Ban of alcohol in 300m-radius of educational institutions proposed

[webfact]

Ban of alcohol in 300m-radius of educational institutions proposed
Puangchompoo Prasert
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- A committee chaired by Public Health Minister Rajata Rajatanavin is pushing for a ban on the sale of alcohol in a 300-metre radius of vocational and higher-educational institutions.

The proposed ban will not apply to hotels and approved entertainment zones like Patpong and Royal City Avenue.

"We will propose the ban to the National Alcohol Beverage Policy Committee on July 3," Rajata said Thursday in his capacity as chair of the Alcohol Control Committee.

He said if the policy committee, chaired by a deputy prime minister, approved the proposal, then it would be put before Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha for a final okay.

"Once endorsed by the premier, the ban will be announced in the Royal Gazette and go into effect 30 days later," he said.

Rajata said that once the ban is in effect, violators will be punished with a jail term of up to six months and/or a maximum fine of Bt10,000.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Ban-of-alcohol-in-300km-radius-of-educational-inst-30262588.html


-- The Nation 2015-06-18

[h90]

What a nonsense: Either the students are old enough to drink than they are free to drink.

Or they are too young than there is the law that prohibits the sale to them and they only need to enforce the existing laws.

[Zooheekock]

Typical of the idiots now running this country. It will have no positive consequences whatsoever for students' education and will only serve to (i) harm businesses and (ii) increase drunk-driving. Like the equally ridiculous decision to ban students younger than 25 from living with their partner, this is in all probability motivated solely by a bitter, mean-spirited determination to prevent the young from having any fun.

Edited June 18, 2015 by Zooheekock

[JonnyF]

That's a strange one. It's OK to have the illegal activities of Patpong within 300 metres of a school, but not OK to sell alcohol to adults of legal age within 300 metres of a school.

Hmmm. Interesting.

[casualbiker]

Typical of the idiots now running this country. It will have no positive consequences whatsoever for students' education and will only serve to (i) harm businesses and (ii) increase drunk-driving. Like the equally ridiculous decision to ban students younger than 25 from living with their partner, this is in all probability motivated solely by a bitter, mean-spirited determination to prevent the young from having any fun.

To be fair, the same idea was proposed when the OTHER idiots were running the country!

H90 has the right idea... Enforce the current laws!

Edited June 18, 2015 by casualbiker

[Zooheekock]

^ Did they? I don't remember that. Drinking was banned on government property (and I think that was the last government, not the junta) but I don't remember talk of a blanket ban around all tertiary education institutes.

[casualbiker]

In fact I think it was Pathom and matthayom schools. I remember reading an article were the distance was checked from a "new" gate at the remotest corner of the school property..

[suzythaivisa]

there are posts on this forum where the mods are vehemently denying any modifying of news stories occurs at thaivisa

Ban of alcohol in 300km-radius of educational institutions proposed

is what is says as of now at nation.

Edited June 18, 2015 by suzythaivisa

[h90]

Typical of the idiots now running this country. It will have no positive consequences whatsoever for students' education and will only serve to (i) harm businesses and (ii) increase drunk-driving. Like the equally ridiculous decision to ban students younger than 25 from living with their partner, this is in all probability motivated solely by a bitter, mean-spirited determination to prevent the young from having any fun.

To be fair, the same idea was proposed when the OTHER idiots were running the country!

H90 has the right idea... Enforce the current laws!

In my country drinking is allowed with 16. You enter the school with 14 and no one would have asked you for an ID card. 10 Meter from school was a restaurant which we used sometimes.

No one I knew got drunk and when we are older we learned that alcohol is everywhere available and you don't drink everything you can get your fingers on.

The nanny state doesn't make you a responsible person...it makes the opposite

[davehowden]

Good exercise for the kids to walk 300 m for their booze, it will gets some weight off them.

[willyumiii]

If I had 100 baht for every Thai law that is not enforced.....

I could buy a government office

[DP25]

Most Thai cities have schools everywhere. It would basically ban alcohol because everywhere is within 300m of a school

[Dibbler]

Of course the tiny wee steps of students would never make it more than a few hundred meters beyond the school gates in search of alcohol???? They will certainly never find it at 300m!

[Cappella]

There is a school near where I live, and there are 3 7-11, 4 small thai restaurants, 2 big thai pubs with band/food/drinks, 2 small terrace restaurants/pubs, all that within 300m of the school.... What would this law mean, no more alcohol sold even at 7-11???

I know Thais are lazy to walk... but 300m more to walk to get booze... I don't think that'll be a show stopper for them...

