Thai Election Forces 2-weekend Booze Ban

[PeaceBlondie]

209 replies in less than 27 hours. Priorities. This is more important to many folks than motherhood, apple pie, and Daimlers.

[brahmburgers]

Here's what might wind up happening: with all the savvy drinkers, Thai and farang, stocking up for the feared prohibition - there might be lots more drunks than usual.

Here are some other things that Thai power brokers could ban - for some up-coming week-end:

1. a ban on tossing trash hither and thither.

and designated week-end for bans on..........

2. barking dogs

3. ear numbing bubllegum pop songs everywhere

4. date rape

5. amplified village announcements between 6:30 and 7 am on Sundays

7. driving on the wrong side of the road. I don't think any Thai has ever been stopped and ticketed for driving on the wrong side of the road.

8. running red lights. I estimate in Chiang Rai alone, roughly 10,000 red lights are run every hour. I don't think any Thai has ever been stopped and ticketed for running a red light.

9. cutting corners while driving too fast. I don't think any Thai has ever been stopped and ticketed for that in Chiang Rai.

10. and, a ten year ban on military take-over of government.

Edited December 14, 2007 by brahmburgers

[Prakanong]

"10. and, a ten year ban on military take-over of government. "

They acheived that one once!!!

[Mobi]

I reckon they should ban alcohol at all times, except when there is an election.

That way they might get the government they really deserve.

Maybe this innovative policy could be championed by a distant relative of the late Lord Sutch, who, I understand, recently applied for Thai nationality, married as he is to a Thai citizen

[sweetchariot]

This is the way Thailand does it and has for many years and many elections, yes the timing is bad but surely people can survive for a few days without alcohol?? The hotels for sure will still be serving and many of the bars I use wil also have an "arrangement"

If you do not like the law of the land leave the land

Umm...when was the last election that they closed all the bars for 6 days? Ime it has just been the night before and the day of (roughly 24 hrs). It has already been posted that hotels will not be serving, and 'arrangements' won't be available, as this is a military, not police edict........having said that I am sure there will be places that you can get a beer.

HEY GUYS THERES ALWAYS THE A.A MEETING AT McCORMACK. ITS NOT ALL DOOM AND GLOOM:

Can you get a beer there?

[Crossy]

Welllll, here in shitty sunny India we have dry days too, as and when decreed by the government.

The rule is simple, Indian Nationals are not permitted to buy or consume alcohol, prove you're a foreigner = no problem

So why can't we implement a similar system in Thailand, eveyone is happy and no injury to either the election or the tourist industry

[Taijitu]

Welllll, here in shitty sunny India we have dry days too, as and when decreed by the government.

The rule is simple, Indian Nationals are not permitted to buy or consume alcohol, prove you're a foreigner = no problem

So why can't we implement a similar system in Thailand, eveyone is happy and no injury to either the election or the tourist industry

Yes, it is a simple and really splendid idea Crossy..........but that's beyond the logic and imagination of the authorities here. This "High Season" will go down on record as the worst High Season ever, even matching the "Low Seasons" of the past.

[bdenner]

TW is our equivalent to who I would call the local "returning officer" for the Tampon and there is nothing happening here this weekend. There is a small area set aside in the Amphur Office for early voters who want to travel up to 60 km to get there but not many registered. Probably not as many as the part time farang population who have turned up, with TWs, for their annual visit.

Up until last night the 3 farang bars (one closed because the owners are on holiday) up here had not been officially informed of closures this weekend although they are aware of their responsibilities for next. The only information they are getting is being relayed by guys like myself who monitor forums such as this.

An interesting weekend ahead.

[Prakanong]

Welllll, here in shitty sunny India we have dry days too, as and when decreed by the government.

The rule is simple, Indian Nationals are not permitted to buy or consume alcohol, prove you're a foreigner = no problem

So why can't we implement a similar system in Thailand, eveyone is happy and no injury to either the election or the tourist industry

Yes, it is a simple and really splendid idea Crossy..........but that's beyond the logic and imagination of the authorities here. This "High Season" will go down on record as the worst High Season ever, even matching the "Low Seasons" of the past.

Every year on every Thai board there are whinges about how bad the high season is or is going to be

Crying wolf each year.

Supply and demand my dear chap - pretty simple innit!

[Mobi]

Just in case anyone out there thinks this is all some kind of joke that can be ignored, a quote from today's B Post:

"No alcohol will be on sale or served at any event across the country from 6pm today until midnight on Sunday as voters cast advance ballots this weekend for the general election.

