Selling alcoholic drinks near education institutions facing ban now

[Lite Beer]

Selling alcoholic drinks near education institutions facing ban now

BANGKOK: -- The National Alcoholic Drinks Policy Board today decided to impose ban on the selling of alcoholic drinks around the vicinity of 300 meters from education institutions .

The decision was made at the meeting today chaired by deputy prime minister Yongyuth Yuthavong.

Decision of the board will be forwarded to the Prime Minister’s Office for the prime minister to approve as an announcement.

The announcement will then take effect 30 days after it is published in the Royal Gazette so as to allow business operators to adapt themselves to the law change.

Under the announcement reached today, the ban will also apply to grocery stores and convenience stores but not wholesale facilities which may locate within the 300 meter radius of the education institutions.

It will also exempt hotel compounds and shops in entertainment zones such as the Ratchada, Patpong and New Phetchaburi Road in Bangkok.

The sale ban will be an initial phase for the board to assess the effectiveness of the ban and impact on business operators to see whether it needs to be expanded.

Violation of the sale ban will be subject to a six-month in prison and a 10,000 baht fine or both.

Public Health Minister Rajata Rajatanavin said the ban was aimed at restricting the number of establishments selling alcoholic drinks around education institutions,.

He also said that education institutions would be asked to implant awareness among students of the danger of drinking alcoholic drinks.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/selling-alcoholic-drinks-near-education-institutions-facing-ban-now

-- Thai PBS 2015-07-11

[RustBucket]

It is going to be a real pain in the arse for the students to have to make that collossal 301 metre journey to get a drink.

No doubt this will solve all the alcohol related problems facing Thailand.

I can see all this is gong to do is hinder the liveliehoods of all those who sell drink in these zones and give a huge opportunity to people who have premises on the fringes of those zones..... It will change nowt else, I can promise that.

[Toknarok]

This won't (if implimented) please the owners of the main Mom and Pop shop in my village. Their shop is directly across the road from the local primary school.

[Rhys]

awh hmmm.. that means pubs too...

[kalbo123]

Is there a school near Nana plaza and Soi Cowboy?

[lildragon]

This won't (if implimented) please the owners of the main Mom and Pop shop in my village. Their shop is directly across the road from the local primary school.

I was about to say. This only affects university institutions or all educational institutions? There's a school a stones throw from my condo. The condo in my shop I'm guessing would be safe from the ban as it's within a private property. There are numerous mom snd pop stores around the school and I'm pretty sure none of them sell alcohol to infants.

I think it's just universities though. And if it isn't, the ban will be ignored because of lazy enforcement or the local cops will have another reason for a new kick back charge.

[jonclark]

So now any 7-11, Family mart, Big-C, or Tescos will have the remove alcohol from their shelves if they are 300 meters from a school. I expect to see lots of officials with giant tape measures spreading out across Bangkok and the provinces in the next 30 days to see if shops are within or outside the boundary.

Edited July 11, 2015 by jonclark

[Seastallion]

It's not very well thought out, is it?

What's the aim? It seems as if the aim is to hinder students access to alcohol. It's not the way to do it.

Firstly, age restrictions on sales are what should be enforced, EVERYWHERE.

Secondly, if a student is of age (21? 18?), what they do outside the education establishment is their business. Being drunk on school/college/uni grounds is the school's business.

Thirdly, 300 metres? As mentioned above, 301 or 310 metres is not going to stop anyone who really wants a drink from getting a drink.

How about just saying no sales to kids in uniform? And if you want to be pedantic about it, make it no sales to kids in uniform within the magic 300 metres.

[Seastallion]

And fourthly...it's just encouraging drink driving...they'll drive to get the booze, and drive back to school

[Beng]

So 310 meters is OK. Same as 11:00 o' clock is but 10:55 isn't.

Stop being silly and punish everyone who sells alcohol to underaged people. But do not affect the life of normal adults.

[wonderfulkay]

For example, places will be impact are

Siam Center, Siam Paragon, Siam Discovery, Central World, MBK, Hard Rock Cafe, etc. as they are within 300 meters range fm chulalongkorn university and police nurse college.

[NongKhaiKid]

It's not very well thought out, is it?

What's the aim? It seems as if the aim is to hinder students access to alcohol. It's not the way to do it.

Firstly, age restrictions on sales are what should be enforced, EVERYWHERE.

Secondly, if a student is of age (21? 18?), what they do outside the education establishment is their business. Being drunk on school/college/uni grounds is the school's business.

Thirdly, 300 metres? As mentioned above, 301 or 310 metres is not going to stop anyone who really wants a drink from getting a drink.

How about just saying no sales to kids in uniform? And if you want to be pedantic about it, make it no sales to kids in uniform within the magic 300 metres.

You've invoked the magic word suggesting proper ' enforcement ' and we all know how that usually goes.

[ttthailand]

Who comes up with these stupid solutions ?

Maybe outlaw bars near schools 100 meters or something like that but the sell of alcohol 300 meters?

But if they are going to do it do it across the board so it don't promote corruption.

[NongKhaiKid]

So now any 7-11, Family mart, Big-C, or Tescos will have the remove alcohol from their shelves if they are 300 meters from a school. I expect to see lots of officials with giant tape measures spreading out across Bangkok and the provinces in the next 30 days to see if shops are within or outside the boundary.

The 300 meter rule is interesting, open to interpretation and all the little ' matters ' that implies.

