Crackdown on street racing in Thailand

[webfact]

TOUGH PENALTIES
Crackdown on street racing
THE NATION


Justice Minister Paiboon Koomchaya, centre right, accepts a petition from Theerapat Kahawong, the coordinator for anti-alcohol|youth network, yesterday. The group is calling |on the minister to help push forward the ban on the sale of alcoholic beverages

ALL INVOLVED, YOUNG AND OLD, WILL FACE TOUGH PENALTIES: MINISTER

BANGKOK: -- AUTHORITIES have vowed to hold accountable everyone - youth or adults - involved from the very preparatory stages of street racing by motorcycles or other vehicles, Justice Minister Paiboon Koomchaya said after a meeting yesterday.

Any social-media channel that is used to promote a race will be shut down by police, and he warned that those found in the vicinity of where racing begins would also be arrested unless they could prove their innocence.

Racers will face legal action and their vehicles will be seized; if they are found to be modified, the owners will be required to restore them to their original condition. The parents of racers and shops selling modified parts will have to follow relevant laws strictly, he said.

As for regulating outlets selling alcoholic drinks, Paiboon said that as a short-term solution, state officials could use their discretion to decide what to do about entertainment venues near universities. Those venues near schools would be punished and even be permanently closed if they open beyond the legal time, create disturbing noises, or operate without a proper licence, he warned.

Landlords of venues near schools will also be accountable if they lease the site to outlets selling booze, he added. For a long-term solution, the police and the Public Health, Finance and Education ministries would determine the appropriate legal radius.

In related news, a 3,400-member business network yesterday opposed the Alcohol Beverage Control Committee's draft declaration on the suspension of all alcoholic-beverage sales in a 300-metre radius of universities and other tertiary institutions.

The draft declaration, approved on June 18, is to be proposed today for the National Alcoholic Beverage Policy Commission's approval.

The network said in its statement yesterday that this declaration did not address the economic impact - about 125,000 jobs would be at risk - and it did not address unintended impacts, such as shopping malls no longer being able to sell alcohol, while the exact definition of the 300-metre radius in practice was still unresolved.

They claimed that it was developed without well-rounded inputs from all stakeholders, and hence it could cause complications while this "heavy-handed measure" could lower investor confidence.

The network said the draft failed to address the root cause of underage drinking directly, as it only focuses on suspension of sales, not consumption.

The current ban on sales of alcoholic drinks to persons under 20 is already effective and carries a heavier penalty for offenders, they added.

The network comprises the Thai Retailers Association, Thai Hotel Association, Thai Food Traders Association, Khaosan Business Association, Thai Wine Association and Thai Alcohol Beverage Business Association.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Crackdown-on-street-racing-30263639.html


-- The Nation 2015-07-03

[webfact]

Section 44 is to be invoked to deal with street racing and alcohol sale near campuses

BANGKOK: -- The National Council for Peace and Order will be asked by the Justice Ministry to invoke Section 44 of the interim Constitution to deal with street racing and the sale of alcoholic drinks near educational institutions.

Justice Minister Paibul Kumchaya chaired a meeting of parties concerned to discuss the street racing by cars and motorcycles and the sale of liquor near colleges and universities. The meeting resolved that Section 44 should be exercised to deal with the two problems.

To regulate entertainment venues which serve liquor to their clients, General Paibul explained that such venues are divided into two types: the first type is entertainment premises which are located near educational institutions and the second type covers entertainment venues in general.

He said that authorities can close down or revoke the operating licenses of entertainment venues close to educational institutions if they cause nuisance to people in the neighbourhood. For general entertainment venues, they may be closed down up to five years, he added.

The minister admitted that it is difficult to determine an entertainment venue is close to or far from a college or university. He said the Education Ministry, Public Health Ministry and the National Police Office should sit down to work out the appropriate distance that an entertainment venue should be located from educational institutions.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/section-44-is-to-be-invoked-to-deal-with-street-racing-and-alcohol-sale-near-campuses


-- Thai PBS 2015-07-03

[thhMan]

I think its about time that the Govt tell the Police to start working for their paycheck.... No need to sign petitions, invoke rule yadda yadda....

Just get the layabouts who are paid to enforce the law to ... enforce it... Those who do not, get sent home to find another job, more fitting their lazy skill set

[bheard]

While I have never witnessed these street racers in Thailand, I did see the other day, for the first time in 10 years of coming here, some TOTAL idiots on the road.

Was in Lopburi, and saw over several nights while walking back to my hotel, boys on hot bikes absolutely pounding along a wide road with little traffic, but with NO LIGHTS.

Very scary for a pedestrian crossing the road, and surely also for the few car drivers turning into the road from side streets.

Idiots with a death wish.

[Khun Paul]

Any more laws will lead to more occasions money has to be paid to corrupt officials be they tambon oir even the Police by way of continuing business, the BIB have enough laws to enforce as it is, but they do not so make them enforce what is already there. It is time Thai culture took a back seat to sensible policing for the benifit of the public whom they serve NOT the other way around.

