Thailand Targets Tougher Alcohol Laws to Align with Global Norms

[NanLaew]

7 hours ago, dinsdale said:

Odd how the midnight to eleven sales prohibition is never mentioned. As for 24 hr sales it doesn't need to be but 11 in the morning is as ridiculous as the 2-5.

 

I bought a couple of cans of beer in the domestic departure lounge at Udon airport at about 7 am, ahead of my morning flight to the big mango. I was very happy at being able to have "breakfast beers", but some of my friends have chastised me for paying 1875 baht for the plane ticket, just to enjoy that privilege.

[Ralf001]

12 minutes ago, Oz82 said:

It's not even evening yet, and it's a Monday. I wouldn't expect there'd be any other customers. I'm surprised there are bars open unless he's in Bangkok or Pattaya.

Plenty of bars in Patts open midday.

[KannikaP]

6 minutes ago, Jonathan Swift said:

Well, I happen to like the rules that let me live here in the peace, beauty, and fun, without the weekly mass shootings, hate, violence, and racism of the US

Do you really think that no alcohol sales between 2 & 5 have any bearing on problems in Thailand? 

Most murders here are Yabba connected anyway. Most drink driving accidents/deaths are caused by people drinking in pubs & clubs outside those hours.

[Ralf001]

Just now, KannikaP said:

Do you really think that no alcohol sales between 2 & 5 have any bearing on problems in Thailand? 

 

 

Buying booze between 2 and 5 is not an issue for those wanting a drink.

[scottiejohn]

1 minute ago, Ralf001 said:

Plenty of bars in Patts open midday.

I should hope so as midday is between 11AM and 2PM!

[Oz82]

2 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

Plenty of bars in Patts open midday.

That's why I said he must be somewhere like that. In normal parts of Thailand it isn't the norm. But certainly in expat/tourist areas there are bars open all the time. 

[Cabradelmar]

29 minutes ago, Oz82 said:

I've always found Thailand to be very uptight about alcohol consumption. Binge drinking is not a normal way of life like it is in western countries. Yes there are people getting drunk at bars on weekends, but society is far less alcohol oriented here than in the west. Tourist areas revolve around alcohol, and Thai people who hang around in tourist/expat areas, are often drinkers. But in normal Thai towns it isn't the norm, and being drunk is quite taboo here.

I have found the complete opposite. Particularly in rural areas. And even urban areas. With most Thais it's always a drinking completion. And it leads to excess.

[thailand49]

This is too damn funny!

[Oz82]

3 minutes ago, Cabradelmar said:

I have found the complete opposite. Particularly in rural areas. And even urban areas. With most Thais it's always a drinking completion. And it leads to excess.

I live in a rural area, and yes there is an element of that. There is always that bunch of locals who are always getting drunk. But the locals are also very judgey about it. It's not considered normal and socially acceptable like it is in western countries. There is a social taboo, despite it being fairly common. Definitely not considered normal or broadly acceptable.

 

Maybe it depends on where you're comparing it to. In Australia, UK, and most of Europe, it's often considered a bit odd if you don't like to get drunk. But the US is a bit more uptight about it.

[sandyf]

8 hours ago, Geoffggi said:

How about adjusting the cost of wines to bring the price of a bottle of wine in line with other countries.

That has nothing to do with alcohol, purely coincidental. 

High wine prices are in place to protect domestic producers, many imports suffer in a similar way.

[Confuscious]

Thailand = Land of the FREE.

Authorities can make as many laws as they want, it is up to the individual to respect them or not.
 

[NobbyClarke]

Nothing new.... 

 

[SpiritHouse]

8 hours ago, Geoffggi said:

How about adjusting the cost of wines to bring the price of a bottle of wine in line with other countries.

 

Here is an article that clarifies the cost of wine in Thailand, and it is not as expensive as many like to portray compared to other countries in the region:

 

Why Wine Prices in Thailand Aren’t as Expensive as You Think

 

 

[Nicholas Paul KNIGHT]

Great ideas but WHILE many offenders m,any Law Enforcement officers NEVER get stopped even if they are known to be drinking then the Publics trust is lost and will never be recovered > Too many people never get stopped and rarely checked unless it will financially benefit that officer

[The Old Bull]

So if the boys are drinking they can't send one of their daughter to the village shop for a bottle of Lao Khow and a pack of smokes, they will have to go themselves. I don't see that as an improvement.

