Dr Samarn: Beer gardens are against the law

[DM07]

What is this BS about "advertising" alcohol in beer gardens or pubs and bars!

When I am INSIDE a beer garden, a bar or a pub, I already made my mind up, about what I want to drink!

Was there ever a case of someone walking down the streets, craving for a glass of orange juice, entering a pub and suddenly deciding -at the sight of beer girl or a glass with a beer logo on it- that he needs to get sloshed, right away?

This is so moronic, I need a beer!

[connda]

Everything's against the law theses days.

It's starting to become like blighty.

Seems that Thailand is becoming a Nanny-State.

[kjhbigv]

So are they saying that the events that pop up occasionally at Loy Kratong and such, whereby they have a load of seats and tables with the whole area surrounded by food stalls (and usually a stage with bad singers) are now banned from selling beer in those beer towers etc?

Real shame, they were quite good for a get together, for everyone!

So, no festival can now sell beer?

That's like going to Hyde Park or any festival in the UK and not being allowed to buy a beer?

[ratcatcher]

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

"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"

Yes, I remember, that was Chuwit Kamolvisit who owned the land upon which the bars were situated. The tenants believed they had valid leases from another company. The bulldozers were in fact several hundred men that had been hired to raze the small buildings.

He subsequently had a small park (Chuvit Gardens) laid out on the site.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuwit_Kamolvisit

[JAG]

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.

You are right enough, it is a hell of a leap, however, I would not put it entirely beyond the good Dr Samarn to attempt to make that leap in due course!

Edited November 5, 2015 by JAG

[tonbridgebrit]

Is Thailand declaring war on alcohol ?
Is this a Muslim thing ?

[cmrichsw]

Surely Dr Samarn has better things to do

[FangFerang]

Again, SIngha's heir files a moral "citizen's complaint".

Everyone knows Chang does most of the beer gardens.

Duh.

[jaywalker]

"The Office of Alcoholic Drinks Control Committee" LOL

What kind of make-work nonsense job is this? The private sector provides products and services people actually want. Government on the other hand, is just a collection of bureaucratic pencil pushing nit-wits who aren't capable of a whole lot. They just leech off the productive people forcing "services" on them they neither want, nor need..

AND... to add Insult to Injury, are only selectively enforced/ignored with a wee bit of tea money,

Bureaucrats like this are leech on society as a whole, and provide zero value to anyone (except his commie dreams), and the thoughts of Bleeding-Heart Liberals, which are merging into the same thing, in my opinion.

[Usernames]

Wow. This topic is expanding at warp speed.

[seedy]

One Disrespectful post Hidden

[jaywalker]

Again, SIngha's heir files a moral "citizen's complaint".

Everyone knows Chang does most of the beer gardens.

Duh.

I think Chang beer sales must've slumped a bit in the few months I've been away.

When I get back to Pattaya, I'll "Restore Happiness" to several locals.

I love that formaldehyde stuff!

Guess what, their ads will have ZERO to do with my choices......It's just a blow-hard politician (that would be serving a better public service as a katoey on Pattaya Beach Road), than blowing the hot air he is spewing now.

Guys like this politician (ain't hatin' on you FangFerang) are a waste of sperm cells, eggs and oxygen.

Edited November 5, 2015 by jaywalker

[wabothai]

Get rid of all advertising especially the crap that TAT puts out

Couldn't agree with you more ! A day spent in Bangkok is a day spent under a barrage of annoying promotions and advertising, on the streets, on the skytrain, everywhere you look. Huge billboards on the sides of building advertising the latest pretentiously named condo development, or useless skin whitening cream, or overpriced smartphone.

Yet, in a beer garden, where presumably everyone present is there to willingly drink beer, display of a simple beer logo to identify the brand of beer you can expect to get under a certain tent is somehow illegal! I am really getting sick of this place ( and I used to love it).

Don't let this mor(m)on cruisader get to you, just enjoy your beer.

[English_M_in_Bkk]

Everything's against the law theses days.

