Activists call for stringent measures on alcohol sales

[Lite Beer]

Activists call for stringent measures on alcohol sales

BANGKOK, 2 Jan 2015 (NNT) – Activists have urged the government to come up with more effective measures regarding alcohol sales.

Anti-alcohol activists commented that the existing measures were not enough to minimize fatalities and damage to property caused by drunk drivers. They said the ban on alcohol sales to youths aged below 20 had proven to be a failure due to the fact that children were still able to buy liquor at general outlets.

Although police had set up alcohol testing checkpoints, they deemed the attempt was still not effective enough to reduce traffic accidents, as only 10 percent of motorists underwent the testing.

Activists are currently compiling data regarding physical and property damage resulting from drunk drivers during the New Year. The data will be submitted to the National Alcohol Policy Committee to come up with new measures to curb accidents during the upcoming Songkran holiday.

-- NNT 2015-01-02

[ToddinChonburi]

population control.

[jaltsc]

"Activists have urged the government to come up with more effective measures regarding alcohol sales."

Even adding Antabuse to all alcohol sold wouldn't have much affect since the homemade stuff will always be readily available.

Setting up stringent alcohol testing checkpoints on the roads might sound like an adequate solution, but drunk drivers usually know how to get around them. Obviously, nothing the government has done has worked since the death toll appears to increase every year. In other countries, "education" and "strict enforcement of the law" have had some success, but those two concepts are foreign to Thailand.

[ThePlant]

The "activists" of some pompous stuffed shirt's imagination....

[chainarong]

It is all very well calling for stringent measures on alcohol sales the quick fix method would be to ban all alcohol sales and ban all movement of all traffic on roads that will fix the problem and make everyone fitter, the long term measures to control road fatalities is in education and proper training in the handling of these moving missiles and that is precisely what they are, unfortunately with uneducated brain dead guiding them.

[chainarong]

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The "activists" of some pompous stuffed shirt's imagination....

CDC in disguse

[recycled]

As long as the PM backed police force continue to own and manage the network of illegal alcohol such as Loa Kao, nothing will change, Not one peep out of he who thinks he can walk on water regarding banning the poison, too much much money at stake, billions in fact. Maybe this is the rich wife he and his cronies refer to. How about these pompous clowns out there including the mouthy Health Minister, compile figures to see what this substance is doing to physical and mental health in Thailand considering kids as young as 10 years old are consuming the liquid on a regular basis. At a guess, I would predict that direct and indirect medical problems from Loa Kao would account for over 50% of the health budget. Just for the record, the local police collect a minimum of 6,000 baht a month per seller and mega bahts from the manufacturers, so it doesn't take a maths degree to see how much this untaxed industry is worth. Back to you General/PM why all the silence and lack of action? When you get serious about doing something concrete and with long term benefits for your citizens and country, maybe then the international community might just take notice of you. For now it is who is this prat prayhuth.

[jacky54]

As long as the PM backed police force continue to own and manage the network of illegal alcohol such as Loa Kao,

It's not illegal, you can buy it in any shop, do you mean ya dong which is made from it?

Edited January 2, 2015 by jacky54

[WhizBang]

BANGKOK, 2 Jan 2015 (NNT) – Activists have urged the government to come up with more effective measures regarding alcohol sales.

Oh Please. The problem is not alcohol sales, but the total and complete lack of law enforcement. That and a total lack of education.

[iReason]

"They said the ban on alcohol sales to youths aged below 20 had proven to be a failure due to the fact that children were still able to buy liquor at general outlets."

Strip them of their license. (If they even have one.)

[AGareth2]

just needs proper policing and penalties that are enforced

[Briggsy]

Both the police and the army have an extremely entrenched drinking culture.

[dwritchey]

It starts with education. Laws are not a substitute for common sense. Penalties are only mild deterents if any.

[MarkmBha]

Education is the only way.

[robblok]

Education is the only way.

Not without good enforcing of laws, you have to have both.. education and enforcement.

[MrJohnson]

Education is the only way.

Not without good enforcing of laws, you have to have both.. education and enforcement.

Bang on. There are plenty of laws here in Thailand. The problem is there is very little enforcement.

[gchurch259]

As I said before, "You can not legislate self discipline", when will Thailand understand that ?? Young children see their parents drink/drunk, see movies and TV where drinking/drunks are laughed at.

Want to do something constructive, out law men pissing on the side of the road, or get some of the vendors off the sidewalk where I can walk, Sukumvit Soi 3 to Asoke.

[LuckyLew]

How about these activists come up with some suggestions of their own?

[chaiyapoon]

The illegal alcohol you are refering to is Lao Par which is similar to Lao khao in as much its clear and strong. Its home made or small batch produced and sold under the counter in some shops.Of course its dangerous stuff if not correctly distilled.

Often sold in plastic bags or old whiskey bottles.Have been sent out to buy some in the past got a bag full for 100b about 1.25 litres.An old expat I used to know put it into jars with strips of very ripe bananas for about a month then filtered it a few times tasted half way decent then.

[Mudcrab]

As long as the PM backed police force continue to own and manage the network of illegal alcohol such as Loa Kao, nothing will change, Not one peep out of he who thinks he can walk on water regarding banning the poison, too much much money at stake, billions in fact. Maybe this is the rich wife he and his cronies refer to. How about these pompous clowns out there including the mouthy Health Minister, compile figures to see what this substance is doing to physical and mental health in Thailand considering kids as young as 10 years old are consuming the liquid on a regular basis. At a guess, I would predict that direct and indirect medical problems from Loa Kao would account for over 50% of the health budget. Just for the record, the local police collect a minimum of 6,000 baht a month per seller and mega bahts from the manufacturers, so it doesn't take a maths degree to see how much this untaxed industry is worth. Back to you General/PM why all the silence and lack of action? When you get serious about doing something concrete and with long term benefits for your citizens and country, maybe then the international community might just take notice of you. For now it is who is this prat prayhuth.