Bar owners have been warned it will be enforced.

The same strict regulation will be applied next week, from 6pm on Dec 22 to midnight the next day, polling day.

The ban is to prevent canvassers entertaining voters at boozy parties before they go off to cast their votes.

Violators risk a fine of up to 10,000 baht or a maximum of six years in jail, under the election law.

Pol Gen Vichien Potphosri said full security will be in place. Advance voting is tomorrow and Sunday.

About 2.8 million people have applied to cast advance votes."

At least next week it is only from 6 p.m. on Saturday evening, not Friday, as many had thought.

[LeungKen]

'

Whilst we are having these "Dry" days, I think it would be a good idea to try out the new rule of forcing all traffic to stop whilst the national anthem is being played.

[Prakanong]

Just in case anyone out there thinks this is all some kind of joke that can be ignored, a quote from today's B Post:

"No alcohol will be on sale or served at any event across the country from 6pm today until midnight on Sunday as voters cast advance ballots this weekend for the general election.

Bar owners have been warned it will be enforced.

The same strict regulation will be applied next week, from 6pm on Dec 22 to midnight the next day, polling day.

The ban is to prevent canvassers entertaining voters at boozy parties before they go off to cast their votes.

Violators risk a fine of up to 10,000 baht or a maximum of six years in jail, under the election law.

Pol Gen Vichien Potphosri said full security will be in place. Advance voting is tomorrow and Sunday.

About 2.8 million people have applied to cast advance votes."

At least next week it is only from 6 p.m. on Saturday evening, not Friday, as many had thought.

And its back on sale the 24th - I changed my flight due to this and look forward to starting my holiday binge in the SIA Lounge!

[phuketsub]

Further confirmation from Phuket Gazette: http://www.phuketgazette.net/news/index.asp?id=6156

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Bars must close this weekend – and the next

PHUKET: The upcoming general election will be a sobering experience for the island’s party people, as a ban on alcohol sales will force bars to close for two consecutive weekends – starting at 6 pm tomorrow night.

Phuket Election Commission Director Supap Akkam this morning confirmed that the new election law prohibits alcohol sales not only on election day, but during the two-day advance voting period the week before.

As advance voting will be held this Saturday and Sunday, the ban on alcohol begins tomorrow at 6 pm. At that time, all bars and other outlets vending alcohol must cease sales until midnight on Sunday – or face arrest, he said.

All political campaigning is banned from 8 am Saturday until 6 pm on Sunday, he added.

The same ban on alcohol sales will also apply during the poll on December 23, when alcohol sales will be banned from 6 pm on Saturday, December 22 until midnight the following day.

Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Col Paween Pongsirin told the Gazette that police will strictly enforce the ban, the purpose of which is to prevent drunken behavior that could disrupt polling or lead to violations of electoral law.

With two consecutive high-season weekends sacrificed to the cause of democracy, publicans can take some solace in the fact that all nightspots in Phuket will be allowed to remain open throughout the night on New Year’s Eve.

The official closing time that night has been moved to 6 am on New Year’s Day, Col Paween said.

Normal closing times will apply on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, which are not official holidays in Thailand, he said.

[mobs00]

At Foxy lady here in Chiang Mai we will be open this weekend with copious ammounts of liquid refreshment.

We are closed on the 23rd though and no word yet from our people about closing this weekend.....

[LeungKen]

Over 13,000 viewings in such a short time, is this a record ?

[Kenbarl]

Koh Phangan Police say it is ok to serve Alcohol this weekend

[jts-khorat]

Further confirmation from Phuket Gazette:

The #extremely# funny thing is, about every Farang bar owner that I talked to about this knows about the closing. But every single Thai bar owner has not heard about this rule even until now. So there are a lot of Thais who either will:

- loose out on the money if the rule is enforced; I will have a good laugh on their long faces then

- or get an unfair advantage because they are open and staff in Farang bars got told to stay home if the police 'forgets' to make their round because they are busy 'elsewhere'; it will be funny to watch the faces of Thai staff not getting paid or missing out on the tips

Just to see the carnage, I will be out on Saturday and have a look which of the two is true (the Schadenfreude will not really happen, but it makes the point that the real losers in this scenario will be -- a lot of -- Thais).

