Police to summon 24 celebrities as outcry rages over beer photos

[Lite Beer]

Police to summon 24 celebrities as outcry rages over beer photos
SUPACHAI PHETCHTHEWEE

BANGKOK: -- POLICE will summon 24 entertainment celebrities about their posting pictures of themselves with beer products on social media, which looked to clearly violate article 26 of the Alcohol Beverage Control Act 2008, deputy police chief Pol General Pongsapat Pongcharoen said yesterday.

Their actions were inappropriate for people of public standing, he said. Police would ask the stars what their motivation was behind such posts, in order to enforce the law - not to bully or pick faults with them.

Pongsapat spoke following a meeting yesterday of the Police Consumer Protection Division, the Office of the Consumer Protection Board (CPB) and the Excise Department. He said it did not matter if people posting pictures of themselves drinking alcoholic drinks on social media - intentionally or otherwise - were actors or not, it would still be illegal because brand labels were clearly shown. If they also added a caption suggesting should drink, it could also be a violation of the article 32, he said.

CPB secretary-general Ampol Wongsiri said celebrities' posts on "personal spaces" to invite people to drink were within a frame of tie-in alcohol beverage ads. He said people who violate article 26 could face up to a year in prison and/or a fine of up to Bt100,000, while violations of article 32 were punishable by up to a year in jail and/or a fine of up to Bt500,000.

'Conspiracy with alcoholic drinks industry?'

Thai academics slammed the celebrities yesterday over their "socially irresponsible" posts, which they believed stemmed from a conspiracy with business people in the alcohol industry to advertise beverages.

Phra Nakhon Rajabhat University's Communication Arts lecturer Nitha Runkasem said some companies' marketing people had resorted to hiring "influencer" celebrities to create a trend via social media pages to boost brand awareness.

"Marketing people might pretend to forget that it is a violation to the article 32, prohibiting anyone to advertise or show label/logo of alcohol drinks to convince others to drink directly or indirectly. There is also a blow to the brand's creditability by this 'irresponsible' marketing approach," she added.

Songkran Pakchokdee, director of the Stop Drink Network, said such posts with alcohol beverages, intentionally for financial gain or not, was a guiding gesture and would cause children and youths to copy such behaviour. Actors/singers or entertainment business celebrities were considered public figures, so they should be a good example for Thai people, especially the young, he said. These inappropriate actions could also cause such people to be jailed - so it was not worth the payment he or she earned. Businesspeople in the alcohol industry should also be responsible to society by abiding by the law and not trying to take advantage of legal loopholes and "victimising" youths for profit.

Maha Sarakham University's health promotion policy research centre director and lecturer Suraksak Chaisong said no matter what changes were made to a new label of alcohol beverage, what was inside was still harmful to health. So the product was not a |normal item that people should advertise for others |to drink.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Police-to-summon-24-celebrities-as-outcry-rages-ov-30270609.html

-- The Nation 2015-10-10

[Eddy B]

What a joke! Ok, they are famous but they are taking pictures of themselves and some pictures include a drinks name. Are they actually putting a msg on saying drink Chang/leo/singha? Talk about trying to control everyone's lives. They are also wearing brand name clothes, is that a crime also?

[MadMac]

Prohibition never worked and never will. Some clowns want to stand in the showlights, have your show.

[Fat Haggis]

And the clown circus continues.

[casindonet]

So would the junta make it a law that nobody is allowed to take photos while holding a beer or liquor

[choff56]

Posting pictures of themselves slapping their bitches yould be OK I'm sure. This country has some real serious issues to deal with.

[dezy1801]

Only thing I see here is 24 x 500,000=12,000,000.

[bill1369]

Idiots the lot......

Just a further note: Thailand has got to be right up at the top of failed "drug war" policy, Tho the general specifics of the task are insurmountable there is no victory and the graft involved to high to win this joke war. So now the troops are going after beer??? Comedy of errors couldn't be more egregious if they have this choreographed by a comedian. .

[speedtripler]

Idiots the lot......

Just a further note: Thailand has got to be right up at the top of failed "drug war" policy, Tho the general specifics of the task are insurmountable there is no victory and the graft involved to high to win this joke war. So now the troops are going after beer??? Comedy of errors couldn't be more egregious if they have this choreographed by a comedian. .

Is there any link to these pictures?

Are they just partying with drinks or clearly pimping the product in a set up pic? Ala.. Hollywood product placement..

[robertthebruce]

Talk about double standards, with all that we view on the Televison, Guns, Beating up Women, ...

