New Year's Eve Booze Ban

[pdogg]

Can't really believe that booze will be banned on the busiest night of the year.

 

Re Songkran, think it would be good to ban the throwing of water in the face of motobike drivers.

 

 

The Public Health Ministry will propose a subordinate bill banning alcohol consumption in public places during the New Year and Songkran holidays of every year, possibly starting before the New Year holidays...
 

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/446965/drinking-ban-sought-for-new-year-songkran.

 

[SiamSam]

So much for my alcoholiday.

 

Party poopers. 

 

By the way is my balcony at the Mosaik considered a public place? May I drink and fornicate to my heart's content out there with impunity? 

 

Maybe bars will be exempt and the public place(s) they are referring to is the street since lots of alcohol is consumed on the streets during both Songran and New Years. 

[duke007]

I believe they have banned Canadian's from fornicating on those dates too Sam

[pdogg]

I believe they have banned Canadian's from fornicating on those dates too Sam

Bada bing.       Slap shot, Rim shot  

[SiamSam]

If I didn't know better I would think your fine fellas were making fun of me. But I know you'd never do that. 

 

I read some where that you're not a real Canadian until you apologize for saying sorry too much. 

[pdogg]

 

A proposal by  the director of the Office of the Alcoholic Beverages Committee Dr Samarn Futrakul to ban all alcohol beverages sales during the New Year holiday and Songkran festival is stiring up outcry with many business operators voicing strong opposition saying that it will severely affect their business and affect tourism.

 

But Public Health Minister Dr Ratchata Ratchata-nawin assured that the ban is still a tentative proposal which can be changed when it is to be debated by the Alcoholic Beverages  Committee which he is chairman on December 19.

 

It is an undeniable fact that New Year and Songkran festival  holidays are a time for celebration and rejoicing and alcohol consumption is the norm. But it is also argued that the major cause  of road mishaps that claimed high casualties during festive season is drunk driving.

 

This led Dr Samarn, director of  Office of the Alcoholic Beverages Committee to propose banning alcoholic sales during the two festivals.

 

However Dr Samarn assured, however, he proposed only banning of sales but did not prohibit drinking.

 

Customers still can buy before the banned time goes into effect, and then take them out for drinking during the festive time, he said.

But operators of entertainment venues located on Khao Sarn road are  entirely against  the proposed banning of alcohol sales from December 31 to January 1 as it will directly affect their businesses.

 

As they said their clients are almost exclusively foreign tourists and should the proposal be passed they intend to muster to rally against it.

 

“It will seriously affect us because foreign tourists drink a lot of beer. This proposal will mean that we won’t be able to sell beer at all! A lot of businesses here are against it and we will certainly be protesting it,” an entertainment venue operator at Khao Sarn road said.

What is peculiar about the proposal is that although sales of alcohol is banned, private individuals are permitted to bring in their own alcohol onto the premises of restaurants or entertainment venues for consumption. This seems preposterous as few, if any, restaurant owners will allow such an act, she said.

 

A regular foreign customer to Khao Sarn road also said, “I don’t see how any owner will allow such a thing. What if a customer was not hungry and did not want to eat but only wants to drink!

 

Furthermore the idea that customers can bring in their own alcohol that they had purchased previously, to drink at restaurants that are not permitted to sell alcohol themselves is ridiculous! Thai’s love to meet up with friends and have a drink, it is in their nature, ” one Thai customer said.

 

But locals are not the only ones against the proposal as almost all tourists regard the banning of alcohol during New Year holidays – a universal holiday celebration; as impossible to enforce.

 

They did say however that the banning of alcohol sales during important national dates such as during religious holidays was agreeable and understandable.

 

“Who came up with this idea? I don’t think such a proposal can be enforced because even if such a law were to be passed no one is going to pay attention to it!”  said  Yoann Chaouch, a French tourist to Khao Sarn road.

 

The tremendous public outcry regarding the banning of alcohol sales during New Year and Songkran has forced Dr. Ratchata Ratchata-nawin, the Public Health Minister, to come out and say  that the proposal was just an idea to tackle the number of traffic fatalities as a result of drunk-driving.

 

He said  that the proposal would likely not come out in time for this year’s New Year holidays as the Alcohol Beverages  Committee is planning to meet to consider the measures on December 19.