Rest assured, both alternative scenarios point Thailand in a bad light and just show again how little Thai people care about the livelihood and welfare of fellow citizens or foreign #GUESTS# they have #INVITED# in their country; invited under false pretenses, if they were not informed by official information of the TAT at time of booking their holiday?

Some "smart" people pointing out that this was in the local news for a week have gotten it wrong again (and again, and again, and again...). Tourists were not informed by the #government# organization responsible for giving such news.

Sure the Thais can make their own rules as good as they can sh*t in their own beds if they so wish. That doesn't make the stink smaller.

This seems the new way how Thai people generally treat their guests nowadays. Wasn't it the 'Land of Smiles' once...?!

[Bruce1]

It doesn't affect me, it's not very important really, and I expect most people will find a way around it, but I still think its a pointless exercise.

[parmi]

Thai election forces 2-weekend booze ban

BANGKOK: -- No alcohol will be served to expats, tourists or local residents in bars and restaurants over the next two weekends nationwide due to the oncoming election.

The first dry days will be 14, 15 and 16 December, pre-election days for a few million Thais who registered to vote early.

Thaivisa has been informed that no alcohol is allowed to be served nationwide between Friday 14th at 6pm until Sunday 16th at midnight.

Elections on the 23rd will mean no alcohol will be sold from 6pm on the 22nd till midnight on the 23rd of December.

Practically this means two or three dry days in the two weekends ahead, although some tourist areas tend to be lenient once it's past 7pm on election day.

Please be aware that local rules could apply. Big hotels are not likely to be affected.

--thaivisa.com 2007-12-13

AS i have stated yesterday, SOI COWBOY BARS OPEN 14 15 AND 16, BUT CLOSED 23 24, ,,,YOU WILL be able to get as much booze as you can get down you at< FANNY BAR,,JUNGLE JIM,,,MOONSHINE AND TOY BAY > on soi cowboy, open regular hrs, so all you guys that need a drink, cum on down and bring a friend, tell them STEVE sent you.

enjoy,

THIS is the last time i say it, SOI COWBOY OPEN 14 15 AND 16, if you want a drink come to FANNY BAR and ask for khun pim,tell her pa sent you.

you can now relax, and cheers,go nuts guys.

[mobs00]

At Foxy lady here in Chiang Mai we will be open this weekend with copious ammounts of liquid refreshment.

We are closed on the 23rd though and no word yet from our people about closing this weekend.....

Sorry, I take it back. We are closed this weekend, just got the official word.

[sibeymai]

The ban covers the sale and serving of alcohol.

How is this for a solution.......

Pre-pay your local for your expected consumption during the affected period. Then the alcohol you consume belongs to you, not the bar. The bar can not be accused or selling or serving alcohol because it does not belong to them.

There is no law against customers keeping alcohol which belong to them at a bar. Bottles of spirits are often paid for up front, thereby belonging to the customer, but are kept at the bar. Beer should be no different. No law against the bar keeping beer which belongs to customers cold is there ?

So long as no money exchanges hands during the banned period it would seen no law is being broken.

[jts-khorat]

So long as no money exchanges hands during the banned period it would seen no law is being broken.

*snicker* try to tell this to the cop closing the bar and fining the owner an 'appropriate' fantasy amount.

Funny, how western logic fails so badly on something like a legal system based on corruption, enforcement where the personal preference of the officer has more weight than the law, absolute ignorance about the laws even by the police, and general total incomprehension that the law should be applicable to everybody in the exact same way.

Welcome to Thailand!

[ozzydom]

The ban covers the sale and serving of alcohol.

How is this for a solution.......

Pre-pay your local for your expected consumption during the affected period. Then the alcohol you consume belongs to you, not the bar. The bar can not be accused or selling or serving alcohol because it does not belong to them.

There is no law against customers keeping alcohol which belong to them at a bar. Bottles of spirits are often paid for up front, thereby belonging to the customer, but are kept at the bar. Beer should be no different. No law against the bar keeping beer which belongs to customers cold is there ?

So long as no money exchanges hands during the banned period it would seen no law is being broken.

Thaivisa has been informed that no alcohol is allowed to be SERVED nationwide between Friday 14th at 6pm until Sunday 16th at midnight.

Depends on whether there is a distinction between selling and served doesnt it.

[Mobi]

Thai election forces 2-weekend booze ban

BANGKOK: -- No alcohol will be served to expats, tourists or local residents in bars and restaurants over the next two weekends nationwide due to the oncoming election.

