Booze ban in Thailand to be arbitrarily enforced during 6-month 'study'

[SunsetT]

.......as they are getting good at sorting out bike lanes.

As an aside on bike lanes, Nongkhaikid. Be careful, we just got them by the Mekong in Nakhon Phanom and we have another 'Thai problem'. When the lanes are off the road 2 way bike traffic naturally keeps left, but when the lanes go directly onto the side of a road all the Thais on bikes are switching to keeping right as that is the existing Thai 'convention' when anything; bicycle, motorbike, tuktuk, even a car sometimes, is riding/driving on the wrong side of the road. We 'locals' will know this and can adjust, but what about the foreign tourists coming on organised Mekong bicycle tours .. Potential for some nasty accidents there I think. Take Care out there!

Edited August 5, 2015 by SunsetT

[lvr181]

Huh? Six months to provide a metric measurement? And some possible "exceptions"? Must be a long sleep before someone wakes up!

[mathias67]

“In the meantime, security officers will have to exercise their judgement, based on appropriateness of the situation how much tea money is paid,”

What a ridiculous situation, which will result in a 6 month feeding frenzy for all local officials involved.

Put the onus on the bar owners, make them check ID to see the age of the person they are serving and if they serve unage people give them a heavy fine forst time and threat of colsure for a repeat offence. Same with drunks that it is the responsibility of the bar owner NOT to serve anyone who comes in drunk

[true blue]

Close all schools in the vicinity of where alcohol is sold.

Problem solved.

It's not like the education system here is actually any good, or would be missed. Just give everyone a diploma, and a beer.

Or don't sell beer till schools close, which is about four o clock isn't it .

[louse1953]

Lucky these boys don't go to war with anyone.After 6 months of considering what the word invasion meant,it would be all over.

[Acharn]

Don't ya love it when a plan come's together. What a colossal c__k up, but not unexpected.

Implement a law that was poorly thought out, but had a 300 meter limit on alcohol sales from a education facility that could destroy who knows how many businesses, less than a month suspend that law, then implement another law that uses the word vicinity rather than a clear and defined area, Now have a six month study as to the meaning of the word vicinity and let the BIB use their judgment to decide just who in the vicinity will be targeted and who is left alone, all the while claiming tackling corruption. If this wasn't serious for the business owners and potential loss of large amounts of money and their livelihood's you would think some one's just taking the p*ss

But wait I may have the answer to the word vicinity, how about no alcohol sales within a bull's roar? or within koowee? Now that it's clear we all good?

And by the way don't criticize these geniuses coz you will be in for an attitude adjustment session.

And some here on TV like these people.

When I was learning Mandarin Chinese in 1955 we were told of a unique Chinese unit of measurement, the li. The li is different from other units because it is used for measuring distances to be traveled. For this reason the li is shorter going uphill than it is going downhill, because it takes more energy going uphill. If you are going uphill from village A to village B the journey might be 15 li, but coming back downhill it might be 10 (longer) li. I think that's what we need here, but I'm not sure how it should be defined.

[louse1953]

alcohol should be banned in Thailand. at least it will make farang sugar daddies to leave, as everybody knows thy can't survive without booze

What's wrong Timmy,can't afford a beer?When you've worked for decades maybe you will understand!!!

[NoshowJones]

One hears that compulsory brain transplants have been ordered for all senior military officers and government officials. However, it may be some time before the beneficial effects are seen.

If one wanted a brain to transplant in to the head of a Thai 'senior military officer' or government official,

they would need to get one from abroad.

[johna]

Urban Dictionary

TOP DEFINITION

vicinity

The area and you and others near you

There are police in the vicinity. LETS GOOOOOOooooo

by Calvin T December 06, 2006

[Shaunduhpostman]

Seems to me there is nothing daft or stupid about any of this at all. In fact it is all pretty sinister and fairly clever if you think about what is happening here with this ban.

I think at this point it is pretty clear that this whole booze ban is precisely about creating ambiguity and confusion in order to create more tea money opportunities and also establish a more authoritarian grip on the country via the back door. Obviously it doesn't take anyone 6 months to work out what they themselves have just written. That is clearly not why they need 6 months, of course they don't need 6 months.

