In Thailand, come for the fun. Snap a selfie, though, and go to jail

[moto77]

Hello all, My name is Billy Billy and I ate a watermelon today. Let me show you a picture, and a picture of me, and me smiling, and please like this post

I am super, super important. I've never worked, my dad better send his check today, and my iphone89+ cost my mom $11,000. she was cheap, but i love her.

I want to show my 298374324 friends (1 sort-of real friend) how special I am going to Thailand..

No selfie????? I WOULD HAVE NO IDENTITY!!!!

mommmmmmy!!!!!!

Bitter much?

Exactly what I was thinking. LOL

[Emster23]

The enactment of this law seems to demonstrate that neither drugs nor alcohol are needed to be totally insipid, clueless and out of touch with reality.

[arrowsdawdle]

Simple solution ban alcoholic drinks totally. I dont think Boonrawd will be happy about it but it will stop the "beer selfies"

The solution is for everybody in the country to make selfies with foreign beers. Thirty million selfies is unenforceable when posted via TOR or a VPN and Chang and Singha will rewrite the law.

[ALLSEEINGEYE]

I agree that this is quite a stupid law but doubt that any tourist would be fined or jailed for this.

This is quite a biased article. As far as school marmish laws go, does anyone remember when Taksin was in power?

Bars and night clubs all closing at midnight and 1 am because his darling little daughter was partying too much.

He instituted the ridiculous law of no alcohol sales between 2pm and 5 pm.

No gasoline sales after 10pm.

I am not defending this ridiculous law but pointing out that Thailand has a history and culture of making knee jerk reactionary laws to certain problems and this is not exclusive to the current Gov.

[English_M_in_Bkk]

Hello all, My name is Billy Billy and I ate a watermelon today. Let me show you a picture, and a picture of me, and me smiling, and please like this post

I am super, super important. I've never worked, my dad better send his check today, and my iphone89+ cost my mom $11,000. she was cheap, but i love her.

I want to show my 298374324 friends (1 sort-of real friend) how special I am going to Thailand..

No selfie????? I WOULD HAVE NO IDENTITY!!!!

mommmmmmy!!!!!!

You do know when you were young, which I think, gathering from your post, was a long time ago - 18th Century maybe? That older people probably moaned and bitched about what you young people were up to back then - riding a penny-farthing or something mad-capped like that.

Damn those young people doing something we old people don't like - the cheek of it!!

[OnTheRun]

The latest injunction warns that social media posts displaying a booze brand’s logo could be interpreted as “encouraging another to consume an alcoholic beverage,” which is already forbidden under Thai law.

The maximum penalty? A $14,000 fine and a year in prison — all for snapping a selfie while downing a bottle of Carlsberg. (Ripping the label off pre-selfie, it seems, would skirt the law.)

I recall 10 years or so back when I lived in Phuket lots of bars had the beer company logo blocked out on the condoms due to this idiotic law, it was ok on the bottles though??

Also would buying a round leave one open to a 14K fine and year inside? Surely that is encouraging another to drink alcoholic beverage, if so good news for a few cheap charlies I know.

[BuaBS]

How many soldiers does Thailand have in their cyberarmy ? How do they check all these 0 &1 's ? So there is already a single gateway , to see all the selfies of people with alcohol , and don't forget the underboobies !! And then they have some stuck up old women cybersoldiers surfing the net 24/7 to block pornsites ?

[EnglishJohn]

I agree that this is quite a stupid law but doubt that any tourist would be fined or jailed for this.

This is quite a biased article. As far as school marmish laws go, does anyone remember when Taksin was in power?

Bars and night clubs all closing at midnight and 1 am because his darling little daughter was partying too much.

He instituted the ridiculous law of no alcohol sales between 2pm and 5 pm.

No gasoline sales after 10pm.

I am not defending this ridiculous law but pointing out that Thailand has a history and culture of making knee jerk reactionary laws to certain problems and this is not exclusive to the current Gov.

.. Junta .. coup lovers ... Bangkok Elite (a little spittle dribble on the chin after that one)... Democracy .. Human Rights ..

Don't bother asking the crimson-critics here to apply any actual reason, fact or intelligent thought to what they slag off here. Huge hypocrisy knows no such constraints.

If any action is taken against any tourist by this law I will buy a large hat and eat it. The whole thing is because Chang have blatantly broken the law by paying celebrities to advertise their product. I'm sure if the Junta did nothing the juveniles would be screaming that they are protecting their 'elite' friends.

[Ceruhe]

Can we also ban car commercials? Me thinks it encourages people to buy cars they can't handle...

Priorities, you ain't got none Thailand.

[tartempion]

jesus. One of my photos I took from Thailand was me sitting at 4 am off of Walking street in that bar "complex" on the left that used to stay open late (yes 4 or 5 years ago). One of the gals from Carousel recognized me from when I was there earlier in the evening and she and girl friend joined me. We just sat around talking and drinking and there were about 6 bottle of heinekens on the table. No worries, stress free, fun vacation time. No big bar tab, no big hustle. Cool being out at 4 am and wandering about. that is what a holiday should be like. no deadlines, no schedules.

No ploblem, Heineken ain't beer.

[MaeJoMTB]

I don't get paid to promote brands so my 12 friends on FB won't be bombarded with beer, car or clothes adverts....

Only 'friends' can view my FB page, and none of them are Thais ............

[PeVee1st]

Im in Hua Hin at this time, just walked down the street, Leo & Chang ads.in english & thai everywhere or does a person need to be in the ad.?

