News

Thailand’s Alcohol Control Laws: Debate Intensifies as Parliament Faces Four Drafts

Published

6 months ago

March 26, 2024

Arsi2021

Thailand's Alcohol Control Laws Debate Intensifies as Parliament Faces Four Drafts

(CTN News) — Four draft alcohol restriction measures will shortly be introduced in Parliament, but none appear to offer a compromise to satisfy everyone.

Two drafts, one presented by the Public Health Ministry’s Disease Control Department (DCD) and the other by an anti-alcohol group, call for stricter controls, ostensibly due to concerns about the health and other consequences of drinking.

Current Alcohol Control Measures in Thailand

The two other proposals, one produced by a pro-alcohol group and the other by Move Forward MP and craft-beer champion Taopiphop Limjittrakorn, aim to shatter the industry’s monopolistic conditions, which are dominated by a small number of brewing behemoths.

Along with these, the government’s eight-point recommendation will enter the debate.

Thailand has been one of the countries with strong limits on the promotion, sale, and consumption of alcohol since the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act was passed in 2008.

This Act prohibits advertising that directly or indirectly promotes an alcoholic beverage’s brand or trademark.

Displaying even a photograph of a glass of beer might result in a large fine.

“I’ve heard that one restaurant was fined close to 1 million baht once,” said Asst Prof Dr. Charoen Charoenchai, a lecturer at the Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi’s Faculty of Agricultural Technology.

Charoen, who leads the organization behind one of the proposed alcohol liberalization bills, feels authorities have tightened control to the point that there is almost no room to breathe.

“I don’t think this Alcohol Beverage Control Law is normal since it authorizes the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board to add new stipulations.”

“Normally, legal changes should come from the legislature,” the lecturer stated.

Rumors say that the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board intends to label packages with images highlighting the risks of alcohol consumption.

Charoen claimed that authorities and officials would be given inappropriate powers if the DCD’s plan became law.

For example, officials could inspect brewers and merchants selling alcohol without a search warrant.

There are concerns that this would lead to corruption and harassment by unscrupulous officials.

“After reviewing the versions submitted by the DCD and the anti-alcohol group, I can conclude that their content is extreme. “It’s as if they want to prohibit any public mention of alcohol,” Charoen stated.

The DCD draft would also increase the maximum penalty for an offending manufacturer or importer from Bt500,000 to Bt1 million, plus up to one year in jail, or both.

According to Charoen, such a rigid approach would limit many people’s freedom and ability to earn a living.

Businesses that rely on tourists, for example, were concerned about disturbing images appearing on the packaging of alcoholic beverages, he stated.

He stated that the severe regulation also affects his field of education; while teaching about the creation of alcoholic beverages, the law prevents him from openly sharing his knowledge with his students.

“I can’t talk about content that can be useful, even though as a lecturer, I should be serving the public with my academic knowledge,” he told the audience.

“Similarly, manufacturers can’t communicate about their products with consumers either.”

Supapong Puenglampu, who represents small-scale liquor manufacturers, lamented that, despite having a liquor license and satisfying all manufacturing and sanitary criteria, alcohol producers like him continue to confront several issues under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act.

“If we attempt to offer product information, our actions are interpreted as encouraging drinking. How can we promote our goods without describing what distinguishes it from competitors?”

He stated that while small and local producers must express their local identity, displaying a trademark or emblem can be difficult.

“Small manufacturers like ourselves are summoned to court.” If we cannot afford a legal battle, we will have to pay a fine at the Office of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board.”

The Charoen-led group’s proposed bill aims to allow alcoholic beverages to be sold from vending machines, in businesses near campuses, and through round-the-clock promotional activities.

The draft offered by the Move Forward MP follows the same lines.

For example, it would remove restrictions on selling alcohol during specific hours, allowing people to drink wherever they wish, including public parks and educational institutions.

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, seeing that all four drafts reflect opposite sides of the discussion, entrusted PM’s Secretary-General Prommin Lertsuridej with developing suggestions for Parliament to consider alongside the foursome.

The eight-point suggestion, already approved by the Cabinet, aims to loosen Thailand’s strict alcohol consumption restrictions.

For example, it supports the selling of alcohol in hotels or venues near schoolchildren, as well as stadiums and concert halls.

It also advises repealing the prohibition on selling alcohol through vending machines and permitting marketing and discounts.

The era Watcharapranee, director of Stop-Drink Network Thailand, stated that the eight-point recommendation would weaken the country’s alcohol laws and benefit alcohol-related companies such as pubs and bars.

“The people will pay the price if you only please investors and businesses,” he said.

“If the consumption of alcohol rises, you will see more fatal road accidents from drunk driving.”

According to the National Statistical Office, the number of alcohol drinkers in Thailand has decreased by 2% since the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act was implemented in 2008.