Seems pretty clear to me that the idea is to have a period of maximum ambiguity about alcohol sales laws and at the end of that six month period they will see if they want to extend the ambiguity indefinitely, if indeed the bit about 6 months has any meaning at all. I would wager it doesn't have any meaning and is a false promise that things might improve later. There is nothing stupid or incompetent about all the flip flopping and confused communications. It is serving a definite purpose, that alcohol sellers won't know where they stand and will have to suck up to the police if they want to continue with their livelihood.

There is no reason that I can see that they would choose to forego the obvious solution to underage drinking, ie by taking measures to help enforce the existing law that forbids alcohol sales to anyone under 20. Unless they simply were not sincerely interested in preventing underage drinking. That the new law will do nothing, as we have all been saying on this forum, going 300 meters from a school will do the trick, only further confirms the suspicion that this is not about underage drinking prevention.

With the new law, there are other problems which seems to be the whole idea, that in fact most alcohol sales in Thailand will be now be subject to a kind of tea money taxation and general vulnerability to the authorities. Do or say anything that the junta or the police don't like and we will close your business and perhaps even confiscate it for ourselves. It would be my guess as to what this is about. A whole sector of the society will be at the police's/junta's mercy, in a way they weren't before. We may even see people's assets grabbed in the name of this "law".

It is a way to introduce a more authoritarian grip on the country in the name of preventing teen age drinking. People will be less inclined to protest, and likely most will not even notice what is going on. I don't think they are silly or stupid at all.

[Larry001]

Thailand 555 That is exactly how most of the world perceives this country. Now this is so open for law enforcement to charge who and where they wish. And this|Govt stood up and said it would stamp out corruption....LOS

[lavender19]

The word ' vicinity ' has to be officially defined and it will take up to six months to be sorted out, meanwhile security officers will have to exercise their judgement !

What a mess, open to all sorts of abuse but the flip flopping and indecision has become the hallmark of this govt.

Oh sorry, not quite as they are getting good at sorting out bike lanes.

Most things here are left open to interpretation.

If they had things in black and white there would be very little room for extorting tea money and loss of face trying to enforce these totally pathetic laws

[Fat Haggis]

I have'nt read all 4 pages, it may have been said already, but ironically, this lot could not organise a piss up in a brewery.

well not if it's within 300M of any educational establishment!!

[Alwyn]

Or they could check a dictionary? Which would tell them; "the area or region near or about a place".. So there is no distinct defined 'area' in the term 'vicinity'. They could try some synonyms maybe? Nearness, closeness, proximity, propinquity, juxtaposition etc. Sorry but this is like having the Keystone cops in charge of the country. The problem (next problem?) is that now every Thai citizen is able to see what a bunch bell ends they have running the country; Before when it was just about removing sunbeds and banning tourists from taking parasols on the beach probably not many took any notice, but now this is a nationwide cock-up and will be impacting a lot of people.

[Jonmarleesco]

'...vaguely written for selective enforcement based on the “judgment” of law enforcement officers.' Well, we all know what that means.

'... a deputy prime minister said a committee will spend six months deliberating what “vicinity” means.' Amazing Thailand. They invariably refer to weeks, or even days, when talking of various investigations into one form, or another, of wrongdoing; despite the presumed in-depth nature of such a process. Yet they need six months to calculate their whereabouts.

Edited August 5, 2015 by Jonmarleesco

[micmichd]

Looks like most Farangs here prefer an underage solution, probably because they think nobody would expect an old fart to show his id.

Why not try a time limit and ban booze only on school's opening hours?

[Just1Voice]

"In the vicinity". Does that mean like Mars is "in the vicinity" of Earth? Sometimes close, sometimes far, but always in the vicinity.

[Lupatria]

One question comes to mind: are they fighting corruption or promoting it?

[madmitch]

could't organize a piss up in a brewery comes to mind.

Especially if the brewery is in the vicinity of a school!

[MZurf]

The word ' vicinity ' has to be officially defined and it will take up to six months to be sorted out, meanwhile security officers will have to exercise their judgement !

What a mess, open to all sorts of abuse but the flip flopping and indecision has become the hallmark of this govt.

Oh sorry, not quite as they are getting good at sorting out bike lanes.

Not this government BUT every Government over decades, look your history on it without resorting to your agenda---anti army stuff. Come on be honest about it---------all the same YEAH over the years YEAH.

But isn't the current government supposed to be better than the previous rascals? Isn't that the very reason you actually support the coup makers?

Isn't Gen P the saviour that finally straightens Thailand out??

YEAH or NO???

