Election Alcohol Bans To Cost Patong Venues Bt5Mn A Night

[webfact]

Election alcohol bans to cost Patong venues B5mn a night

Phuket Gazette

The island-wide alcohol ban in August will be followed by a ban in Patong on September 2.

PHUKET: -- The mandatory ban on the sale of alcohol for upcoming elections at the end of this month will cost Patong’s nightlife industry at least 5 million baht a night, the Phuket Gazette has been told.

The sale of alcohol will be banned across Phuket on August 26 and again in Patong on September 2 as voters go to the polls for local elections.

On August 26, an island-wide alcohol ban will come into effect as residents vote in the upcoming Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) council election.

The ban, in accordance with the Election Act, will be enforced from 6pm on Saturday, August 25, and continue through to midnight on Sunday, August 26.

One week later, on September 2, residents in Patong will go to the polls to vote in the Patong Municipality mayoral election, during which the sale of alcohol will be prohibited within the boundaries of Patong Municipality from 6pm on Saturday, September 1, to midnight Sunday, September 2.

The two elections together mean that entertainment businesses in Patong will be banned from selling alcohol for four nights in nine days.

“I know that there will be a big impact on the night entertainment industry, but we understand that elections are also very important,” Patong Entertainment Business Association (PEBA) President Weerawit Kurasombat told the Gazette.

However, Mr Weerawit added that a positive note of sorts was that the elections were being held during Phuket’s tourism “low season”, reducing the effect the bans will have on entertainment venues’ overall annual revenue.

“If this happened during the high season, night entertainment venues would suffer twice as much,” he said.

However, Mr Weerawit added that so far 2012 was not a good year for the entertainment businesses in Patong.

“This year we are not doing as well as we did during low season last year, but we are still doing okay. Normally, tourists start to return in large numbers at about the end of November. That is when the tourism industry high season usually starts in Phuket,” he said.

Mr Weerawit also told the Gazette that he had received no updates from the central government on whether the Thai Cabinet would consider making Patong a Special Administrative Zone. Such a move, which has even been publicly supported by Pheu Thai Government Spokesman Prompong Nopparit, could provide a way for authorities to relax the rules in key tourist areas.

Mr Prompong voiced his support for the “Special Admin Zone” initiative while literally standing on Soi Bangla in January in front of a crowd of polite protesters from Patong’s nightlife industry.

The protesters were calling for extended trading hours within Patong’s designated Entertainment Zone.

Mr Weerawit told the Gazette that he had yet to hear any updates on that request, too.

Source: http://www.phuketgaz...ticle16551.html

-- Phuket Gazette 2012-07-31

[laurentbkk]

what a weird and stupid decision to ban alcohol before election just prove one thing .. Do Thais go to vote totally drunk ? Another thing to avoid to go to Phuket for holidays... ok we can stay without drinking alcohol for one night but I dont see the point , I dont think banning alcohol in bars will stop people to drink ... just buy in supermarkets and have a private party at home ... another non sense in the land of smiles

[Guest]

what a weird and stupid decision to ban alcohol before election just prove one thing .. Do Thais go to vote totally drunk ? Another thing to avoid to go to Phuket for holidays... ok we can stay without drinking alcohol for one night but I dont see the point , I dont think banning alcohol in bars will stop people to drink ... just buy in supermarkets and have a private party at home ... another non sense in the land of smiles

I guess the ban will prevent "Come here and have a drink with us, all drinks are paid by local politician X.X .. Hey, have you voted already.. why not go and vote, while you are on good mood." - events.

[horsewell]

All the independent stores will be selling alcohol. Many of the smaller bars will be working under the table and the bigger places will either close for a day or serve only "soft drinks". Some of the bigger establishments may either pay for the right to sell (as long as there are no "random checks" by more powerful powers that be, it's ok) and the discos will serve alcohol after 12 midnight as usual.

I think this alcohol ban was thought up by some well meaning person but it's just not effective in any practical way. If they wanted to incentivise voting they should figure out some other more positive thing: money to everyone who votes, discount on taxes, some sort of free house hold good or whatever.

Probably the biggest apathy would be people that have to work and can't get time off to go and vote without risking loosing their job or a day's pay, or they are hung over (for those who work in the entertainment industry). Not people being drunk and voting. Probably the same good intentioned individual has passed a law where if you are obviously intoxicated you will not be able to cast a vote.

Everyone gets all up in arms over something that isn't actually such a big deal. I think that it will be a disruption but only in the most minor terms. They could ban alcohol sales to Thai's during this period (like they ban the sale of alcohol to certain religious denominations in airports) not that it would make any difference. The odd (very strange) occurrence of a foreign looking person being allowed to vote wouldn't even be a statistical blip. It's just another example of government being out of touch with reality of the common person.

[Unkomoncents]

It only costs the fools who haven't paid off the police enough to continue serving. Just ask Villa Supermarkets. Usually they will kindly explain how bribery enables a much more customer-friendly atmosphere.

[Sydebolle]

See the big picture. Phuket, Pattaya, Chiang Mai and certain areas in Bangkok live of tourism. If Phuket loses out on 5 mio. sales (which I believe is a low season figure) then countrywide over a year they lose billions. This law was made to scam money again. All non-Thais are not elligable to vote and can be recognized as "alien" non-voters. Thais get their supplies a day or two before and get pissed at home. So catching a resto or a bar serving up booze to non-Thai customers costs 50'000 up.

Add to the elections those locally self-invented Buddhist days (no such law) and it becomes apparent, what it is all about.

In my case it helps to cook the books properly. Tomorrow and Friday is Buddhist no-booze hence WHAPS, the August profit is gone before it really started. You just have to know how to play the game here!

And all non-professionals not working in the hospitality business do it as some other smarties. Get some amber liquid, vino etc. and make a barbeque at home; no law prohibits that. Cheers mate!

[marstons]

mean while all the little Thai bars serving the elcotarate in their village's will reamain open and serving alchohol oblivious to the fact they should not be doing so. Just the farang bars have a big show of being closed down.

[Keesters]

the ban in accordance with the Election Act

A ban that treats Thai voters as if they are imature children. If they are so imature why let them vote?

And do they really think that stopping the sale will stop the drinking....I don't think so. It's just plain crazy.

[piewarmer]

Why dont they just change the law, its the political big cats being hurt by this.

[Jimi007]

Get over it! The law I think is crazier, is no sale of alcohol between midnight until 11 AM and 2 PM until 5 PM, which then PM Thaksin pushed into law... The reasoning I had read at the time was so school aged children could not buy after school? It also raised the legal drinking age from 18 to 20. Everyone is supposed to have a national ID card, couldn't be bothered to check their age I guess. Easier to just stop sales everyday. It also banned the sale from petrol stations. I always thought it was cool that I could fill up and have a cold beer while I waited. Or the 2001 law to stop sales at night clubs, restaurants etc at midnight. It was resurrected 1n 2004, again by the Thaksin administration if I remember correctly.

[Jimi007]

I guess the Phuket Gazette failed to mention the Buddhist Holidays August second and third. No alcohol sales anywhere! http://www.thaivisa....august-2-and-3/

Edited August 1, 2012 by Jimi007