Restriction of liquor sale time takes effect today throughout Thailand

[Sploosh66]

HaHa,,,,This wont happen and wont be policed in our village, it's the shops income and there are too many set in their ways,,,wont happen,,,the police will need to do their shopping within those hours, no more sitting about outside the local shop shooting the shit and supping a beer or 3 :-P

[houlicha]

I've got to believe the article is wrong about closing time in the entertainment venues. I'm betting the closing time will remain 2:00AM. 9-12 only would kill them, which would be disastrous for many businesses, and tourism in general.

[heybruce]

The only change from the old rules, as far as I can see, is that the provision for purchasing "bulk" quantities outside the prescribed hours is now against the rules. This will affect businesses not the average punter.

Of course enforcement is another matter entirely.

"...while entertainment venues which in the past were allowed to sell alcohol from 9.00 pm – 2.00 am can only do so up to midnight.

This means that in total, night time entertainment venues can only legally sell alcohol for 5 hours every day..."

That seems like a pretty big change to me, especially if it is enforced. However since the author of the OP didn't pick up on the fact that 9.00 p.m. to midnight is only three hours, or perhaps didn't proof-read and pick up on errors in the stated hours, it throws the accuracy of the entire article into doubt.

I'm sure those who go out tonight will report on actual changes, and I'm sure implementation will vary widely by location.

[Diplomatico]

I'm sure those who go out tonight will report on actual changes, and I'm sure implementation will vary widely by location.

Ha ha, you beat me to it. I was just going to ask for a show of hands on how many will be testing this today.

[Neilly]

Well we'll see what happens tomorrow...we've arranged to meet friends at 2:30pm for Sunday lunch...if we can't have a beer (or cider in my case) we won't be staying very long.

[nutterz64]

This law actually would apply to your local mum and dad shop. The question is will it be policed... Probably not. Some of these places even have a table set up out front so Thais or Falangs can sit and have an afternoon drink. I suspect that nothing will change in this regard so we can still congregate at our "Local" for the 4 o'clock swill.

I wonder what is the definition of a "legally registered entertainment venue". Do these include the "legal" GOGO bars and Falang bars or is a legally registered entertainment venue something different? I know many licenced venues that trade to 5.00am.

[duanebigsby]

Where it will effect me sometimes is that I have to travel 80 kms to a Makro, where sometimes I would buy wine and spirits. This now means I need to plan my trip carefully to fiti in with the hours. Not so important but could be inconvenient.

The hours for selling alcohol have not changed in general, but looks like the go go bars will be hit hard.

Why would it affect gogo bars? They have their own operating licences.

Because they have to stop selling at midnight instead of 0200?

If their licence permits opening/selling alcohol until 2am I would expect that they can continue to do so.

The article is stating very clearly that the new law will have ALL restaurants and venues selling alcohol observe the no sales between 2pm and 5pm rule,

and that there will be a new closing time for entertainment venues.

Are you suggesting that these venues can get licenses which contravene the law?

[Mot Dang]

Has anything really changed for the average purchaser of beer?

I'm not fussed. It might restrict the hours a bit for the Ruskies buying their 7-11 Vodka. They will just have to plan ahead.

I never have been able to work out the timing of the afternoon sales ban. Is it to protect schoolies coming out ? I would not have thought they had a problem there. The Tech college guys maybe.

[Johpa]

Perhaps the reason is nothing to do with what it appears to be but rather a precaution for some other problem foreseen.

All actions taken by the National Peace and Order Maintaining Council(คณะรักษาความสงบแห่งชาติ) are indeed precautions on their part being taken to prevent perceived future problems that can easily be foreseen but whose timing is yet unknown.

[shaurene]

My wife has little shop in the village the guys come from 6am for their 5 baht shop of the Thai Whiskey and all through the day, I just told my wife that possible police in plain clothes could come to buy outside the hours and told her not to sell if they do not know the face.

Her Mamma and brother sell in the shop, can you imagine them not selling, it is their main business in the day.

[shaurene]

A country once called Land of the free, now ruled by new moralistic dinosaurs.

You forgot something.

My take is:

A country once called Land of the free, now ruled by new moralistic hypocritical retards where tourism accounts for 10+% of GDP.

The is the beginning of the end for Thai Tourism for a lot of guys that come for a good holliday and pis sun. And do not say Thailand does not need them, they bloody well DO.

