Asiatique restaurant fined Bt460,000 for showing beer bottles in menus

[Bluespunk]

"The owner of the shop posted on his Facebook wall that he believes the ruling against him was unprecedented as the normally the Office of Alcohol Control Committee reached out-of-court settlement with the violators after collecting the fines."

Tough.

You knew the law and broke it, expecting at worst an "out of court settlement" and a slap on the wrist.

[Bluespunk]

I suppose the next stage would be to stop a shop or restaurant displaying the drinks in a glass fronted fridge.

The same as they do with cigarettes, where they are hidden in shuttered display cabinets.

but this is ridiculous.

Farangs are selective with what they drink. Unlike Thais they will not drink any crap that gets them drunk quickly and cheaply. Most have good taste ( with drinks anyway ) and like their own particular brands.

Thais call every spirit Whisky, They have no concept of the difference between Whisky / Rum / Brandy / Gin / Vodka / etc

Their height of sophistication is a bottle of Spy they call wine. So a choice is not important to them.

This maybe true of the Thais in your village in Nakon nowhere dear boy, but not all Thai's are rice picking peasants,

I have been to dinner with some of the boys who drink bottles of wine which are more than your pension or teachers salary so maybe less of the all encompassing generalisations about a population you obviously know very little off outside your little farang bwana bubble you live in

To drink expensive wine means not, that they having any idea, what they drinking about.

It's often more to display their status, to show that they can afford it.

And this differs from farangistan how ? Wine tasting /drinking the world over has snobbery attached to it, so please don't single out Thais alone in this regard and the vast majority of self proclaimed farang wine experts don't know what they are drinking half the time either and yes its been proven in blind tests

Blind or blind drunk?

[berybert]

I suppose the next stage would be to stop a shop or restaurant displaying the drinks in a glass fronted fridge.

The same as they do with cigarettes, where they are hidden in shuttered display cabinets.

but this is ridiculous.

Farangs are selective with what they drink. Unlike Thais they will not drink any crap that gets them drunk quickly and cheaply. Most have good taste ( with drinks anyway ) and like their own particular brands.

Thais call every spirit Whisky, They have no concept of the difference between Whisky / Rum / Brandy / Gin / Vodka / etc

Their height of sophistication is a bottle of Spy they call wine. So a choice is not important to them.

This maybe true of the Thais in your village in Nakon nowhere dear boy, but not all Thai's are rice picking peasants,

I have been to dinner with some of the boys who drink bottles of wine which are more than your pension or teachers salary so maybe less of the all encompassing generalisations about a population you obviously know very little off outside your little farang bwana bubble you live in

Soutpeel doesn't like Thai bashing but has no trouble farang bashing or teacher bashing or retiree bashing . So he got in 3 bashes to your 1.

Tho he knows not if you are retired or a teacher or what work you do. So you are level on the generalization bashing..

So after all 4-2 to the person who disagrees with any form of discrimination.

Well played that man.

[Freed1948]

The beginning of the end???

[butch333]

i don't think that this law will serve something , like the hours to buy alcool ( 11am to 01 pm and 05 pm to 10 pm ) , look in england , canot drink alcool in the pubs all day , and the english people are big drinkers . it's real that thai people like to drink , but when they want to drink , they can find very easy alcool . look at the time of the prohibition in US , never so much alcool was sale at this time . when somethink is prohibited , people want it . if the police was doing the work for what she's pay , thinks will be much beter .

[webfact]

Asiatique fined THB460,000 for beer images
By Coconuts Bangkok



BANGKOK: -- A new sudsy salvo in the war on booze opened with a Japanese restaurant at a popular riverside mall in hot water over some seductive images of foamy head printed in its menu.

Kacha Kacha Japanese restaurant at Asiatique was ordered to pay a THB460,000 fine for printing images of the beer it sells there after authorities deemed it a violation of the Alcohol Control Act.

A restaurant executive who goes by “Ozawa Curry” on Facebook, shared the court ruling against his restaurant on Wednesday as a warning to other business owners.

Full story: http://bangkok.coconuts.co/2015/04/20/asiatique-fined-thb460000-beer-images


-- Coconuts Bangkok 2015-04-20

[slipperylobster]

Who knows, the owners may have been the target of vengeful competition....or ex wife/girlfriend.

Second guess....multiple warnings were not heeded. Perhaps money under the table not enough..or request denied.

[simon43]

My little hotels in Phuket have menus that feature pictures of the beers that I sell, including bottles,brands and full glasses.

Why? Because many guests cannot read English or Thai. Using illustrations of the food and drink options avoids any mistakes.