The percentage of overall road-accident casualties hospitalized due to drunk driving during Thailand’s infamous “7 dangerous days” around the Songkran and New Year holidays has also decreased from 40% to 26 percent.

Before it was implemented, the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act received 13 million signatures of support, including Theera’s.

According to Associate Professor, Dr. Udomsak Saengow of Walailak University, the alcohol-control law is indeed useful, but those in authority are too consumed with the idea of liberalizing the sector to realize its merits.

News

London has Canceled the Hot Air Balloon Festival for the Fifth Consecutive Year.

Published

2 months ago

July 21, 2024

Salman

(CTN News) – The hot air balloon festival that was supposed to take place in London has been postponed for the sixth year in a row due to worries regarding the absence of acceptable weather conditions. It was scheduled to take place in London.

In spite of the fact that the Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta was supposed to take place in the nation’s capital on Sunday, it was canceled for the fifth year in a row, as well as for the second time this year after it was postponed from July 7 owing to wind conditions.

This is the second time that it has been cancelled this year.

Second year in a row hot air balloons aren’t on the schedule.

The organizers are hopeful that the hot air balloon event, which was due to begin at five in the morning in Battersea Park, may now take place on the 28th of July instead.

This is because the most recent successful event, which took place in 2019, has given them reason to believe that the event would be successful. Previously, the event was scheduled to start at five in the morning, according to the preparations.

As part of the historic activities that will take place during the Lord Mayor’s Show, fifty hot air balloons will take flight across the downtown area of London. The purpose of these flights is to promote awareness and funds for the Lord Mayor’s Appeal.

There will also be a regatta that will be participating in the activities, which will also be included in them. Beginning in the year 2015, the group has been able to effectively raise more than two hundred and fifty thousand pounds.

It has been decided to hot air balloon postpone the activities that were supposed to take place in the years 2020 and 2021 as a result of the global coronavirus epidemic.

On the other hand, the editions that were scheduled to take place in the years 2022 and 2023 have been canceled as a result of the severe weather that has been occurring.

In light of the fact that wind conditions forced them to cancel the flight that was scheduled to take place on Sunday morning, the organizers have now made the announcement that they are hoping to reschedule it for the following Sunday, which is the next of the several possible days that are allocated each year.

This occurs in light of the fact that the flight was supposed to take place on Sunday morning.

Wind conditions forced them to cancel their hot air balloon flight.

In their separate social media accounts, they explained, “Unfortunately, the predicted change in wind direction for the hot air balloon flight today has not materialized, and we have made the difficult decision to cancel the flight for the safety of every member on board,” they stated.

It is our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience this may cause you. It is our sincere apologies for any inconvenience this may cause you.”

We would want to use this opportunity to express our gratitude to everyone who has reached out to us and shown their support, particularly the members of the general public who have communicated with us and attended the trip.

We are moving forward with this, and the next standby date that we are pushing forward with is the next Sunday, which is the 28th of July.

The fact that hot air balloon are going to be floating over a number of well-known locations in London this year has been brought to the attention of the organizers of the event. Some of the most well-known landmarks in London are Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, the Houses of Parliament, the Tower of London, and Tower Bridge.

It is anticipated that Lord Mayor Michael Mainelli would serve as the leader of the ceremony. He will also be the one to lead the ceremony.

SOURCE: IN

News

A Skydiving Plane in New York Crashed, Killing One Person.

Published

2 months ago

July 21, 2024

Salman

(CTN News) – On Saturday, a plane that was being used for skydiving was involved in an accident that resulted in the death of one individual. The event took place in Niagara County, New York.

The occurrence took place at some point throughout the course of the day. Saturday marked the beginning of the investigation into the tragedy that had taken place earlier than anyone had anticipated.

The authorities in New York began their investigation. It turned out that the catastrophe had occurred earlier than anyone had anticipated on their part.

According to a statement that was released by the Federal Aviation Administration, a single-engine Cessna 208B, which was a plane that was used for skydiving, crashed close to Lake Road in the vicinity of Youngstown, New York, at approximately one o’clock in the afternoon. The plane was used for jumping.

The plane served as a platform for skydiving.

In order to perform vertical jumps, the plane was deployed. According to a press statement that was given by the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday and reported by News.

the airplane that was used by the Skydive the Falls skydiving center had released all of the divers and was on its way back to land when it crashed.

The statement was issued by the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office. News was the one that distributed the news release. The announcement was made public by CNN, which served as the source.

According to Tammy L. Jones, a representative for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the pilot, who was the only person on board, was reportedly practicing parachute operations before to the accident. Jones stated that the pilot was the only person on board.

The official from the FAA was the one who offered this information here. For more specific information, the Federal Aviation Administration was the source.

