Alcohol

  • Bangkok News

    Bangkok governor says no to extending alcohol sales to 11pm

    Bangkok governor Aswin Kwanmuang is refusing to budge on the law that bans restaurant alcohol sales after 9pm, at least for now. He was responding to a call from Thanakorn Kuptajit of the Thai Alcohol Beverage Business Association, who has called for sales to be extended to 11pm. According to a Bangkok Post report, Thanakorn believes allowing eateries to sell…

  • Tourism News

    Bangkok officials consider allowing alcohol sales at restaurants

    The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration is considering allowing alcohol sales at restaurants starting Monday as the capital reopens to international arrivals. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced during a CCSA press briefing this afternoon that the BMA was meeting with relevant authorities to decide whether to lift the alcohol ban. Bangkok is also being reclassified on the Thai…

  • Bangkok News

    Private sector expresses fear over Covid surge if alcohol ban lifted in Bangkok

    Some members of the private sector have expressed concern about a spike in Bangkok’s infections if the alcohol ban is lifted from December, as planned. According to a Bangkok Post report, the TAT is expecting 300,000 visitors to Bangkok during the last 2 months of the year. This has prompted some to voice concern about the Covid-19 risks, particularly if…

  • Bangkok News

    Police bust Bangkok pub serving alcohol, 61 arrested

    After receiving complaints that alcohol was being illegally served in violation of Covid-19 restrictions, Thong Lo Police raided a pub serving alcohol illegally on Soi Sukhumvit 23 in the Wattana district of Bangkok. The raid that took place last night led to the arrest of 61 guests found drinking alcohol without social distancing. 35 women and 26 males were taken…

  • Phuket News

    Thailand’s bars and beach parties remain strictly closed (cough)

    Will some of Thailand’s most popular hotspots ever come back to life? It appears that the bars and beach parties will never restart as these photos reveal darkened streets and deserted beaches. Last week’s Full Moon Party was curtailed after initially getting the go-ahead from Koh Pha Ngan police. It eventually went ahead but in a vastly reduced ‘covid-era’ form…

  • Tourism News

    Tourism Minister proposes reopening entertainment venues November 1

    PM Prayut Chan-o-cha may be opening up Thailand to international travellers, but Minister of Tourism and Sports Pipat Ratchakitprakan is aiming to open up entertainment venues to those international travellers. The Tourism Minister plans on officially proposing that entertainment venues, bars, nightclubs, karaoke lounges, pubs and other nightlife venues be reopening in the Blue Zones, the new term for the…

  • Crime News

    Customers at Isaan restaurant face 2 months in jail for drinking alcohol

    Customers drinking alcohol at a restaurant in the Isaan province Nakhon Ratchasima reportedly face two-month prison sentences and a 12,500 baht fine. The Bangkok Post reported that Thai police raided the restaurant on Wednesday night and arrested 39 people including customers and staff. Police say the bar was open past the hours set by emergency orders and was serving alcohol.…

  • Phuket News

    Phuket bar owner arrested for allegedly serving booze after 10pm

    The owner of a bar in Phuket was arrested for allegedly selling alcohol after 10pm, a violation of the provincial order limiting alcohol sales in an effort to prevent the spread of Covid-19 through socialising. Phuket News reports that the 29 year old who ran the bar was arrested after midnight yesterday at the City Bar on the outskirts of…

  • Phuket News

    Phuket restaurants can serve alcohol starting October 1

    In a decision that should drastically help the Phuket Sandbox and stimulate the economy, the CCSA gave initial approval to an order to allow selling and consuming alcohol in restaurants starting October 1. Thailand has had a national ban on alcohol consumption in groups and in businesses for months, with a recent crackdown on violators, but the rule would only…

  • Visa Information

    Cuts to import duty on alcohol, cigars, part of plan to entice wealthy foreigners

    A reduction in import duty on cigars and alcohol looks to be in the works, as part of a government strategy to attract wealthy foreign residents and skilled professionals. According to a Bangkok Post report, the Customs Department is expected to slash duty by 50% for a 5 year period. The proposal is in line with the government’s plan to…

  • Thailand News

    Advertisements and messages that could cause harm or danger to Thais to fall under greater gov scrutiny

    The Thai Cabinet Committee has decided to take a firmer stance on advertisements that they say could instigate social harms and messages that reference the monarchy. They plan to issue laws and regulations to control such harmful advertisements. Deputy government spokesperson Traisulee Traisoranakul says the committee has approved the draft ministerial regulations toward advertisements or services that might cause danger…

  • Thailand News

    Major survey shows what venues people want open, bars absent from list

    A major survey by the Thai Department of Public Health has uncovered what places many people in Thailand want to see have their restrictions eased or to open, the most. The survey was conducted over the past month in 29 dark red zones. It was not stated how many people were polled, but the respondents are said to represent a…

  • Thailand video news

    Thailand News Today | Restrictions ease, interprovincial travel resumes | September 1