It's starting to become like blighty.

Except beer gardens aren't against the law in the UK like they already are in Thailand.

However not so long ago a member of the House of Lords pointed out that in many areas the traditional pub on the corner was disappearing because of pressure from Muslim groups and Muslim councillors.

absolute rubbish, pubs are not closing down because of the 'mooooslims' - it is because of many factors such as availability of cheap beer in the supermarkets, the gentrification of cities and change in lifestyles i.e. the digital age

Nothing like a bit of scapegoating in the morning, hey!

[mercman24]

how many years do ya think i will get for this, my fave "T"

[NeilSA1]

Potential increase in tea money for the Excise Department. They must be holding thumbs.

[zakk9]

Oh, come on. The beer gardens they want to stop has little to do with "fun", and I rarely see foreigners there. They are places for minimal quantities of mediocre Thai food and endless quantities of bee, 7 days a week. They are noisy and dirty and a general nuisance to most people.

[RedRoadRunner]

........if that is the future generation of Thailand.....GOOD NIGHT !!!!

[RedRoadRunner]

Oh, come on. The beer gardens they want to stop has little to do with "fun", and I rarely see foreigners there. They are places for minimal quantities of mediocre Thai food and endless quantities of bee, 7 days a week. They are noisy and dirty and a general nuisance to most people.

[rethaier]

What a stupid law in a culture that drinks whiskey with dinner.

[Jim walker]

What they need is a committee to form a subcommittee to look into this in a sensible way and report findings to another main committee so that they can continue as it is fundamentally doing things the right way one day a year, especially on the days when alcohol sales are banned.

[Gillyflower]

I am out of date. P lease tell me what is a beer garden. In my day, it was sitting in a garden or outdoors of a pub. In CM, the garden of the Irish Pub is that considered as a 'beer garden'?

[JAG]

Oh, come on. The beer gardens they want to stop has little to do with "fun", and I rarely see foreigners there. They are places for minimal quantities of mediocre Thai food and endless quantities of bee, 7 days a week. They are noisy and dirty and a general nuisance to most people.

Thai people are entitled to their "fun", even if it entails mediocre Thai food, noise, dirt and endless quantities of beer!

[Nobb]

To many and no police really care about them. Good luck and i hope you lose!

[farangmick]

And when everything that possibly smacks of fun has been banned, Thailand will re brand itself as the land of sad faces. Then TAT can push for it to become number one country for suicides.

[Shaunduhpostman]

"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."

But if the limit is 10 liters, many beer gardens would reach that in 10 hours. But what does it matter? In their own statement a bit further on they say that selling beer at a beer garden is advertising beer.So which is is it? Is it permitted or not? Who would set up a beer garden for 1 or 2 days with a 10 liter selling limit, during which time they might get fined or imprisoned for advertising beer? What is the point here of making this public statement, if only to make things more confusing so that people cannot even obey the law if they want to? It is just a corruption opportunity creation scheme.

Edited November 5, 2015 by Shaunduhpostman

[RDavis]

They don't know there arse from their elbow!

This Junta regime headed by Prayut who is not the PM of Thailand because he was never elected and therefore not a government representative should really listen to their on crap speeches

[ggt]

Dr. Samarn's boss should ban him from any form of press release for life...Education credentials do not guarantee common sense...

[kowpot]

why not just to change its name from beer garden to national garden ?

Because it would cost a Farang 400 baht to get in, while a Thail could get in for 20 baht.

[Emster23]

I do hope that post regarding Chang on Everton being to advert Chang water was meant as a joke.... never seen Chang water on drink list in USA, imagine same in UK, home of EPL. And then there are the electronic hoardings streaming along behind play for Singha... Good of rat to pick up on my reference/mod of Dr Johnson's quote. They are already hiding behind the patriotism screen, now going for the law excuse.... perhaps the good doctor didn't consider law, as England does have a system of law, unlike here where happens to be whatever El Leader considers it to be that day?