Note to Readers: Clarification on New Laws Curbing Alcohol Sales in Thailand

[Chalard]

The Prime Moaner, the"Bull in the China Cabinet" scores again with the awesome bazooka Article 44 blowing a hole in the local economy with yet another well thought out plan to bring happy.

Cant wait for an erection...........sorry election to stop this nonsense.....or am i dreaming?

The erections are happening in 2017. A dryish time till then...

[Larry001]

Talk about losing face. Trying to cover up a new law that was instigated before anyone thought of the consequences. LOS... The world is laughing again

[brewsterbudgen]

Has anyone seen ANY enforcement in Pattaya yet?

I don't think I'll believe they're serious until Walking Street and Soi 6 get shut down. I guess Walking Street might qualify as an entertainment district, but I can't see Soi 6 getting that designation.

Neither soi 6 nor Walking Street are popular with Thai students. They will be unaffected.

I don't recall seeing anything in either the order or the amendment that said only locations that are popular with Thai students will be affected. I guess the real answer is that no one knows for sure until it starts getting enforced. Or enforced selectively. Or not at all.

Until then... we speculate!

Yes, it's all speculation.

Having lived here 10 years I've learned to pretty much ignore these "crackdowns". Much is often lost in translation and in my view the intent behind this misguided legislation is to stop Thai students drinking. The wording makes it sound more draconian, and although I may well be proved wrong, I doubt many areas will actually be affected, particularly areas that cater for mainly tourists and expats.

It makes for great "click-bait" though!

[Bellacissa]

Has anyone seen ANY enforcement in Pattaya yet?

I don't think I'll believe they're serious until Walking Street and Soi 6 get shut down. I guess Walking Street might qualify as an entertainment district, but I can't see Soi 6 getting that designation.

Neither soi 6 nor Walking Street are popular with Thai students. They will be unaffected.

Lots of "Schoolgirls" down Soi 6...is there a University down there?

According to Google Maps, Wardtawan Pattaya Language School appears to be JUST outside of the 300 meter range. But, I don't totally trust that Google Maps has all of the schools and I certainly don't trust that we know what tape measure will be used to determine the no-go zone.

[aripengu]

C L A R I F I C A T I O N ?

[KIWIBATCH]

"vicinity" means and = a chance for the thieves BIB to get there hands on some baht....

Officer: Somchai you are selling achohol in the vicinity of a school

Somchai: But officer the school is 600m away

Officer: But it is in the vicinity

Somchai: But officer was does vicinity mean?

Officer: I don't know but my sister lost hers when she was 18

[Fullstop]

The closest school is Srinakharinwirot University Prasarnmit Demonstration School (Secondary) ... about 400 metres away ... and it would be classed as a "lower school" anyway. Soi Cowboy is in the clear.

Sorry to stick a pin in your conspiracy balloon.

Not according to the map Thaivisa map showed. Isn't the SPIP international school less than 300m?.

When using "measure distance" in Google Mapos it's almost 400 metres away. Irrelevant anyway...it's a secondary school. (So called "lower school")

[Fullstop]

"vicinity" means and = a chance for the thieves BIB to get there hands on some baht....

Officer: Somchai you are selling achohol in the vicinity of a school

Somchai: But officer the school is 600m away

Officer: But it is in the vicinity

Somchai: But officer was does vicinity mean?

Officer: I don't know but my sister lost hers when she was 18

Helpful Farang: The rules fluctuate, you see?

Somchai and Officer: Arai nah!!?

Helpful Farang: The rules change ... Fluctuations!

Officer: Oy! Fluck you too Falung! Bang bang!

[Larry001]

Thailand's version of Cindarella..... "mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the smartest of them all"

[Fullstop]

Thailand's version of Cindarella..... "mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the smartest of them all"

Mirror: "Standby....searching...."

Five years later....

Mirror: "Still searching...."

[HooHaa]

Dear oh dear...why is everyone getting so excited.

From where I sit it will only affect alcoholic English teachers and those on an ED Visa who can't walk 300m after class.

that may well be the case, but perhaps we dont all live in issan.

[Tanlic]

These laws are an insult to every adult in Thailand.

Only today my girlfriend and I were affected by these laws when we decided it would be nice to have a quiet night at home with a bottle of wine.

Oops!! no alcohol sale time... so unless I want to go all the way back spending money on transport there and back then it's our night in ruined.

Ok you can work round the times but as responsible adults why should we have to?

I lived near a uni in Soi 23 I know of two 7/11's who's sales will be badly affected by this..........How about compensation for them? Not a hope in hell.

There should be law that if a new law affects your business the government should compensate you......but it's a case of stuff you Jack I'm ok.

Just another joke law from a man who hasn't got a scooby doo what he's doing....

[lavender19]

Hopefully the student might retaliate against these draconian laws.I doubt it very much but you never know.

It needs someone to challenge this egomaniac or next year they will be printing million baht notes.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I'm still trying to understand why they needed to do BOTH orders, especially when they cover different things -- the first only applying to colleges/university areas, and the second apparently applying to all schools.

One thing I can imagine is, the first order apparently will take 30 days before it takes effect. So perhaps someone decided they needed to have a new enforcement tool to work with immediately, and thus the second order based on Article 44 of the interim whatever, which takes effect immediately.

But you'd kind of think, they'd have noticed, apart from the different timings, that the things being covered in the two measures would seem to be in conflict with each other.