    A head of a regional prosecutor’s office claims the now-ousted Nakhon Sawan district police superintendent intended to kill the drug suspect. Restrictions start easing in dark red zones from today, that includes Bangkok of course. Today’s easing of restrictions also heralds the re-start of interprovincial travel – both buses and flights. A coffee shop employee has sustained serious injuries after…

  • Phuket News

    Phuket bans alcohol sales at restaurants, issues order amid rise of Covid cases

    The ban on alcohol sales and consumption at restaurants has been reimposed in Phuket and will be in place until at least August 16. Certain “social activities,” like parties at public places, are also now prohibited for the next two weeks. The order, Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew yesterday, could be extended longer if the Covid-19 situation does not improve. Phuket…

  • Pattaya News

    More Pattaya people arrested drinking alcohol, violating Covid measures

    There’s no glitch in the Matrix, it’s just regular Déjà vu as 12 people were arrested last night at an underground room as part of a Pattaya bar raid. The 12 suspects were allegedly drinking alcohol, which Pattaya police remind people is a violation of the current emergency decree. The police also say that the dozen suspects were also violating…

  • Thailand News

    6 people arrested after police raid sex party at Bangkok hotel

    Police raided an apparent sex party at a Bangkok hotel and arrested 6 people. The group was holding a birthday party at a luxury private pool suite at the hotel in the Ram Inthra district. They had apparently stocked up on liquor… and condoms. Officers seized 5 bottles of liquor, 9 bottles of beer, 6 bottles of soda, 2 opened…

  • Thailand News

    Phuket adds and “clarifies” many restrictions, “no” booze

    Phuket officials announced yesterday that they’re going to kick restrictions up a notch. The Covid protection measures include a new order stipulating all domestic arrivals from anywhere in the country need to provide evidence that they have tested negative for Covid before they are allowed admittance into Phuket. The order came out after 9 pm last night. It will come…

  • Thailand News

    Myth busted: Drinking alcohol does not kill Covid-19 – VIDEO

    With the latest wave of Covid-19 infections, spreading quickly from clusters at Bangkok bars and nightclubs to provinces across Thailand, nightlife venues were the first to close and will probably be the last to reopen. Alcohol bans at restaurants in provinces with high numbers of active Covid-19 cases are also likely to stay in effect for a while. Thailand’s move…

  • Covid-19 News

    CCSA: Bars to stay closed for now, drunk customers risk the spread of Covid-19

    It might be a while until bars and nightclubs reopen in Thailand. In today’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration daily briefing, fingers pointed at customers who are far less likely to follow disease control practices when they are under the influence of alcohol. The latest and most severe wave of Covid-19, infecting more than 190,000 people since April 1, started…

  • Covid-19 News

    Pattaya bars plead for government help

    Beer sellers of Pattaya are pleading with the government to let them open for foreign tourists. Also, to relax closure measures that apply to the entertainment businesses. Barring that, they ask for significant financial aid. The proprietors of beer-related businesses say they are suffering greatly due to the economic crisis. As per their statements to the associated press this week.…

  • Thailand News

    Prayut going to Phuket, see if it’s Sandbox ready

    Thailand’s Prime Minister, Prayut Chan-o-cha, is set to travel to Phuket and determine its “readiness” to reopen for the proposed reopening on July 1. This news comes from a report in Thai media. The report says Prayut and other ministers will go to Phuket next Friday. When he gets to the island, Prayut and his cohorts will “inspect” the full…

  • Bangkok News

    CCSA has yet to begin talks on lifting alcohol ban at Bangkok restaurants

    Authorities haven’t begun to mull over whether to allow restaurants in Bangkok to serve alcohol again. The booze ban at restaurants and the closure order on bars is intended to prevent the spread of Covid-19. The idea is that with nowhere to go out for a drink, gatherings would be reduced. To lift the ban on alcohol at restaurants, the…

  • Thailand News

    Thai Brewers Association asks for reprieve from alcohol ban

    Yesterday, the Thai Brewers Association delivered a petition to the CCSA and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration asking them to reverse the ban of alcohol sales in restaurants, bars as the ban has been harmful to their businesses and they have not been given any other options. The statement reads: The Thai Brewers Association truly understands the goodwill and purpose of…

  • Thailand News

    Visakha Bucha Day 2021, Buddhist holiday

    Today is a public holiday in Thailand to mark Visakha Bucha Day, the most significant day in the Buddhist calendar, commemorating three defining events in the life of the Lord Buddha… his birth, attaining enlightenment at 35 years old, and then his death 45 years later, which all occurred on the full-moon day of the sixth lunar month. There is…

  • Pattaya News

    20 people arrested at Pattaya restaurant for allegedly violating alcohol ban

    Police in Pattaya arrested 20 people last night at a local restaurant where alcohol was reportedly being sold. While Chon Buri recently eased disease control restrictions, now allowing restaurants in the province to offer dine-in services again, alcohol sales and consumption at restaurants are still prohibited. Saewana restaurant was raided at around 11pm last night by officers from Pattaya and…

