Health ministry’s alcohol curfew talks hit a hiccup

[Andycoops]

2 hours ago, wimpy said:

Please, the law was introduced many years ago to stop civil servants from drinking during the work day. It had nothing to do with public health. Dump it.

I was under the impression it was to stop kids on their way home from school getting their hands on it...

[wimpy]

1 minute ago, Andycoops said:

I was under the impression it was to stop kids on their way home from school getting their hands on it...

No. Do a little research on it.

[1happykamper]

What a surprise. 

Off topic.. Sorry... What about the removal of alcohol taxes that was announced a while ago? Did that ever go into effect? 

[Polaky]

You can still buy it at select 11 stores and independents, the rest are frightened of a 500 baht fine.

[Andrew65]

2 hours ago, Lemsta69 said:

 

A lot of tourists don't want to pay bar prices, which is fair enough. They also like to buy cheap "travellers" from the Seven and then wander around the streets with the bottle in their hand like lo-sos 😉

 

PS. I used to do that when I was a backpacker. I was quite partial to the small cans of "Singha Draft". Of course, now that I'm older I frown upon such behaviour. Tsk tsk 😅

Are you nowadays wandering the streets with a can of Erdinger instead...😁!?

[CanadaSam]

2 hours ago, RT555 said:

I've seen end on end of countless times the motorbike Taxi drivers just before 11:00am STOCKING UP BIG TIME

 

I think you mean just before 2 pm?

[sambum]

" a meeting must be held to explore the possibility of lifting the restrictions."

 

Oh, no! Not another MEETING!!!

 

"The meeting to discuss the topic was held today, February 15, but there was no clear conclusion or direction launched from the authorities."

 

No surprise there then!

 

"......the ministry had only health data but did not have business and economic data, so they were unable to consider the matter thoroughly."

 

So why have the meeting in the first place?!!!! Ridiculous waste of time and money! Still, I suppose, some people will be getting paid paid lots of money for attending, and probably lots of travelling expenses.

 

Oh, and what happened to the proposed dropping of import duties and taxes on imported wine and spirits? Things seem to have gone very quiet on that front!

 

No surprise there then (either)! 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 16 by sambum

[sandyf]

6 hours ago, flyingtlger said:

the ministry had only health data but did not have business and economic data, so they were unable to consider the matter thoroughly.

 

Give me a break. It's obvious that businesses will do better....

How on earth do you work that one out, people would not spend any more, they would just spend at different times.

I can remember when all day opening came to Scotland, business did not improve. People got drunk in the afternoon instead of the evening and the expense of being open longer wasn't justified. Many went back to shorter hours when licence came up for renewal.

The only real justification is convenience and the perception of being a more liberal society. I for one don't like having to look at the clock when walking into the supermarket.

[BenStark]

2 hours ago, RT555 said:

I've seen end on end of countless times the motorbike Taxi drivers just before 11:00am STOCKING UP BIG TIME.

 

Why would they stock up just before the time it is available for sale?

[Victor Laszlo]

Perhaps 'The Ministry of Silly Walks' are more suited to the task🤔

[damian]

1 hour ago, ikke1959 said:

Thai Government at its best... No information no preparing and no data, but talking waste time and nothing really happened. Result they have shown that they want to do something about it but not yet... same the gaymarriage, sound and airpollution, and name it..They want to be a tourist hotspot, but no efforts can be made as nobody want a real change

 

Yes this is typical.

 

However, having been involved in many, many government meetings, I believe it's more about the decision maker creating meaningless discussion to avoid making a decision. This way they can push the decision making onto someone else so they are off the hook in the event of failure. 

 

They actually know they need to change its just that underlings, even senior underlings, are afraid to make a decision. You see this in almost every aspect of Thai life. 

[sambum]

4 minutes ago, sandyf said:

How on earth do you work that one out, people would not spend any more, they would just spend at different times.

I can remember when all day opening came to Scotland, business did not improve. People got drunk in the afternoon instead of the evening and the expense of being open longer wasn't justified. Many went back to shorter hours when licence came up for renewal.

The only real justification is convenience and the perception of being a more liberal society. I for one don't like having to look at the clock when walking into the supermarket.