[seajae]

In Australia bottle shops operate from 8am to 10pm or hours in between 9 - 9 etc but there are also ones that do home deliveries at differing hours, Thailands 11 am opening and 2 pm to 5 pm closing  before opening again is total BS

[NanLaew]

1 hour ago, Oz82 said:

I've always found Thailand to be very uptight about alcohol consumption. Binge drinking is not a normal way of life like it is in western countries. Yes there are people getting drunk at bars on weekends, but society is far less alcohol oriented here than in the west. Tourist areas revolve around alcohol, and Thai people who hang around in tourist/expat areas, are often drinkers. But in normal Thai towns it isn't the norm, and being drunk is quite taboo here.

 

Where is "here"?

 

The whole reason the taxes on clear spirits are low is so the great unwashed can stay inebriated, numb and easy to manipulate. In Isaan, before the scourge of yabaa, it was lao khao that was the "problem", probably still is for the boomer generation. It's these younger ones that are getting toasted on methamphetamines these days. Going back about thirty years, we had a couple of mechanics from Buriram that were hired for a project I was on in China. They quickly found the local equivalent of lao khao and, just like back home, they started their working day with a couple of large shots, like they would do back home. My brother-in-law totally abstains while he's at work in Istanbul but when he's home for his annual one-month vacation, he's permanently soused on the stuff.

 

Thai governments, of whatever colour, always seeks to portray this overly pious, quasi-religious stance on alcohol, looking down their noses at those who drink, and whatever is permitted is only to pander to the influence of those pesky foreigners and tourists. To say that the locals don't like to drink to excess is incorrect. It is more likely that they don't like to be seen to be drinking to excess and getting drunk. It's that face thing again.

[Ralf001]

5 minutes ago, The Old Bull said:

So if the boys are drinking they can't send one of their daughter to the village shop for a bottle of Lao Khow and a pack of smokes, they will have to go themselves. I don't see that as an improvement.

 

yes, the daughter can go buy a bottle of lao khao.

 

nothing has chaged.

[MangoKorat]

8 hours ago, webfact said:

Notably, 34% of fatal accidents during last year's New Year festivities were attributed to drink-driving.

Hardly surprising is it?  When you fail to remove the licences of those who are caught drink driving, when you fail to check if someone actually has a licence, what do you expect?

 

Even under the new points system (what happened to that by the way?), drink drivers are not banned from driving until, I believe, they are caught for a third time!  Even that, would depend upon any previous offences actually being recorded.

 

Let's pretend for a moment that those caught under the influence DO have their licences removed for a period. If they are stopped whilst under such a ban, all they have to do is claim they left their licence at home (as the thousands that have never held a licence do).  The 'punishment' for such 'forgetfulness' is usually around 200 baht, none of which goes any further than the roadside and there is no requirement to produce a licence at a police station later.

 

Yet again, another seasonal load of 'talk' by the great and the good, ostensibly aimed at making the country's roads safer but as usual, the carnage will go ahead over the holiday period as it does every year without fail.

 

People who are incapable of even walking will get behind the wheels of their cars or climb aboard their motorbikes and drive.  Innocent people will be killed and maimed but by February, it will all be forgotten, the killing will return to its usual, more 'acceptable' level and the 'talk' will end only to be resurrected in December 2025.

 

There will of course be the usual late night checkpoints - the ones that everybody knows the location of and therefore avoids.  A few forgetful drivers and non locals will be caught and the RTP will declare their operations to be a success. The hospital and mortuary figures will tell a different story.

 

You can write next year's posts on the matter right now, just copy and paste - it will be much the same as this one. I've been reading this rubbish for 22 years.   

[NanLaew]

1 minute ago, Ralf001 said:

 

yes, the daughter can go buy a bottle of lao khao.

