Protesters Protest Planned Listing Of Beer Chang

[george]

Protesters protest planned listing of Beer Chang

BANGKOK: -- Hundreds of people, including youth, demonstrated outside Thailand's Stock Exchange of Thailand on Monday to protest plans by Beer Chang company to list its shares on the market.

Thai Beverage PLC, which brews Beer Chang, the country's top seller, has applied for listing on the Stock Exchange of Thailand. It plans to complete the listing by the end of the year.

If successful, the company would be the first alcoholic beverage company to list on the market in Thailand.

Many of the protesters were antialcohol activists and members of Buddhist organisations. Some carried banners reading, ``Stop encouraging drinking, oppose the listing of Thai Bev on the SET.'' Others showed pictures of victims of drunken driving.

The protesters said allowing the firm to raise more money in the market means we are promoting alcohol consumption. It is not the kind of company we want on the Thai market.

They will protest outside the Finance Ministry on Wednesday, he said.

Thai Bev, one of the region's Southeast Asia's biggest brewers and distillers, was listed on the Singapore stock market in May 2006 after its previous attempt to list on the Thai market was derailed by a 2005 protest movement that drew thousands of people.

One of the spearhead in opposing the listing in 2006 was Chamlong Srimuang who is now leading antigovernment protests in the Government House.

Chamlong said that for this time, he would not personally lead the opposition to Thai Bev's listing due to his unfinished business at Government House.

He noted that other Buddhist and antialcoholic beverage groups would continue to oppose the ThaiBev bid.

-- The Nation 2008-10-27

[kmart]

How can listing a beverage company on a modern stock exchange be such a bad thing? Khun Holier-Than_Thou is already spearheading the campaign again, I see.

[Scott]

I think it's another case of style over substance. Listing it doesn't look good, but drinking it is OK! It's a little like prostitution, which also doesn't exist here.

Oh, well, as long as there is another site for folks to protest at!

[PhilHarries]

Beats the cr@p out of me too but that's the advantage of an uneducated population, it is easy to get them motivated against anything as they will never question anything.

[Thai at Heart]

You would indeed think there would be more important moral crusades within Thailand that people could put their efforts towards. But carrying out a proper social critique of Thai society as it is today is so much harder than getting people to jump over a headline grabbing IPO.

[Plus]

Excessibe drinking is one of Thailand's biggest social problems.

[Thai at Heart]

Excessibe drinking is one of Thailand's biggest social problems.

Admittedly, it is. And it has exactly has what to do with an IPO?

[innovator]

I think the new Thai marketing slogan for tourism should be Keep on Protesting, instead of Johhnie Walker Keep on Walking.

[h90]

How can listing a beverage company on a modern stock exchange be such a bad thing? Khun Holier-Than_Thou is already spearheading the campaign again, I see.

I like drinking and have no problem with it on the stock market.

But for example if a company which is selling Heroin is going on my stock market I wouldn't like it. People see it same.

(keep in mind that in some countries there is dead penalty on selling buying drinking alcohol)

[Thai at Heart]

How can listing a beverage company on a modern stock exchange be such a bad thing? Khun Holier-Than_Thou is already spearheading the campaign again, I see.

I like drinking and have no problem with it on the stock market.

But for example if a company which is selling Heroin is going on my stock market I wouldn't like it. People see it same.

(keep in mind that in some countries there is dead penalty on selling buying drinking alcohol)

Well since it is a perfectly legal product, and let us not forget that the Thai government itself grows tobacco and produces cigarettes, I find this opposition absolutely bizarre.

[TAWP]

Groups that claim to have a higher moral standing always like to impose their views on others.

[h90]

How can listing a beverage company on a modern stock exchange be such a bad thing? Khun Holier-Than_Thou is already spearheading the campaign again, I see.

I like drinking and have no problem with it on the stock market.

But for example if a company which is selling Heroin is going on my stock market I wouldn't like it. People see it same.

(keep in mind that in some countries there is dead penalty on selling buying drinking alcohol)

Well since it is a perfectly legal product, and let us not forget that the Thai government itself grows tobacco and produces cigarettes, I find this opposition absolutely bizarre.

Well these groups also want to make it illegal......