 

I remember when they extended the opening times in Scotland, and the doom and gloom merchants all expected the level of drunkenness to go through the roof, but the opposite happened. People, for the most part, had only have a certain amount of money to spend on drink, and by extending the drinkng hours that money had to go further, so they drank slower, hence less drunkenness!

 

However, I don't fully agree with  "People got drunk in the afternoon". I think, contrary to opinion, a lot of people have to work in Scotland in the afternoon, but they hit the pubs as soon as they "clock off". at shall we say 5pm? (Shift workers excluded from the following scenario!) They then had 5 hrs drinking when the pubs closed at 10 pm, so they consumed their "allowance" in that time period, which led to binge drinking and a high level of drunkenness. However, extend the drinking hours, and they stretch out that allowance so they can drink for longer. Once that allowance has gone, they go home relatively sober, but as you say with no additional benefit to business!

[mrbojangles]

2 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Downtown Riyadh......

 

Oh yes you can if you're in the know. I lived there for many years 😉

[Purdey]

If only the government could prove their policy works, using a figure that shows fewer alcoholics. 

[jesimps]

4 hours ago, Zack61 said:

I concur. Makes no sense. Serves no purpose and has no benefits. Any benefits are a figment of someone’s distorted imagination. 

It's always been a right pain in the backside for the wife and I, who always like to do our shopping early so that we have the rest of the day to do whatever. As things stand, we have to go during alcohol friendly times to buy my booze and return home during the lunch-time traffic snarl up. It'd be easier to live with if I thought that the law served any useful purpose.

[AhFarangJa]

3 hours ago, Lemsta69 said:

 

A lot of tourists don't want to pay bar prices, which is fair enough. They also like to buy cheap "travellers" from the Seven and then wander around the streets with the bottle in their hand like lo-sos 😉

 

PS. I used to do that when I was a backpacker. I was quite partial to the small cans of "Singha Draft". Of course, now that I'm older I frown upon such behaviour. Tsk tsk 😅

I know many Thais drink in the street, heck, they ride around here with a bottle of Chang in one hand, and a spliff in the other. However, it is illegal, and a good little earner for the BIB to extort Farangs.

[AhFarangJa]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

Thongchai said the ministry had only health data but did not have business and economic data, so they were unable to consider the matter thoroughly.

They need to set up a committee to look into what is needed in order to set up a committee. Then, they need to go out into the field, and explore a few dozen restaurants to visualise the impact, then go back and set up a committee to evaluate the findings and report back. Should all be clear cut by, say, 2029....ish.

[Cabradelmar]

Ban or no ban... Anyone who wants a drink can find a drink. Anytime, any day. 

[Guderian]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

Cholnan ensured that he and other relevant departments would listen to public opinions and prioritise public health and safety.

 

It seems they've already made up their minds then, and this is just a game to make people think they've open-mindedly considered all the options.

[foreverlomsak]

2 hours ago, 1happykamper said:

What a surprise. 

Off topic.. Sorry... What about the removal of alcohol taxes that was announced a while ago? Did that ever go into effect? 

That's probably why 2 of my local afternoon/early evening watering holes have put their prices up by 10 Baht on a 620 ml bottle, so that when the actual taxes are reduced they can sell at the original price again.

[Lemsta69]

3 hours ago, Andrew65 said:

Are you nowadays wandering the streets with a can of Erdinger instead...😁!?

 

Hoegaarden mate, like all the other Bangkok wannabe hi-sos 😉

[paul1804]

Typical Thai reporting, the abolition of the restriction currently set between 11am - 2pm, most of us know what they mean!

 

The word "abolition" means to abolish so their report should have read to abolish the current 2 - 5pm restriction, not the 11am - 2pm!!! Naturally this will benefit business's that are legally selling alcohol, ie those with a current alcohol licence. 

Edited February 16 by paul1804

[paul1804]

4 hours ago, CanadaSam said:

 

I think you mean just before 2 pm?

He is as confused as the reporter!

[Sydebolle]

Should Chonlanan Srikaew, need directions to where the majority of Thais can get alcohol any given hour of the day, then just drop a line.