No answer? Wow, didn't see that one coming....

[tomacht8]

One question comes to mind: are they fighting corruption or promoting it?

I rather think the last.

Looks like the army goes to bed with the police and share the cake together.

Too many violations of the law from VIP Police without any consequence.

The reform of the police's is completely dead.

The proposed Law on Alcohol is now the new nice gift for the police.

Laws are not made here, so that all abide by it.

On the contrary,

with the unofficial exceptions then, they will earn a lot of unofficial money.

It is also called corruption and black money.

Edited August 5, 2015 by tomacht8

[meltingpot2015]

I have'nt read all 4 pages, it may have been said already, but ironically, this lot could not organise a piss up in a brewery.

well not if it's within 300M of any educational establishment!!

Quote from Original Article:

The former of the two orders, which had yet to go into effect since being signed on 20 July, will be indefinitely suspended.

[pomchop]

Yingluck maybe not the only incompetent one?

[denby45]

One hears that compulsory brain transplants have been ordered for all senior military officers and government officials. However, it may be some time before the beneficial effects are seen.

That is one of the stupidest posts I have heard in a long time. Why would you swap something that's brand new, never been used for a second hand used model???

Den

[digibum]

as history teaches, the consequence of banning anything is the ground for illegal activities, just enforce the law and punish very hard anybody who sells alcohol to underage teens, that might do it!

They're not banning alcohol. They're banning the sale of alcohol within certain areas. Most western countries have similar laws. The biggest difference is that in most western countries they define what those areas are before making it a law.

[digibum]

Or they could check a dictionary? Which would tell them; "the area or region near or about a place".. So there is no distinct defined 'area' in the term 'vicinity'. They could try some synonyms maybe? Nearness, closeness, proximity, propinquity, juxtaposition etc. Sorry but this is like having the Keystone cops in charge of the country. The problem (next problem?) is that now every Thai citizen is able to see what a bunch bell ends they have running the country; Before when it was just about removing sunbeds and banning tourists from taking parasols on the beach probably not many took any notice, but now this is a nationwide cock-up and will be impacting a lot of people.

Or they could do what they should of done in the first place and ask people closer to the problem to propose solutions. This top-down style in both Thai governments and Thai businesses is a major source of problems. Someone so far removed from the problem coming up with solutions simply isn't very effective management.

Ultimately, this is a source of a lot of the political friction in Thailand at the moment. Far off provences don't like being told how to handle their affairs by a bunch of politicians in Bangkok who have no understanding of the local issues.

As evidenced by even this simple issue, most of the people issuing orders and "solutions" have no idea what they're talking about which must be infuriating to people who actually have to live with the consequences.

[starky]

The word ' vicinity ' has to be officially defined and it will take up to six months to be sorted out, meanwhile security officers will have to exercise their judgement !

What a mess, open to all sorts of abuse but the flip flopping and indecision has become the hallmark of this govt.

Oh sorry, not quite as they are getting good at sorting out bike lanes.

Not this government BUT every Government over decades, look your history on it without resorting to your agenda---anti army stuff. Come on be honest about it---------all the same YEAH over the years YEAH.

But isn't the current government supposed to be better than the previous rascals? Isn't that the very reason you actually support the coup makers?

Isn't Gen P the saviour that finally straightens Thailand out??

YEAH or NO???

+1. No no no but if you speak out against or are anti-junta then you must be a Thaksin loving pro-violence red shirt naturally. All wrong doings committed by previous governments are exactly the reason why this one has to do no better. Never mind, no matter how much this farce of a government a$$e$ things up they are free from judgement or ridicule due to the ever popular, infallible but.... but.... but..... THAKSIN defense

[meltingpot2015]

Does anyone know the Thai word used in the Order. Does it translate exactly to 'vicinity' in English.

vicinity has already been defined here on this post. Vicinity sounds really vague. How about using 'proximity'.

Here is the definition of proximity according to freedictionary.com:

The state, quality, sense, or fact of being near or next; closeness:

Of course it's the Thai word that really counts.

Edited August 7, 2015 by meltingpot2015

[hawker9000]

It all boils down to a new liquor tax. It's not about underage drinking at all. As others have pointed out, it just drives a new requirement for tea money payments, which will eventually translate into higher prices at the POS. The details being discussed here will quickly fade into total obscurity, and it'll just get baked in. The very essence of thainess.

Edited August 7, 2015 by hawker9000