News Forum - Late night drinking hopes dashed by Alcohol Control Committee

[Thaiger]

The dream of boozing late into the night is dead, at least for now. The Thai Alcohol Control Committee ruled against the proposal to extend the legal hours for alcohol sales until 4am. The ruling was made after a widespread push gained momentum and support from politicians and business operators, especially in tourist areas. The committee met yesterday with the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Health Dr Opas Karnkawinpong to discuss the proposal to allow alcohol sellers to go until 4am from 5pm each day. The committee opposed the plan, saying that the 11-hour span was essentially too […]

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[Ramanathan.P]

Better restrict it to 2.00am. At least those who are drunk have time to crawl to their residence before sunrise....

[Soidog]

56 minutes ago, Ramanathan.P said:

Better restrict it to 2.00am. At least those who are drunk have time to crawl to their residence before sunrise....

Or drive! The majority of Thais don’t think twice about drunk driving. 

[ChrisS]

Pretty sure all except the really hardened boozers can get enough alcohol down them by 2am. Apart from maybe disco/club venues  from what I have seen over the years by 2am there are less drinkers about anyway just more sad old geezers desperately looking for cheap sex.

[Soidog]

Those that want to drink after 2am will have no problem whatsoever finding a place. Even in the more sleepy towns across the country there are places that stay open until 4am, 5am or even later. This is more about big business owners wanting a bigger slice of the pie. 

[Marc26]

6 hours ago, ChrisS said:

Pretty sure all except the really hardened boozers can get enough alcohol down them by 2am. Apart from maybe disco/club venues  from what I have seen over the years by 2am there are less drinkers about anyway just more sad old geezers desperately looking for cheap sex.

You and I have been to a much different Thailand all these years then!

 

PS.....Most of the late night after hours are young people that have no desire for p4p

[HolyCowCm]

Let Thailand be a 24 hour country again in the watering hole places. Used to be like that fir foreigners and Thai alike. I remember being in Bangkok and Geri g back to my hotel at 6 or 7 for a beer and buffet before sleep just to get up and do it again. I can easily drink until 4 or 6 am if not not obligated having to do something. For me big deal, let them open up in watering hole areas that don’t disturb anyone. 

[Marc26]

7 hours ago, HolyCowCm said:

Let Thailand be a 24 hour country again in the watering hole places. Used to be like that fir foreigners and Thai alike. I remember being in Bangkok and Geri g back to my hotel at 6 or 7 for a beer and buffet before sleep just to get up and do it again. I can easily drink until 4 or 6 am if not not obligated having to do something. For me big deal, let them open up in watering hole areas that don’t disturb anyone. 

There was a famous outdoor club right outside of Patong 

Called Safari

 

You would go out to Bangla until 12am

Then to Tai Pan or this other small club

 

Then around 2:30am you'd head to Safari

 

If you went there at 2:15am there would be no one there

Then by 2:30-2:45 a thousand easy

 

It would go to 6-7am and then if you were really on it, people would go into this small bar in the back until 8-9am

[thaicm]

Is this the same committee that can't provide any sensible logic for it but insists the 2-5pm ban on alcohol sales in store is a good idea, or the same committee that believes the way to keep young people from drinking too much alcohol is to ban them from drinking non-alcohol beer?  Martha, we must be in Thailand...

[samiam123]

The problem with allowing late night drinking is the noise problem.  A 2am closing is more tolerable for people living near noisy bars.  

Edited November 27, 2022 by samiam123

[HolyCowCm]

3 hours ago, Marc26 said:

There was a famous outdoor club right outside of Patong 

Called Safari

You would go out to Bangla until 12am

Then to Tai Pan or this other small club

Then around 2:30am you'd head to Safari

If you went there at 2:15am there would be no one there

Then by 2:30-2:45 a thousand easy

It would go to 6-7am and then if you were really on it, people would go into this small bar in the back until 8-9am

Still in CM all the clubs going late night are Thai. Even Patpong decades ago had a disco I think on a corner (long time ago) that went to early morning and was basically filled all with Thai. I used to go to some late night clubs in BKK and they ended very very late and then if bored you could find a multitude of places that went to 4-5-6am no problem. Those were really super fun days. I really do not see the harm in it and this is what shaped Bangkok and parts of Thailand as the hub of ultimate 24hr fun. Can't recall how many times i stumbled back to or took a fun super drunk tuk tuk ride back in the almost daylight to my hotel or apartment back in the day. Soo much fun, and the stories are off the hook in any generation