Perhaps I'll need to do mime in the future to explain my menu to my guests..

I'll be OK with Chang Beer or Coke (!!), but I'm drawing the line at miming Spotted Dick

[harrycallahan]

There's a commercial opportunity here. Design your own 'beer like' brands, bottles and cans, and sell usage rights to restaurants. They don't really exist, and the label doesn't mention alcohol, but there is a beer like substance poured from them - root beer? There are cycling jersey designs which do similar.

[Johnnie99]

Hello, I am not one to complain, but you know - if you don't like the way the Thais run their own country, go home!

All this criticism of a country which is actually trying. Don't like their efforts? Volunteer to help. Yes - that means for no money. But no, you wouldn't do that - too much danger of not being able to complain.

Let's think: Aussies - 'king' punches, Yanks - shoot to kill policies, Brits - 'superior' attitude ...

Sod off home if you do not like the fact these people are trying to make a change.

Thank you.

[realenglish1]

This is the law and I respect it . Some would say showing a bottle of booze on TV is OK but its not

So man up and pay the fines

[Baerboxer]

I suppose the next stage would be to stop a shop or restaurant displaying the drinks in a glass fronted fridge.

The same as they do with cigarettes, where they are hidden in shuttered display cabinets.

I know Thais are weak but this is ridiculous.

Farangs are selective with what they drink. Unlike Thais they will not drink any crap that gets them drunk quickly and cheaply. Most have good taste ( with drinks anyway ) and like their own particular brands.

Thais call every spirit Whisky, They have no concept of the difference between Whisky / Rum / Brandy / Gin / Vodka / etc

Their height of sophistication is a bottle of Spy they call wine. So a choice is not important to them.

Perhaps they will adopt the American idea where all bottles of alcohol appear to be sold and kept in plain brown paper bags

Have you ever been in a booze shop in Sweden?

Countries with high levels of alcohol abuse and drunks need to do something.

[eddie61]

Thailand's legal system is a complete farce. They create laws pretending they are a 1st world country, but have a completely inept/corrupt police and judicial system, more akin to a 3rd world country like Zimbabwe.

The only law that is systematically enforced is section 112; the you-know-what law.

I feel sorry for these guys. Most probably trod on someones toes and didn't pay the tea money in time.

Sad...............Actually, I feel sorry for Thais to have to be subjected to this system.

[Baerboxer]

My little hotels in Phuket have menus that feature pictures of the beers that I sell, including bottles,brands and full glasses.

Why? Because many guests cannot read English or Thai. Using illustrations of the food and drink options avoids any mistakes.

Perhaps I'll need to do mime in the future to explain my menu to my guests..

I'll be OK with Chang Beer or Coke (!!), but I'm drawing the line at miming Spotted Dick

Why not put pics of just the labels or brand symbol and name. My understanding is as long as you avoid pics of brand labelled produce in glasses and bottles you are ok.

Best to check with the lawyers though.

[Chao Lao Beach]

While I think about this, I think I will send a 8yo on a motobike and buy me a bottle of whikey to drink wiht the local cops. 3 cheers for Thailand.

I love the Singer and Chung Billboards everywhere though and sports sponsorships !!!!

[maidee]

you cannot watch a tv program without a big beer sponsor in the back

strange ruling

or do they use CHANG water or whatever to get around that law ?

[Chao Lao Beach]

Guess the insane is becoming the new normal. A menu in a

restaurant is considered public media ? Looks like things are

spiraling out of control here...

Basing news on Facebook claims can do that.

Very True, how many times has Thai Visa quoted some guy called who uses FaceBook as his source and been so wrong so many times publiush as a lead story on Thaivisa news.

Actually, could have some fun with this, just post somthing rediculous on Facebook and wait for to pick it up

[masuk]

I can understand the logic of prohibiting alcohol and cigarettes on television adverts, racing cars etc, but going to the extreme of prosecuting for displaying on restaurant menus is IMO ridiculous.

We seem to be following examples from Indonesia. Currently they're talking about banning sales of any alcoholic drinks from small shops, and eventually lowering the alcohol level to 1%.

One party in Java would like to see alcohol sales stopped altogether. Let's hope other ASEAN members don't agree.

However, I also agree that showing the product available in a restaurant, be it tom yum khun or Tiger beer, is for the eyes of the customer, and not broadcast publicly.

[oneday]

"...In a case that could serve as a warning to farang expatriates who own restaurants and bars in Thailand, showing pictures of beer bottles and glass with beer or liquor brands has led to a very hefty fine approaching half a million baht..."

