English language interpretation of new Alcohol Control Laws

[MM 6,562]

http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/restriction-liquor-sale-time-takes-effect-today

Restriction of liquor sale time takes effect today

January 23, 2015 9:57 pm

• 

Restricted alcoholic beverages sale times will take effect today throughout the country.
Alcohol beverages can now only be sold from 11.00 am – 2.00 pm and from 5.00 pm – 12.00 am every day.
An announcement was made today by the Prime Minister’s Office on the 2015 law regulating alcohol sales which takes effect today.
At all other times, alcohol sales are strictly forbidden with the exception of at international airport terminals and legally registered entertainment venues which have laws that strictly govern the periods they can operate daily.
Director-general of the office of the Alcohol Control Committee Mr Samarn Futrakun stated the core substance of the new regulation remains the same in that the permissible duration for daily alcohol sales to be capped at 10 hours.
Airports however are given the same allowance as before while entertainment venues which in the past were allowed to sell alcohol from 9.00 pm – 2.00 am can only do so up to midnight.
This means that in total, night time entertainment venues can only legally sell alcohol for 5 hours every day which in total is less than regular restaurants.
As for the reason for the new regulation governing alcohol sales, he stated that the old law was problematic as it did not cover every aspect.
The new law however takes into account every type restaurant and other venues selling alcohol.
Also, the old law allows for wholesale purchase of alcohol in excess of 10 liters to be made at any time of the day while any purchase under 10 liters can only be made at the specified times.
The new regulation does not allow for this, what matters now are the stated hours for purchase or sale of alcohol irrespective of quantity.
Violation of the law is subject six months imprisonment and/or a 10,000 Baht fine.

 

I am confused here at the bolded comments that seem to contradict each other from one paragraph to the next.

 

The Chicken Little's are going to come out in force on this one...

 

I personally can't see this as being an accurate interpretation of the law...if it is, the ruling junta has completely lost their marbles.

[MM 6,562]

I'm hoping this is a case of bad reporting, because it does contradict itself with regard to entertainment venues...on the one hand it says they can operate according to their license (and there is no minimum starting time at 9pm, so that's an error right there). On the other hand, they say they have to close at midnight and can only operate for 5 hours...though I can't see where that 5 hours starts and ends if they supposedly had to start at 9pm and close at midnight...that implies a 7pm start, but why 7pm? Why not 5pm, since that's when legal sales can begin...in other words, the article is crap and someone with a brain will come along and report it correctly...I hope.

[gaza 1 55]

I expect we will see tanks on the streets of Pattaya at midnight..lol

[gaza 1 55]

" I will pass any laws i want because i'm the boss and i got the Tanks"

[BeerBelly 1,013]

If this law really states that entertainment venues will have to stop selling alcohol at midnight, I suspect an exception to tourist areas will be granted as they did with the curfew.

[atlas2 4,329]

I looked through 7 pages of this on TV...I couldn't find clarification because as MM says the edict itself is contradictory.

Things will all be back to normal before clarification anyway.

[Chang_paarp 253]

The only thing I can see that is different from the previous (ignored) law is that in the old law you could buy "bulk" quantities ie more than 10L at any time, it was only the poor regular punter that wanted a beer in the afternoon that was affected by the old law.

 

The shiny new law now makes illegal the sale of "bulk" quantities outside the mandated selling times. This will be treated with the same contempt that the old version was, ie the 7-11's, Family Mart Tesco and Macro will stop selling during these "shuttered" hours everyone else will ignore the new regulations. Aside from this the regulations look very similar to those of the old laws, needles to say "local negotiation" will apply to how the law is enforced. I'll be interested to see how the wholesaler deal with this, they "technically" can only take orders and deliver during the prescribed hours.

[SunnyValentine 173]

I'm hoping this is a case of bad reporting, because it does contradict itself with regard to entertainment venues...on the one hand it says they can operate according to their license (and there is no minimum starting time at 9pm, so that's an error right there). On the other hand, they say they have to close at midnight and can only operate for 5 hours...though I can't see where that 5 hours starts and ends if they supposedly had to start at 9pm and close at midnight...that implies a 7pm start, but why 7pm? Why not 5pm, since that's when legal sales can begin...in other words, the article is crap and someone with a brain will come along and report it correctly...I hope.

I guess this is not so much a crap reporting than rather a crap law, something we have had quite a few since the Man with the Gun took over the burden to rule the Country.

So, lets see, we had a crappy, useless, ineffective and embarrassing , and vague law, put into order during the glorious days of comrade Thaksin. Now the man with the gun left the crappy, useless, ineffective and embarrassing parts and took away the vagueness.

Why? As he said before so many times: "Because he can".

Unless I am mistaken and this is really a bad interpretation, we will now see the usual games of: 1.) Enforcement. 2.) Confusion. 3.) Retraction. 4.) Explanation. 5.) Stubborn insisting in enforcement. 6.) Comment from high above that all was not meant that way. 7.) Silent exit. 8.) Rinse and repeat.