Expats
Ban on sales and promotion of alcohol online starts December 7

From December 7 you’ll no longer, officially, be able to purchase alcohol online in Thailand, according to a posting in the Royal Gazette back in September, the Thai government will prohibit the sales and promotion of alcoholic drinks on every online platform from December 7.
The ban includes direct sales, promotion and introduction of alcoholic products online, but will not include electronic payments of purchases at retail stores, restaurants and bars.
Selling and buying beer, wine and spirits online has become more popular, but the Thai PM says that internet alcohol sales are harder to control than sales at local liquor stores. The announcement said that it’s difficult to check that the provisions of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act are being followed online, like no alcohol sales before 5pm or on certain holidays (although many local stores didn’t follow the rules anyway).
“The Royal Gazette had published the announcement of ‘Prohibition of the sale of alcoholic beverages via electronic sales nationwide’ on September 8 noting that alcohol has become more easily accessible online due to the popularity of social media platforms and specialist Apps.
“No person shall sell alcoholic beverages or provide services related to alcoholic beverages on electronic channels. Online payment for trading such beverages at actual stores are excluded.”
With Thai officials obsessed with the perceived evils of alcohol, Thailand already has a ban on the sale of alcohol before 11am, between 2 – 5pm, and after midnight. It’s also illegal to brew your own beer at home or to post pictures of branded alcohol online, either as a private citizen or as a company. But the government’s latest announcement, that drinkers won’t be able to purchase alcohol online that really ignited the Twittersphere and social media.
Deputy PM and the Minister of Public Health, Anutin Charnvirakul, told AP after a meeting of the alcohol control committee on November 7, that they’d agreed to draft guidelines, under the revision of the Public Health Ministry, to inform the Public regarding the Royal Gazette announcement of banning online alcohol trading.
“Violators of the new ban will be subject to up to six months in prison and/or a fine of up to 10,000 baht.”
People will still be able to use electronic methods of payment, like bank transfers, when buying alcohol at stores, restaurants or other establishments, just not purchase from online portals.
The Ministry is going to launch a publicity campaign about the new bans in the week leading up to December 7.
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Thailand
British arrivals ‘on hold’ after family confirmed with B117 Covid strain

In their latest proposal, Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health will request the CCSA to defer the entry of British visitors to the country after evidence of the faster-spreading B117 strain (aka. the “G strain”) of Covid-19 was found in 4 British travellers arriving in Thailand on December 21.
Over 30 countries have reported cases of the highly-transmissible UK variant of the novel coronavirus, raising fears of increased global spread of the virus, even as countries begin to unroll vaccination programs in the new year, including Singapore and Taiwan. Up to recently, Taiwan has had very few Covid-19 infections.
Vietnam is the latest nation to report a B117 case, which authorities detected in a woman quarantined after recent travel from the UK. Vietnam has banned nearly all international travel, but it is providing repatriation flights for citizens stranded in the UK.
Department of Disease Control announced that all passengers who were on board the same flight as the 4, or anyone who had come into contact with them, has now been located, tested and found to be clear of infection.
The 4 English patients were all from the same family travelling from Kent. The family are now confined to a hospital “and will not be released until medical officials test and clear them of Covid-19 risk”, according to the Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology at Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine.
The Centre’s Dr Yong Poovorawan says they’ve been collecting samples from Covid-19 patients for research and reported that the Covid-19 detected in the 4 British patients are of the B117 strain which is spreading quickly through the UK.
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Expats
Video of foreigner’s road rage in Pathum Thani gets mixed reaction from Thais

A video of a foreigner lashing out after a motorbike accident, yelling and hitting a Thai motorbike driver for pulling out in front of him and causing him to crash, has gotten a mixed reaction from Thais (you MUST watch it… below). The incident also caught media attention and Thairath made a post on Facebook pairing the clip from the foreigner’s helmet camera with dramatic music and editing.
The foreigner was driving on Route 3309 in Pathum Thani’s Muang district, north of Bangkok. He was filming a video on his helmet camera while he talked about the motorbike when another motorbike driver suddenly pulled out from an intersection, causing him to crash.
The foreigner fell off his motorbike and confronted the driver, yelling “Hey, what the f**k is wrong with you?!” He slapped the man’s helmet.
Some people say the Thai motorbike rider was driving irresponsibly and the incident could have been much worse if it involved a car. Some say the foreigner should’ve controlled his anger. Others say that’s just how traffic is in Thailand…get used to it.
To watch the dramatised video edited by Thairath, click HERE.
SOURCE: Thai Visa
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Visa
Government to raise 5-year Elite visa fee by 20%, as foreigners flee Covid countries

