Alcohol Sales Banned on Songkran Holidays

The unofficial word is out. Alcohol sales are to be banned on Songkran Holidays from the 13th to the 15th of April this year.

Public Health Minister said the ban may be limited to certain areas with high risk and only during certain time frames.

The Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control Director Samarn Futrakul said that after receiving suggestions from consultants of the Public Health Ministry, the office has unofficially decided that alcohol sales, only to Thai consumers, would be banned from April 13th to 15th this year.

Meanwhile, sales to foreign consumers will be allowed as usual. Director Samarn said Public Health Minister Wittaya Kaewpradai will review the policies before making the official announcement.

Moreover, roadblocks to arrest drunk drivers were found to be effective in reducing motor accidents during the holidays. Alcohol sales in areas where the most motor vehicle accidents occur will also be banned around times of heavy traffic. Policies will be evaluated and reviewed for next year.

If the unofficial decision is approved by Minister Wittaya, it still needs to be approved by the National Alcohol Control Policy Committee, of which the Prime Minister is Chairman, before it is officially announced by the Office of the Prime Minister.

- TOC / 2009-02-25

Is it april the 1 st already????

Moreover, roadblocks to arrest drunk drivers were found to be effective in reducing motor accidents during the holidays

Well this is pretty dam_n obvious.....

the office has unofficially decided that alcohol sales, only to Thai consumers, would be banned from April 13th to 15th this year.

How will this work??? ..... Sorry you Thai, cannot Buy

Is it april the 1 st already????

Moreover, roadblocks to arrest drunk drivers were found to be effective in reducing motor accidents during the holidays

Well this is pretty dam_n obvious.....

the office has unofficially decided that alcohol sales, only to Thai consumers, would be banned from April 13th to 15th this year.

How will this work??? ..... Sorry you Thai, cannot Buy

Look at it this way guys, its either gonna be a fantastic business opportunity for those of us that can procure the booze or you will be even more popular when the gals roll out the line "buy me one, two and three drinks".

Edited February 25, 200917 yr by bkkjames

the office has unofficially decided that alcohol sales, only to Thai consumers, would be banned from April 13th to 15th this year.

How will this work??? ..... Sorry you Thai, cannot Buy

Maybe it will be along the lines of "You Thai, special price for you".

If they can't prevent the sales of alcohol in a total ban when only hotels, beer bars etc comply how the hel_l are they going to implement it to Thais only?

How on earth does the government work this one out? Reverse discrimination of the strangest order. What if I buy my wife a drink?

the office has unofficially decided that alcohol sales, only to Thai consumers, would be banned from April 13th to 15th this year.

How will this work??? ..... Sorry you Thai, cannot Buy

If they use the same method as that of some National Parks in determining if someone qualifies for entrance at the Thai versus foreigner admission rate, they could be asked to produce a National ID card of a country other than Thailand.

If they have, then can buy alcohol.

If they don't have, they can not buy alcohol.

Edited February 25, 200917 yr by sriracha john

I have already booked my refugee flight from Songkran for the 11th. If people are smart, they will do the same. Flee. Run. Hide. I made the mistake of sticking around last year. Ban on booze? Yea sure. Just like there is enforcement of the fire code. Dream on baby.

So when I'm celebrating with my family, if we want to go out I have to drink alone? Can my partner have a drink if she is a dual citizen - thai / kiwi? She's not yet but will be next Songkran

At last, a government policy that makes sense!!!!

Edited February 25, 200917 yr by SweatySock

So when I'm celebrating with my family, if we want to go out I have to drink alone?

Can my partner have a drink if she is a dual citizen - thai / kiwi? She's not yet but will be next Songkran

Just make sure she gets some documented NZ card (as per above) by then and she should be fine.

Edited February 25, 200917 yr by sriracha john

So when I'm celebrating with my family, if we want to go out I have to drink alone? Can my partner have a drink if she is a dual citizen - thai / kiwi? She's not yet but will be next Songkran

It just says she cant buy it - ok to consume. as for the dual citizen stuff, suffice to say that she will be able to buy half bottles of beer, short glasses of wine

In other words, the fine author is saying, buy your booze on the 11th because on the 12-15th we expect you to be drunk and we don't want to confuse you with the ban on sales to Thais during this time.

This is curious. So if we go out for a meal everyone (all thais and me) can drink povided I pay. That sounds just like usual only now they are making it law that I have to pay .

This is curious. So if we go out for a meal everyone (all thais and me) can drink povided I pay. That sounds just like usual only now they are making it law that I have to pay .

hmm, reading between the lines here, perhaps this is a shrewed attempt to get farangs to pay for Songkran partying???

they are getting sneaky!

Truly amazing Thailand. The authorities cannot stop Thai people occupying Government house and the airport so how the hel_l are they going to enforce this nonsense?

Cheers, Rick

Totally expected response from government officials brought up through a corrupt system in a developing country. These people do not possess the necessary intelligence which would include reasoning skills in this case, to perform an analysis and make decisions in the real world. This decision will be in the Riply's Believe it or Not section of the newspaper and not in the mainstream news.

When I was at the University of Southern California in the late 1980's Thailand sent the best of the best to participate in post graduate program in sociology. The guy had a very long name and couldn't speak a word of English. We called him Charlie. All was well for the first day and a half and then Charlie disappeared. Charlie resurfaced months later at a graduation ceremony and awards ceremony dinner later that night. He probably went on to be a high ranking government official with a masters or doctorate in nothing. It is a fact that people like Charlie are making these decisions without the benefit of a three digit IQ and nearly none of the critical thinking ability necessary to really do a decent job.

