowhere near harsh enough to become a  deterrent. 

And of course, some that are caught just make a phone call to a friend or family member in a high position of authority and get off scot free.

First part is right second part is wrong since the first part is so lient you don't see to call anyone. ????

[Burma Bill]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

with proposals to limit alcohol during the 2023 New Year celebrations

I sit here at my computer reading AN about "obeying rules" and all the restrictions being applied by the Thai Government so that individuals cannot enjoy themselves - so pathetic and laughable! I'm glad I now live in a country where "ENJOYMENT" is a key word. There will be plenty of alcohol being drunk in bars, restaurants and at parties after the firework displays at midnight here in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. It is about people spending money to boost the economy!

Edited December 23, 2022 by Burma Bill
additional information

[sandyf]

56 minutes ago, Big Bert said:

Yes I understand, so bars and restaurants cannot sell alcohol 2pm - 5pm is that correct?

 

The standard alcohol hours, 11am - 2pm and 5pm - Midnight have been that way for 50 years so nothing new there. For some years there has been special areas that got an exemption in the afternoon and an extension until 2am, which all came to an end with covid. It was a slow process getting back to the standard hours and even slower for anything else.

For many years in the lead up to a major holiday there has been an attempt to get the hours altered and invariably it gets knocked back, so with monotonous regularity we end up with a thread like this.

[Mad mick]

Won't make any difference Thais party at home , Only might disrupt the foreigners , can remember lived in Hua Hin 5 years in 1990s frequently visited until 2010 bars went all night lots of dancing was blast that was until now WEF Davo group stuffed us all with the Covid bs along WHO UN , So glad l'm in Vietnam funny communist here your more free than Australia or by sounds Thailand over governed Dictators world wide.. Apparently Philippines is going to rock on at Xmas eve no issues presume NY be same 

[Big Bert]

19 minutes ago, sandyf said:

The standard alcohol hours, 11am - 2pm and 5pm - Midnight have been that way for 50 years so nothing new there. For some years there has been special areas that got an exemption in the afternoon and an extension until 2am, which all came to an end with covid. It was a slow process getting back to the standard hours and even slower for anything else.

For many years in the lead up to a major holiday there has been an attempt to get the hours altered and invariably it gets knocked back, so with monotonous regularity we end up with a thread like this.

Zero bars or restaurants take any notice of the 2-5 ban. only 7-11 and supermarkets. It's just very selective enforcement as usual. 

Midnight was never a standard for 50 years. Pattaya's hours have changed so much nobody is really sure when you should close.

[sandyf]

10 minutes ago, Big Bert said:

Midnight was never a standard for 50 years. Pattaya's hours have changed so much nobody is really sure when you should close.

For years since 1972, the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act, which was passed to prevent civil servants from having afternoon drinks, has only allowed alcohol sales to be made from 11 am to 2 pm and from 5 pm to midnight.

https://asiawinenews.com/2022/07/thailand-to-end-50-year-alcohol-ban-from-july/ 

[bristolgeoff]

Thai new year is 7 days of hell every year.no change same mesage and deaths too.Don,t know about xmas but similar I imagine.The police will have road checks  and lots of other things,but we know that will do nothing to stop thais drinking and driving as usual

[Big Bert]

7 minutes ago, sandyf said:

For years since 1972, the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act, which was passed to prevent civil servants from having afternoon drinks, has only allowed alcohol sales to be made from 11 am to 2 pm and from 5 pm to midnight.

https://asiawinenews.com/2022/07/thailand-to-end-50-year-alcohol-ban-from-july/ 

You copy and paste and miss the point. No one has ever stopped alcohol sales in the afternoons except supermarkets and over many years Pattaya has had so many close times the mind boggles.

I was always under the impression that the ban was to stop kids buying alcohol on the way home from schools but with mom & pop stores that was irrelevant anyway.

[Big Bert]

12 minutes ago, sandyf said:

For years since 1972, the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act, which was passed to prevent civil servants from having afternoon drinks, has only allowed alcohol sales to be made from 11 am to 2 pm and from 5 pm to midnight.

https://asiawinenews.com/2022/07/thailand-to-end-50-year-alcohol-ban-from-july/ 

https://bangkokherald.com/business/retail/after-50-years-thailands-afternoon-booze-ban-to-end-july-1/ 

 

underage drinking, worker productivity and drink driving

[cowellandrew]

7 hours ago, smedly said:

What the ##

Hash hash yes that's ok now!

 

☻☻

[Trippy]

3 hours ago, petermik said:

The above do not exist here..........

Or almost anywhere else.

[KannikaP]

2 hours ago, Big Bert said:

Yes I understand, so bars and restaurants cannot sell alcohol 2pm - 5pm is that correct?

 

They SHOULD NOT do. How long have you lived in Thailand?