PM urged to ban alcoholic drinks sale at events during Songkran’s 7 dangerous days

[snoop1130]

PM urged to ban alcoholic drinks sale at events during Songkran’s 7 dangerous days

 

 

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha has been urged to order a ban on the sale of all alcoholic drinks at events and musical concerts held during the seven “dangerous” days of the Songkran festival.

 

A group of about 50 representatives of the Alcohol Watch and anti-alcoholic drinks networks gathered at the Complaints Centre of the Government House to submit an open letter addressed to the prime minister urging him to take precautionary measures to reduce road accidents and fatalities during the Songkran festival.

 

Alcochol Watch coordinator Kamron Chudecha cited that there were 3,447 road accidents during Songkran festival last year, resulting in 442 dead and 3,656 people being injured. Drunk driving was the main cause of the accidents followed by speeding, he said.

 

Full Story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/pm-urged-ban-alcoholic-drinks-sale-events-songkrans-7-dangerous-days/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2017-3-23

[Ricardo]

Yet another boost for Thai tourism !

[sjaak327]

They will never learn, banning of alcohol sale will not help. Maybe the 50 representatives could focus on awareness that drunk driving is dangerous and illegal.

 

And leave people that don't drive and just want to buy a drink the <deleted> alone.

[0U812]

8 minutes ago, sjaak327 said:

They will never learn, banning of alcohol sale will not help. Maybe the 50 representatives could focus on awareness that drunk driving is dangerous and illegal.

 

And leave people that don't drive and just want to buy a drink the <deleted> alone.

Songkran is a 7 day excuse for a nation wide  piss up. It makes good sense. Even better would be a a max of 2 days for Songkran and piss allowed.. 

[Snig27]

Just enforce the laws - every day of the year. It's not hard (unless you are the RTP).

[0U812]

17 minutes ago, Snig27 said:

Just enforce the laws - every day of the year. It's not hard (unless you are the RTP).

Bit hard to do even by first world standards when the entire country and a massive portion of tourists go on a one week bender! 

[tracker1]

Plenty of alcohol to be purchased elsewhere if not at an even or music festival ! Another No Brainer of an idea !!!!!

[Bluespunk]

53 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha has been urged to order a ban on the sale of all alcoholic drinks at events and musical concerts held during the seven “dangerous” days of the Songkran festival.

Doing that won't bring about reconciliation you know...

[Foghorn Leghorn]

I say!

Just wheel out Article 44 and ban grog over Songkran; problem solved. 

48 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

group of about 50 representatives of the Alcohol Watch and anti-alcoholic drinks networks gathered at the Complaints Centre of the Government House to submit an open letter addressed to the prime minister urging him to take precautionary measures to reduce road accidents and fatalities during the Songkran festival.

 

 50 wowsers versus umteen thousand  drink driver pisspots seriously competitive to lift the annual road death rate. 

 

Murphy's Second Corollary

It is impossible to make anything foolproof because fools are so ingenious.

[Psimbo]

Good Luck with that one!

[mrfill]

Why do they call it '7 dangerous days' ?

Average deaths during danger period = 63

Average deaths per day during year = 66.4 (2013 WHO figure)

 

Looks like the Songkran period could be called the '7 slightly less dangerous days'

[jerojero]

Sure! That would really be enduring to the tourists. Go for it. Sheesh!

[petedk]

Just how many days a year is alcohol banned?

 

It seems quite a lot to me (if you include elections and so on in normal times)

[11223344]

1 hour ago, mrfill said:

Why do they call it '7 dangerous days' ?

Average deaths during danger period = 63

Average deaths per day during year = 66.4 (2013 WHO figure)

 

Looks like the Songkran period could be called the '7 slightly less dangerous days'

Jail time for you!!! Trying math, statistics and logic on Thais, disgusting farang

[dinsdale]

"Besides calling for a ban on alcohol sale during the seven “dangerous” days, the groups also proposed to revise the definition of drunkenness by setting the amount of alcohol to 20 or 30 milligramme/percent insread of 50 milligramme/percent."

 

0.02 your drunk. That's about 1/2 a glass of beer/Spy etc. for women, maybe less. The word imbecilic springs to mind. Every year these idiots come up with something.

Nothing will change in Thailand until their mentality changes.

Edited March 23, 2017 by dinsdale

[ChakaKhan]

blahblahblahalcoholblahblahblahsongkranblahblah7daysblahblahblah

[chowny77]

I will be staying indoors during Songkran. I fail to see the point of getting pelted with water while riding down the road as a sign of good luck, it's more like the old TV series of Gladiators.............who can survive this 1 km of street with a potential of 50 points of water being thrown at you. 

