Alcohol Sales Banned On Songkran Holidays Only Applies To Thais

[hammered]

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

But this time it is everyone sticking up for the rights of of our Thai compatriots. Us foreigners can buy and imbibe a complete tanker full of chang if we fancy it under this proposal but a Thai wont be able to buy so much as a single can. Oh shock horror.

[Scott]

The Land Of Silly ideas.

[bkkjames]

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?

I proposed this idea under the previous admin and the one before that but for some reason they couldn't figure out how to balance the idea of 3000 less fatalities per year with having to pay the BIB overtime vs 'why didn't we think of this' vs how can we patrol the streets / fine people if they are not driving?

[Buang]

It does say "Ban on Sales" so surely most Thai's would be smart enough to go out the day before and buy up what they need for those days, it also does not say anything about consumption so if you were to buy a drink for your wife it will be you going through the sale process not her she will only be consuming the alcohol.

If they do pull this off the sell the process to other nations because most other countries have extreme trouble policing there alcohol statutes.

[MyphuketLife]

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

Thats refreshing for a change the Thais will get a dose of what its like to have different rules/prices based on nationality... I love it..

[hammered]

Proposed by Chalerm. Supported by a deputy minister in the current government. hey we aint getting a consensus on somethng are we?

[jayjayjayjay]

I can see the production of Sar-tor "rice wine" going up 25,000% this month, all sales to be black market. I wonder if the excise department/police etc have enough staff to catch sales to 40,000,000 people over a 3 day period. 5555555555 lol lol, this is another of the 21st century anomolies, TIT.

by gooooooolllllyyyyy:

I think I might just start my own black market. If the Thai's cant buy it, then I guess I can stand outside Lotus and do the buying for Thai's on a commission basis. This could be a very very very good weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Edited February 25, 2009 by jayjayjayjay

[bangkokrick]

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.

I agree Phil, just another cunning plan for tea money, but you would think that they could be a bit more original. My Mrs stated that there will be many Thai places selling alcohol to Thais, irrelevant of the new policy. What a surprise!!

Cheers, Rick

[Thaddeus]

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

But this time it is everyone sticking up for the rights of of our Thai compatriots. Us foreigners can buy and imbibe a complete tanker full of chang if we fancy it under this proposal but a Thai wont be able to buy so much as a single can. Oh shock horror.

Indeed...... but from the OP this is the statement that stands out for me.

Meanwhile, sales to foreign consumers will be allowed as usual.

As usual?

I don't remember a single alcohol ban that didn't apply to everyone.

[bkkjames]

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

But this time it is everyone sticking up for the rights of of our Thai compatriots. Us foreigners can buy and imbibe a complete tanker full of chang if we fancy it under this proposal but a Thai wont be able to buy so much as a single can. Oh shock horror.

Indeed...... but from the OP this is the statement that stands out for me.

Meanwhile, sales to foreign consumers will be allowed as usual.

As usual?

I don't remember a single alcohol ban that didn't apply to everyone.

context is important ; he means during Songkran (as usual).

[Mosha]

Just fell out of my chair laughing. Thais cannot buy. I go to the local shops, buy them out and then sell back the next day at BKK happy hour prices. OR They come Ban Farang you go buy beer/lou? OK E baht? Wifey wants to take me go Surat Thani nut house.

[sriracha john]

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

But this time it is everyone sticking up for the rights of of our Thai compatriots. Us foreigners can buy and imbibe a complete tanker full of chang if we fancy it under this proposal but a Thai wont be able to buy so much as a single can. Oh shock horror.

that sounds like a good idea for George's next Thaivisa Piss-Up Party in Pattaya....

they could dock it at the Laem Chambang piers...

thanks George...

Edited February 25, 2009 by sriracha john

[sniffdog]

Not drinking saves a lot of hassle, isn't it?

[bkkjames]

Not drinking saves a lot of hassle, isn't it?

so does not living, i prefer drinking.

[Pakeha]

Not drinking saves a lot of hassle, isn't it?

so does not living, i prefer drinking.

Please refer to my signature

[OxfordWill]

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 .

Hahahahaha!

[PattayaParent]

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?

Ssssssssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Don't be giving them the good ideas, they might be monitoring this forum.