Links and/or proof?

[Mudcrab]

As long as the PM backed police force continue to own and manage the network of illegal alcohol such as Loa Kao, nothing will change, Not one peep out of he who thinks he can walk on water regarding banning the poison, too much much money at stake, billions in fact. Maybe this is the rich wife he and his cronies refer to. How about these pompous clowns out there including the mouthy Health Minister, compile figures to see what this substance is doing to physical and mental health in Thailand considering kids as young as 10 years old are consuming the liquid on a regular basis. At a guess, I would predict that direct and indirect medical problems from Loa Kao would account for over 50% of the health budget. Just for the record, the local police collect a minimum of 6,000 baht a month per seller and mega bahts from the manufacturers, so it doesn't take a maths degree to see how much this untaxed industry is worth. Back to you General/PM why all the silence and lack of action? When you get serious about doing something concrete and with long term benefits for your citizens and country, maybe then the international community might just take notice of you. For now it is who is this prat prayhuth.

I just reread you rant.

It seems that everything you say was happening long before the coup took place.

10 year olds on the liquor? Why haven't you reported this to the authorities?

Or are you just another rabble rouser? after the event?

[Anthony5]

In my home country when a ghost rider is spotted it will be in the national newspapers, as it happen 2-3 times a year.

Over here I spot at least 3 ghost riders for every km i drive, and that is 365 days a year.

I suggest they look at other causes than alcohol to reduce the traffic deaths.

[bangrak]

Did these 'activists' say anything about the 'white spirits'' group, the Lao Kao, which are the ones largely responsible for the most damage among Thais? I guess no more today than yesterday, or in ten years, as too many 'influential persons' are going on building their wealth on that making and selling that POISON! Why else are there nearly no excise nor taxes levied on that category of alcoholic beverage, hmm, some 'populist plan'? The daily dose of hypocrisy in the Land of Scams...

[bangrak]

As long as the PM backed police force continue to own and manage the network of illegal alcohol such as Loa Kao, nothing will change, Not one peep out of he who thinks he can walk on water regarding banning the poison, too much much money at stake, billions in fact. Maybe this is the rich wife he and his cronies refer to. How about these pompous clowns out there including the mouthy Health Minister, compile figures to see what this substance is doing to physical and mental health in Thailand considering kids as young as 10 years old are consuming the liquid on a regular basis. At a guess, I would predict that direct and indirect medical problems from Loa Kao would account for over 50% of the health budget. Just for the record, the local police collect a minimum of 6,000 baht a month per seller and mega bahts from the manufacturers, so it doesn't take a maths degree to see how much this untaxed industry is worth. Back to you General/PM why all the silence and lack of action? When you get serious about doing something concrete and with long term benefits for your citizens and country, maybe then the international community might just take notice of you. For now it is who is this prat prayhuth.

Aah, that PM, that Prayuth, he has done so much wrong in half a year (irony)! Wonder what you would have been writing when you would not be so unbiased (irony)!

The explosion of the (regular) consumption of alcoholic beverages among the Thai masses is more than half a century old, but never mind, it doesn't fit in your agenda... And that during the decade of 'Thaksin regime', while owning(!) the Police, nothing happened to even attempt solving the problem, all the opposite in fact, as the producers of 'white spirits', and 'local spirits' got free reins, and enjoyed even larger advantages in excise and taxes compared to the (quality) imported spirits, go wonder why, but wipe that aside also, as it contradicts your rant too...

That while, when you had left General Prayuth out of your 'reaction', for now, you could have seriously made a point IMO, quite sad then.

[bangkokfrog]

"only 10 percent of motorists underwent the testing...."

This must be a government/police statistic, as based on my observation I doubt that even 1% was tested. But I did see a lot of police by the roadside diligently checking for Internet crime on their phones!

[daveAustin]

All down to the cops I'm afraid. Every night without fail in town here are bike drag races, most of which are through drunks piling out of the local nightclub. Not a cop in sight, ever!

[FangFerang]

As long as the PM backed police force continue to own and manage the network of illegal alcohol such as Loa Kao, nothing will change, Not one peep out of he who thinks he can walk on water regarding banning the poison, too much much money at stake, billions in fact. Maybe this is the rich wife he and his cronies refer to. How about these pompous clowns out there including the mouthy Health Minister, compile figures to see what this substance is doing to physical and mental health in Thailand considering kids as young as 10 years old are consuming the liquid on a regular basis. At a guess, I would predict that direct and indirect medical problems from Loa Kao would account for over 50% of the health budget. Just for the record, the local police collect a minimum of 6,000 baht a month per seller and mega bahts from the manufacturers, so it doesn't take a maths degree to see how much this untaxed industry is worth. Back to you General/PM why all the silence and lack of action? When you get serious about doing something concrete and with long term benefits for your citizens and country, maybe then the international community might just take notice of you. For now it is who is this prat prayhuth.

Links and/or proof?

Wank! Get your own counter arguments .

[surangw]

right, no one will think of stocking up before hand,

and the "measures" will be a boon to those selling it at higher prices * Under the table"

[sgtsabai]

And I thought I got rid of the "moral police" when I left the "bible belt" of SE Texass for good.

[stoli]

I can't understand why the Thai youth would want to start drinking. I mean, look at the many fine examples that the farangs, who have wealth, have shown them with their total sobriety. (sarcasm)