This all is just smoke screen all over again. The initial statement was among the biggest jokes ever cracked in Thailand and went as follows.
The booze blocking hours were implemented to keep children off the bottle, hence the opening times were defined accordingly:
00h00-11h00 - no alcohol (so sober breakfast)
11h00-14h00 - alcohol sale permitted (when the kids are NOT at school and out for lunch)
14h00-17h00 - alcohol sale prohibited (when the kids are back at school)

17h00-24h00 - alcohol sale permitted (when the kids were out of school)

What kind of solid rock bo111ocks is all that, given the fact, that apart from the bigger supermarkets every Tom, Dick and Harry shop sells you anything you want ...... anytime, that is! 

[Frankie baby]

Bureaucracy at its best. Do you think some of these people may be riding the payroll?  

[sandyf]

5 hours ago, sambum said:

 

I remember when they extended the opening times in Scotland, and the doom and gloom merchants all expected the level of drunkenness to go through the roof, but the opposite happened. People, for the most part, had only have a certain amount of money to spend on drink, and by extending the drinkng hours that money had to go further, so they drank slower, hence less drunkenness!

 

However, I don't fully agree with  "People got drunk in the afternoon". I think, contrary to opinion, a lot of people have to work in Scotland in the afternoon, but they hit the pubs as soon as they "clock off". at shall we say 5pm? (Shift workers excluded from the following scenario!) They then had 5 hrs drinking when the pubs closed at 10 pm, so they consumed their "allowance" in that time period, which led to binge drinking and a high level of drunkenness. However, extend the drinking hours, and they stretch out that allowance so they can drink for longer. Once that allowance has gone, they go home relatively sober, but as you say with no additional benefit to business!

There would be variation between different areas of Scotland. Where I came from the hours were 11am till 3pm and then 5pm till 10pm, pubs didn't open on a Sunday,only hotel bars.

The "all day" & Sunday opening brought about 11pm closing Sun-Thurs and 1am Fri & Sat. As you say this gave the workers time to go home and go out again rather than a rush job straight from work. This led a huge reduction in domestic abuse and street fighting.

The change had some negatives, in our area there was a high level of unemployment and some of the unemployed took to hanging around the pubs during the day, when out of money they would sit outside the door begging.

By the time it came about I had joined the RAF and if in Scotland I was on leave so it was a real bonus to be able to out for a pint with the old man, he wasn't so keen at night.

 

[VBF]

7 hours ago, daveAustin said:

People walking into to 7 expecting to take a beer back to hotel ‘n suchlike. 

Yeah I didn't think of that but I tend to do my drinking in bars and the place I stay sells beer whenever if I do want.  Point taken 

[sambum]

34 minutes ago, sandyf said:

There would be variation between different areas of Scotland. Where I came from the hours were 11am till 3pm and then 5pm till 10pm, pubs didn't open on a Sunday,only hotel bars.

The "all day" & Sunday opening brought about 11pm closing Sun-Thurs and 1am Fri & Sat. As you say this gave the workers time to go home and go out again rather than a rush job straight from work. This led a huge reduction in domestic abuse and street fighting.

The change had some negatives, in our area there was a high level of unemployment and some of the unemployed took to hanging around the pubs during the day, when out of money they would sit outside the door begging.

By the time it came about I had joined the RAF and if in Scotland I was on leave so it was a real bonus to be able to out for a pint with the old man, he wasn't so keen at night.

 

 

I lived just the other side of the English/Scottish Border, where the closing time every night was 10.30 pm. Every weekend there was a crowd of hardened drinkers used to make the trip over the border for an extra half hour's drinking - desperate!!!

[jacko45k]

19 hours ago, mrbojangles said:

 

Oh yes you can if you're in the know. I lived there for many years 😉

I didn't have much opportunity in Riyahd, detested the City too. But of course no issue on the East side. 

[sandyf]

15 hours ago, sambum said:

 

I lived just the other side of the English/Scottish Border, where the closing time every night was 10.30 pm. Every weekend there was a crowd of hardened drinkers used to make the trip over the border for an extra half hour's drinking - desperate!!!

Indeed, got the T shirt.

I was at RAF Honington in early 70s and that was on the Norfolk/Suffolk border. Suffolk was 10.30pm closing and Norfolk was 11pm, our local was in Suffolk and come 10.30 there would  be a quick dash to the nearest Norfolk pub.