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[brahmburgers]

might be an opportunity for some to give their bodies a break from having to process all that fermented sugar.

It's been shown that drinking alcohol actually starves the body and brain of needed water.

Raise a glass of water to your health! .....whether you can find healthy drinking water - is another story.

[GezT]

Tafia, on 2007-12-13 02:45:11, said:

There seems to be some criticism of how the Thais are unable to remain sober for the election and have to have this order imposed on them.
It seems from some posts that some expats are unable to manage a few days without drink as well as those they criticise.
I doubt whether this will have much impact on tourists other than those on 'boozy' trips who are hel_l bent on getting pissed at every given opportunity.
A few days sobriety wont do anyone much harm!

You sound to me like a tea-total bible basher who would have fitted right in during the medievil times in England operating the "Ducking Stool".

The majority of expats I know don't drink during the week or maybe 'have a few after golf' and look forward to the weekend to get out and socialise with friends and watch the live sport we have so much of on TV.

I have two good friends here at the moment from the UK with their Thai family's (Seperate groups) who have been coming here years and are still amazed at the alcohol ban during election periods, their wives I am talking about.

With regards to tourists, I was sitting outside Gullivers, north Pattaya last night around 5-ish having a beer, there was five or six tables occupied by groups of tourists who had wandered in after coming of the beach, obviously heading back to their hotel's. One of the waitresses who knows me came over with a number of slips of paper in her hand with various way's of explaining why there was an alcohol ban this weekend, when the election is not until next weekend written on them. She told me (In near perfect English) her boss had asked her to get a note written to explain the situation in order to give to the staff to show customers as this was going "To be a big problem".

I left Gullivers about 7.30 with a few more tables occupied and as I looked around I didn't see one "Boozy table" with people "hel_l bent on getting pissed" on them.

Lighten up slick and get a life!

[lioness]

About Torrenova's comment " screwing with people's lives"

They are talking about a 2 weekend ban on alcohol, nothing stopping you stocking up the fridge beforehand.

This is a childish, immature outlook, god forbid you should ever have to face a serious issue.

In retrospect 2 weekends without alcohol might even save a few lives, road accidents, alcohol related abuse etc etc

Grow up.

[KireB]

Tafia, on 2007-12-13 02:45:11, said:

There seems to be some criticism of how the Thais are unable to remain sober for the election and have to have this order imposed on them.
It seems from some posts that some expats are unable to manage a few days without drink as well as those they criticise.
I doubt whether this will have much impact on tourists other than those on 'boozy' trips who are hel_l bent on getting pissed at every given opportunity.
A few days sobriety wont do anyone much harm!

Duhh....... It's not about having a drink or not! It's about a having a choice!
These measures were taken by a North-Korean-look-a-like government.
It's childish and patronizing!
As for tourists, they will laugh about this and glad they are not Thai!

Idiocracy! What's next? No milk at breakfast?

[Pundi64]

george, on 2007-12-13 01:04:22, said:

Thai election forces 2-weekend booze ban
no_alcohol.jpg

BANGKOK: -- No alcohol will be served to expats, tourists or local residents in bars and restaurants over the next two weekends nationwide due to the oncoming election.

The first dry days will be 14, 15 and 16 December, pre-election days for a few million Thais who registered to vote early.

Thaivisa has been informed that no alcohol is allowed to be served nationwide between Friday 14th at 6pm until Sunday 16th at midnight.

Elections on the 23rd will mean no alcohol will be sold from 6pm on the 22nd till midnight on the 23rd of December.

Practically this means two or three dry days in the two weekends ahead, although some tourist areas tend to be lenient once it's past 7pm on election day.

Please be aware that local rules could apply. Big hotels are not likely to be affected.

--thaivisa.com 2007-12-13

Great I feel alot safe driving on those two weekends.

[John K]

It looks like the massage places will be particularly busy. That seems always the case when the bars are closed.

[misterme]

I thought the bar closures was to encourage the Thais to go home and vote.

No work, so we may as well go see the kids and vote too.

[lordpeps]

you could always work on making babies those weekends.

[Akamai]

My perfect timing strikes again! Arrive 22nd. Now to check the duty free allowance!

[Chiangmai Cheers]

pointofview, on 2007-12-13 01:20:53, said:

Unsuspecting visiting tourists will be surely amaized! Thing is a lot of countrys have elections but dont ban alcohol. This will be a right pain for people on their 2 week vacations - especially if they catch both ends.

Welcome to Amazing Thailand

[ThaiPauly]

gjones, on 2007-12-13 04:23:17, said:

my local serves me in a mug with the rest of the locals - so what!