[bushmill]

Maybe here in TV is a legal adviser who can perhaps better explain about.:

1. If a menu is being sold between 2pm - 5 pm as a set including wine or beer. Allowed?
2. Guests/Customers order beer, liquor or wine after 2 pm but the bill is issued to 1.55 pm. Allowed?
3. regular guests pay for one week in advance or drink on bill to the end of the week, Allowed?

Thank you very much

[outboard]

I salute to the government. Alcohol is the worlds biggest epidemic. Much more than soft drugs. Alcohol claims millions of fatalities all over the world. Traffic accidents, violence, vandalism and fatal diseases.

Its about time to reveal the mask from the hypocrites.

yes lock up all human beings in padded rooms so they don't hurt themselves.

Actually nah , just lock up the idiots that insist on taking away our freedoms using "for our own good" as an excuse

[eldragon]

Does anyone know why alcohol can't be purchased between 2-5pm, what is so significant about those 3 hours?

I think it's bc they don't want taxi drivers getting loaded before rush hour.

[eldragon]

This law actually would apply to your local mum and dad shop. The question is will it be policed... Probably not. Some of these places even have a table set up out front so Thais or Falangs can sit and have an afternoon drink. I suspect that nothing will change in this regard so we can still congregate at our "Local" for the 4 o'clock swill.

I wonder what is the definition of a "legally registered entertainment venue". Do these include the "legal" GOGO bars and Falang bars or is a legally registered entertainment venue something different? I know many licenced venues that trade to 5.00am.

I'm pretty sure the bar part of the go go bars are legal. And if the girls keep their clothes on, so are they. Everything else that happens there is off the books though.

[Bluespunk]

Because they have to stop selling at midnight instead of 0200?

If their licence permits opening/selling alcohol until 2am I would expect that they can continue to do so.

I think that's the difference between you and most everyone else in this conversation....we're discussing what's been published and you're discussing "what you expect".

From the OP:

"Airports however are given the same allowance as before while entertainment venues which in the past were allowed to sell alcohol from 9.00 pm – 2.00 am can only do so up to midnight.

Yeah, been wondering about that phrase "entertainment venues" myself.

So, basically that means any and all bars [girly bars and "pub" pubs and whatever else alike] has to stop serving at midnight?

Or do they have a different type/category of license?

[VINCENT2012]

Violation of the law is subject six months imprisonment and/or a 10,000 Baht fine.

as usual to excessive imprisonment time and totaly ridiculous fine.

anyway alcool wil never be stopped with politic like that.....education should be the way, especially on tv where it would be more efective and tuch all the thai society feelings instead of putting all that crap series and programs all day long.

[bboy]

Fun police strikes again. Alcohol time restrictions have been in force for ages at 711 & tesco lotus etc. Mom & pop shops / condo minimarts sell booze 24/7, that won't change. As if people will stay in a club after midnight if they can't drink. Once a party city now getting tamer & more regulated by the minute. This will hurt Bangkok!

[eldragon]

A country once called Land of the free, now ruled by new moralistic dinosaurs.

This has nothing to do with moralistic dinosaurs, but with the fact that alcohol abuse and the problems related to it have reached gigantic proportions in this country. The fact that a few alcohol addicts among foreigners living in Thailand don't like restrictions on their juice doesn't change that fact.

Good point. I think we sometimes forget the amount of alcohol sold to Thais dwarfs the amount sold to foreigners.

[Baerboxer]

Either my englisch is so bad or the article is poorely written:

>Airports however are given the same allowance as before while entertainment venues which in the past were allowed to sell alcohol from 9.00 pm – 2.00 am can only do so up to midnight.

This means that in total, night time entertainment venues can only legally sell alcohol for 5 hours every day which in total is less than regular restaurants.

So this means according to the new regulations that discotheques, pubs, Bars, Karaokes etc. are allowed to sell alcohol from 9.00 pm up to midnight? That would be crazy! And that would by the way only be 3 (!) hours instead of five as stated in the article.

They used to have some odd restrictions in the UK. Last orders before 10.30 pm in a City, 11.00 pm in the County and 10 mins drinking up time.

That's changed now but we still have the binge drinking culture it produced - everyone rushing to buy last drinks and then neck them down quickly. I new people who would drink up in the City and then rush over the County line to get the extra 30 mins. Madness. The continental European countries didn't have these restrictions and didn't have the binge drinking and abuse issues Britain did. Restrictions seem to lead to more problems than they solve.

