Alcohol Sales Banned On Songkran Holidays Only Applies To Thais

[andyc2006]

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

Have you ever seen how efficient they are when a royal motorcade rolls through BKK? It's quite amazing, actually, and shows that if they actually cared enough to enforce their laws, they could.

I've concluded that they don't care about enforcing their laws in most cases... that they're there either for appearance, or to allow people to collect bribes from those who break the laws.

[spirit47]

Very good, banned alcohol everywhere and all time, I hate these drunken guys falling trough the bus or driving on the road. It is the easiest way to make familys unhappy, to give alcohol to the people, I see the problem in India and here it's the same. More than 5% from the white people are alcoholic in their country, I think much more of the tourists in Pattaya have a strong problem. Have no other problem than make your Thai-wife drunken?

[animatic]

Very good, banned alcohol everywhere and all time, I hate these drunken guys falling trough the bus or driving on the road. It is the easiest way to make familys unhappy, to give alcohol to the people, I see the problem in India and here it's the same. More than 5% from the white people are alcoholic in their country, I think much more of the tourists in Pattaya have a strong problem. Have no other problem than make your Thai-wife drunken?

It's also the easiest way to control the people and make them accept a poor lot in life.

Been that way since the first village head man started his own beer factory.

[bniff]

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

This is totally cool, I can bootleg thai for alcohol?

[HOOD Robin]

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

The Thai government will NEVER learn.... Most stupid rule i've ever seen ! How can you stop crazy and drunk Thai people from getting more drunk !? Many ways for them to buy the booze and beer ! Most simply is to buy in advance..... Another way is to milk out (stupid) farang..... And then we don't even talk about the corrupt cops up country which will make a family business of it (with a lot of profit) !

STUPID.... MORE STUPID.....EVEN MORE STUPID rule !!!!!!!

[isaanbrit]

If it's true, This is THE MOST stupid, idiotic thing I have ever heard. If it was actually gona work it would be a half sensible idea but the thought that one single person is gonna drink any less because of this stupid law is just codswallop (it's not gonna happen) !!!!!

This law will do nothing more than make people angry when they have to walk a few minutes round the corner to the small shop because 7/11 can't sell alcohol.

I've yet to live anywhere in Thailand where my local shop won't sell alcohol, even on Voting days - stop making stupid laws and get on with some proper governance work!

[Igor]

Nothing will stop the drinking. People will buy ahead of time or get a farang to buy. Just stupid.

Others have said these things and more and better. I am posting just to tell you a story you might find interesting. I was evacuated from my job in Afghanistan after Sept 11 and put up in the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad, Pakistan. Within days, the rest of the hotel was taken over by visiting journalists and TV broadcasters as US action began. Pakistan, being an Islamic nation, forbade alcohol and this was not something that endeared the country to the hard-drinking journos. Booze began to show up but not in sufficient quantities to please the press. Finally, the Marriott got a booze disposition from the government. They were allowed to sell it to foreigners but not to Muslims. How? Call room service and order a beer. A few minutes later someone would show up your door sans beer. He would have a form that you had to fill out and sign that stated you were a citizen of a non-Islamic nation and required an alcoholic beverage for medicinal purposes. Once signed, he would take your passport (I'm told a photocopy would be made and attached to the form) leave for a while and then reappear with your passport and a beer.

Of course, if you were hosting a few friends, you would be saying you needed "for medicinal purposes" a case of beer, a couple bottles of scotch, vodka, etc. I kept hoping they would demand a prescription because I am a doctor and I would have made a fortune!

Within a month, the Marriott opened a bar/club in the basement with admission by showing a passport from a western country. Within a month after that, the bar was full of local girls, too. Shortly after that, there were just as many people wearing shawar kamiz as there were westerners. To the best of my knowledge, the bar never closed after that. At least until the placed was bombed.

[isaanbrit]

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

I agree, this has gotta be any early april fools joke, nothing about it in the BKK post. I reckon the joke's on us!!!

[notime]

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

I guess that would be all rite of course. This could be the whole purpose of the plan. So the Thais will have one more excuse to ask Farang for drinks: You .. here .. buy drink .. I'm Thai cannot buy :-( .. do you need me pay back? (are you stingy or not?)

[Navalator]

Who is running this country? The Three Stooges?

[BigSnake]

Only applies to Thais, No there is some mis info somewhere along the line, got to be, just no way the locals will stand for a bunch of drunk farangs and they can't buy booze in there own country, no there will be an update on this issue for sure.

[luvU2much500THB]

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!

muahhaha.. MADE IN THAIILLLAAANNNNDD

[dee123]

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

...Said by a Scotsman..

[lannaman]

There will a boom in the illicit sale of Lao Kaew here in the North, when they see this news there will be stills bubbling all over.

[Pakeha]

My (thai) partner didn't even blink when I told her this. I was expecting a debate about double standards etc. but she just said - "Yeah, of course. Thai people go crazy on Songkran." That was it .

What do other peoples thai partners / or any thais themselves think?

If you are thai - do you plan on 'going crazy'? If you are not allowed to buy alcohol do you feel you will be protected from 'going crazy'?

[Thai at Heart]

Obviously someone is waiting for a big suitcase from Chang or Singha.

Just as everyone is saying here, the law is unworkable. So, it will be repealed just before Songkran, but only after the necessary funds have been deposited as required.

[sriracha john]

Public Health Ministry may ban alcohol sales during Songkran

The Public Health Ministry will consult representatives of private operators Wednesday on measures to ban or limit sales of alcohol during the Songkran holidays to try to bring down number of road accidents.

Deputy Public Health Minister Manit Nopamornbodi said the meeting between the ministry and representatives of tourism association and restaurant operators would be held at the ministry Wednesday.

He said the ministry would discuss measures for banning the alcohol sale during the long holidays and would allow all sides to express their opinions.

- The Nation / 2009-03-03