Junta Leader Advises Thais Not To Be 'Slaves of Alcohol'

[EnzoRippo]

I wholeheartedly agree; alcohol in Thailand should be the same as any other drug; heroin, cocaine, pot etc.

Possession should elicit the death sentence.

Many of Thailand's problems would be solved. I sincerely hope the junta is going in this direction.

You are drunk, my dear.

So early in the morning, this is not reasonable.

[EnzoRippo]

On this topic, I feel the junta extremely indulgent and lenient.

A simple advice is useless.

Suppress democracy is probably easier than remove booze.

[than]

I hope Chalerm will follow this advise

[iReason]

In Samui during the Buddha Holidays, (visible) bars are closed.

So, standard procedure:

Go to the nearest Wat. Inside, on temple grounds, will be many food and alcohol stalls, live R&R along with hundreds of people.

Many of them dancing drunk out of their minds...

[kurnell]

I'm going a month without. 1 week in and I feel great already. Can't wait for my memory to return.

When it does return you will remember all the fun you had with sexy thai girls you dont have now and will miss that. Good luck abstaining

Sent from my GT-S5310 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

I wonder what the two have in common.. i mean sober you can play much more with them and are more attractive to them as nobody likes a total drunk. Unless of course you are talking bar girls they love you more if your drunk. Its easier to take your money then.

There's more to life than bar girls. I can't really think of what that 'more' is at the moment, but when I do I will post it here.

[bigbamboo]

Absolutely. Thais should not allow themselves to fall under the spell of alcohol. Be a good Buddhist and give up drinking now....... and gambling.... and chasing women. You will feel better for it.

OK, you won't actually live longer, but it will seem like it.

Edited July 13, 2014 by bigbamboo

[UbonRatch]

I don't think the people are listening to this message any more than they do most other messages, as 'Thainess' means doing what the hell you like whatever the outcome. Last evening i passed a gaggle of people sitting in front of their favourite shop drinking beer and whiskey the same as they do every other evening. Wouldn't surprise me if the local Cop dropped in for one or two like he usually does.

A 'gaggle of people'?

Do you eat Peking human thigh?

[UbonRatch]

Absolutely. Thais should not allow themselves to fall under the spell of alcohol. Be a good Buddhist and give up drinking now....... and gambling.... and chasing women. You will feel better for it.

OK, you won't actually live longer, but it will seem like it.

9-1 on I'm pissed-up; shagging, whilst watching Germany win the the World Cup final.

[UbonRatch]

I am all for freedom to do with ones body what you please as long as you don't bother others.

And there in lies the dilemma - alcohol quite often leads to 'bothering' others!

Thailand is NOT a secular nation. It is a Buddhist nation and you'd think everyone could follow the 5th precept at least a couple of times a year... kinda like CXhristians going to church only at Xmas and Easter...

But there is a reason for Sunday mass. When the basket comes past, take what you need. It's all by but the grace of God!

If one grows up with little, church on a Sunday can be a blessing. Thanks to the church my 'yo' eventually became a 'yo-yo'. I carved it myself, from the statue of Jesus I nicked off the church wall, and selling a bit of lead I risked climbing to rob.

If you don't like Scouse humour then I appreciate your reading this, at least.

[Chicog]

No hope of changing that. They already are the biggest drinkers, in Asean!

No they're not.

http://qz.com/171191/south-koreans-drink-twice-as-much-liquor-as-russians-and-more-than-four-times-as-much-as-americans/

Edited July 13, 2014 by Chicog

[Chicog]

I wholeheartedly agree; alcohol in Thailand should be the same as any other drug; heroin, cocaine, pot etc.

Possession should elicit the death sentence.

Many of Thailand's problems would be solved. I sincerely hope the junta is going in this direction.

That's a bit harsh but as a starter Thailand should increase the alcohol tax flat out with 100% on liquor and 50% on beer and then make it illegal to produce any alcoholic drinkable stuff at home and severe fines / jail for breaking that law.

It's not ****ing Saudi Arabia.

[ginjag]

No hope of changing that. They already are the biggest drinkers, in Asean!

No they're not.

http://qz.com/171191/south-koreans-drink-twice-as-much-liquor-as-russians-and-more-than-four-times-as-much-as-americans/

Ada, if your Bert was around he would fall into the biggest drinkers club. But Bert always drank at the Dog and Duck. ( Les Dawson show was brilliant). I love your Ada. photo---brill.