  • Covid-19 News

    Thailand’s colour zones change from Monday – some restrictions ease

    From tomorrow we’ll see the resumption of limited dine-in services in restaurants located in the remaining 4 Dark Red zones of Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani and Samut Prakan. Restaurants in these 4 provinces will now be able to resume dining on premises, until 9pm. But they can only seat 25% of their full capacity. So, a table for 4 can…

  • Transport News

    Phuket closes Sarasin bridge at night to give fatigued health workers a break

    Phuket is closing the Sarasin bridge nightly to give fatigued health workers a break after working nonstop to screen travellers for Covid-19. Only those operating emergency service vehicles will be allowed to use the bridge from 11pm to 5am. The checkpoint was previously open 24 hours a day, but since there were only a few travellers during the night, Vice…

  • Covid-19 News

    Pattaya police warn restaurants not to act like bars

    Following the closure of entertainment venues in 41 provinces for 2 weeks, Pattaya police warn that bars acting as restaurants and restaurants acting as bars would be punished. In Pattaya, police patrolled heavily to check in on venues and remind them of the penalties and fines for breaking shut-down rules. The current outbreak of Covid-19 throughout Thailand has been disproportionately…

  • Pattaya News

    Thailand’s Songkran headache – Bangkok entertainment venues closed days before holiday

    In the day’s before Thailand’s biggest annual party begins there’s been fresh clusters breaking out in Bangkok and Chon Buri’s nightlife. Already the BMA has closed nightlife venues in three popular districts “as a precautionary measure” for at least two weeks, as of last night. Officials will meet today to mull a blanket closing time for entertainment venues and restaurants…

  • Bangkok News

    Crackdown on drink driving in Bangkok starting April 1

    With bars and nightclubs now back open, Bangkok police plan to crackdown on drink driving. DUI checkpoints will be set up around the city starting on April 1, according to Thai media. Bangkok is still classified as an “orange zone” by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. In orange zones, bars and nightclubs are ordered to close at 11pm while…

  • Bangkok News

    Bangkok bars are back open, restaurants serving booze again

    Bangkok bars are back in business. People flocked to the city’s streets last night after hearing the news that bars could reopen and restaurants could start serving alcohol again… as long as they close by 11pm. Some started rolling out their mobile bars stocked beer and liquor, setting it up along a busy street. Restaurants changed their signs, erasing 9pm…

  • Covid-19 News

    Bangkok restaurants to be allowed to serve alcohol until 11pm

    Bangkok’s nightlife is coming back to life… slowly, very slowly. Restrictions are easing and restaurants in the city will soon be allowed to serve alcohol, but just until 11pm. At a Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration chaired by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, the administration decided to ease restrictions. A formal announcement will be made tomorrow. Bangkok, as well as other neighbouring…

  • Bangkok News

    Bangkok bars and nightclubs may soon reopen, CCSA announcement expected today

    Bangkok bars and other nightlife venues may soon reopen. An announcement by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration on the easing of disease control restrictions is expected today, according to Thai media. The Ministry of Public Health has proposed reclassifying Bangkok as well as the neighbouring provinces Samut Prakan, Nonthaburi and Pathum Thani, from “red” to “orange” zones. As an…

  • Covid-19 News

    Craft beer association proposes rules for re-opening Bangkok bars

    The Craft Beer Association has proposed new rules in the hope that Bangkok’s bars might be allowed to re-open after a month-long closure aimed at curbing the spread of Covid-19. The rules include limiting drinks to 2 per customer, limiting sitting time to 90 minutes, and banning dancing and toasts. The association says it has come up with the rules…

  • Covid-19 News

    Officials say 4 Bangkok parties have led to nearly 40 Covid-19 cases

    An assistant spokesperson for the government’s Covid-19 task force says 4 separate parties in Bangkok are behind nearly 40 cases of the Covid-19 virus. Apisamai Srirangsan from the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration says that in each case, alcohol was a prime factor in people letting their guard down. Nation Thailand reports that after a party attended by 30 people,…

  • Thailand News

    Thailand News Today | Pattaya bank scam & Burmese coup update | February 2

    CORRECTION: In the first story Jett referred to a Chinese man losing 130 billion baht. The correct amount was 130 million baht. We apologise for the error. Hundreds, perhaps more than 400, investors have been defrauded by a bank manager at a Kasikorn bank branch in Pattaya. The manager, named in a police report as “Mr. Gob”, was promising investors…

  • Thailand News

    UPDATE: Thailand Covid zones and your restrictions

    Which of the five coloured zones are you living in? A green zone? Red zone? Pale red zone? hat’s the difference and what’s open and what’s not? If you’re not in Samut Sakhon, the coastal province just south west of Bangkok, then some of the restrictions imposed by the CCSA have recently been lifted. Here’s a quick look at what’s…