Bangkok:- Silom Road will become a powder-free and alcohol-free zone during the upcoming Songkran celebration, according to a plan drawn up by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration.

Millions of people in Thailand will celebrate the Songkran between April 13 and 15.

Revelers usually mark the festive holidays with water throwing. Some will also enjoy alcoholic drinks and add powder to their bucket of water. With the powder, many get excuse to get close and touch the body of others during the festival. Although not all powder touches constitute sexual harassment, some do.

To ensure proper order and prevent such kinds of harassment, powder has become a no-no in many Songkran zones.

And this year, the Silom Road will be also off-limits to powder users and sellers.

“We will immediately arrest powder sellers on Silom Road during the Songkran,” says Wanlop Suwandee, chief advisor to Bangkok Governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra.

He says relevant officials will also arrest alcohol sellers as well.

Silom area, which is a central business district of Bangkok, has ranked among the most popular spots to celebrate the Songkran Festival. During the festival, the road is closed to traffic and revelers fill up the spot. Stalls selling various types of fares including food also line along the road.

“We will prepare some 200 stalls this year,” Wanlop says, “These stalls will open from 1pm to 9pm during the festival”.

Well overdue.

Oh I'm sure you'll get a wee tipple somewhere!

Oh I'm sure you'll get a wee tipple somewhere!

Of course - everywhere else in Thailand. The first two words of the article say... "Silom Road".

Will this simply become yet another prohibition that can't or won't be implemented ?

Believe it when I see it

BMA to ban alcohol and powder in Silom during Songkran

BANGKOK, 26 March 2015 (NNT)-The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) will be keeping illegal street vendors off Silom road during Songkran Festival this year.

Accompanied by police officers, city rangers, Bangrak district officials and officers from the 3rd cavalry squadron, Dr. Wallop Suwandee, an advisor to Bangkok Governor, yesterday traveled to Silom road to promote the legal use of public space.

According to Dr. Wallop, street hawkers have in the past breached the law by selling alcoholic drinks and festival items on the footpath of Silom Road during the Songkran festival without permission. The widespread sales of alcohol on the road last year also led to brawls and other forms of violence.

Some public spaces were also illegally rented out to small vendors during the festival without them knowing who the area really belonged to. The road was so littered with so much trash after the festival ended that the BMA had to employ a large number of people to clean up the road, the advisor said.

Police officers will be deployed to maintain law and order during this year's festival, held between April 12 to 14. Vendors who wish to use the space for commercial purposes are required to register, at no charge whatsoever, at Bangrak District Office.

Under the regulations, the sales of alcoholic beverages and powder will be banned during the festival period. Vendors will only be allowed to sell their goods from 1 pm to 9 pm.


-- NNT 2015-03-26

For F#*^s sake,can you guys get nothing right.The TV News says "the Songkran period of 13-15th and the BMA says 12-14th !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Don't believe that for one minute that it will happen. Where will all the lady boys go? That area has to be the most crazy place during Sonkran in Thailand.

Oh common I do not think Power is the reason for sexual advances. Yes the Powder made me do it

I don't think so They will find another excuse to grope some girl or lady boy

Oh common I do not think Power is the reason for sexual advances. Yes the Powder made me do it

I don't think so They will find another excuse to grope some girl or lady boy

They are, perhaps, referring to quite a different powder.................!

it means that alcohol powder? or gun powder? not baby powder...how will moms be able to powder puff their babies behinds while throwing water? or how will the millions n billions of chinese that are touring thailand be able to shoot off ther gun powder fire works...won't that hurt the tourism industry?

I don't mind the white paste but I hate the ice they put in the water......wish they would ban the use of ice.

Silom area, which is a central business district of Bangkok, has ranked among the most popular spots to celebrate the Songkran Festival. NOT ANY MORE!!!!!!!!

Yep...destroy every kind of fun and disguise it as "keeping up morals"!

I am quiet sure that those who want to grope, will do so, with or without powder, with or without alcohol.

Maybe...just maybe...teaching Thai- men, that women are not 2nd class human beings, just here for the pleasure of and on disposal for the great male of Thailand, might do the trick?!

Oh...education...silly, silly me...

Oh common I do not think Power is the reason for sexual advances. Yes the Powder made me do it

I don't think so They will find another excuse to grope some girl or lady boy

I keep giving beautiful Thai women powder, but I've yet to have them grope me. Darn!

And Sukhumvit Road?

They forgot the main threat to Thai Image

Bra-less girls and wet T shirts

Burkas for every girl as they come off the BTS !

Save THAI NESS

and what's going on if you bought 10 boxes of powder on April 11? so you can use them as the article stipulates that it's just illegal to sell it!

I couldn't stop laughing out loud... forbidding the sale of alcohol on the biggest Thai Holiday of the year ?

The 7/11's will be raided ! Maybe closing 'm all down ?

Forbidding powder ? What harm does that do ? LOS insanity once again An early April Fools report ?

Yea, right.

It would seem that every deadbeat government official is attempting to somehow suck up to the mighty general, resulting in this kind of nonsense. The sooner there is a real government that is addressing real problems (dream on you crazy dreamer), the better off everyone will be. Then these losers officials can get back to sleeping on the job, and stop producing this tripe.

A friend of mine is coming for 5 years to SongKran to Thailand. Mainly because of Silom Road nights. He said this is 10x times better then any Happy New Year festival in Europe... I went there sometime too...big fun...and yes i got powdered by men, women and ladyboys and I did powder man and woman and ladyboys...who cares...of course some girls looked pretty hot, some not...but it was never a sexual thing...

"....celebrate the Songkran between April 13 and 15 (or 12th to 14th? )..."

In CM the cellabrations seem to start earlier and end days later

What about Pattaya, ... ???? Ten days of hell so mamy drunken idiots doing stupid and dangerous things. It is like the wild west, .. no police anywhere to be seen. Anything goes, ...garbage cans filled with ice water tossed into the back of songtaos, water cannons that can knock a person off a motorbike, ..... why no restrictions here and why 10 days?

Thank you for this news OP, I will now stockpile 3 days worth of alcohol and lock myself up in the apartment.

why don't you just cancel Songkran, new year etc.

what is wrong over here. I guess all official do what junta are doing, making up new law as they please

why people need drink for enjoy ?

NO worries! The powder will find its way to Silom Road. Not being able to "sell" it there doesn't mean it won't BE there. Songkran. Nowadays just a green light for lame foreigners to plague other foreigners and do what they know they'd be taken apart for doing anywhere else at any other time. Sad.

Will this simply become yet another prohibition that can't or won't be implemented ?

Isn't prostitution, operating a motor vehicle w/out a license, driving through red lights/ stop signs ILLEGAL also in Lack of Sanctions (LOS)?

Laws w/out enforcement might be mere suggestions. lol Amusing Thailand.