[gandalf12]

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A country once called Land of the free, now ruled by new moralistic dinosaurs.

There is nothing wrong with the country it is because people abuse the system that this was brought in

[Mot Dang]

A country once called Land of the free, now ruled by new moralistic dinosaurs.

You forgot something.

My take is:

A country once called Land of the free, now ruled by new moralistic hypocritical retards where tourism accounts for 10+% of GDP.

The is the beginning of the end for Thai Tourism for a lot of guys that come for a good holliday and pis sun. And do not say Thailand does not need them, they bloody well DO.

You do realize this is not a new limit on bars, they are legally registered premises and shall abide by the same rules that were in place since the beginning of the year, they are only restricting bottle shops, 7-11's, corner and village shops etc.

[Phuketboy]

So if I am reading this correctly, places such as 7/11 stop sales of alcohol at midnight where as bars and clubs which have licences for sale and operation past this time can keep trading. This is a very confusing law and it's not really black and white. If this is the case then that is great news for bar owners cause the cheap charlies will have to go to a bar to get a drink. If everyone has to stop sales at midnight, then the bar and club owners will suffer greatly.

[cnx355]

So, from now, business cannot buy their alcohol in the morning and carry it or have it delivered later ! A bit weird !

What about the hotels ! Tourists can not enjoy a drink at he beach or at the pool in the afternoon !

Previous hotel , as a temporary for travelers, could sell alcohol all day.

But the large Karaoke on Changklan rd in Chiangmai are still open all night having girls and alcohol....

I wonder who is writing those law !

[eldragon]

One thing I'm struggling to follow is how this is going to affect bars, clubs, etc. B/c the article says:

At all other times, alcohol sales are strictly forbidden with the exception of at international airport terminals and legally registered entertainment venues which have laws that strictly govern the periods they can operate daily.

But the article also says:

Airports however are given the same allowance as before while entertainment venues which in the past were allowed to sell alcohol from 9.00 pm – 2.00 am can only do so up to midnight.

Bad editing, I suppose. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

[ggt]

Is it true...that the next restriction for foreigners...is that they will be required to either go to church or visit a Buddhist temple once a week...and someone has to vouch for their attendance or their next visa will be denied...

Immigration will require witnesses...photos of you attending...and 3 copies of receipts where you have given of your earnings to the religion of your choice...

Man...what will they think of next?

[Don Mega]

So if I am reading this correctly, places such as 7/11 stop sales of alcohol at midnight where as bars and clubs which have licences for sale and operation past this time can keep trading. This is a very confusing law and it's not really black and white. If this is the case then that is great news for bar owners cause the cheap charlies will have to go to a bar to get a drink. If everyone has to stop sales at midnight, then the bar and club owners will suffer greatly.

It is very black and white and you are not comprehending it correctly.

[xavierr]

Are there any statistics regarding rules achieving anything?

[madmitch]

So if the old rules were causing confusion, what are the new rules doing if this thread is anything to go by?

Maybe there is something lost in translation. Maybe they haven't thought anything through. Maybe, probably, a combination of both.

[Mot Dang]

Either my englisch is so bad or the article is poorely written:

>Airports however are given the same allowance as before while entertainment venues which in the past were allowed to sell alcohol from 9.00 pm – 2.00 am can only do so up to midnight.

This means that in total, night time entertainment venues can only legally sell alcohol for 5 hours every day which in total is less than regular restaurants.

So this means according to the new regulations that discotheques, pubs, Bars, Karaokes etc. are allowed to sell alcohol from 9.00 pm up to midnight? That would be crazy! And that would by the way only be 3 (!) hours instead of five as stated in the article.

Yeah, the only way I can make the math work on this one is if they are trying to say that regular restaurants can sell alcohol for five hours less per day than entertainment venues.

Restaurant: 11:00 am - 2:00 pm and 5:00 pm - midnight.

Entertainment venue: 9:00 am - midnight.

So the bars in Bangkok are really going to stop serving alcohol at midnight now?

This article is really badly written. I have a number of friends who are bar owners, and I have checked around with them, in Pattaya and Bangkok. Bars, if properly licensed, can sell alcohol legally from 9:00 am to midnight. The midnight swill was tested out during the curfew. I don't know if it changed back, legally, to 1:00 am. But sure, you are going to get hundreds of bars pushing the midnight limit. It comes down to policing.

Edited January 24, 2015 by Mot Dang