Public Health Ministry to introduce alcohol patrols during Songkran

BANGKOK, 11 April 2012 (NNT) – The Public Health Ministry is poised to launch special patrol teams to keep alcohol consumption under control during the Songkran holidays.

The Department of Disease Control (DDC)'s Director-General, Dr. Pornthep Siriwanarangsan, said that a number of special patrols will be out on the roads of Thailand during the upcoming Thai New Year holidays to check on illegal sales of alcohol.

The patrol campaign was initiated by the DDC and has received cooperation from local police throughout the country.

Dr. Pornthep stated that the patrols will refer to the Alcohol Control Act in inspecting the situation along both highways and local roads during the holidays, as statistics have shown that drunk driving has always been the main cause of road accidents.

He said that the patrols will be on duty from April 11th to 17th.

The DDC Director-General added that patrolling officers will emphasize on banning alcohol sales in prohibited locations, during prohibited hours and to people younger than 20 years old.

Offenders will be subject to a fine of 10,000-500,000 baht or a jail term of 6 months to 1 year, or both.

-- NNT 2012-04-11

I'm sure this will be a highly successful effort.

Out on the roads checking for illegal sales of alcohol?

I suggest they don't need to move too far away from the local mom and pop shop.

"He said that the patrols will be on duty from April 11th to 17th."

and on the 18th it is business as usual in Thailand

No patrols and sell to whomever they want

Providing they don't interrupt the sellers with the makeshift eskies that line the streets during the gridlock i'll be ok... ;-) seriously a five minute drive turns into a 5 tinnie drive at times...

Sounds like a typical campaign promise. You can tell when the politicians are lying because their lips are moving.

No faith in the police?

No problem for me , i never use to drink alcohol, bussiness as usuall

How about actually arresting drunk drivers and having them spend 24 hours in the slammer, minimum. Repeat offenders also get heavy fines, and have their vehicles impounded for 7 days.

Selling alcohol and drinking is not the (main) problem. It's the yahoos who drink AND drive.

Might also want to properly tax the Thai white spirits, Lao kao. If it wasn't so cheap, perhaps the related problems wouldn't be so bad either. It is also absolute rotgut.

Regardless if this is lip-service, but if it saves one life and serves to educate people, then it's a good move.

Edited April 11, 201214 yr by BKKBrit

Why not fight fire with fire and send out 'Alcoholic Patrols' ?

Out on the roads checking for illegal sales of alcohol?

I suggest they don't need to move too far away from the local mom and pop shop.

They better send a lot of them to the villages where the homemade alcohol is being consumed on the roads as well. Not enough police in Thailand to control all the drinking.

I'm sure this will be a highly successful effort.

lets say that it will certainly be a highly profitable week for the police!

I'm sure that Songkran is the Thai Police's Christmas!

In the real world, the biggest incentive to not drink drive is that you loose your license and get levied with hefty insurance premiums when you get it back. Driving without a license is then a serious offence.

In LOS, driving without insurance or a license is a 500 baht tea month offence, as is drink driving. Even if you had a license, confiscating that license is a mere inconvenience and does not prevent you from dirving. So its no big deal. There is effectively no penalty. So no one takes it seriously.

As far as respect for health, safety, and life...... ..... its ok, buddha protects them..... they left a half bottle of coke at the spirit house this morning, after praying to win the lottery.

Edited April 11, 201214 yr by corkman

Out on the roads checking for illegal sales of alcohol?

I suggest they don't need to move too far away from the local mom and pop shop.

Apart from these there are many roadside kiosks that sell Just Thai whisky, usually next to another kiosk selling selling petrol from a hand pump.

I sometimes wonder if they can tell the difference.

How about actually arresting drunk drivers and having them spend 24 hours in the slammer, minimum. Repeat offenders also get heavy fines, and have their vehicles impounded for 7 days.

Selling alcohol and drinking is not the (main) problem. It's the yahoos who drink AND drive.

Might also want to properly tax the Thai white spirits, Lao kao. If it wasn't so cheap, perhaps the related problems wouldn't be so bad either. It is also absolute rotgut.

"Might also want to properly tax the Thai white spirits", hey steady on, it's unbeatable as a brush cleaner and spot remover. I used litres of it cleaning my house after the floods.

How about actually arresting drunk drivers and having them spend 24 hours in the slammer, minimum. Repeat offenders also get heavy fines, and have their vehicles impounded for 7 days.

Selling alcohol and drinking is not the (main) problem. It's the yahoos who drink AND drive.

Might also want to properly tax the Thai white spirits, Lao kao. If it wasn't so cheap, perhaps the related problems wouldn't be so bad either. It is also absolute rotgut.

They sell 10bt shots at the shop at the top of my street that also is on the chiang mai-chiang rai highway,i sit and have a beer there and its frightening watching these big trucks pull over,and the driver having a few shots,then off in his 10 ton truck.scary

problem here---if you lift the price of Laos kao, you will restrict sales as a per-cent will not buy.   Who owns the makers of this-example Nong Khai Laos Kao  ????   also Nong Khai is the biggest seller in Thailand---well Issan, thats where the majority of Thais live.  How can anyone who has a "friend" in government os similar position, double the price for the sake of a few Thousand lives,  as profits will slide due to lack of sales. I am guessing as usual that some notable will own the Distillery.

The only thing they got right is not selling to u-20s, the fines of 10-500,000 will depend on whether your thai or farang , thailand has already surpassed the "soft west" by never dishing out punishments to fit the crime and one rule for the rich and one for everyone else,...........only they fail to follow though on both !,................i dread to think what the youth of thailand will be like in 10 years at this rate , the prison population is already huge in comparison , and if you are thai, it has to be pretty serious stuff before they bang you up ,..................unless your white of course .

My baan is full of alcohol patrols, their all drunk. :-)

Look like the MIB can generate extra income, or offered some free booze.

Edited April 12, 201214 yr by sparebox2

Sounds like a typical campaign promise. You can tell when the politicians are lying because their lips are moving.

The Department of Disease Control (DDC)'s Director-General, Dr. Pornthep Siriwanarangsan is not a politician.

Dr Porntep Siriwanarangsan, was appointed to the position of Deputy Permanent Secretary of Public Health effective October 1, 2010

He was appointed by the Abhisit regime. He was not elected and as such is not a politician.