Pattaya on pause: Plan ahead or lose the booze

[PomPolo]

I heard they historically have done this to keep order on election day, not sure how may tourists will be voting! Also heard the 7/11 bans are mainly done prevent Thais from purchasing alcohol underage or work reasons or something however not sure on that one.  Either way the archaic laws make no sense to apply to tourists.  They seem to manage OK with split pricing and working out who a tourist is so might as well apply the same knowledge when selling alcohol.  Not that I will be that desperate for a couple of days to get smashed!

[hotchilli]

1 hour ago, Ralf001 said:

 

Same here and if I had too many to drive to them they will deliver to me !

Mine is a two minute walk.... nice

[hotchilli]

10 minutes ago, Peterphuket said:

With the difference that most ‘local Mom & Pop shops’ do not sell wine.

Most locals don't drink wine... they stock stock the shelves with what sells.

[Tropicalevo]

37 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

As written elections are on Sat Feb 1. End 5 PM.

So the weekend is saved 😁

 

 

Gong Xi Fa Cai - Happy Chinese New Year    (29th for one week.)

[dddave]

12 hours ago, Mason45 said:

To honor Thailands rich Buddhist traditions, if only the people who believe this were to practice what they preach.

You mean, like Christians and Jews do?

[AhFarangJa]

1 hour ago, jacko45k said:

Yes my friend. Stuff ruined me, couldn't get a drink strong enough when I was back in the UK. 

Years ago, before the liquid ban on flights, I knew several people who took it home in water bottles in the carry on luggage. Also, not sure if it is still happeninng, but there used to be an advert in the personal column of the Times, and Telegraph, saying Sid is home. This meant there was some ready for sale.

[KhunBENQ]

31 minutes ago, Tropicalevo said:

 

Gong Xi Fa Cai - Happy Chinese New Year    (29th for one week.)

Thanks for reminding.

Can cause some extra influx and road carnival etc.

Many "Chinese" mom&pop shops closed for two/three days. 

[Ralf001]

2 hours ago, Mason45 said:

That's even a more ridiculous ban considering what the local Councillors contribute to the community.

 

Take it up with a forum moderator if you dislike what has been posted in the news section.

[sambum]

Did I not read on here a while ago that some committee was investigating Thailand's outdated booze laws? Or are they still "sitting" (on the fence)?

[Ralf001]

1 hour ago, hotchilli said:

Mine is a two minute walk.... nice

 

Yeah if iam too pissed to drive Iam too pissed to walk as well.

 

My mom and pop is a bout min walk.

[ujayujay]

I'm glad I have my mom shop around the corner

[Kerryd]

For those that don't know - Thais are required to vote and they must vote in the district they are registered as living in.

Which is why, during national elections, they close the bars and there's an exodus of people trying to get back to their home village to vote. Pattaya (for example) has an official population of just under 120,000 and an "unofficial" population of over 328,000 - not including tourists and non-registered/illegal immigrants.
So most of those "extra" people have to go back to Isaan (or wherever) whenever there is a national election or a provincial election in their home province where they are registered.

And they want people to be (mostly) sober when they do it. (So they don't mistakenly take a 20 baht note to vote for someone when they are supposed to get a 100 baht note ? 
There's a long story about a former PM who allegedly spent a lot of money giving 100 baht notes to everyone who voted for him.)
More likely they probably think that without the alcohol ban, most voters would just get drunk, sleep in and then not bother to vote at all !

Some motorcycle clubs i know of used to ride to Rayong whenever Pattaya or Chon Buri had an election. Or go to a resort somewhere with their own stock of booze. Can't sell booze (legally) but you can drink it !

And when I first got involved in a "bar" (back in 2009) on the night before the official opening we hosted a VIP group (I was told it was the Governor of Rayong) and his entourage who had come to Pattaya because the bars in Rayong were closed for a provincial election.
(4 people drinking and having a good time at one table - 6 other people from the same group sitting apart drinking sodas - they were the drivers and bodyguards apparently. One of the bodyguards was good friends with a couple of the guys in our motorcycle club which is how that came to be.)

I used to lol back in the days of "ThaiVisa" because everytime there'd be an announcement of a bar closure there'd be a certain group of whiners who'd pipe up to claim that (whichever closure) would be the "straw that breaks the back" of tourism in Thailand.

As if a one day closure of the bars was going to put a halt to tourists coming to Thailand.

And there was the usual "but how am I going to drink my one beer a day if the bars are closed" crowd who apparently thought the idea of buying a beer at a 7-11 and saving it for the next day was the equivalent of having their liver cut out with a rusty bottle cap while a thousand cockroaches feasted on their flesh.

But the next closure is only 17 days away !! How can those poor people be expected to have enough time to prepare for such a horrific event ? Doesn't the gov't know that boozy expats need at least a year to prepare for such events ?
And even then won't do it unless they are personally informed by a (cute) gov't official that will personally escort them to the store and back.

And of course they will then drink that beer instead of saving it so they have something to whine about the next day (again).

Hmm, just 17 days to prepare. Where can we go ? What can we do ? Oh no, this could be the straw that breaks the kwaii's back as far as drinking alcohol in Thailand is concerned !

And the proposed changes to the alcohol law mention reviewing the current "2pm - 5pm" ban on selling alcohol - but still not allowing 24/7 alcohol sales. The review may suggest changing the current time period to one more aligned with international standards.
Last Dec a change was announced to allow International Airports to sell (duty-free presumably) alcohol on the 5 Buddhist holidays each year where there is a prohibition currently. (But only at 5 international airports.)

That's not likely to happen for the rest of the country though.

And like others have mentioned, it's basically just the bars/hotels/restaurants, big stores and convenience (7-11/CJs/Family Marts) stores that can't sell booze for a day.
Everywhere else it will be business as per usual - with one eye open for the cops of course.
 

[thecyclist]

16 hours ago, Mason45 said:

To honor Thailands rich Buddhist traditions, if only the people who believe this were to practice what they preach.

Exactly, Thailand is one of the least Buddhist countries in the world. Buddhist in name only. 

[thecyclist]

3 hours ago, dddave said:

You mean, like Christians and Jews do?

Not quite the same : Thais consider themselves Buddhist. In most European countries, the " Christians" don't give a hoot about religion. The US is a different story :they portray themselves as devout, and just voted the anti Christ back into office. 

[Mickboy]

Political curfews on polling days and religious days shouldn't affect tourism imo.

[SiSePuede419]

Boose it or lose it. 😃

[lordgrinz]

On 1/13/2025 at 8:46 PM, Mason45 said:

To honor Thailands rich Buddhist traditions, if only the people who believe this were to practice what they preach.

 

Thailand's version of Buddhism is a disgrace and insult to Buddha. These people are delusional if they think what they "practice" is even remotely Buddhism.

[mikebell]

On 1/13/2025 at 5:02 PM, snoop1130 said:

Locals, visitors and tourists in Pattaya should mark their calendars as the region is likely to go dry from 5pm on January 31 to 5pm on February 1.

Also likely; slow moving convoys of speaker vans forcing already chaotic traffic to a standstill emitting loud messages that no one can hear. 

We used to have the same with companies advertising their products till (most) executives (i.e. those with a brain) realised it was a pointless and infuriating exercise and had the opposite effect on sales.

Stand by for plastic billboards with photos of grinning would-be politicians (AKA skimmers) being erected at busy junctions obscuring the vision of other road-users..