Alcohol sale and drink will be banned on all trains in Thailand

[webfact]

Alcohol sale and drink will be banned on all trains



BANGKOK: -- The State Railway of Thailand will impose a ban on alcohol sale and drink on all trains in the aftermath of the rape and killing of a 13-year old girl on board a night sleeper train by a railway employee who took drug and drank on board.

SRT governor Praphat Chongsa-nguan said Tuesday that the legal department had been instructed to come up with a regulation banning the sale of all alcoholic drinks on all trains. Passengers can bring their alcoholic drinks on board but if they are seen drinking on board they will be invited to get off the trains, he added.

He went on saying that the SRT would step up background checks of all its staffers and employees, especially temporary employees to find out whether any of them have criminal records.

He disclosed that the suspect who confessed of raping and killing the 13-year old girl while travelling on a sleeper train from Surat Thani to Bangkok on Sunday was found out to be a former drug peddler without the knowledge of the SRT. The suspect was recently upgraded as permanent employee from a temporary employee, he said.

Mr Praphat said that the SRT had to resort to hiring employees, both permanent and temporary, to offset a staff shortage. The SRT used to have some 24,000 staff members but the number has been reduced to just about 11,000, he added.

Commenting on the calls for his resignation following the rape-murder case, the SRT governor asked would his resignation help solve the problem.

He went on saying that the SRT might introduce a lady’s carriage service – a carriage for female passengers only – in the future.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/alcohol-sale-drink-will-banned-trains/


-- Thai PBS 2014-07-09

[ClutchClark]

This will be bad news for quite a few obnoxious backpackers ;-)

[HooHaa]

failing to see the point. one would assume that employees were already required to remain sober while working.

Perhaps a review of SRT's employment policies would be more in order than this knee jerk reaction.

Segregation seems like an excellent idea though. very forward thinking indeed.

personally i cant see how anyone could tolerate the train sober

[daoyai]

I predicted this reactionary response, millions of uneventful trips completed by passengers on the rail, millions of beers consumed. An awful, tragic event...reaction? no more beer sales or consumption. So now instead of one unfortunate victim, all those travelers that enjoy a drink on board the train are victims also.

[ClutchClark]

I predicted this reactionary response, millions of uneventful trips completed by passengers on the rail, millions of beers consumed. An awful, tragic event...reaction? no more beer sales or consumption. So now instead of one unfortunate victim, all those travelers that enjoy a drink on board the train are victims also.

Perhaps you didn't read the article.

Alcohol consumption will still be allowed...discreetly.

I would consider the victim to be more than unfortunate and I would suggest you reconsider your idea that not being able to buy alcohol on the train is even remotely similar to her fate.

[thesetat2013]

What is their line of thinking? It was not another passenger who got drunk and raped this poor little girl! It was one of their employees who did it. So why are they intent to punish all train travellers by banning alcohol consumption on trains? This may be a reactionary response but the action does not suit the terrible crime committed by that employee and surely it would not prevent another employee from bringing whiskey on a train to drink after everyone is asleep. The SRT is punishing the passengers for their own mistakes by other employees allowing this man to drink while on duty.

[chiang mai]

The ladies only carriage idea is a good one.

[daoyai]

I predicted this reactionary response, millions of uneventful trips completed by passengers on the rail, millions of beers consumed. An awful, tragic event...reaction? no more beer sales or consumption. So now instead of one unfortunate victim, all those travelers that enjoy a drink on board the train are victims also.

Perhaps you didn't read the article.

Alcohol consumption will still be allowed...discreetly.

I would consider the victim to be more than unfortunate and I would suggest you reconsider your idea that not being able to buy alcohol on the train is even remotely similar to her fate.

I also predicted a similar response, I in no way equate the magnitude of the victims tragic fate to the inconvenience of no beer sales. I simply commented on the predictable nature of Thai beaurocratic response.

[taony]

"Would his resignation really solve the problem?"

would banning alcohol solve the problem of employees high on drugs?

-*I typed this myself*-

[ClutchClark]

Perhaps no travel by children unless they are accompanied by a responsible adult.

[iphad]

I predicted the response of some posters thinking not getting a beer on a train because of a rape/death of a 13 year old girl that they were the real victims.

[daoyai]

I predicted the response of some posters thinking not getting a beer on a train because of a rape/death of a 13 year old girl that they were the real victims.

If the trajedy was in any way connected to beer sales on trains the reaction would be understandable. The real victims are the people that live under a reactionary, predictably stupid govt. understand now?