As more foreigners opt for one of Thailand’s “elite” visas, allowing stays of between 5 and 20 years, and costing anything from 500,000 baht to 2 million, the most popular version is in for a price hike. The cost of the 5-year “Easy Access” visa will go up by 20% from January, to 600,000 baht.
It’s understood there were a record number of new applications for the visa this year, as foreigners sought refuge in a country that appears to have pretty much suppressed the Covid-19 virus. Nikkei Asia reports that an additional 2,674 applicants signed up for an elite visa during the company’s 2020 financial year, which ended in September. That’s an increase of nearly 25%, with the scheme generating revenue of 1.6 billion baht.
Somchai Soongswang from Thailand Privilege Card, which sits under the umbrella of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, says applications were received both from tourists stranded in Thailand, and people overseas who wished to escape Covid-19 in their own country. To date, Thailand has recorded just over 4,000 cases of the virus, significantly lower than the numbers logged by other south-east Asian countries.
It’s understood that as of the end of September, over 11,100 people hold an elite visa, as part of 9 different packages offered by Thailand Privilege Card. Most of them are from China, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and the US. The company plans to sign up at least another 2,700 for the fiscal year 2021, and is currently working on its latest offering, which will be the 10th visa package in the scheme.
The “Flexible One” elite visa is aimed at property investors who spend at least 10 million baht. For their investment, they will be offered a 5-year visa, either for free or at a discount, in a move aimed at boosting the Kingdom’s flailing property market.
SOURCE: Thai Visa | Nikkei Asia
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Ynwaps
Sunday, November 29, 2020 at 10:57 am
Providing treatment for alcohol addicts would be better than laws that don’t do anything for part of the alcohol dependent society. And so the theatre play of governments around the world continues.
MikeD
Sunday, November 29, 2020 at 2:12 pm
Excellent idea. I applaud the PM for making this decision. I see Many High School students are buying alcohol online as a way to get around laws. Ordering online encourages people (students and others) to order larger quantities of alcohol. Contributing to bad habits. This will help curtail that activity.
Eamon Guerrini
Monday, November 30, 2020 at 4:14 pm
I find it hard to believe you actually personally have seen many high school students buying alcohol on line, it is a strange occupation looking over students shoulders while they make purchases on their phones.
In my experience I have seen many very young kids being sent to the local shop to buy alcohol for their parents, no questions ever being asked by the shop owners.
So high school students would probably never need to order alcohol on line.
It is just another silly and illogical rule the same as the no alcohol sales between 2pm and 5pm which has little effect as most small shops and off licences ignore it.
The alcohol that does most damage to the Thai people is LowCow which probably kills more people in Thailand than road accidents and probably is not available on line anyway..
John
Sunday, November 29, 2020 at 5:59 pm
Does this mean the online bars begging for drinks will stop or are they exempt
Andy
Sunday, November 29, 2020 at 10:16 pm
Amazing Thailand. Dictator controlling people in any way he can only invent. Why not to ban motorbikes? It will save thousands of lives.
Toby Andrews
Monday, November 30, 2020 at 10:37 am
I suppose buying online might dodge the tax,
I cannot understand this ban on on alcohol sales in stores at certain times of the day..
Why?
Why when alcohol is available in the bars all day?
It seems the government just delights on dreaming up new bans.
Issan John
Monday, November 30, 2020 at 11:35 am
… and it’s only on small amounts – if you want to bulk buy you still can!
Richard Thomas
Tuesday, December 1, 2020 at 9:45 am
So whilst every other government in the world is encouraging contactless shopping by promoting online sales to lessen the spread of Covid18, the Thai government is forcing people into shops and supermarkets if they want to buy alcohol. Control of the people is clearly more important than the containment of Covid19.
The Thaiger
Tuesday, December 1, 2020 at 10:33 am
I don’t think the government is “forcing” the people to drink alcohol. Not yet anyway.
Ian Fleming
Wednesday, December 9, 2020 at 4:05 pm
The online liquor stores mostly cater to adults who want to purchase specific (frequently quite expensive) wines and liquors that they cannot find in local shops…