[Marc26]

9 hours ago, HolyCowCm said:

Still in CM all the clubs going late night are Thai. Even Patpong decades ago had a disco I think on a corner (long time ago) that went to early morning and was basically filled all with Thai. I used to go to some late night clubs in BKK and they ended very very late and then if bored you could find a multitude of places that went to 4-5-6am no problem. Those were really super fun days. I really do not see the harm in it and this is what shaped Bangkok and parts of Thailand as the hub of ultimate 24hr fun. Can't recall how many times i stumbled back to or took a fun super drunk tuk tuk ride back in the almost daylight to my hotel or apartment back in the day. Soo much fun, and the stories are off the hook in any generation

In CM in June I saw the coolest thing 

 

Zoe in Yellow closed and all the young people, probably 200-300, all walked down the street together to the moat where there was a few after hour places going 

[HolyCowCm]

1 minute ago, Marc26 said:

In CM in June I saw the coolest thing 

Zoe in Yellow closed and all the young people, probably 200-300, all walked down the street together to the moat where there was a few after hour places going 

Sounds like a sight to see. And good for the local economy. Win win. 

[Guest1]

On 11/26/2022 at 4:12 PM, Soidog said:

Or drive! The majority of Thais don’t think twice about drunk driving. 

There was a saying, once: Almost everyone driving in LOS, after 1am and before 5am is DUI

[Marc26]

On 11/26/2022 at 1:12 AM, Soidog said:

Or drive! The majority of Thais don’t think twice about drunk driving. 

I think a lot of that has to do with motorbikes

 

People, tourists and expats included, don't think it's as bad to drive drunk on MB's

 

Just as an aside

Ever since the 1st time I went there, we always have a designated driver when we go out when we stay in the village

The bigger town with bars/discos is 20mins away and someone is always the DD

 

Now I think that has more to do with knowing there are checkpoints on the way back than actually the morality of it 

[Soidog]

1 hour ago, Marc26 said:

I think a lot of that has to do with motorbikes

People, tourists and expats included, don't think it's as bad to drive drunk on MB's

Just as an aside

Ever since the 1st time I went there, we always have a designated driver when we go out when we stay in the village

The bigger town with bars/discos is 20mins away and someone is always the DD

Now I think that has more to do with knowing there are checkpoints on the way back than actually the morality of it 

It’s not just MB’s Marc. You look at any Thai bar/restaurant and the car park is full of cars. They just drink whatever they want and then drive. They simply do not give a shit. They have line app groups informing each other of where the checkpoints are. I would estimate that at the weekend 25% of drivers on the road between 11pm and 3am are totally pissed

[Grumpish]

I don't see any problem with late night drinking to 4am (or later if you have the stamina), although noise issues need to be considered.

Drunk driving is not going to go away in Thailand, though. It needs to have licences are enforced, insurance to be made compulsory (in the UK, for example, a minimum six month ban is automatic, and insurance premiums skyrocket once you have even one drug\drunk driving conviction) and for there to be stiff penalties, including possible jail time, if you get convicted more than once. The probability of that happening? Pretty much zero.   

[JMJM]

Quote

Opas shared figures with the committee that the extra few hours at the night’s end could cause 10 to 20 more deaths related to alcohol each day

That's just ridiculous.  Why people are given credence when they spout such obvious lies is a mystery to me.  The man should be ridiculed into obscurity for having the nerve to say something so obviously untrue.

[Soidog]

2 hours ago, JMJM said:

The man should be ridiculed into obscurity for having the nerve to say something so obviously untrue.

I totally agree. However if this was applied every government official then there would be no one left. I love the idea of being ridiculed in to obscurity though.. A great phrase  

[Pinga]

It would make no difference whatsoever to traffic accidents - Thais who drive drunk will drive drunk anyway at 2am or 4am, and tourists usually don't drive. Yes- a small number of tourists think it's a good idea to rent bikes and drive drunk - sometimes without proper license or insurance - but the proper way to deal with this is more police enforcement, not limiting drinking hours which achieves nothing except line the pockets of more officials with brown envelopes from venues that pay to stay open late.

As far as noise complaints go - zero sympathy - if you choose to live next to a bar then you don't get to complain about noise - just move.

[HiuMak]

Alcohol sales restrictions just don't make sense. Ban it like drugs if authorities are concerned.