Edited July 13, 2014 by ginjag

[Thai at Heart]

Until they modify the tax system to tax on percent alcohol and allow entry of wine to compete with other spirits, any statement is just a sham.

[brucegoniners]

I'll drink to that!

In all seriousness, Thai men tend to be major drunks. I won't say all, but many. This is a good message.

However, I do have a problem with all of the Buddhist holidays that force everyone to live under Buddhist morals, by not selling alcohol. My wife and I can't even go out to a nice dinner and have a bottle of wine on these days.

It it was one or two days a year it would be one story, but it's more like 15 or 20, if you include the stupid election laws. Many of these fall on weekends, when we would normally go out.

Coming from the USA, where we have strict separation of church and state, I am offended by this.

I'm not a heavy drinker, but when I do want to go out and have a drink or two, I feel like I should be able to, without the Thai government telling me when I can and can't.

This is one part of this country that gets very old and tired.

[techboy]

Prayuth could use good ole Chalerm as his poster boy for this campaign. Too much booze will turn you into a pathetic scumbag like this.

I wonder if a plan to have off-duty cops wearing balaclavas and driving round Thailand on motorbikes executing on sight anybody drinking or suspected to be drinking alcohol would have the Thaksinites crying Hallelujah as they did during his war on drugs? Double standards, much?

Good grief ol' boy. You sound like you have been into a bit of some hard lao yourself today!

[UbonRatch]

In all seriousness, Thai men tend to be major drunks. I won't say all, but many. This is a good message.

Many being how many, as a percentage?

"Thai men tend to be major drunks?" - quote - are you serious, in all seriousness?

Do you live in a condo, house, or under a bridge in Sukhumvit?

[laobali]

went to our local minimart yesterday, had signs on the door saying no booze sales and why. Came out with three bottles, the General has his work cut out on this one.

Money talks - in Thai or English.

[sgtsabai]

I would say this general seems a bit puritanical and I have listened to him, well ok read the translation. To some of you, I say be careful what you wish for, "reforms" often have a way of coming back to bite you on the ass. Many of you came here because you can do things here you cannot, or no longer can, in your home countries, whether you admit it or not. There is a freedom here you don't have in your home country. I was there when the Californians and New York/East Coast yankees invaded New Mexico with their "reforms", the result ruined the place. Don't wish the puritanical western pseudo religion, teetotaler, no sex crap on Thailand and those of us who enjoy ourselves here. I like bars, the pretty women (my wife of 7 years has many spies...lol), sometimes late hours parties, getting a bit long in tooth for much of that, and I don't like people telling me what I can and cannot do based on religion or pseudo moral beliefs of any kind. If you goddie two shoes don't like sex, booze, bars or people that do, mind your own business or go back to the hole you crawled out of.

[Luk Mhee]

Simple solution; ban alcohol sales on the sidewalk (footpath) from food vendors, implement a sales permit for the sale of alcohol on the Soi shops, and ban drinking in public. Impossible you say? Just look at what is happening this weekend, no drunken brawls, less abuse of women, and so far a greater reduction on vehicle accidents.

[Alwyn]

Prayuth could use good ole Chalerm as his poster boy for this campaign. Too much booze will turn you into a pathetic scumbag like this.

I wonder if a plan to have off-duty cops wearing balaclavas and driving round Thailand on motorbikes executing on sight anybody drinking or suspected to be drinking alcohol would have the Thaksinites crying Hallelujah as they did during his war on drugs? Double standards, much?

There would be no coppers left, they'd all be shooting each other as they're the easiest pissheads to find - just go to the local police booths.

[3NUMBAS]

they need it as they have too many worries and little to live on generally speaking

[h90]

Farang show overwhelming support for the clean-up efforts made by the Junta which have directly confronted 90% of the complaints made in this forum about Thailand--i.e. Moral and Social decay and corruption at all levels.

Then the Junta says, "Hey, Thailand, drink responsibly" and the TV Expat crowd explodes in derision and starts comparing LOS to North Korea.

Are the TV members saying that they do not think there are any negative alcohol issues in LOS or just that they themselves should be immune from any request to contribute?