[chiang mai]

Read past the headline, several actions are proposed: ban alcohol sales, scrutinize employee backgrounds and a consideration to female only carriages - get over the headline.

[anotheruser]

They have basically just banned the only reason there was for taking the train. Smoking and drinking in the restaurant car is the only thing that made the night train bearable.

[Hawk]

Darn prices for both food and drink on Thai trains has always been too expensive anyway, just a scam. In the past when I rode the train, I would pay but then the "waiter" would never come back with the change.

[neverdie]

Read past the headline, several actions are proposed: ban alcohol sales, scrutinize employee backgrounds and a consideration to female only carriages - get over the headline.

Yes, a multi-angled approach to protecting women and children is needed.

Attacks on the vulnerable, atrocious. What is this, Sydney?

[iphad]

I predicted the response of some posters thinking not getting a beer on a train because of a rape/death of a 13 year old girl that they were the real victims.

If the trajedy was in any way connected to beer sales on trains the reaction would be understandable. The real victims are the people that live under a reactionary, predictably stupid govt. understand now?

which reactionary,predictably stupid government?..Thai in general or the Military now in power?

[kannot]

why dont they just ban all Thais from trains if theyre going to be stupid about it

[jaltsc]

"Passengers can bring their alcoholic drinks on board but if they are seen drinking on board they will be invited to get off the trains, he added."

Not too difficult to sneak into a bathroom and down a drink. Of course this doesn't address if someone has consumed alcohol or has ingested yabba before coming on board.

This appears to be a CYA move of closing the barn door after the cows have escaped

[Beng]

That is a very silly idea again and makes no sense at all.

[jaideecm]

Great news, I was tired of trying to sleep with all the backpackers drinking, drunk and loud. The train staff tries to put them in the bathroom area to drink and smoke late at night but some won't go. Now I fly.

[doctorproc156]

What's next? Banning Ya Ba on trains which was what the killer was on? If it was a passenger who committed the crime then I would understand the reasoning, but this was a staffer who was a former drug peddler and he still got a permanent job with the SRT. The SRT is the problem, not the alcohol.

[jpeg]

I predicted the response of some posters thinking not getting a beer on a train because of a rape/death of a 13 year old girl that they were the real victims.

If the trajedy was in any way connected to beer sales on trains the reaction would be understandable. The real victims are the people that live under a reactionary, predictably stupid govt. understand now?

which reactionary,predictably stupid government?..Thai in general or the Military now in power?

I don't believe we're allowed to answer that under the present circumstances.

[beb]

There was a state park where I grew up that had a prohibition on alcohol consumption. But they didn't search you when you entered the park. People drank without any problem. Unless they became obnoxious and then the park could easily eject them. I get the feeling this law is designed to make it easier to remove people who're being obnoxious with their drinking but not really bother those that are discreet.

[noitom]

The Thais reduced the staff from 24,000 to 11,000 and they ended up with this guy during the qualifying process. Looks more like a human resources management issue rather than an alcohol issue.

[h90]

failing to see the point. one would assume that employees were already required to remain sober while working.

Perhaps a review of SRT's employment policies would be more in order than this knee jerk reaction.

Segregation seems like an excellent idea though. very forward thinking indeed.

personally i cant see how anyone could tolerate the train sober

And "a railway employee who took drug and drank on board." drugs aren't allowed anyway.

[jacko45k]

This will be bad news for quite a few obnoxious backpackers ;-)

And a few locals too.

I was worried about an off duty, armed and drunk as hell trouble making policeman once on an over-night train.

[Bluespunk]

"Commenting on the calls for his resignation following the rape-murder case, the SRT governor asked would his resignation help solve the problem."

Yes.

[Hawk]

The ladies only carriage idea is a good one.

Just like in Saudi Arabia, good idea. Wife goes in the cattle car with the other women.

[IamNoone88]

Whoever allowed a 13 year old girl to travel unaccompanied in Thailand must be mentally challenged. Poor kid. A law not allowing minors to travel alone - period - would be more appropriate. And a complete overhaul of staff background checks might help ... but in a country where the implementation of law and the lack of resolved cases means "employees" may not even have a record. Certainly though a check would have revealed this guy.

Perhaps a special unit within RTP could be set up for all employers to contact for criminal records, if they wish, for background checks. I am sure many companies do not as I for one, would have no idea who to ask..... so yes, my staff also go unchecked.