Not to mention every Town or City in ''Thailand'' has an obvious ''Red Light Area'' where women are out there on display shouting and screaming etc etc,

for Customers ???

and they are worried about a few 'Celebs'' with Alchol ???

Circus right enough..

Roll up Roll up..

[bendejo]

I could see this sort of thing picking up steam in western countries where things like booze and cigs can't be advertised on TV. New media, new laws.

[speedtripler]

General talked about crackdown on shisha smoking pipes last year too but they are still at bars around khao san rd so he must have forgotten about it - so many things to crack down on-so little time..

He's a busy man...

[fred007]

And the clown circus continues.

I'll drink to that..

[Seastallion]

14 posts and nobody gets it.

Just as with the prohibitions on tobacco advertising in many countries, Thailand has a prohibition on alcohol advertising. It's not all that draconian. Actually, many Western countries could do with less influencing young drinkers through media advertising.

It is obvious that the beer company has breached this prohibition via celebrity social media.

The authorities are not cracking down on beer. They are enforcing a law that has existed for a long time.

Did the celebs knowingly break the law? Possibly not. Did the beer company knowingly break the law? Probably.

It was a clever idea, and would have worked, IF they didn't get 24 celebs simultaneously....that made it obvious that it was an intentional campaign.

[Somtamnication]

I don't get it. They have been doing this for years. They are paid by sponsors. It is a job and a career. Am I missing something here or should I just not try to understand this society?

[kmj]

Why is everybody so shocked I've only been here for 15 years but as long as I can remember alcoholic drinks have always been blurred on TV And never shown in print media,so why not expand this to social media, I think its the same with showing people smoking maybe im wrong...

[speedtripler]

I don't get it. They have been doing this for years. They are paid by sponsors. It is a job and a career. Am I missing something here or should I just not try to understand this society?

I hope they don't ban the cute girls in the Heineken dresses... That would really be terrible..

[NongKhaiKid]

BIB : " Exactly what was your motivation for doing this ? "

Celeb : " I was paid, don't you get paid for doing things that are illegal ? "

[alant]

meanwhile the streets of Phuket burn

[madmitch]

Talk about a nanny state. It's getting worse here all the time. What's next, a blanket ban on photos of people drinking on the web? Block all sites that may be alcohol-related? Ban drinking altogether?

Who knows?

[Lingba]

Its an oxymoron of the entire country...The govt needs to direct their energies at more important issues...enough of this mickey mouse BS

[Lupatria]

They never think about issues to the end:

"Marketing people might pretend to forget that it is a violation to the article 32, prohibiting anyone to advertise or show label/logo of alcohol drinks to convince others to drink directly or indirectly.

If that would be enforced everyone wearing a Leo / Chang / Singha T-shirt should be arrested. And forget posting pics of your birthday party to friends.

Not to mention all the ganja, cocaine and heroin promoting shirts worn by 10 year old kids and their mothers.

Maha Sarakham University's health promotion policy research centre director and lecturer Suraksak Chaisong said no matter what changes were made to a new label of alcohol beverage, what was inside was still harmful to health. So the product was not a |normal item that people should advertise for others |to drink

But Carabao’s coffein spiked energy drink is normal and healthy, like whitening cream and slimming pills?

[NCC1701A]

in Hua Hin there is a school where the instructors all wear black Jack Daniels tee shirts.

[cyberfarang]

Big penalties here for the violation of this law.

This means big payoffs by the celebrities for the privilage of walking out of the police station with just cautions to be good celebs in the furture and not do this again.

[SOTIRIOS]

...no definite statement...no definite action...so much for upholding the law....

[ChrisY1]

Such small, undeveloped minds......and yet the volume sales of beers in Thailand soars.......!

[Jimbo2014]

WT??? You would think the military Junta would have have more important things to focus on than continuing to look silly to the rest of the world.... apparently not

[sapson]

Sadly deluded,..............jet ski scam continues,dual pricing normal, brothels every where in some shape or form, restricted alcohol sale times at the stores, but 24hr availability elsewhere.........................yet these loonies run scared of a celeb enjoying a beer or a stray nipple on social media.

[FangFerang]

Outcry rage. Outcry rages?

100 tea-totling teenagers does not a raged outcry make.

Insert yawn at psuedo-moralistic posturing.

[Bluespunk]

It's the law that you cannot advertise alcohol. These so called celebrities knew that when they decided to take part in this illegal campaign. They should be punished as harshly as possible, particularly as any legal action is just going to create more publicity. Severe penalties might make other greedy bastard celebs think twice. If not, well gaol time should be considered.

As for saying there are more serious laws being broken, that's true, but why should that mean this deliberate violation of the law is ignored?

Edited October 11, 2015 by Bluespunk