Dr Samarn: Beer gardens are against the law

[anotheruser]

Banning beer gardens? Laughable.

I bet they wont close all the sleazy massage parlors ,gogo bars and brothels that display thousands of poor NE village girls wearing nothing but a bikini and an order number on their hip. Not to mention all the girls who are trafficked overseas by companies with political connections.

The hypocracy is appalling.

Two wrongs don't make a right?

[thaiturkey]

ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT REQUIRED?

Surely this twerp is a prime candidate for "Attitude Adjustment". The Military like a drink too; come on lads, sort him out!

[webfact]

Excise chief says beer garden is permitted by law to operate and sell alcoholic drinks once a year



BANGKOK: -- The Excise Department made clear yesterday that beer garden operators are allowed to sell alcoholic drinks once a year and the business is not against the law.

This was revealed by the director general of the Excise Department Mr Somchai Poonsawat after the Office of Alcoholic Drinks Control Committee director Dr Samarn Futrakul came out to say beer garden is against the alcoholic drinks control law and say the Excise Department is authorised to close such business operation.

But Mr Somchai said beer garden operation is legal as it is granted licence by the Excise Department under the 1950 Alcoholic Drink Law.

He said the law allows temporary selling all kinds of alcoholic drinks at beer garden once a year, or all locally produced alcoholic drinks at no more than 10 litres a year and no more than 10 days.

Public Health Minister Dr Piyasakol Sakolsatayathorn, meanwhile, also voiced agreement that beer garden opening is permitted by law.

However he said authorities were looking into the amended 2008 Alcoholic Drinks Law again to see the exact scope of its enforcement so that operators would not exploit it.

Earlier yesterday Dr Samarn Futrakul, director of the Office of Alcoholic Drinks Control Committee stated that beer gardens which are popular during yearend’s festive season are against the law.

His statement has caused confusion among beer manufacturers which usually set up beer gardens to attract customers during the festive season.

Dr Samarn said that usually movie stars, singers and wellknown entertainers were hired by beer producers to promote their beer brands at beer gardens.

In the past, he said that health officials could at best seize beers from beer gardens but were unable to close down the establishments as that is within the authority of the Excise Department.

Citing the law, Dr Samarn insisted that opening beer gardens amount to advertising alcoholic drinks which is prohibited.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/excise-chief-says-beer-garden-is-permitted-by-law-to-operate-and-sell-alcoholic-drinks-once-a-year


-- Thai PBS 2015-11-05

[anotheruser]

hahaha This should start a frenzy. I suppose it is a small victory they have conceded one day a year.

Edited November 5, 2015 by anotheruser

[SuwadeeS]

They should stop advertising for cars and ban them, because each year around 30.000 people die in cars.

They should stop advertising for candies and sweets, because make the kinds fat and die of something.

[mikiea]

Close them all down, the law is the law.

well does the law apply to the free flow Yabba at any one of the hip night clubs after 10 pm ? what about underage drinking ? it is strange you would say close them all down for breaking the law when you ignore all else . Bangkok is known the world over as the anything "goes" place where anything can be bought or sold including people. and you want to close the beer gardens during festivals ? the places where families gather to eat and have a few beers ? you my friend are what we in the west call a "sick puppy " .

[Acharn]

Everything's against the law theses days.

It's starting to become like blighty.

We had the same stuff the first couple of years after Thaksin became Prime Minister. They were going to close all "entertainment venues" except for three, which didn't include Nana Plaza or Soi Cowboy. There was a lot of anguish at TV, but in the end they couldn't close down all the massage parlors and karaoke bars on Ratchadapisek. so the proposal just kind of petered out and was forgotten. It's amazing to me how many bluenoses and prohibitionists there are among the elite here. There was a huge todo about short, tight university student uniforms. "Watch out for crocodiles," with a cartoon of a crocodile peeking up a girl's skirt. Or "spaghetti straps" on girls' blouses. Heck, traditional Thai costume was to go bare breasted except when going to temple.

[mikiea]

This guy must have missed out on his kickbacks. Not stopping at pedestrian crossings is illigal, running red lights is illegal, riding bikes on footpaths is illegal and so it goes on, now most street stalls are illegal now. Soon talking in public will be illegal.

Dr Samarn Futrakul is the director of the Office of Alcoholic Drinks Control Committee. The other things you mention are not of concern to his office. It may make you feel better if you look at it like this... Given all the corruption we have is going on in all of the other areas that you so rightfully point out. We should look to this man as a beacon of courage and justice in an otherwise bleak and morally bereft landscape in which corruption is the order of the day. In this regard he is a true exception to the rule of the status quo, a sober man's Robinhood.

" a sober man's robin hood " ehhhh .... that tells me all I need to know about you . robin hood was a thief , he stole from the rich to give to the poor . but none the less he was a THIEF . seems this robin hood is breaking the law as it was intended . this is "thainess" at its worst ............

