SURVEY: Is the new law about selling alcohol near an educational institution a good idea?

[Credo]

Well I for one would not walk over 300 m for a drink. The problem is I am nearing my use-by date. When I was in school I could walk that and a lot more in a hurricane or blizzard.

A completely useless law that will only affect small business operators.

I am assuming that most of the establishments on Silom will be closing as they are pretty close to schools?

[IAMHERE]

Just gonna put more drunk youngsters on motorbikes to go get alcohol because now it is to far to walk.

[sawadee1947]

everything to reduce alcohol and therefore prevent misuse is a good idea

[freebyrd]

As with anything else addiction wont stop it by local sanctions.

In simple terms, if nothing else youngsters are resourceful. As a 10 year old in the mid 1960's in the UK, I knew where I could get my pack of 5 Park Drive cigarettes. There will always be some outlet prepared to bend the rules and let's not forget that 'kids' these days have motorcycles to get them from A to B in the blink of an eye.

I feel sorry for small business owners who are having thumb screws applied because of an ill thought out and stupid law.

[razer]

Thai kids don't go into pubs and restaurants to buy alcoholic drinks.

Thai kids do go to 7-11s and these little outside places with tin tables set up just for drinking.

If they want to find underage drinking on an orgy scale ... go to Route 66.

[deecee10]

Of all the factors which need to be looked at, location of the retailer is near the bottom of the list. If it's on the list at all.

[Srikcir]

Why stop with educational institutions?

What about banning alcohol sales within 600 meters of any MILITARY ESTABSLIHMENT, POST, CLUB, OFFICE or STATION?

Last thing the public needs are armed soldiers drinking booze.

They might run wild and overthrow the government or something.

[cruisemonkey]

... and the penalty for breaking the law is loosing your license to serve alcohol. How 'Thai' is that?

[kingstonkid]

It makes sense and is done in a lot of countries. The only issue with it is that it was done with no warning to shops so that they could prepare.

On the weekend the police shut down a couple of bars at midnight and if you looked at the people there i would suggest they were all either underage or definitely school students.

The last thing Thailand needs is to turn into the US where binge drinking by school kids is so common.

[Mister Fixit]

Is this new? Seven or eight years ago, I was working at a school in Pathum Thani which had a 7/11 right next door.

It wasn't possible to buy beer or cigarettes at that one at all. I was told that it was forbidden to sell them within a certain distance of a school.

So, perhaps this law has always been in place, but now it's going to be properly enforced?

[Sabaidee Mai]

everything to reduce alcohol and therefore prevent misuse is a good idea

Just enforce the legal drinking age, no need for new laws.

[MrBrilliant]

The last thing Thailand needs is to turn into the US where binge drinking by school kids is so common

Bit late for that.....have you been to RCA lately?

[Thai at Heart]

It's not a bad idea but it will change nothing. ID checks are the way forward.

[EnhancePlus]

The fact that university students still have to wear uniforms - dig those short skirts, though - is rather insulting to someone who is considered an adult in a higher learning institution. So now they are also being penned in a nanny state withholding their rights as an adult to drink. My university, eons ago, had bars/ 7-11's not further than 25 meters from campus. We even had free concerts on Fridays in the middle of the campus that had beer trucks. Nobody was getting behind the wheel of a car to get a drink.

300 meters is pretty large swath of land. Not very well thought out plan to reduce ... uh, I don't know what? I don't even drink, but I know many jobs and business' will be burdened by this and as always a payout to someone in power.

[PeCeDe]

The premise that responsible drinking is attainable by legislation is a laudable goal, but as has been proven time and again doesn't work.

1 US prohibition? Complete nation wide abstinence.

Result: Total failure, Canadians and Americans got rich shipping bootleg booze.

2 US Drinking age raised to 21.

Result: Total failure, Canadians are once again are getting rich selling booze to American kids in border towns.

3 A Thai alcoholic teenager will concentrate more on schoolwork because he / she can't buy booze next door to his / her school.

Result: Another total failure, Alcoholic Student will be not concentrating on schoolwork, but will be checking out booze outlets 301 metres away.

Since Eve ate from the fruit of the tree of knowledge, whats illegal will always be desired. The solution is not prohibition but education, and from a very young age. Just like smoking has become a pariah in western countries so can getting hammered be here, but not by legislation.

[remaxtony]

For anyone that knows and understands the "real" Thai culture, this law is a complete joke.

Thai's drink! They grow up in families, where most people drink! Did I mention that Thais are raised in and around drinking? Like most "feel good" laws that governments pass to try to solve problems, this one has no chance of making any difference. Young people here will easily find alcohol, closing down bars near schools is not going to change that.

Does anyone go into any of these bars within 300 meters of schools and see kids sitting around drinking? F*&% no! This is the stupidest thing I have ever heard of.

And, as many have already mentioned, simply bust these bars if they are caught serving minors..........if this is a cash grab to "pay or get closed"....why would they need to make this law? They could simply sting every bar by sending in some teens and "get paid that way" after busting them.