First stage? Denial.

Second stage? Anger.

he he...Kim recently bought a new brewery in England to produce good quality beer for North Koreans.....that is what I call a great leader

[Cthulhu]

what are they going to try to control next? "don't love sex"? "don't have too many pets"? "don't be a Christian worshiper"? or just "you WILL be happy - and that's an order"

Next we'll all have to start wearing the same clothes.

You don't sound happy enough.

The Dear Leader has spoken. Shut up and be happy.

Of course. What do you expect. He's the military dictator. It's what dictators do. They dictate.

They tell other people what to do. It's what they get paid for. This aint a democracy you know.

[Briggsy]

He may like to start with his famously heavy drinking officers.

[kaorop]

With the "monkey see monkey do" that is prominent here

I think the message should be aimed at parents

like it would be wise for parents to not let their children

see them drinking so much, also, that many thai children are up so late to see

one or bother parents heavily intoxicated cant be giving a good message.

I never saw my dad drunk, and my mum only a bit typsy and I went out of my way to not

be seen intoxicated by my own children when young.

That's where it starts imo, whos going to get the message if that's what they grew up seeing?

Yeah I know its "think of the children" mantra but its something that does have some truth to it!

[lee68]

In Samui during the Buddha Holidays, (visible) bars are closed.

So, standard procedure:

Go to the nearest Wat. Inside, on temple grounds, will be many food and alcohol stalls, live R&R along with hundreds of people.

Many of them dancing drunk out of their minds...

You can not buy alcohol in any temple grounds,they hold the entertainment and booze outside the temple grounds,nearby.

[Valentine]

With the "monkey see monkey do" that is prominent here

I think the message should be aimed at parents

like it would be wise for parents to not let their children

see them drinking so much, also, that many thai children are up so late to see

one or bother parents heavily intoxicated cant be giving a good message.

I never saw my dad drunk, and my mum only a bit typsy and I went out of my way to not

be seen intoxicated by my own children when young.

That's where it starts imo, whos going to get the message if that's what they grew up seeing?

Yeah I know its "think of the children" mantra but its something that does have some truth to it!

I stopped drinking for that very reason. How could I advise them not to drink when they got older unless I set an example.

[UbonRatch]

I never saw my dad drunk, and my mum only a bit typsy and I went out of my way to not

be seen intoxicated by my own children when young.

What age did you start having kids?

[rickirs]

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Gawd whats next? Tips on religious devotion?

There is another country in the region that issues similar edicts and has an unelected government in power ; North Korea.

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea does have an elected government in power. In recently held elections supreme leader Kim Jong-un was not only elected to the highest legislative body in North Korea, he won with the unanimous approval of his district, which had 100 per cent turnout! Voters also voted on the new roster of deputies for the 13th Supreme People's Assembly, the country's legislature. Governance of the country is done through rule of the majority. By all appearances North Korea is the embodiment of a democratic society!

In practice -

1) The majority is represented by the worker's class represented soley by the Communist Party.

2) Because competition between political parties is seen as the expression of conflicting interests (can cause confusion and unhappiness), there is no other political party other than the Communist party .

3) A single candidate is selected for each parliament seat every five years by the Communist Party to run for election. Voters can vote "yes" or "no."

4) The People's Assembly has little legislative power and when it is not in session (most of the time), its work is done by the Presidium that is composed of the Head of State (aka Supreme Leader) and members appointed by the Head of State. The Presidium not only can rescind the decrees, decisions and directives of the People’s Assembly, and suspend the implementation of "unwarranted" decisions of local People’s Assemblies, it can create its own legislation, decrees, and rules.

A country that has various democratic labels and devices (I call it "jewelry") attached to its governance really doesn't mean anything so long as there is an absolute authority in power. But in a roundabout way you are correct as to the bottom line. Thailand has been a "faux" democracy much like North Korea. .

[UbonRatch]

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Gawd whats next? Tips on religious devotion?

There is another country in the region that issues similar edicts and has an unelected government in power ; North Korea.

By all appearances North Korea is the embodiment of a democratic society!

In practice -

Thailand has been a "faux" democracy much like North Korea. .

Seen, or located, the 'blue diamond' recently?

Edit: It seems to be democratically located.

Edited July 13, 2014 by UbonRatch