Tourist Police taking the fun out of Koh Phangan

[dbrenn]

1 hour ago, SammyT said:

I love my beer as much as the next guy, but if your decision on whether to holiday at a spot was dependent on whether you could get a beer between 2 and 5 in a restaurant, you're probably a pretty fickle tourist

Very true.

 

Cheaper flights have led to more and more of our vile lager louts coming to Thailand in recent years, giving all of us a bad reputation. It's good if closing pubs for just three hours discourages them and they go somewhere else.

[sanemax]

13 hours ago, poohy said:

BUT hes speaking about tourist bars and restaurants in tourist areas  on a tourist island

To totally confound everything

My town army controlled the beer shop / bar on promenade when 90% of folk drink has a big sign about tomorrow (dry day) beer for sale "take away only" so its being sold with blessing as long as drink elsewhere 

Tourist bars and restaurants have to comply with Thai law , as do islands .

Do you think that Thai islands and tourists shouldnt have to abide by Thai law ? 

Alcohol restrictions should just be for Thais ?

   I live in CM and we went through the same situation a few years ago , they began by enforcing the 2 AM bar closures , that then moved to midnight .

   The 24 hour mom&pop shops selling alcohol were also forced to comply , as were hotels selling alcohol after hours .  

[LivinLOS]

23 hours ago, Taco said:

For the first time the police are saying  no alcohol sales before 11am and from 2pm to 5pm in restaurants, bars and resorts.  For those that remember when the alcohol hour rule was put into effect it was to curb young Thais from buying alcohol after they got out of school.  This rule is for retail outlets and was not applicable to tourism related restaurants, bars and resorts.  Right?

Applies to bars too.. just unenforced.. 

 

They did the same in Chiang Mai for ages.. 

[LivinLOS]

3 hours ago, baansgr said:

Contrary to the OP stating it was to do with schools,  the excise department introduced these hours on the recommendation from the health authority.

I remember it coming in during the Purachai social order campaign period.. For sure it was stated its reasoning was to prevent youth buying alcohol from schools.. Part of why it had a morning and afternoon timing. 

 

Of course selling alcohol to minors was illegal before that, so whats another law going to do. 

[Tropicalevo]

"was not applicable to tourism related restaurants, bars and resorts.  Right?" Wrong!

 

Sorry OP but the law is the law. Maybe you should have checked it out before you set up your business.

 

Alcohol drinking/buying times are 11.00 to 14.00 and 17.00 to 24.00. That is the law. The fact that you have been breaking the law up to now is just your good luck. Please do not complain when you get caught.

 

Smoking inside public areas is against the law. Smoking in outside bars, restaurants, beaches etc is also against the law.

 

Vaping (or smoking e cigarettes) is against the law.

 

The cashier's job in a bar/restaurant is a 'for Thais only' job. Even if you have a work permit you still cannot do it. There are many other jobs that foreigners cannot do. The law is the law. I suggest that you should learn the laws of the country where you live.

[Kieran00001]

Good god what a load of entitled tosh.  You are actually trying to tell people that Thai law should not apply to you because you are not Thai, unbelievable.  As for you not seeing Chinese people employing Thai's, etc, I suggest you actually get out of your tiny Ko Phangan bubble for a while and then you might just notice that actually Chinese immigrants are one of the largest employer groups in the country, they own the largest businesses in Thailand <deleted>.

[spidermike007]

The goons in charge are focusing their efforts in all the wrong areas. They are trying to make Thailand a Quaker State. A land of purity. Total BS. Nonsense. Misplaced priorities, and wasted efforts. They should be focusing their efforts on traffic and public safety, easing import tariffs, making visa policy simpler, and more friendly, boosting Western tourism, real crackdowns on slavery, and illegal fishing instead of nonsensical hyperbole, cleaning up the water, the air, the rivers, and the beaches, and other things that actually improve lives.

 

Little P. Not making Thailand great again. And moving the nation backwards at an astonishing and alarming pace.  