However, according to Skydiving Niagara County Sheriff Michael Filicetti, who mentioned this information during a press conference on Saturday, it is still unknown how many divers were on board prior to the disaster.

This information was stated by Filicetti. It was indicated during the press conference that this information was available. Filicetti shared these particulars in his statement, which may be seen here.

It was also indicated in the notice that a brush fire had begun around the crash site later on. This information was included in the warning. Additionally, this was mentioned in the notification that was sent out.

Putting out what Filicetti describes as “a significant fire at that point,” the first squad to arrive on the site was the one responsible for putting out the fire.

The Skydiving fire was to be extinguished by them.

The statement that the sheriff released referred to the plane crash as “an unfortunate incident.” He also noted that local and federal law and Skydiving enforcement officers are collaborating in order to undertake an investigation into the sequence of events that led up to the disaster.

In addition to this, the sheriff mentioned that the investigation will be carried out in conjunction with the federal authorities.

If I am being really honest with you, I am of the opinion that this circumstance is precisely the same as any other emergency-related problem… As soon as you arrived, you decided that you wanted to make an attempt to save people’s lives.

As a result of the specific circumstances that we were dealing with, we were unable to pursue that particular course of action,” Filicetti explained further.

Following an interview with News, Peter Knudson, a spokeswoman for the National Transportation Safety Board, provided the following statement: “It is anticipated that an investigator from the agency will arrive at the crash site on Saturday.”

Knudson, who also confirmed that the investigation will continue, stated that the investigator will continue to Skydiving document the debris of the airplane, which will then be sent to a secure facility for additional examination. Knudson also confirmed that the investigation would continue.

Additionally, Knudson was quoted as saying that the probe will proceed.

According to News, the investigation will Skydiving concentrate on three primary aspects: the pilot, the aircraft, and the environment in which the aircraft is operated throughout the investigation. In this investigation, these are the key aspects that will be looked into.

SOURCE: AP

News

Malaysia’s Coast Guard has found the Oil tanker Involved in the Crash off Singapore’s Coast.

Published

2 months ago

July 21, 2024

Salman

(CTN News) – A large oil tanker that had been involved in a Coast Guard disastrous collision with another vessel two days ago off the coast of Singapore was discovered and intercepted by the coast guard of Malaysia, according to a statement that was made on Sunday.

The disaster occurred off the coast of Singapore with another vessel. There had been an accident that took place two days previously.

The disaster had occurred the day before, with the occurrence taking place off the coast of Singapore. The calamity had taken place just the day before. Two days previously, the accident had also taken place in the vicinity of Singapore’s coast.

Also affected was the neighborhood. Indeed, this was the fact. At the time of the accident, Singapore and Malaysia were both taken aback by the magnitude of the catastrophe that had taken place off the beaches of their respective countries.

According to a Coast Guard report on Saturday.

At least two members of the crew have been injured after a collision involving the tanker Ceres I, which was flying the flag of Sao Tome and Principe, caused a fire and resulted in the vessel leaving the scene of the accident.

A report on the findings of the study has been released. According to the report, the tanker had moved away from the location where the event occurred.

We received the information from the United States Coast Guard, which was the entity that provided it to us. The report states that the tanker was reported to have left the location where the event took place. This information is according to the report.

Additionally, it was believed that the ship had disabled its tracking system, as stated by the Coast Guard. Specifically, this was mentioned in the report. Within the report that was made public, this particular point was brought to the forefront.

It was reported that the Ceres I was found in the waters of Malaysia when it was being hauled by two tugboats, as indicated in a statement that was made by the Coast Guard on Sunday, proclaiming the discovery. The statement was released in order to announce the finding.

The statement provided an explanation as to how the discovery turned out. Following the discovery that was reported, the remark was made as a response to the situation.

It has been reported that the Coast Guard has taken two tugboats and the Ceres I into custody in order to undertake more investigations.

Based on Coast Guard information provided in the article.

This type of detention is being carried out in order to guarantee that the Coast Guard will be able to conduct an appropriate investigation into the sequence of events that led up to the tragedy.

The United States Coast Guard issued a statement on Sunday stating that aerial scans that were carried out by the Coast Guard discovered minute residues of an oil spill near the site of the collision between the Ceres I and the Hafnia Nile, which happened to be flying the flag of Singapore at the time of the collision.

The statement was issued in response to the fact that the Coast Guard had discovered the oil spill. The collision that occurred between the two vessels was the initial cause of the oil spill.

The announcement was made available to the general public by the Coast Guard not long after that. The statement was issued by the Coast Guard, which was the specific organization that issued the statement.

It was noted in the release that “the environment department has been informed and will conduct further monitoring,” which is the same thing that was expressed in the warning. This was done in order to convey a better level of clarity.

SOURCE: USN