Phuket alcohol ban near schools plan back to the drawing board
Saroj Kueprasertkij


Students hold up a sign promoting the alcohol-free zone around Phuket Rajabhat University. Photo: The Phuket News file / Tanyaluk Sakoot

PHUKET: -- The plan to implement alcohol-free zones around schools in Phuket went back to the drawing board yesterday (Nov 24) after Phuket Vice Governor Chokdee Armornwat faulted a map for “inconsistencies”.

V/Gov Chokdee ordered Wiphada Darunpong, a Policy and Planning Specialist from the Phuket Excise Office, to redraw the map marking out the alcohol-free zones at a meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall.

“Some of the zones allow venues as close as 10 to 20 metres from a school,” V/Gov Chokdee noted.

The initial order issued by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) mandated that no alcohol be sold within 300 metres of any “educational institution”.

Ms Wiphada explained that the zones were intentionally marked out to account for local geographic aspects.

“Some schools are close to steep hills, while others are close to canals or government housing estates, so we did not mark out a standard distance from each school,” she said.

Regardless, V/Gov Chokdee said, “Redraw the map with 300-metre zones and we will review it again. I want to see (alcohol sold) at least some distance from schools.”

V/Gov Chokdee highlighted the example of Phuket Rajabhat University, which has a one-kilometre “alcohol-free” zone that zone was created by authorities signing an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with local residents and business owners.

Full story: http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-alcohol-ban-near-schools-plan-back-to-the-drawing-board-55111.php

-- Phuket News 2015-11-25

Definately one of Phuket's more serious issues.

That's it dear Junta, keep projecting the impression you appear to be responsible and supportive of issues, when all the while you are continuing to keep education, free thinking and freedom of expression at arms length. Let the students and educators have a legitimate platform to push forward their ideas and suggestions instead of manipulating them into thinking you are empathetic and caring.

No cheating zone might be more appropriate

And with a v/governor named Chokdee, what could go wrong?

Of the many questionable / criminal practices at such institutions, access to alcohol isn't one. Once again the real issues are ignored. Why is that?

I've never witnessed a student drinking. Has anyone else?

Hey kids, here's an idea: take responsibility for your own lives. If you don't want to drink, don't buy and/or consume booze. Radical.

Would be an interesting study to see how fast the price of a small bottle of sangsom rises as you near the university.

No cheating zone might be more appropriate

It's more a "How Much Can You Pay Us " zone

“Some of the zones allow venues as close as 10 to 20 metres from a school,”

This policy is clearly contrary to the NCPO's directive and illegal. Chokdee needs to explain why he is disobeying the law. If Prayut doesn't put an immediate stop to people who are outside the mainstream of the military or police from interpretating on how to apply NCPO's ambiguous and ill-conceived directives, society as Prayut knows will collapse.

Never could see the logic in this law. The University I went to had a Pub right in the school and they held Pub Nights every night and longer on weekends. But it was closed until early evening.

Lets face it. If a University Student wants to drink alcohol he will. I doubt many bars would check the I.D. of a 19 year old. So it seems to me by banning bars within 300 meters of a school, they are trying to keep alcohol out of easy reach for students. But all they are actually doing is causing this student to drive farther on his motor bike to find it. Worst yet, driving back after a few drinks to get home.

In My Book, it was a new law that caused this problem in the first place. In 2008, Thailand increased the legal drinking age form 18 years old to 20 years old, through the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act. This pushed the legal drinking age past many of the University Student's age. This won't stop them from drinking. They will just get an older friend to get it for them, like I did, or go to bar farther away who care more about how much money you have than your age.

Many people sitting on both sides of the fence can argue with both pros and cons as to the raising of the legal drinking age from 18 years old to 20 years old, but I see it one way. If you are old enough to be conscripted into the army, and to fight and die for your country, then you are old enough to drink. In most countries that is 18 years old, but oddly in Thailand it is 21 years old. Go Figure?

So the real question they need to ask themselves is are 18 year old students too young to drink alcohol. If it is "No" then there would be no reason to close down the bars near such schools.

Here is another law many may find interesting:

"Selling alcohol to anyone who has previously lost consciousness from drinking is also against the law in Thailand. Additionally, if you are considered intoxicated and provoke an altercation with a law enforcement official, the penalty can be up to one year imprisonment and/or a fine up to twenty thousand baht."

Of the many questionable / criminal practices at such institutions, access to alcohol isn't one. Once again the real issues are ignored. Why is that?

I've never witnessed a student drinking. Has anyone else?

I have seen plenty of students drinking every night, but they don't go to the expensive bars on the main Soi. They prefer the cheap out of the way places where the price of one beer is almost half the cost of your beer. May even be home made beer for all I know.

They seem to like those Sing-a-long bars where they can sit for hours on a couple of beers. The guys usually outnumber the gals 5 to 1, but I have seen them there to. I know as I had a bar like this across from where I used to live and saw this every night until 4 am. That is until I moved again.

How about this for ridiculous? Just found this out last week.

My son has an apartment in a complex opposite Thammasart Uni, where he studies. Along the central street of the complex is a 7-11 which is prohibited from selling alcohol.

On the oppsite side of this street there is another(newly-opened)7-11 roughly 20 metres further away from Thammasart Uni which is allowed to sell alcohol

Go figure!