Thai Police remind public of alcohol ban during Makha Bucha

[Arkady]

Was in a 5-star hotel last night and the staff were heavily promoting their St V's package inc a bottle of white fizz. When I asked about the alcohol ban they said it was impossible for them to comply on St V Day.

This should be a great little earner for the cops all over the country.

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Hotels are allowed to sell on buddha days.

The same hotel was not serving any alcohol the night before the 2 Feb elections. I don't think there is any law about this and that it is rather another thing that is left up to the discretion of the police. A friend who does business with hotels has confirmed that the coincidence of the two special days had resulted in a fortuitous windfall for certain security and protection specialists.

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[Arkady]

Sobriety checkpoints will also be set up on main roads in order to clamp down on people driving under the influence. If any drunk driving is found, the police will try to track down the vendor responsible.

So never mind the drunk driving find the guy who sold it!..... ah the fine for selling it is higher than the fine for drunk driving.......silly me ! alles klaar!

Indeed silly you.

Fine for drink driving is 2200 baht, fine for selling is 10 000 baht, plus another 20000 or so NOT to go to court and settle it on the spot

Lowest fine for drink driving here in Chiang Mai is 9000B plus a night in the monkey house - no chance of 'settling on the spot' if caught in one of the alcohol road blocks...

I think B10,000 is the maximum fine allowed by law for 1st offence. They can also impose a driving ban. They seem to have given up the public humiliation punishments like sweeping the court steps.

If actually enforcing the law, rather than taking bribes reduces the number of drunks on the road, then so much the better.

For foreigners there is also the question of when drunk driving convictions will make one intelligible for visa renewal. This is already allowed by law.

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[Jonmarleesco]

Typical TiT timing! Valentine's Day, and no alcohol [publicly] because they managed to add on a Buddhist holiday.

Meanwhile, '... sobriety checkpoints will ... clamp down on people driving under the influence ...'. So enforcing the drunk driving law to punish drinking on a Buddhist holiday is seen as more important than doing so because it endangers lives? It certainly seems that way.

[Jonmarleesco]

Sobriety checkpoints will also be set up on main roads in order to clamp down on people driving under the influence. If any drunk driving is found, the police will try to track down the vendor responsible.

So never mind the drunk driving find the guy who sold it!..... ah the fine for selling it is higher than the fine for drunk driving.......silly me ! alles klaar!

Indeed silly you.

Fine for drink driving is 2200 baht, fine for selling is 10 000 baht, plus another 20000 or so NOT to go to court and settle it on the spot

Lowest fine for drink driving here in Chiang Mai is 9000B plus a night in the monkey house - no chance of 'settling on the spot' if caught in one of the alcohol road blocks...

I think B10,000 is the maximum fine allowed by law for 1st offence. They can also impose a driving ban. They seem to have given up the public humiliation punishments like sweeping the court steps.

If actually enforcing the law, rather than taking bribes reduces the number of drunks on the road, then so much the better.

For foreigners there is also the question of when drunk driving convictions will make one intelligible for visa renewal. This is already allowed by law.

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I think you mean ineligible. I hope.

[oceanyachting]

I know this sentiment has been expressed before: These bans are only for tourists. Thais and expats anticipate and prepare for them so they are not affected! Was that the intention, I wonder?

[cup-O-coffee]

Since when it is the business of government to enforce the beliefs of religion in this country?

Why is it that the word of the Grand High Monk (???) is not good enough for the people?

Additionally, if someone is drinking today, and a police officer sees that and fines or arrests the person, then on what grounds can they do this; ... violation of religion?

Will any monk step forward on the witness stand and condemn the drinker for transgressing Buddha? What would the lord Buddha Do that a police officer won't do, and instead transgresses the religion by ignoring the very precepts of tolerance?

Do Buddhists even need police to to enforce what is ordinarily a suggestion, or a path?

If so, then why aren't monks allowed into Parliamentary elections?

If someone is drinking today, and a monk sees that, the it begs the question, "What would the monk do?".

This is very confusing to me.

Since when do the Thai police work in league with the Buddhist monasteries to enforce Buddhists precepts and vows?

Do the monks know about this unforeseen assistance in enforcing something they would ordinarily look the other way from?

Are the monks angry that the police use their cottage industry as a means to collect tea-money?

Do the monks even care, or are they secretly plotting sordid deeds to get back at the scoundrels for their insidious behaviors against the religion?

Why does a government entity give a dam_n about a religious entity?

Why do dogs and cats sleep together?

I want to know more!

I may be being obtuse about it all, but it is about as silly as walking down Walking Street, when you know that venues should be closed, and seeing lights, hearing music and seeing people, and instead of blowing the whistle and shutting the entire show down, the idiot in sun-bleached, spandex-tight-around-the-pot-belly-brown instead auspiciously tromps into any particular venue and asks stupid moot questions.

"The color is red. You know that: the color is red?"

"Kahp-pohm...kahpitty-kahp... and an extra mah-kahp for your ancestors. So. how much to make the color green?"

[Arkady]

Sobriety checkpoints will also be set up on main roads in order to clamp down on people driving under the influence. If any drunk driving is found, the police will try to track down the vendor responsible.

So never mind the drunk driving find the guy who sold it!..... ah the fine for selling it is higher than the fine for drunk driving.......silly me ! alles klaar!

Indeed silly you.

Fine for drink driving is 2200 baht, fine for selling is 10 000 baht, plus another 20000 or so NOT to go to court and settle it on the spot

Lowest fine for drink driving here in Chiang Mai is 9000B plus a night in the monkey house - no chance of 'settling on the spot' if caught in one of the alcohol road blocks...

I think B10,000 is the maximum fine allowed by law for 1st offence. They can also impose a driving ban. They seem to have given up the public humiliation punishments like sweeping the court steps.

If actually enforcing the law, rather than taking bribes reduces the number of drunks on the road, then so much the better.

For foreigners there is also the question of when drunk driving convictions will make one intelligible for visa renewal. This is already allowed by law.

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I think you mean ineligible. I hope.

Yes

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[rebelplatoon]

Always a great idea.... All the common folk near where I live (Thais) had stocked up on booze the day before. I could see them walking around with red faces. The only ones it really hit were tourists who didn't have a clue. No booze on a Friday night... Besides the fact that of course Buddhism doesn't have any dogmas. Even the 5 precepts are an intend not to do something.

This was done knowingly and psychologically because if it would say "thou shallt not" it would impair people with guilt. Now of course the fundamentalist Buddhists (as with all fundamentalists) force this upon the greater public. Mind you, I am a non drinker, but it is up to everyone's own responsibility, just like the Lord Buddha states. Happiness all around!

[speedtripler]

ive never heard of big fines and bans for drunk driving ,everyone i know who failed around new years eve paid 400 and was allowed drive on

one of them even got a police note written so should he be stopped again on the way to the next party he had a note so he didnt have to pay the fine again

as he had already paid for his drunk driving the once

[Wombat6]

Sobriety checkpoints will also be set up on main roads in order to clamp down on people driving under the influence. If any drunk driving is found, the police will try to track down the vendor responsible.

So never mind the drunk driving find the guy who sold it!..... ah the fine for selling it is higher than the fine for drunk driving.......silly me ! alles klaar!

Asking a frunk where he bought his first or last drink....???????. Any good Lawyer would shred the cops evidence if prosecuted.