Edited June 18, 2015 by Cappella

[quandow]

That's a strange one. It's OK to have the illegal activities of Patpong within 300 metres of a school, but not OK to sell alcohol to adults of legal age within 300 metres of a school.

Hmmm. Interesting.

Some of those students are moonlighting at Patpong . . .

[h90]

Good exercise for the kids to walk 300 m for their booze, it will gets some weight off them.

no they go with the motorbike

[Shiver]

I can't think of any upside to this idea. I understand they don't want young people getting wasted when they should be getting an education, but that alone brings up a lot of new questions that should be addressed before coming up with something like this.

[UPDEHSOI]

Good exercise for the kids to walk 300 m for their booze, it will gets some weight off them.

IMHO, I think if all of them thar phang kai ahans, or food stalls or food wagons, or whatever you would call them, were restricted to within a 1000 meters of any school, it might also help to get a bit of weight off some of those kids. Good grief!! Right around the entrance ( and on down the road ) of any school I have passed here in Chiang Mai is jammed packed with vendors selling every kind of junk food you can imagine. Some of the food and drinks I see the kids glomming down, I think I would hesitate to even give it to the enemy. But we know nothing's going to be done about that either....so carry on.

[h90]

Good exercise for the kids to walk 300 m for their booze, it will gets some weight off them.

IMHO, I think if all of them thar phang kai ahans, or food stalls or food wagons, or whatever you would call them, were restricted to within a 1000 meters of any school, it might also help to get a bit of weight off some of those kids. Good grief!! Right around the entrance ( and on down the road ) of any school I have passed here in Chiang Mai is jammed packed with vendors selling every kind of junk food you can imagine. Some of the food and drinks I see the kids glomming down, I think I would hesitate to even give it to the enemy. But we know nothing's going to be done about that either....so carry on.

no it would make the motorbike taxis rich

[Lupatria]

That's not fair to all students in wheel chairs.

[attento]

Good exercise for the kids to walk 300 m for their booze, it will gets some weight off them.

Yes, but the problem is, you work up such a thirst walking back, you then need to go back for another drink !

[jesimps]

Typical of the idiots now running this country. It will have no positive consequences whatsoever for students' education and will only serve to (i) harm businesses and (ii) increase drunk-driving. Like the equally ridiculous decision to ban students younger than 25 from living with their partner, this is in all probability motivated solely by a bitter, mean-spirited determination to prevent the young from having any fun.

To be fair, the same idea was proposed when the OTHER idiots were running the country!

H90 has the right idea... Enforce the current laws!

The junta fanatics always have to blame the PTP regardless of the topic. Look, if someone sticks his hand into the fire, it doesn't mean you have to too.

[Thai at Heart]

Nonsense thinking from nonsense people.

[dazzz]

Lunatics running th asylum springs to mind. My village has about 500 houses with the school in the middle. A 300 metre radius would be the whole village.

Why do they make these rules ?My local 7/11 with the alcohol hours has a mom/pop store right next to it selling beer when the 7/11 is not ?!

A friend of mine (thai) tried to open an internet cafe right opposite the school gates . NOT ALLOWED!. Same 300 metre rule so no internet cafe in my village.

Opposite the school would have been ideal as it was an open net cafe with roll up doors so the teachers and the police station opposite could see if schoolchildren were in there before 2pm.

If this law goes ahead and is enforced (unlikely) i would be in a dry village with no internet . Perhaps soon they will ban electricity , mobile phones and tv !

dazzz

[kaorop]

Do these ixxxxs ever get out of their ivory towers and look around?

[Usernames]

The public health minister is the former president of Mahidol University. He was pushed out of the MU job when the dean of the Mahidol's music school led a protest against Rajata holding the public health job and MU job simultaneously. Maybe it's just a coincidence. But Music Square on the MU campus is the only spot where there has been a special dispensation to serve wine at music events and at the Music Square cafe. There is another spot that serves liquor at MUIC but it would be exempt because it is an actual operating hotel.

Edited June 19, 2015 by Usernames

[Iamemjay]

Interesting! Where I live that would involve placing this ban on one of the big Tesco Lotus stores. Think that will happen??

[bill1369]

It's told that in the US State of Nevada (where prostitution is legal), a similar situation arose when it was discovered a brothel had been built within 300 yards of a school, in violation of the law. There was a roar of condemnation and the townspeople took appropriate action - they moved the school.

[connda]

Nice to see the LOS embracing the 'nanny-state'. Now if they'd just enforce their traffic laws.