Alcohol beverages can now only be sold from 11.00 am – 2.00 pm and from 5.00 pm – 12.00 pm every day. An announcement has been made by the Prime Minister’s Office on the 2015 law regulating alcohol sales which took effect from 23rd January.
At all other times, alcohol sales are strictly forbidden with the exception of at international airport terminals and legally registered entertainment venues which have laws that strictly govern the periods they can operate daily. Director-general of the office of the Alcohol Control Committee Mr Samarn Futrakun stated the core substance of the new regulation remains the same in that the permissible duration for daily alcohol sales is capped at 10 hours. Airports however are given the same allowance as before while entertainment venues which in the past were allowed to sell alcohol from 9.00 pm – 2.00 am can only do so up to midnight.
This means that in total, night time entertainment venues can only legally sell alcohol for 5 hours every day which in total. As for the reason for the new regulation governing alcohol sales, he stated that the old law was problematic as it did not cover every aspect. The new law however takes into account every type restaurant and other venues selling alcohol.
The old law allowed for wholesale purchase of alcohol in excess of 10 litres to be made at any time of the day while any purchase under 10 litres can only be made at the specified times. The new regulation does not allow for this, what matters now are the stated hours for purchase or sale of alcohol irrespective of quantity. Violation of the law is subject six months imprisonment and/or a 10,000 Baht fine.