[NoshowJones]

Everything's against the law theses days.

It's starting to become like blighty.

Never mind, if you don't agree with any law, with good reason that is, then do not obey it.

There are plenty of laws that I don't obey.

[loxley99]

OK ..noted ...so is riding a motorbike without a helmet ..driving below the legal age...speeding ...driving while under the influence of drink ..prostitution .....bribery ..etc etc ...so ...what does it mean in Thailand ..'against the law' ???

[VINCENT2012]

Beer garden is against the alcoholic drinks control law because the venue amounts to advertisement of alcoholic drinks but only the Excise Department is authorized to close it down.

is it correct english language......?????????????????????????..that phrase thing..!

[louse1953]

I don't even drink anymore but prohibition didn't work out well in the US - how's it going to work here when the main tourist draw is booze and sex.

This guy is a poster child of the poor quality of education in Thailand. "Those who don't study history are doomed to repeat it".

Maybe someone forgot to shove a few baht in his pocket?

How you got from shutting down a few temporary beer gardens to prohibition on beer and sex is beyond me.

[madpat]

What a dork, How long has he been in the job ? beer gardens have been operating for years and all of a sudden this fella wants his name all over the media.

Walk down most streets in pattaya or Bangkok and you have girls advertising beer.

Or it could be a land grab moment close all beer gardens and the land becomes unused and hey my good friend you can build your condos here. Remember teh guy in Bkk who had false land ownership papers drawn up and the bulldozed all the bars and its only this year that they found he was guilty of fraud

[fgmr]

I guess all they really need to do is replace any umbrellas and signs with beer brands on them. Although until they do I think we as foreigners should set the example, respect the culture and raise the bar. Because that is where we will all be drinking if they shut the beer gardens down.

Good point. I really enjoyed my time in Kuwait (where all booze is banned), as me & every one of my buddies had a bar at our own houses.

We'd do the round robin, with one of the 8-12 of us hosting a party at least once a week.

Side Note...we all had either a Thai, Malaysian, Singaporean or Filipina wife as well, so the eye candy was always nice too!

The eye candy is always better after a beer or two.

[MaxLee]

Since when are beer gardens against the law all of a sudden??? Because they hand picked a female celebrity to nitpick a few weeks ago????

Edited November 5, 2015 by MaxLee

[cockatoowho]

How appropriate Dr. Saman, sitting on your hi-so privileged dairy air making condescending comments for personal gain rather than for the health benefits of the lower class masses. If alcohol is your championed cause, eradicate the illegal whiskey trade as the poisons like Lao Khao and company that are devastating this country and it's people. But I guess you already know that and turn a blind eye because of who in your class tier are involved in its dirty corrupt rewards. I do not agree with or condone shady practices used in gaining bigger and better alcohol sales and I definitely do not like hypocrites, however lets get the real priorities correct not those of you and your cohorts.

[Varangkul]

.............I love beer, but marketeers that force their ideas on us are just as disgusting as this Doctor No.

Beer is one of the pleasures of life, not less, not more, it does not need to be pushed onto us.

No one is forcing "their ideas on us....."it's whether you are strong enough to read and move on! If you continue to allow adverts to rule, govern, direct, your life, then you are weak!

[bapoboy]

[siam2007]

Everything's against the law theses days.

It's starting to become like blighty.

maybe they first need to tackle the problem that the KINGDOM OF THAILAND ITSELF is against the law, as it is democratic by constitution yet it is being ruled by non-elected self-established rulers.

Abolish THAILAND, push the reset button and build something new from scratch

[oneday]

Hey, Dr Samarn Futrakul, I think TAT wants to sue you for defamation.

[Gandtee]

Ah. So this is the way to bring happiness to the people?

[elgordo38]

Everything's against the law theses days.

It's starting to become like blighty.

Another great victory for the PM. I wait with baited breath for the next "great victory" Pretty soon they will outlaw Songkran oh crap there I go dreaming again. We have lots of water.

[huangnon]

Everything's against the law theses days.

It's starting to become like blighty.

maybe they first need to tackle the problem that the KINGDOM OF THAILAND ITSELF is against the law, as it is democratic by constitution yet it is being ruled by non-elected self-established rulers.

Abolish THAILAND, push the reset button and build something new from scratch

Relax. Laws here are enacted selectively at best. And most of the cctv's don't actually work. Doctor Whassiface just raising his profile a bit methinks.

[Basil B]

It seems to only be the name...

how about renaming them Hostess Gardens.

Seems silly as beer is not a Thai word.

what next, beer in plain bottles???

[Xonax]

Corruption is also prohibited by law, so what about eliminating corruption first, before moving on to close beer gardens.

[timendres]

While I am a beer lover - more precisely, a beer lover from Belgium, I do agree that the aggressive advertising for beer should stop.