[marquess]

Why bother attending school if you are going to end up with a thinking process that leads you to make such bungling wholesale decisions and expect everyone else to respect them, when Laurel and Hardy might do a similar job?

[dukebowling]

Can't include lower schools because they can't shut down walking street.

Of course Khao San road is a different story...see how close it is to the fence of Mahamakut University. Pretty much the whole thing qualifies.

I predict another entertainment district exemption...

Edited July 27, 2015 by dukebowling

[tomacht8]

What should be achieved with this law?
That students drink less?
This is completely absurd.
If the students are in a legal age to buy alcohol, then they will do it.
That Children and adolescents can not buy alcohol, this legislation already exist.

Now they make problems for many, attempts by a few
and this does not even reach the goal.

Little or no thought.
This law will cost the PM much sympathy.
Many business owners are confused and many feel patronized.
A real shot in the foot.

Adult students are pissed.
Business owners are pissed.
Residents within the 300 meter zone are pissed.
Adolescents will organize their drinks anyway.

Only the police are happy, a potential new source of income for unofficial exemptions.
Salute, Prost, Cheers and Tschok di.

Edited July 27, 2015 by tomacht8

[Trouble]

Ever get the impression that elementary school age children are running things in Thailand?

Edited July 27, 2015 by Trouble

[Fullstop]

It's obvious what the farangs here think...it's a joke that achieves nothing but disrupts businesses and violates the rights of adults. I haven't asked any yet ...but I wonder if Thais feel the same?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

If the students are in a legal age to buy alcohol, then they will do it.

That Children and adolescents can not buy alcohol, this legislation already exist.

Well, the problem is -- and it's a legitimate problem -- that there are a lot of nightclubs and bars around various Thai colleges/universities all across the country that serve to minors and stay open past permitted hours -- breaking the law on both counts -- because the XXXXXX police allow them to. And it's probably a nice earner for both the owners and the police.

But that issue now has gotten under the saddle of the Army and its NCPO leaders, and this thread is their response to that problem. Which, as many have pointed out, probably won't be fully enforced and may well simply be another tea money earning exercise for those involved -- with an occasional crackdown on some club here or there found to be in violation, perhaps because the club didn't pay...

Of course, if anyone in authority were really serious about this, they simply could light a fire under the police and insist that they enforce the current laws against under-age drinking and past closing hour operations. Both of which, would be pretty easy to enforce/do. And would go a long way toward addressing the supposed problem.

But no, instead, we get this 300 or 500 meter BS, which frankly does little if anything to curtain underage drinking or past closing time operations. Does anyone really think college and university students can't travel 300-500 meters away from their local campus to find someplace to drink or hangout past closing time? And when they go to those places, presumably, nobody will care under the current regime, because those places further away aren't covered at all by these latest edicts.

Edited July 27, 2015 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[rubl]

Looking at all responses it would seem that when PM Prayut finally steps down we'll have a whole bunch of 'wandering as if lost' posters.

PS recently my responses seem to need to contact the taboola site. Is that 'just' the TFV forum software or some shady government organisation using facilities of an Israeli company ?

[spetersen]

This is ridicules , 100 m or 3000 m, if someone want to drink they get the alcohol regardless , I think the government should be focused on more important issues , it's start to look like a bana republic in Thailand, ask for support from other regions around the world . I'm sure that it vill be given advise and help to the Thai government because the need it so much and they deserve it... It is a great country and I love it...

[neal david]

may be its time to open more coffee bars .... opppss cant say bar's ... mean coffee shops ......lets the kids at least have somewhere to hang out .....

[Fullstop]

may be its time to open more coffee bars ...

Maybe it's time for someone invade and colonise the place to teach them how to run a country...and drive cars ... and 1001 other things.

[Cake Monster]

Why are the BIB questioning a load of obviously underage kids at a bar, when not a single one of them has any kind of drink in front of them ??????.

[NongKhaiKid]

Day 1 : PM sins a law covering places for tertiary education effective in 30 days

Day 2 : Supplementary order issued affecting all schools and effective immediately plus vague changes to relevant distances.

Day 3 : It's all a misunderstanding.

[Fullstop]

obviously underage kids at a bar

Err ... right grandpa...

Edited July 28, 2015 by Fullstop

[Whyamiandwhatamidoinghere]

Why do people keep asking the same questions? The exemptions to the law are clear. Hotels.. Exempted, Entertainment Zones.. 3 of them Exempted, Booze factories and distributors... Exempted. In other words it's like Monopoly... They have permanent Get Out Of Jail Free cards. ALL OTHER BUSINESSES ARE (S. O. O. L). NANA COMPLEX IS NOT IN A DESIGNATED ENTERTAINMENT ZONE.

[Seastallion]

Seems there definition of 'clarification' isn't the same as mine. Summary: 1st order states lower schools not included, 2nd order says they may be. <sigh>

And, the first one says within "300 mtr....the 2nd. one says within the "vicinity"?

Yeah...I actually think the article is a deliberate subtle dig at Article 44, and the "clarification" part may have been an order from on high.

[abitmiffed]

Good clarification. Now we're clear about the lack of clarity.

I mean come on, is this bs really possible? These clarifications are clearly thought out the Thai way, 3 old farts sitting outside 711 with a bottle of Chang getting sabai sabai.