[sanemax]

On 2/18/2019 at 1:00 PM, Taco said:

For those that remember when the alcohol hour rule was put into effect it was to curb young Thais from buying alcohol after they got out of school.  This rule is for retail outlets and was not applicable to tourism related restaurants, bars and resorts.  Right? 

I dont think so , I seem to recall that initially they tried to close down all establishments selling alcohol within 500 meters of an educational building or a Wat , that law wasnt put in place .

  The alcohol selling restrictions were always the law , its just now they enforce them  

[Anythingleft?]

The goons in charge are focusing their efforts in all the wrong areas. They are trying to make Thailand a Quaker State. A land of purity. Total BS. Nonsense. Misplaced priorities, and wasted efforts. They should be focusing their efforts on traffic and public safety, easing import tariffs, making visa policy simpler, and more friendly, boosting Western tourism, real crackdowns on slavery, and illegal fishing instead of nonsensical hyperbole, cleaning up the water, the air, the rivers, and the beaches, and other things that actually improve lives.

 

Little P. Not making Thailand great again. And moving the nation backwards at an astonishing and alarming pace.  

Only the first sentence, they are applying their efforts where the greatest rewards and control are to be found IMO

And doing a pretty good job of it in a few areas recently........

Sent from my SM-N950F using Tapatalk

[KneeDeep]

2 hours ago, Neeranam said:

Yeah, maybe a bit more with the boats coming from Samui.

I'd love to go back, by probably a bit depressingng seeing the change.

 

Yep.

Back then, far more chances to meet and make friends with the locals, even as a short term tourist. I still know the Thai people I met on the way to the party nearly twenty seven years ago.

 

Those were the days when locals would stop and give you a lift, if you were making your way from place to place on the island.

 

Can't imagine that happens often now. So I don't think that you'd be impressed with the changes.

 

 

 

[Sticky Wicket]

25 minutes ago, sanemax said:

I dont think so , I seem to recall that initially they tried to close down all establishments selling alcohol within 500 meters of an educational building or a Wat , that law wasnt put in place .

  The alcohol selling restrictions were always the law , its just now they enforce them  

Utter tripe, they only enforce them when there is an ulterior motive.

In 20 years I've NEVER been in a bar/restaurant  where this is has happened, all over Thailand (approx 5,000 afternoons of drinks with lunch/friends etc)

NEWSFLASH - People like a few drinks in the afternoon whilst on holiday.

NEWSFLASH - After lunch tourists fancy an extra drink or two,  relaxing in the sun

NEWSFLASH - A lot of expats enjoy a drink in the afternoon.

[Sticky Wicket]

What's all this 'it's the law, you should know before you move'. You must adhere to the law.

Nobody does

The law is an ass, especially here. 

It has absolutely no relevance to daily life and is mainly used as an opening gambit re bribes etc

[Neeranam]

2 hours ago, rott said:

Same for Scotland who additionally used to close at ten. And all day Sunday.

Never closed at 10 in my drinking career.

[Neeranam]

10 minutes ago, Sticky Wicket said:

Utter tripe, they only enforce them when there is an ulterior motive.

In 20 years I've NEVER been in a bar/restaurant  where this is has happened, all over Thailand (approx 5,000 afternoons of drinks with lunch/friends etc)

NEWSFLASH - People like a few drinks in the afternoon whilst on holiday.

NEWSFLASH - After lunch tourists fancy an extra drink or two,  relaxing in the sun

NEWSFLASH - A lot of expats enjoy a drink in the afternoon.

NEWS FLASH - a lot of expats are alcoholics ????

[khunPer]

On 2/18/2019 at 7:00 AM, Taco said:

For the first time the police are saying  no alcohol sales before 11am and from 2pm to 5pm in restaurants, bars and resorts.

That is the what the Law says, be happy that they don't also say »and no alcohol sale after Midnight«, because that's also the Law...