[Krataiboy]

. . . those found in the vicinity of where racing begins would also be arrested unless they could prove their innocence.

And there was me thinking that in a democracy once was innocent until proven guilty. Expect more of the same as the "road map" towards "Thai style" democracy continues to unfold.

It is almost as if the present regime running Thailand wants the Kingdom to become an international pariah.

[gandalf12]

"....those found in the vicinity of where racing begins would also be arrested unless they could prove their innocence" how do you prove a negative? You can't

[Thian]

While I have never witnessed these street racers in Thailand, I did see the other day, for the first time in 10 years of coming here, some TOTAL idiots on the road.

Was in Lopburi, and saw over several nights while walking back to my hotel, boys on hot bikes absolutely pounding along a wide road with little traffic, but with NO LIGHTS.

Very scary for a pedestrian crossing the road, and surely also for the few car drivers turning into the road from side streets.

Idiots with a death wish.

You can see them at night in BKK on the ringroads. No helmet, much noise and speeding through traffic like water. Total idiots.

At night BKK is a different place, especially on the roads. I've never seen a police checkpoint at night at the ringroads. And all those raceboys also know that.

It's the same with drunk driving, they all know that the Police goes home after 3 am.......

[TEFLKrabi]

Follow the example of the lovely K. Newin in Buriram. On Friday nights he opens the racing circuit for motorbikes to race (drag) properly. Riders MUST be wearing proper shoes and have a helmet. If they come and they're later caught without the helmet, they're banned. Well done K Newin.

[magnacarta]

I think its about time that the Govt tell the Police to start working for their paycheck.... No need to sign petitions, invoke rule yadda yadda....

Just get the layabouts who are paid to enforce the law to ... enforce it... Those who do not, get sent home to find another job, more fitting their lazy skill set

Good idea but that would put about 250000 on the dole.

[lujanit]

"Landlords of venues near schools will also be accountable if they lease the site to outlets selling booze, he added. For a long-term solution, the police and the Public Health, Finance and Education ministries would determine the appropriate legal radius."

Sounds like double speak for we have yet to determine the appropriate 'license fee' that must be paid daily.

[magnacarta]

"....those found in the vicinity of where racing begins would also be arrested unless they could prove their innocence" how do you prove a negative? You can't

easy plus + negative -

[slapout]

I think its about time that the Govt tell the Police to start working for their paycheck.... No need to sign petitions, invoke rule yadda yadda....

Just get the layabouts who are paid to enforce the law to ... enforce it... Those who do not, get sent home to find another job, more fitting their lazy skill set

Good idea but that would put about 250000 on the dole.

add another zero and lets concede they are already on the dole, although most have other businesses, drugs whores, illegal labor,, plus numerous other cons, skims, assins, selective vision,etc

[Doc46]

This does not make much sense,,,,,Get all the cops of their <deleted> and get them to enforce the Law like they suppose to do,,,,If they Can't do that or if they are to lazy,,,,,Get an NEW well trained lot,,,There are about 60 million people here, for sure they can recruit a new police force!

[siam2007]

While I have never witnessed these street racers in Thailand, I did see the other day, for the first time in 10 years of coming here, some TOTAL idiots on the road.

Was in Lopburi, and saw over several nights while walking back to my hotel, boys on hot bikes absolutely pounding along a wide road with little traffic, but with NO LIGHTS.

Very scary for a pedestrian crossing the road, and surely also for the few car drivers turning into the road from side streets.

Idiots with a death wish.

Good for you that you never have witnessed those street races - unfortunately we here in the Eastern suburbs living close to 22-lane thoroughfares did so every single night for months between around 10 pm and 4 am or so, preventing Tens of Thousands of people along those roads from sleeping.

In the past few years this only happened occasionally on weekends, but recently it happened virtually every night.

I applaud the military government for every step they take to make normal people's life less annoying. Sometimes it's the small things that cause great disturbance

[Jonmarleesco]

The theory's all well and good; let's see it in practice.

[Jonmarleesco]

While I have never witnessed these street racers in Thailand, I did see the other day, for the first time in 10 years of coming here, some TOTAL idiots on the road.

Was in Lopburi, and saw over several nights while walking back to my hotel, boys on hot bikes absolutely pounding along a wide road with little traffic, but with NO LIGHTS.

Very scary for a pedestrian crossing the road, and surely also for the few car drivers turning into the road from side streets.

Idiots with a death wish.

'... I did see the other day, for the first time in 10 years of coming here, some TOTAL idiots on the road.' I feel compelled to ask what you've been seeing the other nine years.

[slapout]

if the thia cops cant figure out where the next racing venue is to be or is taking place they need to be promoted to bin collectoe.

block all exits, access roads , divert/detour all vehicular traffic from the area and let the little hulligoms, wreck, fight, steal. shoot, knife each other to their harsts content as they run out of fuel, just load on the pickup/impound vehicles., impound the rest as well as all those siezed and put on impound action, the incennot are protected to a large degree and daddy has to spring for a new mode of transport, footscooter possibly.

christ do these people need a monk to find the temple?