 

Furthermore, if the committee endorses the measures, then the proposal will have to be presented to the National Alcoholic Beverage Policy Committee which is chaired by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha for approval.

 

“There are many different views on the issue at the moment. We will for the time being listen to all comments and opinions before making a decision.”

 

Under Dr Samarn proposal, violator faces six month imprisonment and a fine of a maximum 10,000 baht. The proposal intends to tackle sellers, not customers, he said.

 

However president of the Medical Council Prof Dr Sonsaj Loleka said no countries  has ever come out with such proposal, no matter they be the United States or Japan.

 

They seriously tackle drunk drivers with heavy punishment outright and booking their records for life, he said.

For Thailand, he said it was the matter of no serious enforcement of laws that resulted in all measures becoming ineffective.

[JustSumGai]

in that last line or two above we can see at least ONE Thai has the ability to reason.

[pdogg]

Is there really a ban in New Zealand, Kansas, and Connecticut? 

 

 

The Office of Alcoholic Drinks Control Committee of the Diseases Control Department has appealed to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha to ban the sale of alcoholic drinks during the New Year’s festival.

 

Dr Samarn Futrakul, director of the office, said today (Wednesday) that he wrote a letter on behalf of the office to the advisor of the prime minister asking for the imposition of the ban together with data showing the benefits of the ban imposed in New Zealand and several states of America such as Kansas and Connecticut.

 

Citing the data, Dr Samarn claimed that the ban has helped lower casualty rate from road accidents by 40 percent and assault rate against women by 50 percent.

 

He claimed that recent opinion survey showed that 81.79 percent of respondents supported the ban against 9.85 percent who disagreed.

 

Dr Samarn insisted that the ban was not a trade barrier but just a temporary measure to improve road safety and safety in lives during festive season s.

 

He noted that road accidents from drunk driving usually accounted for 80-90 percent of the accidents during festive seasons.  

 

http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/attempt-ban-sale-alcoholic-drinks-new-years-festival-renewed

[Kahuna]

Appears both Kansas and Connecticut have blue laws to different degrees..........But but but.....I  

lived In Missouri for a short while which has blue laws and visited Utah and Oregon several times

on holiday which also have blue laws and there is always a legal way around the laws...Bizarre......

 

Kansas – The state does not control liquor distribution, but the still have some of the strictest 

laws in the nation. All alcohol was prohibited from 1881 - 1948 and on-premise sale was prohibited 

from 1881 – 1987. Sunday sales have only been allowed since 2005. In counties that allow on-premise 

sale it is from 9 A.M. to 2 A.M. off-premise from 9 A.M. to 11 P.M (Monday – Saturday) Noon to 7/8 

P.M.. 29 Counties do not allow on-premise sale, 59 Counties only allow it if the establishment makes 

at least 30% of its profits from alcohol, only 17 Counties allow sale with out restriction. Sales are 

prohibited on Memorial Day, Labor Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. Only 

3.2% ABV beer is available at grocery stores.

 

Kansas had statewide prohibition from 1881 to 1948, longer than any other state, and continued to 

prohibit general on-premises liquor sales until 1987. Kansas's strict and highly regulated approach 

to alcohol stems from lingering vestiges of its long era of prohibition. As of December 2012, Kansas 

had 13 dry counties, where on-premises liquor sales are prohibited, but the sale of 3.2% beer is 

permitted.  As of April 2013, Kansas still has not ratified the 21st Amendment, which ended nationwide 

prohibition in 1933.

 

Connecticut – Sales are not controlled by the state. On-premise sale is allowed from 9 A.M. to 1 A.M. 

(Monday – Thursday) 9 A.M. to 2 A.M. (Friday – Saturday). Off-premise from 8 A.M. to 9 P.M. (Monday – 

Saturday.) Off-premise sales are not allowed on Sunday or holidays. Beer can be sold in grocery stores.

[Snick]

Nevada also has dry counties, something I discovered once by mistake.

[xyzzy]

Nevada also has dry counties, something I discovered once by mistake.

 

Nevada does have brothels but it's a county by county thing. Only legal state for that I think.

 

Kentucky also has dry counties.

[globetrotter]

Ironically enough I believe the county where Jack Daniels is distilled is a dry one