Edited October 24, 2015 by PeVee1st

[Alration]

The majority of posters on this thread need to read the full article on the link before their out of context comments turn this into a 50 page thread doing nothing but benefiting the ThaiVisa owners who love all the clicks you give them.

[IAMHERE]

Has anything the Thai's have done the last decade reduced the number of alcoholics? Anything reduced the number of drunk drivers ? This attack on advertising isn't going to reduce alcoholism either. People will make money off the laws though, probably.

[mikemac]

I don't get paid to promote brands so my 12 friends on FB won't be bombarded with beer, car or clothes adverts....

Only 'friends' can view my FB page, and none of them are Thais ............

Most likely none of them are real either !

[kimamey]

In a normal distribution curve, we would be seeing celebrities in selfies holding different brands of beer or some other kind of alcoholic drinks.

When the curve is skewed towards a particular brand, things are no longer normal. So, what caused this anormaly?

"Unknown Mr. Spock. Should I launch a probe?"

Or at least 5 committees.

[gandalf12]

"A $14,000 fine .........." I must be blind as it says dollars. Surely this should read Baht and if it is dollars which dollar? There are Singapore, USA, Australian and Canadian to mention a few.

[gandalf12]

So, are they going to prosecute all movies that show a bar scene and there's a glimpse of a bottle label? Or ban the movie?

In a previous thread on this topic, I asked about T-shirts.

The law is about advertising, not about real life.

Product placement by alcohol companies.

Selfies are not product placement.

You have not seen much Thai television or been to the movies in Thailand to encounter the dreaded pixelation of alcoholic beverages. Some of the timing of the pixelation is amusing. Watch and be educated, don't worry about not being able to understand the dialogue, that is the last of your worries.

Same with cigarettes but violence is allowed. Strange isn't it?

[Skeptic7]

Seriously going downhill fast. So utterly disappointing and sad.

Agreed, but it's been on the downslide for a decade already and gaining speed every year! (wonder how much fine and jail time this emoji is gonna get me???)

[northernphil]

jesus. One of my photos I took from Thailand was me sitting at 4 am off of Walking street in that bar "complex" on the left that used to stay open late (yes 4 or 5 years ago). One of the gals from Carousel recognized me from when I was there earlier in the evening and she and girl friend joined me. We just sat around talking and drinking and there were about 6 bottle of heinekens on the table. No worries, stress free, fun vacation time. No big bar tab, no big hustle. Cool being out at 4 am and wandering about. that is what a holiday should be like. no deadlines, no schedules.

No ploblem, Heineken ain't beer.

Yer right tis lager.

[bangon04]

I don't think anyone will go to jail if they post a picture with a beer bottle. That is just ridiculous. As for scummy "celebrities" who were caught advertising beer it serves them right. I'm sure though that this thread will run for dozens of pages since it is about the precious alcoholic drink.

Yes it is ridiculous. But is it any more or less ridiculous than arresting a foreign journalist who is leaving the country after an assignment and charging him with possession of a protective ballistic vest????? Then insisting on a show trial and threatening a jail sentence despite the obvious ridicule it will cause.

Ridiculous is something this administration seems to do quite well. They hardly ever miss their own foot when shooting.

[chickenrunCM]

"encouraging others to drink" so all bars will be shut down, you can buy any girl any drink, because you are breaking the law

the correct answer would be that everybody who has a FB ccount will post selfis with alcohol and tag the goverment members on it

[stephen tracy]

What if you don't take a selfie but someone takes a picture of you and posts it on FB? What then?

[Basil B]

Not a good idea to wear your favourite football shirt if you are an Everton or Chelsea fan...

[Tywais]

Post with link to Bangkok Post removed plus replies.

[MaxLee]

Another quick way of collecting tourist's money, who are unfamiliar with the current Thai-ness of handling Booze-cruise-control....

[ksamuiguy]

Cigarettes or Liquor, hiding them won't stop the youth of today in making a decision weather to start or stop drinking or stop smoking. They are not stupid they make decisions biased mostly on pier pressure not by watching TV or seeing cigarettes on display at the local shop. Educate them about the dangers of than let them make the decision. There are a lot more dangerous things out there !

[trogers]

Cigarettes or Liquor, hiding them won't stop the youth of today in making a decision weather to start or stop drinking or stop smoking. They are not stupid they make decisions biased mostly on pier pressure not by watching TV or seeing cigarettes on display at the local shop. Educate them about the dangers of than let them make the decision. There are a lot more dangerous things out there !

I am all for it. Let's have beer dispensers in all elementary schools!

Broaden minds...until all their brains fall out!

[Praematura]

In Thailand, come for the sun and get purloined or be the victim if a crime in which you have zero recourse...

PM going to destroy not only the Thai economy but also its "fun" place to party reputation. Rather than beaches being envisioned when you mention Thailand to others, images of another kleptocracy will come to mind ruled by Thai puppets of China..

[mikemac]

So, are they going to prosecute all movies that show a bar scene and there's a glimpse of a bottle label? Or ban the movie?

In a previous thread on this topic, I asked about T-shirts.

The law is about advertising, not about real life.

Product placement by alcohol companies.

Selfies are not product placement.

You have not seen much Thai television or been to the movies in Thailand to encounter the dreaded pixelation of alcoholic beverages. Some of the timing of the pixelation is amusing. Watch and be educated, don't worry about not being able to understand the dialogue, that is the last of your worries.

I agree, but my favorite is when the bad guy is pointing a gun at the good guy and the gun is pix-elated. It is bloody obvious that there is a gun in his hand, or a glass of whiskey, why bother with the pixelation ? Or do the censors actually believe the viewers are complete idiots ?

This has been going on under every government that has been in power for the last 10 years that I know of.