Thais invited to partake in anti-alcohol campaign during 3-month Lent

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Thais invited to partake in anti-alcohol campaign during 3-month Lent



BANGKOK, 6 July 2016 (NNT) – The government is calling on all Thais to join in a no-drinking campaign to be held for three months during the upcoming Buddhist Lent.

Minister Attached to the Prime Minister’s Office ML Panadda Diskul hosted a workshop aimed to prepare members of related agencies for holding activities in line with the Thai Anti-Alcohol Day policy and the no-drinking campaign, which is the collaboration between the StopDrink Network and the Thai Health Promotion Foundation.

ML Panadda pointed out that the number of drinkers in Thailand is rising sharply, with the drinking habit being five times more prevalent in men than women. Since alcohol has created several problems, including illness, accidents and fights, the government has designated Buddhist Lent Day of every year as Thai Anti-Alcohol Day to encourage drinkers to stay off alcohol throughout the three-month Lent period.

According to Mr Songkran Pakchokedee, Director of the StopDrink Network, the no-drinking campaign of 2015 was successful in keeping over 31,000 participants sober from the beginning to the end of the Lent. The campaign also helped save as much as 112 million baht in spending on liquor.

-- NNT 2016-07-06

[Strangebrew]

Boy those must be related, I need a drink.

[cockatoowho]

More fictitious figures plucked out of nowhere. If you want to do some good fellow, concentrate on closing down the billion dollar illegal whisky industry. Thought not, the Government is involved in running it.

[NCC1701A]

"Minister Attached to the Prime Minister’s Office ML Panadda Diskul..."

Shown here on the right in the photo.

[brommers]

I feel sorry for Thai people who have to listen to the wailing and ranting of these so called experts who think they have the right to lecture people on how to live their lives. It is enough to drive one to drink.

[chowny77]

To be honest they are not inviting but are in fact forcing people to not drink. They do this by making it illegal to sell during Buddhist special days. They say people will be saving money but what about the people who run restaurants and bars? Even worse if your business is near a school or temple.

[ratcatcher]

"Thais invited to partake in anti alcohol campaign........."

Beer Chang (Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi Beer Singha (Santi Bhirombhakdi)

Not these gentlemen of course.

[thai3]

I think they should just encourage Thais not to drink Thai muck, but decent beer and spirits instead.

[BigBadGeordie]

Thanks for the invitation, I will be busy during lent. Going out on a bender.

[arithai12]

The campaign also helped save as much as 112 million baht in spending on liquor.

Well unless we know what that money was spent on instead, I am not sure that was a saving.

As for limiting/banning alcohol, I am all for it but human history shows that it doesn't work that way.

[iReason]

Dr. No standing next to a cartoon clown.

Right. That'll work.

Good luck.

Alcohol consumption in Thailand

"Thailand is the top alcohol-consuming country in ASEAN with 40 percent of drinkers found in North-East region."

"According to the latest alcohol consumption data collected by World Health Organization,

Thailand is ranked 1st among ASEAN countries in alcohol consumption, followed closely by Laos and the Philippines."

http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/infographic/alcohol-consumption-thailand/

[smedly]

can we extend it for 12 months with manditory participation of all those involved in public transport ....... land sea and air rigorously enforced

[petedk]

Dr. No standing next to a cartoon clown.

Right. That'll work.

Good luck.

Alcohol consumption in Thailand

"Thailand is the top alcohol-consuming country in ASEAN with 40 percent of drinkers found in North-East region."

"According to the latest alcohol consumption data collected by World Health Organization,

Thailand is ranked 1st among ASEAN countries in alcohol consumption, followed closely by Laos and the Philippines."

http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/infographic/alcohol-consumption-thailand/

That report is from 2014

[SABloke]

31 000 people who don't normally drink stayed sober (slow clap)

[Jimbo2014]

That mascot would drive anyone to drink. Its going to haunt my nightmares. Pass the whisky!

[trainman34014]

More wasted breath....pissing in the wind !

[callaway]

112,000,000 baht saved over 90 days for 31,000 people. That works out that those 31,000 people were spending a whopping 40.14 baht a day on alcohol. About a stubby a day from 7/11. Being drunkards it must have been hard to stay of the syrup for that time "By the way I want a silly plastic doll to be in photo opportunity with me. What's more I want it to look like me. Same hair style and ears like a taxi with the back doors open. In fact I demand it. I know I will look silly but it is all about me looking good more than the silly doll."

[upena]

No such thing as Buddhist Lent

[Thaddeus]

Dr. No standing next to a cartoon clown.

Right. That'll work.

Good luck.

Alcohol consumption in Thailand

"Thailand is the top alcohol-consuming country in ASEAN with 40 percent of drinkers found in North-East region."

"According to the latest alcohol consumption data collected by World Health Organization,

Thailand is ranked 1st among ASEAN countries in alcohol consumption, followed closely by Laos and the Philippines."

http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/infographic/alcohol-consumption-thailand/

That report is from 2014

So?

I haven't noticed any change. Except probably in the worse direction.

[Dancin Dna 11]

Great to see the mascot has rosy cheeks, kind of like he has been drinking.

[sanukjim]

For a Thai to not partake in drinking alcoholl for three months he or she would have to be between one to ten years old on the most part. Drinking is what thy do.

[metisdead]

An off topic post has been removed.

[Johnniey]

I feel sorry for Thai people who have to listen to the wailing and ranting of these so called experts who think they have the right to lecture people on how to live their lives. It is enough to drive one to drink.

All Thai people I know don't have to listen to this.

[jonbsails]

12 years married to a Thai Buddhist and I can assure you there is a Buddhist Lent. It was, in fact, begun by the Big Guy hisself. It's intent was to give the monks a place to stay during monsoon, per Buddhist precept forbidding harm of other beings. Of course, there are other meanings of Lent as well. For instance, westerners common understanding of the term Lent is of a 40 day period prior to the celebration of the annual resurrection of a religious prophet. But THAT meaning came from the ancient English term for springtime. So, I wonder.....at what point in the history of the meaning of a word or term do we halt and exclaim "THIS is THE meaning!! And there is no other!" .....

[waldroj]

The Thai beer-makers are just as much to blame as the temperance league for this crusade for prohibition.

If they (the brewers) put monks on their beer labels - as some Irish do, they would be sure to get an official tick of approval.

[JAG]

Well the minister looks a cheerful soul. Anyone know who the miserable looking so and so in the blue shirt is?

[dbrenn]

I'll drink to that.

[Gweiloman]

Fine, if they want to stop the Thais from drinking. Just don't force it onto the rest of us non-Thais.

[Gweiloman]

Since alcohol has created several problems, including illness, accidents and fights, the government has designated Buddhist Lent Day of every year as Thai Anti-Alcohol Day to encourage drinkers to stay off alcohol throughout the three-month Lent period.

I suggest that better education, more stringent and thorough driving tests coupled with proper enforcement would reduce the number of accidents and deaths more more effectively than laying off the booze

[Thaddeus]

Since alcohol has created several problems, including illness, accidents and fights, the government has designated Buddhist Lent Day of every year as Thai Anti-Alcohol Day to encourage drinkers to stay off alcohol throughout the three-month Lent period.

I suggest that better education, more stringent and thorough driving tests coupled with proper enforcement would reduce the number of accidents and deaths more more effectively than laying off the booze

Inept drivers, at best, when sober. Alcohol just adds to the problem, banning it doesn't remove the original problem.