It is a good story that provides both humor and amazement at the same time. This would be a good time to roll out the National Alcoholic Beverage proposed by TAT.

only to Thai consumers

Another win for racial profiling?

Truly amazing Thailand. The authorities cannot stop Thai people occupying Government house and the airport so how the hel_l are they going to enforce this nonsense?

Cheers, Rick

Well let's be honest, we know what all this is about. Creat an atmosphere of doubt, confusion, smoke and mirrors and the BiB are left to apply their own interpretations and collect the tea, or in this case beer, money.

As for buying your Thai wife a drink I would think this may be viewed the same as buying a minor a drink.

If booze sales are off limits, those who want to drink will buy it ahead of time and still party. I too will be a Songkran refugee to a dry place such as where computers are stored, becuase I can't get wet. Not with water and defintely not with booze as I'll short out, breakdown, and then get banged up as drunk out of their minds people just stumble on me layin in the street. Should I just put a plastic bag over my head and risk it to have a little fun? LOL

Edited February 25, 200917 yr by RobotTeacher

The way it'll work is in the Songkhran hotpsots the local municipal police will run around sezing alcohol off anyone selling it and then pass it on to their relative selling it at a different street corner.

Potential for lots of chaos and fighting.

It wont have any affect in a village where the locals will still consume a shed load of lao khao and then beat up the wife or get beaten up by the wife or commit some heinous infidelity or crime they wil later regret or jump on the motorcycle and do one with an oncoming pick up. It also wont stop people drinking. Most of the Songkhran water wonderland occurs from the back of a pick up and in addition to giant jugs of water the pickup will be loaded with crates of beer and whisky. It'll probabkly adversley affect the few urban street sellers and small stall owners who usually make a bunch of cash out of selling overpriced beer. Now they will all be forced to resort to sticky rice and pork or chicken in little plastic bags thereby swamping the market.

Ceratin areas? Chiang Mai obviosuly plus anywhere where there is fun.

I rememeber a time when it was only the buddhist holidays and elections when this kind of thing happened. Now it seems to be linked to any holiday. It still however is only really aimed at the middle and to some extent working classes in towns of any size.

It's odd because the current bans on alcohol sales are more likely to apply to tourists and expats than Thais because of where these bans are enforced and where they are ignored.

So by saying that foreigners can buy alcohol but Thais cannot, it seems like the outcome will be that everybody can by alcohol.

The way it'll work is in the Songkhran hotpsots the local municipal police will run around sezing alcohol off anyone selling it and then pass it on to their relative selling it at a different street corner.

Potential for lots of chaos and fighting.

It wont have any affect in a village where the locals will still consume a shed load of lao khao

"a shed load of lao khao"......that's two days in a row, you've made me laugh out loud over lao khao...

and then beat up the wife or get beaten up by the wife or commit some heinous infidelity or crime they wil later regret or jump on the motorcycle and do one with an oncoming pick up. It also wont stop people drinking. Most of the Songkhran water wonderland occurs from the back of a pick up and in addition to giant jugs of water the pickup will be loaded with crates of beer and whisky.

ahhh... village life is grand, isn't it?... :D

It's odd because the current bans on alcohol sales are more likely to apply to tourists and expats than Thais because of where these bans are enforced and where they are ignored.

So by saying that foreigners can buy alcohol but Thais cannot, it seems like the outcome will be that everybody can by alcohol.

Indeed. But at least the low paid cops will get their new year bonus!

Who's idea was this? They can't be serious. What's the point of having a holiday if you can't get a dam_n beer to cool the 40 degree weather? How is going tobe enforced? Will 7-11s and supermarkets also stop selling alcohol? If scared of drunk drivers, instead of banning alcohol why don't they just ban driving altogether and force everyone to stay at home or use register taxis and mass transit?

Imagine the new TAT Songkran promotion slogam. Wet festival in a dry country. Amazing Thailand isn't it.

Imagine the new TAT Songkran promotion slogam. Wet festival in a dry country. Amazing Thailand isn't it.

Will the TAT still let Thais buy the new "wonder drink" Siam Sunrise - the economy saviour?

haha this country is nuts

A step in the right direction and so well thought through ! As there are so many concerns, perhaps the government should extend the ban to stop the driving of all motor transport, except foreigners obviously. that would save countless lives.

They should implement the same for all elections.

The way it'll work is in the Songkhran hotpsots the local municipal police will run around sezing alcohol off anyone selling it and then pass it on to their relative selling it at a different street corner.

Potential for lots of chaos and fighting.

It wont have any affect in a village where the locals will still consume a shed load of lao khao

"a shed load of lao khao"......that's two days in a row, you've made me laugh out loud over lao khao...

and then beat up the wife or get beaten up by the wife or commit some heinous infidelity or crime they wil later regret or jump on the motorcycle and do one with an oncoming pick up. It also wont stop people drinking. Most of the Songkhran water wonderland occurs from the back of a pick up and in addition to giant jugs of water the pickup will be loaded with crates of beer and whisky.

ahhh... village life is grand, isn't it?... :D

Always pleased to provide amusement

I notice the OP mentions this still needs to be approved by Minister Wittaya. He has openly disagreed with the policy in the past. This could be far from over.....

Nothing like the periodic no beer thread to stir up the masses on ThaiVisa.