A friend has a small restaurant / bar which is well outside 300 meters from the entrance to a school but the school wall runs for quite a distance and if any measurement is taken from there, being the school boundary, brings my friend's place and the bar opposite well within 300 meters.

I know common sense should apply but since when did that have anything to do with it especially when ' tea money ' can be applied ?

[guru]

Is there a school near Nana plaza and Soi Cowboy?

Soi nana has a school

http://www.bsbangkok.ac/contactus.php

[WitawatWatawit]

Wouldn't a ban on the CONSUMPTION of alcohol within 300m be more practical? Hell, make it 500m, who cares. After all, it's not the selling of alcohol that's the problem, it's the drinking of it.

Wit, the wowser.

[phantomfiddler]

Drinking beer makes you happy. To drink beer you have to be able to buy beer. Therefore buying beer makes you happy. Everyone should be happy. Therefore everyone should drink beer and be able to buy it. All very simple, really In addition, drinking large amounts of beer makes you bulletproof

[h90]

that is so ridiculous

[Barin]

This won't (if implimented) please the owners of the main Mom and Pop shop in my village. Their shop is directly across the road from the local primary school.

And normally they sell alcoholic beverages (beer, rum, etc.) from 8:00 to 20:00 non stop?

They don't care about the government's ban to sell alcoholic beverages from 13:00 to 17:00, do they?

[Saan]

There goes Mad Dog and maybe Tiger Kingdom in Chiang Mai. A college across the moat from them.

[alanrchase]

Seem to remember Mr Thaksin introducing a similar law when he was in power.

[SoilSpoil]

Are there places in Bangkok that are not 300 meters from a school (be it Annuban, International, University) ? Draw a circle anywhere on the Bangkok map with a radius of 300 meters or a 600 meter diameter and you'll find out that we're facing a complete prohibition if this rule is enforced. There are several shops where I do my groceries in my area: Makro, Foodland, Villa, Tops, 7-11, Big C, Tesco and all of them are within 300 meters of a school.

So where can I buy my daily glass of wine?

[Bangkok Barry]

What is wrong with these people? Why does Thailand have to make everything so complicated? There is already a law in place that prohibits sales of alcohol to minors - ANYWHERE, not just near schools and universities. Enforce it. We don't need new rules when one already exists. Jeez! If minors are found to be drunk, ask where they bought the booze and prosecute.

[DP25]

This law, if enforced, would basically outlaw alcohol in every city and town in the country. Most cities have schools EVERYWHERE, there are not many places that are not within 300m from some sort of school. My local Tesco, Big C, and Makro would all have to stop selling alcohol. All the nearby 7-11s would have to stop. Most restaurants would have to stop. I guess if I want to buy a beer I'll have to go to the nearest industrial estate, everywhere else has schools everywhere.

[halloween]

This won't (if implimented) please the owners of the main Mom and Pop shop in my village. Their shop is directly across the road from the local primary school.

I was about to say. This only affects university institutions or all educational institutions? There's a school a stones throw from my condo. The condo in my shop I'm guessing would be safe from the ban as it's within a private property. There are numerous mom snd pop stores around the school and I'm pretty sure none of them sell alcohol to infants.

I think it's just universities though. And if it isn't, the ban will be ignored because of lazy enforcement or the local cops will have another reason for a new kick back charge.

I don't follow your logic. how many shops aren't on private property?

[Toknarok]

This won't (if implimented) please the owners of the main Mom and Pop shop in my village. Their shop is directly across the road from the local primary school.

And normally they sell alcoholic beverages (beer, rum, etc.) from 8:00 to 20:00 non stop?

They don't care about the government's ban to sell alcoholic beverages from 13:00 to 17:00, do they?

They sell alcohol from 0530 when they open until about 2000 when they close. They will sell on Buddha Days and any other day they're not supposed to. They only time they won't sell is on election days when the school is used as a polling booth and there is a police presence. Seeing as we're not going to get elections for the forseeable future that won't worry them I'm sure.

A daft proposal and just another means of the BIB and RTA getting more tea money.

Edited July 11, 2015 by Toknarok

[lildragon]

This won't (if implimented) please the owners of the main Mom and Pop shop in my village. Their shop is directly across the road from the local primary school.

I was about to say. This only affects university institutions or all educational institutions? There's a school a stones throw from my condo. The condo in my shop I'm guessing would be safe from the ban as it's within a private property. There are numerous mom snd pop stores around the school and I'm pretty sure none of them sell alcohol to infants.

I think it's just universities though. And if it isn't, the ban will be ignored because of lazy enforcement or the local cops will have another reason for a new kick back charge.

I don't follow your logic. how many shops aren't on private property?

Sorry yeah I should of explained it better.

The shop at my condo is inside the building itself and not visible from the street. The mom and pop stores are on the same soi as the school and visible. Of course they are private properties too but in a 'public' space If you will.

These shops will ignore the ban I think and no one will report them A's it's a tight knit community.

[Jimlove]

Is there a school near Nana plaza and Soi Cowboy?

There is quite many schools in Patong very near 7/11, bars and restaurants ...

They should rather ban selling guns and drugs to students - and actually enforce the law ...

[seajae]

this is simply idiotic, the 2 uni's near us have 7/11's plus a lot of other shops and eateries that sell alcohol to their customers and have been there for years, are they all going to be closed up now under this law especially when several of them were there before the uni's were, this is so rediculous.

[Ulic]

I foresee more drunk riding on scooters as students now will choose to ride to shops

to buy there alcoholic beverages instead of stumble to the nearest ubiquitous 7-11