Beverage committee rejects increased alcohol sales hours, forwards opposition to decision board
The Alcoholic Beverage Control Committee on Thursday chose not to agree to increasing the selling period of alcoholic beverages from 2pm to 5pm.
Committee secretary Dr Thongchai Keeratihattayakorn, who also heads the Department of Disease Control, said the move would violate a coup-era decree going back to 1972. That dictum limits the selling of alcoholic beverage in Thailand to two periods per day — 11am to 2pm, and 5pm to midnight — in a bid to ensure public order and safety.
The Thai Alcohol Beverage Business Association had petitioned to lift the ban on alcohol sales during the 2pm to 5pm period, maintaining that it would complement the government’s plan to promote tourism.
After the meeting on Thursday, Thongchai said that the committee had resolved only to submit related data to the National Alcoholic Beverage Policy Committee for it to consider lifting the ban when it meets on Monday (February 19).
Thongchai said the meeting discussed the relationship of alcohol consumption to statistics of road accidents during the 2024 New Year holidays which indicated that 25% of accidents, about 3,000 of which involved motorcycle riders, were caused by drunk driving.
He said this data, along with the impact of an extended alcohol retail sales window on the economy and public health, as well as potential scenarios of what would happen if the ban were lifted, will be submitted to the National Alcoholic Beverage Policy Committee for consideration.
