NEWS
THAILAND STARTS BANNING ONLINE ALCOHOL SALE & ADVERTISING FROM TODAY
By Siulan Law Mathews DipWSET
7-12-2020
Credit: Evan Krause/Unsplash
Thailand starts banning online sale and advertising of alcohol from today, despite objections from online retailers.
Thai authorities decided on the ban in September, citing that online sales has led to the problem of underage drinking.
In a press conference held last Friday, Thai police reminded the public that the ban will become effective in three days.
“From Monday 7 December, the sale and advertisement of alcoholic beverages online will be prohibited,” deputy police spokesman Pol Colonel Siriwat Deephor said.
“Direct selling, persuading consumers, introducing products or other related services via digital channels that enable sellers to complete a sale without meeting the buyer face to face will be banned.”
The ban, however, does not include paying for alcoholic beverages via electronic methods at stores, restaurants or establishments that serve alcohol in Thailand.
“Violators face up to six months in prison and or Bt10,000 (USD330) in fines,” Siriwat added.
Dr Niphon Chinanonwet, director of the Department of Disease Control’s Alcohol Control Committee, said these controls are necessary because it is difficult to check if online sale of alcohol is in compliance with legal limits, such as age, in line with the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act.
“This law is not a ploy to cut off sales channels for small businesses as some say,” he added.
When the ban was first announced in September, industry groups including Thai Alcohol Beverage Business Association had voiced objections to it.
They said majority of online alcohol retailers have already enforced ID and age checks when selling their products, and that many underage drinkers purchase their alcohol from sources other than online shops.
As a Buddhist country, Thailand adopts strict rules on alcohol sales and consumption. The legal age of drinking is 20, and alcohol is already prohibited from being sold in areas such as schools and parks and that liquor stores having limited hours to operate.
The country banned alcohol sales at shops for three weeks in April as part of social distancing measures.
(the writer can be contacted at: info@thewinechronicle.com)
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