Wow...how many of you can he fit in said mug

[denny59]

What is all the complaining about..
Have a coke, juice or some other drink
and enjoy yourself..

[frogz]

As in the words of the song...'Do they know it's Christmas time at all'. A lot of companies are having Christmas parties at this time of year and it seems a bit much to take away the booze. A Christmas party without booze is like Loi Krathong without the fireworks.
I believe that we're buying our booze before the ban and taking that to the Christmas party...not sure if that's illegal or not to be honest but, if we're supposed to join in the karaoke, I think a few shots will be needed, for me and for the people who have to listen to me sing!

[mobs00]

Are There any news sources to confirm this?

[jackr]

Just as well my birthday's on the 21st

[my friend I]

Martin, on 2007-12-13 01:26:48, said:

"So it's off to Tesco tomorrow evening to stock up."

They've got a marketing opportunity to sell hip flasks, too, I guess.

I was at Tesco yesterday - full of guys with trolleys full of Chang

[dantilley]

rennie45, on 2007-12-13 01:15:49, said:

So it's off to Tesco tomorrow evening to stock up...

My thoughts exactly!

[Highway311]

Asianatic, on 2007-12-13 02:19:03, said:

We are in Patong during both weekends for holiday, to have fun and we were ready to leave our Euro's in Thailand by having good times. We do NOT have to vote for these [admin edit] so I can't get it why we (tourists) have to suffer too ?
What a brilliant idea again !!! Specially during peak season.

Laws must also be followed by tourists!

[bdenner]

TTF for ThaiVisa. This is our only source of current information here in the rice paddies. Thankfully the powers that be are a bit more tollerant around here.

380 reading this thread at the moment, how many in panic mode?

[lampard10]

It's all right for you lot.............................I'm not allowed to booze for the next TWO YEARS

[zorro1]

Why ban the expats and especially why stop the tourists?

[Prakanong]

astral, on 2007-12-13 03:56:11, said:

This will certainly be good for the pre-Christmas tourist trade........

Do you think anyione will really change their plansexcept a few weekenders from the likes of Singapore and then hardly any.

I do like a bevvy while on holiday myself but I do find it hard to criticise Thailand for running elections how they see fit - maybe i value democracy more than bevvy in my old age.

Yes can understand the arguments about tourist not voting, if you really wanta drink etc etc but they have the rules for whatever reason (gunmen - PI the same I think) and as it is their sovereign country its up to them.

[peekint]

I don't really share all the outrage and brouhaha about liquor sales that most of the folks here seem to have.

It's reminiscent of the hysteria surrounding the ban of cigarette smoking in bars and restaurants in California some years back, but worse. Here, we're only talking about a few days, with a well-defined motivation. The liquor-addicted expats can always go stock up at the store and stay at home those days and get plowed in privacy, fending off the DTs in disguise.

Although I feel for the tourists who might miss a margarita at the pool or the beach for a couple of days, most of the folks I know are reasonable people who would probably just shrug; some of them might even think "that's a good idea, wonder if we should do it at home around election time?"

The fact is, the unscrupulous politicos here (that's all of them, by the way), are plenty happy to buy votes with booze. I think most objective observers might also say that the philistine availability of booze here (overly low cost, sold anywhere without license, etc.) is a major factor in many of the most severe problems in Thailand - underage drinking, low birth weight, high traffic fatalities, domestic violence, etc. So, if the gov't wants to take some baby-step action to try to limit the ill-effects of booze on society, I think it should be applauded, not boo-hooed.

I'm not a teetotaler, and I don't advocate any sort of general alcohol ban. But I don't think freedom is judged by ones ability to get completely wasted wherever and whenever one wants to. It's not freedom, it's not even common sense.

Huzzahs for the ban.

[jbowman1993]

Just observing the huge numbers reading this post, my initial thought was "alcohol comsumption plays far to large a role in most of your lives" if you are really up in arms about this.

The main reason for this law is simple. The authorities try to prevent Thai people from going to "Vote buying parties" where the organizers will woo them with booze, try to convince them to vote a certain way, and then send them off to do it. When the majority of your population is uneducated, sometimes you have to supervise them more closely, to get them to act in a responsible manner.

To those tourists whose entire trip to Thailand will be ruined because they can't have a few "bia Sing's", well, thats a pretty sad commentary on the tourists themselves, and not on the government trying to protect their citizens from making a poor choice during a very important event.

[dantilley]

Asianatic, on 2007-12-13 02:19:03, said:

We are in Patong during both weekends for holiday

I'm sure there will be plenty of places where beer's available in Patong, in fact same for any other tourist destination outside of Bangkok...