[Chang_paarp]

(one of ) The silly things about this protest is the premise that listing on the stock exchange will magically increase the consumption of the companies product. If this were the case they would not have gone to the effort to list in Singapore, they would have done the battle to list on the SET. The reason they went to Sing in the first place was because these high minded folk got in the ear of the SET and constantly delayed the listing.

Another silly thing is that they are planning on making 0.3% of the companies shares to be available to the SET. Not what you would call significant.

[MrSnrang]

It's not like that these protests will keep them from listing the company.

[Thai at Heart]

It's not like that these protests will keep them from listing the company.

It has once before.

[h90]

It's not like that these protests will keep them from listing the company.

It has once before.

While I don't think it matters much if they are listed or not, there is a much bigger scandal.

If "Thai at Heart" and "H90" think they can do better than Chang and Singha and want to open a brewery, they can't.

There are just a few license around and no new issued. The beer mafia is sponsoring every party to keep it that way.

[Thai at Heart]

It's not like that these protests will keep them from listing the company.

It has once before.

While I don't think it matters much if they are listed or not, there is a much bigger scandal.

If "Thai at Heart" and "H90" think they can do better than Chang and Singha and want to open a brewery, they can't.

There are just a few license around and no new issued. The beer mafia is sponsoring every party to keep it that way.

The scandal is the duties levied, but that is another subject. Better go check my laokao still coz that is of course responsible alcohol production and consumption.

These plonkers always miss the real issue when it comes to trying to improve the morals of this country.

[h90]

It's not like that these protests will keep them from listing the company.

It has once before.

While I don't think it matters much if they are listed or not, there is a much bigger scandal.

If "Thai at Heart" and "H90" think they can do better than Chang and Singha and want to open a brewery, they can't.

There are just a few license around and no new issued. The beer mafia is sponsoring every party to keep it that way.

The scandal is the duties levied, but that is another subject. Better go check my laokao still coz that is of course responsible alcohol production and consumption.

These plonkers always miss the real issue when it comes to trying to improve the morals of this country.

The duties is another scandal, also true. You can improve the moral only with education in a modern free country. There are several ways to improve the education: the government is doing none of it.

[Moonrakers]

The real scandal is not being able to get a beer in a restaurant until 5 P.M.

[WISteve]

The real scandal is not being able to get a beer in a restaurant until 5 P.M.

Really? Never knew buying it in that setting was a problem. It hasn't been for me anyway. In the markets and convenience stores they have their restricted hours of course.