 

nothing has chaged.

 

I am happy that my youngest is now six and can carry home four large beers for daddy from the mom-and-pop shop. For the previous couple of years, he would struggle with four cans.

 

The way I see it, I am making up for the Thai school system being unable to include PE classes or any real physical exercise in their curriculums.

[Ralf001]

6 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

 

I am happy that my youngest is now six and can carry home four large beers for daddy from the mom-and-pop shop. For the previous couple of years, he would struggle with four cans.

 

The way I see it, I am making up for the Thai school system being unable to include PE classes or any real physical exercise in their curriculums.

Before you know it he will be able to carry a box !

[Liquorice]

Pointless if it's not enforced.

[sambum]

"He has urged the public, particularly motorists, to remain sober, citing the long-term health risks young drinkers face."

 

How about the short term risks of fatal accidents due to drunken drivers?

 

"Rungarun Limlahaphan, Director of the Social and Health Risk Control Section at the Thai Health Promotion Foundation, reported a slight decline in national drinking rates, from 28.4% in 2017 to 28% in 2021."

 

What about from 2022 to 2023 - they've had nearly a year to scrutinise those  figures - too difficult for them to add up?

 

 

"Anticipated to be deliberated in January, alongside other related bills, the draft law focuses on the regulation of alcohol sales hours, potentially altering the current 2–5pm ban to match global norms.

 

About bleedin' time!!!

 

[BangkokReady]

6 hours ago, pomchop said:

same in vietnam where no helmets especially in cities is extremely rare because if you don't wear one you do get caught and do have to pay a fine...so nearly 100% compliance.  

 

True, but the helmets are mostly like plastic baseball caps.

 

[BangkokReady]

10 hours ago, webfact said:

mandatory imprisonment for individuals caught driving under the influence

 

Where would they keep them all???

[BarBoy]

1 hour ago, scottiejohn said:

Actually we may be giving bullsh1t a bad name by referencing that to the troll!

A bit gang handed aren't we, John? Can't fight your own battles, is it?

[Oz82]

1 hour ago, NanLaew said:

 

Where is "here"?

 

The whole reason the taxes on clear spirits are low is so the great unwashed can stay inebriated, numb and easy to manipulate. In Isaan, before the scourge of yabaa, it was lao khao that was the "problem", probably still is for the boomer generation. It's these younger ones that are getting toasted on methamphetamines these days. Going back about thirty years, we had a couple of mechanics from Buriram that were hired for a project I was on in China. They quickly found the local equivalent of lao khao and, just like back home, they started their working day with a couple of large shots, like they would do back home. My brother-in-law totally abstains while he's at work in Istanbul but when he's home for his annual one-month vacation, he's permanently soused on the stuff.

 

Thai governments, of whatever colour, always seeks to portray this overly pious, quasi-religious stance on alcohol, looking down their noses at those who drink, and whatever is permitted is only to pander to the influence of those pesky foreigners and tourists. To say that the locals don't like to drink to excess is incorrect. It is more likely that they don't like to be seen to be drinking to excess and getting drunk. It's that face thing again.

You make a good point with the last sentence. I think that's it. there is a judgement about people who drink, but in reality people are drinking to excess. They just like to pretend they don't.

[denishuahin]

9 hours ago, connda said:

I know that in America, you can't buy a beer from 2pm to 5pm every day of the week.  😁

In my time in America, I came across can't buy it at all, ( land of the free ) one place on my last vist I stayed at the  Quality Inn, Seaman OH, couldn't have a drink with my food, but waitress said over the road they sell at the garage shop you but can't bring it this side of the road. About 350 yards away.

[G_Money]

6 hours ago, Lite Beer said:

Most of us don't want to drink Leo, Chang or Archa. 

Well said.

The food/sweat stained 15 yo wife beater wearing crowd will drink anything they can get their hands on.

[Pompeygeezer]

10 hours ago, connda said:

I know that in America, you can't buy a beer from 2pm to 5pm every day of the week.  😁

But can you buy a beer in a bar from 2-5pm ?