I remember in the 90's a proposal from the Transport Ministry to solve the traffic problems - Ban the sale of new cars

[LadyHeather]

How would this apply to Thai owned businesses I wonder? It seems strange to me that a Thai restaurant owner, for instance, could not buy alcohol for his business that caters to foreigners.

[Richie1971]

quote name='byoung2' date='2009-02-25 11:40:14' post='2557057']

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 .

[

[Gravelrash]

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

Yes, there is nothing like it to get the alco's fuming. Every time we get an alcohol ban they rant and rave, often suggesting that for the sake of tourism the bans shouldn't apply to foreigners.

So, the government does just that...now they are complaining that their fellow Thai guzzlers may not be able to get as plastered as they would like.

Military coup

Closing airports

Recession

Rising crime

Limited alcohol ban

[tuky]

Mum and Dad shops will still sell alcohol as per usual (usual for any time of the day, election etc or not). So in reality nothing would be different.

Do the policy makers live in a different Thailand to everyone else? Do they seriously think that proclaiming something like this all sales venues will comply?

I am truly dumbfounded, how out of touch are these people?

Can anyone even hazard a guess as to why they would do this?

My experience is that only the only places that abide by these odd rules are the places that attract the most police attention, ie the places that do more business and make more money. These also tend to be places that are out of the price range of the average Thai, and you guessed it, the average to lower Thai is the person most susceptible to killing others and themselves on the road during songkran.

Perhaps education and police enforcement might be the real answer rather than silly stop gap measures that only aid further corruption.

Oops sorry folks. I should stop trying to be logical. TiT.

[HorseDoctor]

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.

[mhatami]

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

Don't you love this country? They is democracy but any one in government office can make a rule and law without due process Haha

[blam]

April fools, right?

I asked (in Thai) the 2 girls behind the counter at the 7-11 near my house here in Patong Beach. They both laughed, looked at me like I was koo-koo-ratcha.

Gotta be April Fools joke here.

Thanks for making me look like a retard.

heh

[Beacher]

I wonder if the alcohol sales ban will be as effective as the 2pm to 5pm ban is now. I haven't seen a non-franchised store (Tesco, 7-11, Carrefour) that pays any heed to that silly law. ALL village and mom-pop stores will sell booze to anybody anytime they're open.

My prediction is that this will have ZERO effect on controlling the consumption of alcohol and the subsequent problems that follow.

[animatic]

I doubt anyone imagines this stops alchole consumption during Songkran,

but if it slows it down a bit, and the concurrent deaths this is laudable.

Why anyone expects perfect solutions to intractable problems I never figure out.

Baby steps towards a better life is about we should expect.

[tuky]

I doubt anyone imagines this stops alchole consumption during Songkran,

but if it slows it down a bit, and the concurrent deaths this is laudable.

Why anyone expects perfect solutions to intractable problems I never figure out.

Baby steps towards a better life is about we should expect.

Yep, I agree.

However, baby steps sometimes need some kind of support. Using the baby step analogy, quite often the first steps a baby takes is with the help of a walker, or a bungy type rig. A baby walker has 4 or perhaps 6 wheels, a bungy type rig has two bungy cords holding the seat. These baby steps the authorities are trying to implement only add one wheel or one bungy cord. resulting in the baby crashing and no steps being taken.

I don't have any answers, but one thing I do know is if the closest shop will not sell alcohol to a Thai, they will drive further away to a shop that will. Perhaps creating more road danger.

[animatic]

If two people in each district,

think they are too hammered to drive the extra 2 km,

then that's two less on the roads by x number of districts.

Now they are less likely to interact with the ones who are

NEVER too hammered to drive for a refill.

If 10 people in each district think ahead enough to stock up at home,

beforehand and don't go out then they also don't meet up with the

hard cores ill prepared sots and dangerous drivers.

It's a given some will ALWAYS screw the pooch on this weekend,

But even ONE less is a good thing, dozens must surely be better.

We can't slow down the future 'Darwin Award Winners',

but if a few normal folk don't make the journey mission accomplished.

Edited February 27, 2009 by animatic

[on-on]

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.

One thing's for sure. You won't see the ThaiVisa equal rights brigade marching around proudly presenting their various work and residency permits and demanding not to be sold alcohol in the name of equality, heh.

Edited February 28, 2009 by on-on

[Springman]

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.

Not forgeting the smoking ban that not working either...maybe wet fags will enforce it.