That might be a product of the neighborhoods I frequent though too.................

``````````````````````````

Listing a company that produces a legal, licensed product shouldn't be subject to the personal whim of a few old retired generals. But then occupation of government offices for months at a time wouldn't be a normal matter in a civilized society either, would it?

~WISteve

[h90]

The real scandal is not being able to get a beer in a restaurant until 5 P.M.

never had that problem....

[Plus]

Well since it is a perfectly legal product, and let us not forget that the Thai government itself grows tobacco and produces cigarettes, I find this opposition absolutely bizarre.

It is not a perfectly legal product. Legalised, yes, but it's not toothpaste or mouthwash. It is heavily controlled and taxed with the view to control consumption.

The government does indeed grow tobacco and sell cigarettes, are you saying that the govt should apply the same approach it takes to controlling smoking? In that case you can forget the listing as a matter of principle.

And they did a decent job with smoking, btw. Their price increases work, people smoke less, or at least they put the brakes on the growth, and they still keep the tax revenues largely intact.

(one of ) The silly things about this protest is the premise that listing on the stock exchange will magically increase the consumption of the companies product....

Huh? And what do you think is the goal of raising funds via stock exchange? Shrink their market share? Put it all to charity? Decrease alcohol consumption in the society?

Who are you kidding?

>>>

Ever heard an argument in defense of marijuana - alcohol kills more people and creates more damage, but the govt does nothing to address that problem? Well, now someone is trying, what's so bad about it?

[Scott]

Somebody needs to take those protesters out for a few beers. Let'em chill out a bit!

[Thai at Heart]

Well since it is a perfectly legal product, and let us not forget that the Thai government itself grows tobacco and produces cigarettes, I find this opposition absolutely bizarre.

It is not a perfectly legal product. Legalised, yes, but it's not toothpaste or mouthwash. It is heavily controlled and taxed with the view to control consumption.

The government does indeed grow tobacco and sell cigarettes, are you saying that the govt should apply the same approach it takes to controlling smoking? In that case you can forget the listing as a matter of principle.

And they did a decent job with smoking, btw. Their price increases work, people smoke less, or at least they put the brakes on the growth, and they still keep the tax revenues largely intact.

(one of ) The silly things about this protest is the premise that listing on the stock exchange will magically increase the consumption of the companies product....

Huh? And what do you think is the goal of raising funds via stock exchange? Shrink their market share? Put it all to charity? Decrease alcohol consumption in the society?

Who are you kidding?

>>>

Ever heard an argument in defense of marijuana - alcohol kills more people and creates more damage, but the govt does nothing to address that problem? Well, now someone is trying, what's so bad about it?

Looking at the concept of "sin taxes" from another perspective.

Alcohol and tobacco is taxed to the point as to maximise revenue whilst producing minimal changes in numbers of consumers and an ever increasing total tax revenue. In a country where lao kao production and chop chop tobacco isn't taxed, and bottles of sang som can be bought for peanuts but a bottle of wine is taxed at over 300%, believing that preventing the listing of a company will as if by magic reduce alcohol consumption is an absolute myth. They could double the tax tomorrow and produce a massive drop in consumption of cigarettes but as Germany found out a few years ago this would lead to an overall tax take reduction due to shock value.

Governments have worked out years ago that small real incremental increases in taxes can and will be tolerated by the consumer and have very little effect on total tax take.

I would imagine that listing in Thailand on the SET would allow the guy to get paid and (I am not sure of the rules) provide him with various tax breaks.

Edited October 28, 2008 by Thai at Heart

[Gary A]

It would be a MUCH more effective tactic to ban motorbikes and motorcycles. Everyone knows how dangerous they are. Small groups like prohibitionists and PAD lead to way TOO many bullshit rules and regulations.

[h90]

It would be a MUCH more effective tactic to ban motorbikes and motorcycles. Everyone knows how dangerous they are. Small groups like prohibitionists and PAD lead to way TOO many bullshit rules and regulations.

You can't blame PAD on that. Most of the ugly laws (close the pubs, sell alc only at special times) came from Thaksins government.

While Chamlong of PAD has some strange ideas on drugs, Thaksin is also well under influence of some other strange monks....

[Plus]

Alcohol and tobacco is taxed to the point as to maximise revenue whilst producing minimal changes in numbers of consumers and an ever increasing total tax revenue. In a country where lao kao production and chop chop tobacco isn't taxed, and bottles of sang som can be bought for peanuts but a bottle of wine is taxed at over 300%, believing that preventing the listing of a company will as if by magic reduce alcohol consumption is an absolute myth.

Beer has been the fastest growing segment here in the past decade, it grew something like four times.

Stopping the listing might not increase consumption (why would it), but it would certainly have effect on further growth.

The matter of distorted taxes - well, it just shows how inept the government has been. Unless there's a comprehensive and a working plan for the industry, plan that is acceptable to all affected sectors, people will resort to vocal protests, 'cos nothing else seems to work.

True, there are no laws against this listing, but that's because it's an unprecendent case, up until now all the businesses on SET have been presumed socially benefitial or at least neutral.

[Samuian]

I think the new Thai marketing slogan for tourism should be Keep on Protesting, instead of Johhnie Walker Keep on Walking.

Well, Johnny Walker Black Label has it's "Join the Club, don't drink and Drive!" Campaign spearheaded by Hamilton...however, I do believe that exactly here they start to make clowns of themselves and where protest should stop.

Alcoholism has nothing to do with the SET listing!

But then hey, it's TiT!

[Plus]

Alcoholism has everything to do with availability of cheap booze at any time of the day. Not for hard core addicts, they'd always find the way, but for the general population.

The inevitable result of ThaiBev growth is higher consumption and higher profits. People will most likely drink more of better quality and cheaper beer.

Don't forget that ThaiBev sells mass market products, it goes for wider reach and higher volumes.

[sjaak327]

I don't get it, they should be protesting against the dreadfull taste of beer chang, rather then anything else.

Time to give Beer Lao access to the market, so that we can buy it at the local 7-11, family mart and minimarts.