07 April 2009

Cheers! Thailand backs down on alcohol ban

BANGKOK - Plans to ban the sale of alcohol during next month's Songkran festival have been scrapped.

Thai authorities fear a ban will harm the already damaged tourism industry.

The National Committee for Alcohol Consumption Control said there would be no alcohol ban during the traditional New Year from April 13 to 15.

Instead it had opted to launch an intensive campaign against drink driving.

In TravelMole last week, Andrew J Wood, president -Skal International Bangkok, urged the Thai government to address the real reasons for holiday road carnage.

He said, "Since the overwhelming percentage of people who die on the roads during this period are Thai teenagers driving motorcycles and overloaded pick up trucks racing along the highways while drunk, a reasonable question to ask may be, "How can banning alcohol sales to foreign tourists in hotels help to reduce the number of dead Thai teenagers all over Thailand?"

More than 30,000 people are killed or injured on Thailand’s roads during the annual Songkran festivities.


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