If this statement isn't a clear case of prejudiced, as if Thais don't break these laws also. It's either prejudice on the governments side or the reporters side or both. It's not a quote so it could just be from the reporters own opinion. What this tells me is do not open a business in Thailand because if you haven't read every single law or you read it, but forgot a law pertaining to your business you may get hit with a fine so large it will put you out of business.

Thailand has no idea how to make reasonable fines and punishments to fit the laws broken. They let convicted murders go on bail, but put poor families in jail for years for gathering mushrooms on park land. This government is completely unpredictable and scary of hell and one of the many reasons I will be heading home for good very soon.

[Alwyn]

So if I own a bar, I'm allowed to put the bottles of alcohol on the shelves behind the bar for people to see but not an image on the menu?

[oneday]

Serious question, as Soutpeel already pointed out:

Why doesn't the first sentence in the OP read: "In a case that could serve as a warning for restaurants and bars in Thailand,..."

but

"In a case that could serve as a warning for farang expatriates who have restaurants and bars in Thailand,..." ?

Is this just by accident or does it really mean what it says? Does this law / regulation only apply to restaurants / bars owned by farang expats?

If yes, the story would be a completely different one than the title suggests.

No, that was not by accident. It is either the reporters own prejudice leaking through or whoever he may have talked with in the government said something that prompted that statement. It's hard to tell because it is not a quote.

Yes, the law applies to all restaurants irregardless of who owns them, but I wouldn't be a bit surprised if falang restaurants are looked at and fined far more than Thai restaurants.

[ekkamai]

So you can't have logos in a menu, but it's ok to be seen from miles away?

Because Singha also sells soft driks.

[BSJ]

The fine is way out of proportion to the alleged crime. I am just wondering if someone has suggested they be made an example of.

[overherebc]

Nice glass of red with ice of course ha ha ha

How do you know it was a red, it may have been fish which being eaten ? One

suspects only chavs such as your good self john drink their wine or beer for that

matter with ice in it

What colour you drink is entirely up to you and what tastes good with what you are eating.

[chainarong]

This silliness is the extreme end result of a totalitarian government, now the question is , what else are the silliness administration going to ban or introduce next, that is the question. perhaps the banning of alcohol , now that would be interesting and quite on the cards.

[Lupatria]

I can understand the logic of prohibiting alcohol and cigarettes on television adverts, racing cars etc, but going to the extreme of prosecuting for displaying on restaurant menus is IMO ridiculous.

As many other things in this once beautiful country...

[Time Traveller]

So you can't have logos in a menu, but it's ok to be seen from miles away?

That is the Singha Drinking Water logo. No alcohol in it.

[MILT]

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I suppose the next stage would be to stop a shop or restaurant displaying the drinks in a glass fronted fridge.

The same as they do with cigarettes, where they are hidden in shuttered display cabinets.

I know Thais are weak but this is ridiculous.

Farangs are selective with what they drink. Unlike Thais they will not drink any crap that gets them drunk quickly and cheaply. Most have good taste ( with drinks anyway ) and like their own particular brands.

Thais call every spirit Whisky, They have no concept of the difference between Whisky / Rum / Brandy / Gin / Vodka / etc

Their height of sophistication is a bottle of Spy they call wine. So a choice is not important to them.

Perhaps they will adopt the American idea where all bottles of alcohol appear to be sold and kept in plain brown paper bags

I once shared some vintage 125 year single malt scotch with some very good and close Thai friends.

To my astonishment and dismay..and then not really surprised at tall...they mix soda water and Ice cubes...

I suggested that they try sipping it straight as then they could appreciate what they had in front of them...

Oh well.....

[Lupatria]

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I can understand the logic of prohibiting alcohol and cigarettes on television adverts, racing cars etc, but going to the extreme of prosecuting for displaying on restaurant menus is IMO ridiculous.

And the key to this whole case " farang expatriates "

Serious question, as Soutpeel already pointed out:

Why doesn't the first sentence in the OP read: "In a case that could serve as a warning for restaurants and bars in Thailand,..."

but

"In a case that could serve as a warning for farang expatriates who have restaurants and bars in Thailand,..." ?

Is this just by accident or does it really mean what it says? Does this law / regulation only apply to restaurants / bars owned by farang expats?

If yes, the story would be a completely different one than the title suggests.

I believe, as TVF articles are directed to the ex-pats and English speaking farangs, you are both over reacting.

The ban is for all people in Thailand.

What I also believe is that this is an extreme case with the intention to warn all parties about the ban.

What I also believe is...

That seems to be the problem with most of your posts.

[natway09]

The Singh logo is their soda advertising silly!!!