This is only about PR.....public relations. It isn't needed, because they could enforce the laws on the books already, and only causes bars to close for no reason. Moving your bar another 100 meters up the Soi to be compliant of this law isn't going to make teen stop drinking. Only a complete moron would think it would work.

Education and real enforcement is what is needed.

[Alwyn]

It's a great idea because Thai kids are too stupid to go 301 meters or back home and open the fridge...

[Nowisee]

Laws are created for political gain and are done so for a variety of reasons. Some unscrupulous politicians may be tempted to use the law making process to further their own interests... the consolidation of personal political power/gain might be another reason, not to be repetitive.

Another reason might be out of greed and yet one more might be corruption.

There might also be a collusion between political leaders and other elements, such as businesses, and this might be yet another reason why laws are made to protect entrenched interests and enhance political gain.

This has little to nothing to do with teenage/college students drinking.
Even the dumbest, drunkest westerner's college degree (albeit and diploma worth the amount spent on it) is academically far above a thai college degree.

Yesterday I was talking to a graduate with a accounting degree... she did not understand percentages... I tried explaining what 10% was... deer in the headlights.

Edited July 27, 2015 by Nowisee

[maderaroja]

They ought to extend the alcohol ban to the entire country!

[cruisemonkey]

They ought to extend the alcohol ban to the entire country!

... except for farang within 300 meters of a bar girl.

[DaiHard]

Maybe they should change the law so no school can open near a bar.

in the UK we have student union bars on campuses that produced Newton, Rutherford, Appleton, Fleming and Hawkins.

Thailand has no bars and has produced...

hmmm

[jaywalker]

Sasha B. Cohen (Borat) should do a movie about Thailand.

[jaywalker]

Laws are created for political gain and are done so for a variety of reasons. Some unscrupulous politicians may be tempted to use the law making process to further their own interests... the consolidation of personal political power/gain might be another reason, not to be repetitive.

Another reason might be out of greed and yet one more might be corruption.

There might also be a collusion between political leaders and other elements, such as businesses, and this might be yet another reason why laws are made to protect entrenched interests and enhance political gain.

This has little to nothing to do with teenage/college students drinking.

Even the dumbest, drunkest westerner's college degree (albeit and diploma worth the amount spent on it) is academically far above a thai college degree.

Yesterday I was talking to a graduate with a accounting degree... she did not understand percentages... I tried explaining what 10% was... deer in the headlights.

I was trying to explain a 90 degree turn to a couple of locals once about a mechanical issue.

Heaven help them.

I had to draw a picture.

[englishoak]

I voted yes just for the heck of it

like this poll is needed ............. yeeesh

Ive changed my vote seeing as there are 36 idiots who think prohibition works instead of enforcing existing laws about serving to minors by demanding ID and fining any say business 100k found in breach.

yknow like normal countries do, I know its not thai enough for them....

Edited July 27, 2015 by englishoak

[hawker9000]

300m in dense urban areas is just unrealistic and unfair for those already operating businesses and abiding by the law WRT the sales of alcohol to minors. It's a hair-brained scheme that won't do a thing to curtail underage drinking. Probably won't do much for tourism either. ...another nail in the coffin.

Edited July 28, 2015 by hawker9000

[phrisco17]

The most sensible alternative to reducing alcohol consumption by minors is the checking of ID's and refusing service/entry to minors.

Seattle, Washington has the best preventive program. The bar owner is required to check the ID of each and every patron regardless of age and deny entry to minors. Should the Police enter the bar, club or resturant selling alcohol, to check ID's and someone cannot produce an ID (regardless of age) the bar owner will be fined. If an individual was allowed entry without an ID the supposition would be that the bar did not/does not check ID's and therefore may be serving minors and/or not conforming to the law. I have never visited a drinking establishment in Seattle that my ID was not checked! It works!

Require the bar owner to enforce the underage drinking laws; Fine bar owners when minors are discovered in an establilshment selling alcohol. Problem logically and simply (oxymorons when refering to Thainess) solved with a lot less disruption to the economy.

Edited July 28, 2015 by phrisco17

[gchurch259]

In the "Ole Days" when a young person had a drinking problem it was handled at home with parents who cared !! Failing that there was rehab.

If you take the present laws and strictly enforce them at home and the bars, that would be a good start.

There are more than enough police running around to enforce the present law, go under cover hit the Bar owner hard in the behind, if that does not work pull their license, of course they are now finding some do not even have a license. Stayed in business with "Tea Money", that should all change and no inactive post, just the ole fashions "Fire There Ass and/or put them in jail !!

Edited July 28, 2015 by gchurch259

[armadillo215]

You folks must remember, critical thinking is not a Thai strong suit.

[Blitzkrieg Bob]

I think that there are more pressing issues piling up on the desk in Thailand. Instead of coughing up one useless restriction and law after another, they should move their butts and resolve real problems like the deep south for example. Move!!!

[Thakkar]

Oh no! Yet another rule retailers will have to remember to ignore.

T