And I do support anti alcohol campains.

But what this "official" is saying, is at best 19th century paternalism, if not 1930s fachism.

What aggressive marketing? Celebrities on Facebook?

Yes, for example, and in general ALL aggressive, marketing.

The marketing that equals alcohol with happiness, often disguised.

The "you never drink alone" type marketing, the "real men" type marketing, the "drink and be successful" type marketing. The "hidden persuaders" type marketing.

I love beer, but marketeers that force their ideas on us are just as disgusting as this Doctor No.

Beer is one of the pleasures of life, not less, not more, it does not need to be pushed onto us.

No one forces ideas on anyone. Weak brains will always fall for something. The solution is more (better) information, not less.

[AmericanSafety]

So? Change the law. It is antiquated. Thailand needs to promote local commerce and not continue to bang on with these restrictive, out-dated social laws. In case they hadn't been watching, the world is becoming a more liberal state and those that want to restrict personal freedoms and responsibility are living in the dark ages.

[hhinhh]

Funny, the traffic police in Hua Hin is wearing shirts advertising Chang beer, so are they illegal as well?

[Krataiboy]

Citing the law, Dr Samarn insisted that opening beer gardens amount(s) to advertising alcoholic drinks which is prohibited.

Really? Using the definition of "advertising" alcoholic drinks, I would have thought every beer bar could be shut down as unlawful.. Clearly, their very existence meets the legal criteria of advertising the sale of alcohol. They also blatantly advertise their wares with bottles of booze on well-lit shelves, drinks menus and two-for-the-price of one offers during "happy" hours.

If this little lot doesn't amount to advertising, then I don't know what does.

This latest piece of kite-flying, doubtless to be followed by another of those polls showing that 99 per cent of Thais agree with closing all beer gardens, is typical of the haphazard and random manner in which the roadmap for returning happiness (whatever that is) to the people is being rolled out.

In some ways,Thailand is starting to resemble Britain under Oliver Cromwell - a formidable mover and shaker in his day, but not remembered for putting smiles on the faces of the proletariat.

There is much to be said for curbing Thailand's endemic over-indulgence in alcohol, the cause of major health and social problems costing billions of baht a year. But creeping prohibition is not the solution. As with the recent clamp-down on the sex industry,this would simply drive businesses underground and make regulation even more difficult.

The government needs to face an uncomfortable truth: a substantial number of visitors to the kingdom - not to mention millions of Thais - actually like going to beer gardens and resent arbitrary curbs on their pleasurable pursuits which contribute substantially to the nation's GDP.

They also enjoy eating cheap and cheerful Thai food at (admittedly sometimes unhygienic) stalls, now being swept off the capital's streets. How many visitors, one wonders, were polled before popular beaches got the "pristine" treatment and vendors of deckchairs, sunshades and other popular facilities were sent packing?

A ban on beer gardens would do little to limit alcohol consumption - locals and tourists would simply move to the nearest beer bar instead (assuming these are not also for the chop!) What it definitely would do, however, is reinforce the growing perception that the Land of Smiles is becoming the Land of Disapproving Frowns, run by a caucus of puritanical kill-joys on a moral crusade.

Has nobody at Government House heard the old adage about killing the goose that lays the golden eggs?

[bangrak]

Close them down or change the laws. Beer is not the problem in Thailand, it's the cheap liquor and strong alcohol. You can buy a bottle of 40% laokao for just a few baht more than a bottle of beer. Actually, they should make beer cheaper and add 200% in liquor tax.

Make them add 400% or more, but only on the 'white spirits'' (laokao) special category, the, often poisonous, locally made, 'rice spirits', on which still at this moment as good as no excise and taxes are collected on , while these are a clear danger for public health, but 'probably' because the businesses belong to Thais, rich and influential ones I mean...

Do especially leave the imported wines and strong spirits outside it, please, for many years, and recently the more so, huge excise and taxes are collected on these already.

It is, once more, pure hypocrisy by the Thai 'authorities', sin against Buddhism (where is it written that Prince Siddharta didn't enjoy drinking wine?), protecting the population, bla-blah, no, it is about protectionism, for the Thai rhums wrongly called 'whisky' and the local, for 98% s..t, wines, plus ripping off Farangs has never been considered a sin anyway, as how few modal Thais could/would afford those beverages anyway, even at the more than half(!) lower prices the, then obviously bad, Buddhists from Laos allow it to be sold for in their country...

All that while, when anything should be done for the health of the millions of Thais of about all ages, it would be to keep them from having their double-poison dose (very) early in the morning, before going to the job, made of a glass of horrible laokao and a rolled coffin nail, that could matter, double, as it might also help them away a bit from drinking so many, unhealthy, strong 'energy drinks', and from chewing on kratom leaves, still a ('light') drug, during the day...