 

You also need to follow "no alcohol" when elections, even foreigners and tourists cannot vote, and no alcohol today, because it's Buddha Day, even many foreigners might not be Buddhists...????

[sanemax]

27 minutes ago, Sticky Wicket said:

What's all this 'it's the law, you should know before you move'. You must adhere to the law.

Nobody does

The law is an ass, especially here. 

It has absolutely no relevance to daily life and is mainly used as an opening gambit re bribes etc

Things have changed in Thailand over the last few years .

Laws are now being enforced .

"Bribes" were previously routinely paid for businesses to ignore the laws .

Those days are gone , no more bribes and no more flouting the law 

[sanemax]

34 minutes ago, Sticky Wicket said:

Utter tripe, they only enforce them when there is an ulterior motive.

In 20 years I've NEVER been in a bar/restaurant  where this is has happened, all over Thailand (approx 5,000 afternoons of drinks with lunch/friends etc)

NEWSFLASH - People like a few drinks in the afternoon whilst on holiday.

NEWSFLASH - After lunch tourists fancy an extra drink or two,  relaxing in the sun

NEWSFLASH - A lot of expats enjoy a drink in the afternoon.

OK, so what is the "ulterior motive" ?

Yes, previously the law wasnt enforced , these days the law is enforced .

 

[Sticky Wicket]

3 minutes ago, sanemax said:

Things have changed in Thailand over the last few years .

Laws are now being enforced .

"Bribes" were previously routinely paid for businesses to ignore the laws .

Those days are gone , no more bribes and no more flouting the law 

Where??? 

Bars all over Thailand still serving all day, traffic violations by the gazillions everyday. Drugs galore pouring in and used all over the country. Hundreds of thousands of illegal firearms. 

Police see a lot of this and never do anything.

Prey tell me a bar that closes from 2pm to 5pm . You can even buy booze in Family Mart at those times and all the little shops never ever say no, even on Big Buddha days

[Sticky Wicket]

1 minute ago, sanemax said:

OK, so what is the "ulterior motive" ?

Yes, previously the law wasnt enforced , these days the law is enforced .

 

You must live in a parallel Thailand to me

[Vacuum]

14 minutes ago, Sticky Wicket said:

You must live in a parallel Thailand to me

lol. Your location says Melbourne.

[Kieran00001]

1 hour ago, Sticky Wicket said:

What's all this 'it's the law, you should know before you move'. You must adhere to the law.

Nobody does

The law is an ass, especially here. 

It has absolutely no relevance to daily life and is mainly used as an opening gambit re bribes etc

 

If it were true that "nobody" adhered to the law in Thailand then there would not be this thread moaning about the law being adhered to.

[keysersoze276]

On 2/18/2019 at 5:00 PM, dbrenn said:

Spoken as if you've never had to put up with drunken Scottish, Welsh and Irish. England makes up the large majority of Britain anyway, and the point I'm making stands: afternoon pub closing is nothing new.

The point you are making is irrelevant and doesn't stand at all.

[dbrenn]

23 minutes ago, keysersoze276 said:

The point you are making is irrelevant and doesn't stand at all.

So you're saying that afternoon pub closing is a Thai thing, and has no precedent. That's absurd. 

 

It's good if the lager louts and vile drunken rubbish like them are discouraged by afternoon closing and go elsewhere. Thailand is making the point that it doesn't need or want them. It's no surprise either, looking at the disgraceful way many of these yobs behave, dragging us all down as they show total disrespect. 

[keysersoze276]

The OP is right.  In the past recent years (or present), most 4-5 star hotels and restaurants haven't had this law enforced at all, not even in Bangkok and especially not on any tourist islands.  Forget the idea of this happening in the rural areas anywhere in the country.  Two years ago my gf and I were celebrating something special and I ordered us each a glass of wine and the waitress said we couldn't because it was Big Buddah day.  No worries, we hadn't yet ordered food and excused ourselves and walked 500 meters to the next hotel and had an AMAZING international dinner buffet and free flow wine.  It was a great time! 