[maoro2013]

More destruction of the place that is Thailand. Street food in part Of Sukhumvit and alcohol at a major festival!

 

These things happen because there is a market for them, ie people want them.

[biker Bob]

10 hours ago, 11223344 said:

Jail time for you!!! Trying math, statistics and logic on Thais, disgusting farang

5555555555555555

[Jimbo2014]

Another case of making decisions on "Feelings".  

Lets look at the data.  442 deaths during Songkran which lasts for 10 days including places like Pattaya (not 7).  The WHO estimates 24,237 were actually killed in 2012 based on its models, 42% more than stated by Thailand's Public Health Ministry.  Thats 66 people per day.  So the roads are actually safer during Songkran that at any other time in this nutty country.  In other words an Alcohol ban solves nothing except the need to worry the budget when tourist numbers are tallied.  

Ill drink to that!   

[Jimbo in Thailand]

13 hours ago, petedk said:

Just how many days a year is alcohol banned?

 

It seems quite a lot to me (if you include elections and so on in normal times)

It's actually banned in the Kingdom every day from somewhere around noon-ish to 5pm... unless you buy in quantity (according to a manager at Makro when I inquired about the ridiculous law way back when).  This was implemented a few years ago to try to keep Thai teachers from getting drunk at lunch and/or during the early afternoon while classes are still in session.  Of course it was yet another tilting-at-windmills exercise since only 7-11, Makro, Tesco, and the other national chain stores honor it.  T.I.T. my friends.

[tigermoth]

you have got to be joking. The junta seems intent on destroying the tourism industry completely with this in addition to gradually wiping out street vendors. they are rapidly moving the country downhill. Alcoholic drivers are continually let go. It's time they confiscated their cars and gave them jail terms, not blame it on the alcohol which the vast majority consume sensibly.

[Sydebolle]

Clean out the police force - completely, and get some women to do the job. Latter includes taking boozers off the road, introduce steep fines, confiscation of vehicle (at owner's costs) and jail sentences.

Everything else can be circumvented; Somchai around the corner will love a 7-days booze ban as he will sell out his entire stock prior to April 13th and close as well ;-) 

[elgordo38]

17 hours ago, 0U812 said:

Songkran is a 7 day excuse for a nation wide  piss up. It makes good sense. Even better would be a a max of 2 days for Songkran and piss allowed.. 

Your right. Songkran was all about gently pouring water  on a statute or person but heck that would not generate any revenue or waste a valuable resource. Look around the planet we are wasters plain and simple. 

[dick dasterdly]

2 hours ago, Jimbo2014 said:

Another case of making decisions on "Feelings".  

Lets look at the data.  442 deaths during Songkran which lasts for 10 days including places like Pattaya (not 7).  The WHO estimates 24,237 were actually killed in 2012 based on its models, 42% more than stated by Thailand's Public Health Ministry.  Thats 66 people per day.  So the roads are actually safer during Songkran that at any other time in this nutty country.  In other words an Alcohol ban solves nothing except the need to worry the budget when tourist numbers are tallied.  

Ill drink to that!   

Firstly, it depends on where you live as Songkran only lasts one day on Phuket.

 

Secondly, quite a few (who would have otherwise gone out on their scooters), go out in cars instead during Songkran - thereby reducing the fatality numbers.

 

I do agree though that banning alcohol at "events" is a bit pointless!

[tominbkk]

A little less time trying t implement probation and a little more time getting strict on drunk driving.  During Songkran days around my 'hood in N. Bangkok there is nary a cop....they all just disappear.  That's why all the 13 year old boys are riding motorcycles around with 3 of their friends with him on the bike. 

 

I've read about 90% of the deaths during songkran are from motorbikes.  It's a good thing, weeds out some of those selfish jerks.

[fish monger]

Rather pathetic that one of the more important holidays in Thailand is labeled "The Seven Dangerous Days of Songkran"....  It's almost like a contest to see if one can get through it all unscathed.....Every year.

[baneko]

Stronger fines or bans for drink driving would help. Having said that its tea money time for bib.

[whatawonderfulday]

No don't ban alcohol, just ban all forms of driving on Thai roads for 7 days

[the guest]

This has no effect on the roads, as most tend to buy their alcohol before the ban is in place. The only way to do this is to ban the consumption of alcohol, but this wouldn't happen either.