Nearly 100 shops have licenses stripped for underage cigarette sales

BANGKOK: -- The Excise Department has removed the licenses of 98 shops for selling cigarettes to children under the age of 18, Deputy Finance Minister Varathep Ratanakorn announced today.

The announcement comes after a crackdown on the sale of cigarettes and alcohol to minors, launched on 1 December.

Mr. Utid Tamvatin, the Director-General of the Excise Department, said today that the department was clamping down on cigarette sales under the 1966 Tobacco Control Act.

The department has also established a 24-hour telephone hotline on 1713 for members of the public to give information about offending shops.

Mr. Utid revealed that from 1-13 December, Excise Department officials had identified 562 shops which were violating tobacco control legislation, issuing over Bt8.6 million in on-the-spot fines and seizing 10,419 Thai 59,377 foreign cigarette packets.

To date, 98 offending shops have had their licenses to sell tobacco revoked.

Today Mr. Varathep and Mr. Utid were among a number of government officials who joined with models and superstars from the GMM Grammy Co. to campaign against underage cigarette sales.

Travelling round the Ratchawat Market, the officials and artistes handed out stickers stating 'the sale of cigarettes and alcohol to children under the age of 18 is illegal' for display in shops.

--TNA 2004-12-15

the small monkeys

will always use the adult monkeys as models

either you ban it for all

or let all smoke all the shit they want

the rest are just show business

the ones caught are most likely the competitors' shop

Ahhh yes, there is an upcoming general election, is there not?

How about cracking down on stupid noisy karaoke bars mushrooming in residential neighboorhoods.

Crap!

Edited December 15, 200421 yr by madsere

But what's this crap about licensing hours 11am-2pm and 5pm-midnight? The 'kids' will be pissed at lunchtime and asleep all afternoon.

I'm an adult and enjoy drinking mid afternoon. Does this mean I can't? Should I start at 11am? I don't smoke, but what happens if an adult needs fags to smoke in the afternoon? Oh my word, what is this place coming to? This is worse than the uk fifteen years ago.

Hear hear, about those noisy bars.

Get Toxic Thaksin out!

Update:

Law-breaking vendors put ‘on notice’

PHUKET: -- Undercover inspectors are visiting shops and stores to check that they are not selling alcohol outside the permitted times or alcohol and cigarettes to minors, Wisut Romin, the Deputy Secretary of Phuket Provincial Administration Office, has told the Gazette.

Said K. Wisut, “The 253rd declaration of 1972 Revolutionary Council states that shops having liquor licenses are allowed to sell alcohol only between 11 am and 2 pm and 5 pm and midnight.”

This law applies only to shops, said K. Wisut. Entertainment venues can sell alcohol at any time during the hours they are allowed to open.

He added, “Shopkeepers who are breaking law and selling cigarettes and alcohol to under-18s and alcohol outside permitted hours have been put on notice that we are watching them.”

K. Wisut also said that the government is offering a reward for tip-offs from the public.

“Members of the public who report a shop that is found to be breaking the law can expect to receive a bounty of up to 30% of the fine levied on the shop, and that has been an incentive for people to report shopkeepers to us.”

Vendors found to have sold alcohol or cigarettes to minors can be fined up to 30,000 baht, jailed for up to three months, or both. Minors caught buying alcohol and cigarettes will have to do community service.

Shopkeepers caught selling alcohol outside permitted hours will be banned from selling alcohol for a period determined by the Governor’s Office.

Meanwhile, in a move that will be welcomed by many of the island’s residents, owners and managers of “noisy” and “dark” bars are being warned to clean up their acts – or face temporary closure.

The Ministry of the Interior has announced that, from Saturday, officials will be monitoring the volume of noise emanating from entertainment venues, and checking that venues are adequately ventilated, as part of a nationwide clean up.

K. Romin explained, “Noise must not exceed 91 decibels, while the venue should be properly lit and ventilated, and there should be proper emergency exits, too.”

He said those who infringe the regulations will be fined 100 baht.

“It’s not a great deal of money,” he said, “but we will keep records of who has been punished. In the case of persistent offenders, we will get an order from the Governor to have them closed down for, say, 15 or 30 days.”

--Phuket Gazette 2004-12-16

Said K. Wisut, “The 253rd declaration of 1972 Revolutionary Council states that shops having liquor licenses are allowed to sell alcohol only between 11 am and 2 pm and 5 pm and midnight.”

I suppose this dusted off oldie-but-goodie doesn't qualify as an obsolete law since it is now deemed useful in implementing some crusade in 2004?