The first dry days will be 14, 15 and 16 December, pre-election days for a few million Thais who registered to vote early.

Thaivisa has been informed that no alcohol is allowed to be served nationwide between Friday 14th at 6pm until Sunday 16th at midnight.

Elections on the 23rd will mean no alcohol will be sold from 6pm on the 22nd till midnight on the 23rd of December.

Practically this means two or three dry days in the two weekends ahead, although some tourist areas tend to be lenient once it's past 7pm on election day.

Please be aware that local rules could apply. Big hotels are not likely to be affected.

--thaivisa.com 2007-12-13

AS i have stated yesterday, SOI COWBOY BARS OPEN 14 15 AND 16, BUT CLOSED 23 24, ,,,YOU WILL be able to get as much booze as you can get down you at< FANNY BAR,,JUNGLE JIM,,,MOONSHINE AND TOY BAY > on soi cowboy, open regular hrs, so all you guys that need a drink, cum on down and bring a friend, tell them STEVE sent you.

enjoy,

THIS is the last time i say it, SOI COWBOY OPEN 14 15 AND 16, if you want a drink come to FANNY BAR and ask for khun pim,tell her pa sent you.

you can now relax, and cheers,go nuts guys.

Hm... interesting.

Soi Cowboy aficionados, please report back on Monday

[sibeymai]

The ban covers the sale and serving of alcohol.

How is this for a solution.......

Pre-pay your local for your expected consumption during the affected period. Then the alcohol you consume belongs to you, not the bar. The bar can not be accused or selling or serving alcohol because it does not belong to them.

There is no law against customers keeping alcohol which belong to them at a bar. Bottles of spirits are often paid for up front, thereby belonging to the customer, but are kept at the bar. Beer should be no different. No law against the bar keeping beer which belongs to customers cold is there ?

So long as no money exchanges hands during the banned period it would seen no law is being broken.

Thaivisa has been informed that no alcohol is allowed to be SERVED nationwide between Friday 14th at 6pm until Sunday 16th at midnight.

Depends on whether there is a distinction between selling and served doesnt it.

Can a bar "serve" you something you already own ? Tricky. Maybe "self-serve" is the answer.

[Prakanong]

The ban covers the sale and serving of alcohol.

How is this for a solution.......

Pre-pay your local for your expected consumption during the affected period. Then the alcohol you consume belongs to you, not the bar. The bar can not be accused or selling or serving alcohol because it does not belong to them.

There is no law against customers keeping alcohol which belong to them at a bar. Bottles of spirits are often paid for up front, thereby belonging to the customer, but are kept at the bar. Beer should be no different. No law against the bar keeping beer which belongs to customers cold is there ?

So long as no money exchanges hands during the banned period it would seen no law is being broken.

Thaivisa has been informed that no alcohol is allowed to be SERVED nationwide between Friday 14th at 6pm until Sunday 16th at midnight.

Depends on whether there is a distinction between selling and served doesnt it.

Can a bar "serve" you something you already own ? Tricky. Maybe "self-serve" is the answer.

Of course - my maid served me my beer from my fridge

I think you are really grasping at straws here - there will no doubt be places to get a beer but if the plod does want to go after them if caught i think you are farting in the wind if you think it was pre-paid would be a credible defence!

[tigerbeer]

no one saw this one coming huh?? i mean the next weekend was anticipated to be alcohol free. but this weekend? caught everyone by surprise and not enough time to plan private parties! .. hmmm

[mrtoad]

There still seems to be some contradictions, with certain venues claiming to be open and others saying they will be closed. The reason given to stop serving is still ludicrous, but it's to be expected from the Junta.

I do seriously hope that we will be able to have a few beers come Sunday evening as the football won't be the same without it.

[Mobi]

no one saw this one coming huh?? i mean the next weekend was anticipated to be alcohol free. but this weekend? caught everyone by surprise and not enough time to plan private parties! .. hmmm

Private parties are also banned. Didn't you know?

In fact that could be the reason no notice was given - to prevent illegal private parties

[tigerbeer]

no one saw this one coming huh?? i mean the next weekend was anticipated to be alcohol free. but this weekend? caught everyone by surprise and not enough time to plan private parties! .. hmmm

Private parties are also banned. Didn't you know?

In fact that could be the reason no notice was given - to prevent illegal private parties

its ok. none happening anyways. perhaps meet up with a couple hungry farangs instead. private gathering if you wish since parties are banned