Quote:Thailand approves law to ban alcohol ads

By AMBIKA AHUJA

BANGKOK, Thailand

Thailand's Cabinet on Tuesday approved in principle a bill to control alcohol consumption and ban alcohol advertisements, an official said.

The draft law would prohibit the sale of alcohol near temples, schools and student dormitories, and also ban alcohol consumption in government premises and hospitals.

"For businesses that sell alcohol near these places now, we will likely give them time to adjust," said Health Minister Mongkol Na Songkla.

"This law is aimed at discouraging young people from consuming alcohol senselessly," Mongkol said.

The proposal will be forwarded to the legislature for deliberation.

The legislature, like the government, is an interim body appointed by the military after a coup d'etat last September.

The advertising ban would apply only to domestic media and would not cover advertisements run during live international broadcasts, he said.

Mongkol said authorities would likely allow a grace period for media outlets that have existing contracts with companies for alcohol ads. Currently, alcohol commercials are allowed on television after 10 p.m..

The restrictions on advertising also cover any object used for advertising purposes, such as umbrellas and coasters, that display the logos of alcoholic products.

"This includes open-air beer gardens. They can sell beer but without displaying the brand logos," said Mongkol, adding that the ban will not apply to pubs and closed areas that serve alcohol.

Anti-alcohol groups have been actively campaigning against drinking in recent years, arguing that avoiding intoxicants is one of the key precepts of Buddhism, the faith of most Thais.

The groups last year successfully opposed the listing of Thai Beverage, a beer company, on the Stock Exchange of Thailand, protesting that the listing would ultimately encourage drinking.

Statistics show increased consumption of alcohol among Thais in recent years. The average consumption rate was 58 liters per person per year in 2003, nearly triple the rate in 1998, according to the Thai Health Promotion Foundation, a government-subsidized organization.

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Quote:This law is aimed at discouraging young people from consuming alcohol senselessly

To achieve this, an education program about the effects of excessive alcohol consumption would probably be more beneficial

Quote:The average consumption rate was 58 liters per person per year in 2003, nearly triple the rate in 1998

That's around 77 bottles of beer per person per year (1.5 bottles per week)

It looks like they are carrying out their promise made back in October of 2006.

http://talk-thailand.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1002

'Prosecute parents who let children drink'

Parents who give alcohol to children under the age of 15 - even with a meal at home - should face prosecution, a charity says today.

Youth binge drinking is on the rise

Alcohol Concern makes the call as it publishes research revealing that girls aged 11 to 13 are drinking 83 per cent more alcohol than six years ago.

A charity spokesman said: "It is legal to provide children as young as five with alcohol in a private home. Raising the age limit to 15 would send a stronger message to parents of the risks associated with letting very young people consume alcohol." It is illegal to buy a drink in a pub under 18, but a 16- or 17-year-old can drink wine or beer if having a meal with parents.

Although the number of children who drink alcohol has declined slightly, the amount they have consumed has soared, according to the report, which was collated by an independent health body funded by the Government. In 2000, girls aged 11-15 who had drunk alcohol the previous week admitted consuming just under five units. By 2006 this had risen to just over eight units - equivalent to eight small glasses of wine, four pints of lager, nine pub measures of spirits or four pints of cider. Boys of the same age were drinking six units a week - this is now 12 units.

The Glass Half Empty report says the Government's Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy, published three years ago, was failing children.

Alcohol Concern says there are strong links between drunkeness and teenage pregnancy - England has the worst record for teenage pregnancies in Europe. Srabani Sen, chief executive of Alcohol Concern, said: "Binge drinking by children can have serious consequences for brain function, significantly raises the risk of alcohol dependency in later life and diminishes life chances. We are not doing enough to protect our children."

Reuters