I don't understand the benefit of telling a tourist with no wristwatch that he can't have a margarita next to the pool in a resort on an island he is staying at, or at a neighboring shack on the beach.  I do understand it's the law.  I understand it, among many others, was not enforced.  I understand why they were not enforced.  I don't understand why they are suddenly enforced now.  What is the point if no one is getting rowdy or being hooligans?  "Keep your wallet in your pocket, sir."  But mostly I don't understand why others are applauding this country imaging the police state they came from.  What's next?  Just IMHO

[keysersoze276]

42 minutes ago, dbrenn said:

So you're saying that afternoon pub closing is a Thai thing, and has no precedent. That's absurd. 

 

It's good if the lager louts and vile drunken rubbish like them go elsewhere. Thailand is making the  point that it doesn't need or want them.

No, sir.  I am saying that you said they did this in England, so it isn't a new thing, which is irrelevant.  They still stone women accused of infidelity in India and some Middlle Eastern countries.  I don't think that means it is a good idea to do here.  And after begging and scheming for more tourists since the boat mishap in July, I would imagine they wouldn't make a point of they don't need or want tourists of any kind.  Even if they are drunken Irishmen and Brits or whoever you are talking about.

 

[Bundooman]

On ‎2‎/‎18‎/‎2019 at 5:25 PM, Neeranam said:

I was joking ????

 

I've had to pity up with many drunken Scots, especially ones that drink that wine from Buckfast Abbey in England!

 

I remember being apprehended in London for drinking a can of beer in Trafalgar Square, what medieval law!

Ahh.... Buckfast Abbey wine - wonderful stuff! Never seen a Jock drinking it though.....

[Neeranam]

1 hour ago, Bundooman said:

Ahh.... Buckfast Abbey wine - wonderful stuff! Never seen a Jock drinking it though.....

Have you ever been to Scotland?

The monks were inched there to see the carnage it was causing.

 

 

[Kieran00001]

3 hours ago, keysersoze276 said:

The OP is right.  In the past recent years (or present), most 4-5 star hotels and restaurants haven't had this law enforced at all, not even in Bangkok and especially not on any tourist islands.  Forget the idea of this happening in the rural areas anywhere in the country.  Two years ago my gf and I were celebrating something special and I ordered us each a glass of wine and the waitress said we couldn't because it was Big Buddah day.  No worries, we hadn't yet ordered food and excused ourselves and walked 500 meters to the next hotel and had an AMAZING international dinner buffet and free flow wine.  It was a great time! 

I don't understand the benefit of telling a tourist with no wristwatch that he can't have a margarita next to the pool in a resort on an island he is staying at, or at a neighboring shack on the beach.  I do understand it's the law.  I understand it, among many others, was not enforced.  I understand why they were not enforced.  I don't understand why they are suddenly enforced now.  What is the point if no one is getting rowdy or being hooligans?  "Keep your wallet in your pocket, sir."  But mostly I don't understand why others are applauding this country imaging the police state they came from.  What's next?  Just IMHO

 

"What's next?  Just IMHO"

 

You are worried which of Thailand's laws may be enforced next?

[Kieran00001]

6 hours ago, keysersoze276 said:

No, sir.  I am saying that you said they did this in England, so it isn't a new thing, which is irrelevant.  They still stone women accused of infidelity in India and some Middlle Eastern countries.  I don't think that means it is a good idea to do here.  And after begging and scheming for more tourists since the boat mishap in July, I would imagine they wouldn't make a point of they don't need or want tourists of any kind.  Even if they are drunken Irishmen and Brits or whoever you are talking about.

 

 

Thailand having days where alcohol is forbidden to be sold is not going to put anyone off booking a holiday nor keep them from returning, the only people complaining are expats who spend their days looking for things to complain about.

[myshem]

weed is still cheap and no problem with cops there, so why complaining ?! 5555++