#  >  > Living And Legal Affairs In Thailand >  >  > Farming & Gardening In Thailand >  >  > Thailands National Parks >  >  Alcohol banned in parks

## Mid

*Alcohol banned in parks*
27/12/2010

 Tourists are banned from bringing all kinds of  alcolic drinks into national parks all over the country from Monday to  Jan 5, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti  announced on Monday.

 The ban has been announced by the National Parks, Wildlife and Plants Department on Monday.

 Sunant Arunnopparat, the department chief, said the ban on alcoholic  drinks is intended to prevent tourists from making loud noises to annoy  other campers and wild animals. 

It is also part of safety measures for  park visitors.

 Violators of the ban are liable to up to one month in jail and a fine of not more than 1,000 baht or both.

bangkokpost.com

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## blue

they slowly introducing it in britain too, mostly under local by laws 
 seems like a worldwide roll out , by the one world government ?

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## rickpattaya

But will this ban be enforced as rigorously as the Smoking in bars ban? :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

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## Davis Knowlton

Good idea. Let's shut up all of those noisy foreigners so that the quiet Thai can drink quietly in peace.

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## dirtydog

Koh Samet banning booze? Can't imagine that. Booze free Thai islands aint going to get the tourists in.

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## jandajoy

It's bollocks.

Just my professional view point mind.

I could be wrong.

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## rickpattaya

> Koh Samet banning booze? Can't imagine that. Booze free Thai islands aint going to get the tourists in.


 K Samed not covered by liquor ban as there r privately-rented plots. Ban applies on areas directly under national park dept.
From another forum.

Cheers, Rick

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## klong toey

Why don't they just ban tourist it would be easier.
The park near us in Bangkok has the usual rules no smoking,no alcohol,no dogs.
So why do i see Thais holding small dogs like its a baby wrapped in a small blanket and walking round the park with it.Then you see a Thai couple sitting on the grass having a picnic with 2 glasses and a bottle of wine.Only to be looked at by the security guard riding his motorbike round,also banned,smoking a cigarette.
Yeah its time to ban tourist from Thailand.

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## Happyman

> guard riding his motorbike round,also banned,smoking a cigarette.


Similar to the "helmet checks" in Phuket 
When they have about 50 bikes and riders - they call the police station at Chalong for help.
ALWAYS the help is a superior BIB who arrives on his bike with a bloody flat cap on !!- has a helmet but in the front basket !!! :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

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## Nostradamus

> said the ban on alcoholic drinks is intended to prevent tourists from making loud noises


Typical Thai arrogance and xenophobia.

Always blaming foreigners.

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## dirtydog

^They maybe refering to Thai tourists perhaps?

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## Stinky

Great idea, go to a park but don't have fun, sounds like a real seller. 
Maybe they should ban food to stop people making a mess and spoiling it for all the people not enjoying themselves.

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## Mid

*ANTI-ALCOHOL RULES* 

*Alcohol banned in   110 parks*
Janjira Pongrai
Mayuree Sukyingcharoenwong
December 28, 2010                



*New regulation not only bars sale of alcoholic drinks but restrains visitors from taking drinks in   * 

                              Most of Thailand's 110 national parks, including Khao Yai, have been declared alcohol-free zones.

Not  only will there be a ban on booze sales, but visitors will also be  barred from bringing alcoholic drinks into the parks, Natural Resource  and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti told a news conference yesterday. 

However,  some senior officials said this might not apply at national parks where  the private sector rents places for business, such as at Koh Samet.

The  parks used to earlier seek "the cooperation of visitors to avoid  alcoholic drinks". 

The proactive stance followed the case of an  engineering student who stabbed someone to death in Khao Yai National  Park during a loud drinking party among student campers on December 26  Sunday. 

Talking at the news conference about safety measures at  national parks from now until January 5, Suwit said the National Park,  Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department had yesterday announced the  alcohol ban, so as to prevent drinking tourists from making noise and  disturbing other campers or wildlife.

Those violating the regulation will be punished with up to one month in jail and/or a Bt1,000 fine, he said.

"From  now on, all national parks will be free from alcohol forever, not only  during the New Year period. We want the parks to be natural retreats,"  he said. 

"In the past, we used to ask tourists not to bring in  alcoholic beverages, but many still smuggled them in and caused  disturbance to others. So we want tourists to understand that the parks  are now alcohol-free zones and violators will be punished." 

Affirming  that park officials were also prohibited from drinking and selling  booze, Suwit said that if there were any sale of alcohol in the parks,  the park chiefs and involved persons would be punished. Tourists could  also report violation of the ban via the hotline 1362 around the clock.

The  move was welcomed by anti-alcohol advocates. Offering condolences to  the young victim's family, Songkran Pakchokdee, director of the  Anti-Alcohol Organisations Network, praised Suwit's brave move to impose  the ban despite some criticism. 

"We support the ministry's stance  to protect tourists and natural resources because we must choose between  safety and letting alcoholic beverages be available and causing  problems, including scattered garbage and injuries to tourists or wild  animals." 

He also suggested that the ministry contact the Public  Health Ministry to issue a regulation according to the Alcohol Beverage  Control Act 2008's Articles 27 and 31 to ban alcohol sales in national  parks and impose six months' jail or/and a Bt10,000 fine on violators.

Sittichai  Sereesongsaeng, chief of Chiang Mai's Doi Phahompok National Park,  commented that the alcohol ban might be applicable to parks where the  private sector did not conduct business in the park area. For example,  in Koh Samet park, businesses rented space legally, hence forcing them  not to sell alcohol would be difficult, while it could be easily  implemented at Doi Phahompok, as only four or five people currently sold  booze in the area.

Khao Yai National Park chief Manoch Gantanakngan  said this was a good regulation and would not affect the number of  tourists coming to Khao Yai because that number was overwhelming. 

He  said national parks should be free from alcohol and cigarettes.

nationmultimedia.com

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## pangsida

Whats the point getting hot under the collar over this. Its the simplest thing in the world to get around. 

Plus can you imagine a single park ranger or employee who is going to enforce it?

Now a ban on GUITARS would have my vote! (if I had one)

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## Begbie

Ban plastic water bottles.

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## The Fresh Prince

I bet this hasn't gone down well with the monkeys. They love a drink.

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## sabaii sabaii

I don't see a problem with it.
I wouldn't want my kids seeing loud drunken farangs or Thai when I'm pushing them on the swings.
You've only got to look at Pattaya Beach Road to see all the cheap Farangs sat on the wall drinkin cheap Chang from the 7/11
Bet they wouldn't do that back home

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## Mid

*Park booze ban: Phuket tourism players ‘shaken, not stirred’*
Stephen Fein
Saturday,  January 8,  2011

  
_Dive  boats at Mu Ko Lanta National Park off Krabi. Many Russians have  cancelled trips to the park following the ban._ 
Photo by Pimwara  Choksakulpan
  *
PHUKET:* Reactions by key figures in Phuket’s  tourism industry are mixed over the recent ban on alcohol inside 110  national parks nationwide. 

However, many agree that the rule will be very difficult to enforce at marine national parks. 

Pracha  Rachai, Events Manager at Andaman Aqua Trails, said the ban had already  caused “a lot” of cancellations by Russian tourists, the company’s  target market this year. 

The company runs tours to Mu Koh Surin Marine National Park and Koh Tat Chai, inside Mu Ko Similan Marine National Park. 

“This  year we focused on the Russian market only. The culture of the Russians  is that they love to drink and have a good time. The atmosphere on the  island is calm and relaxing, nice for enjoying a few drinks,” he said. 

Other  regulations, such as the ban on campfires and other beach activities,  previously introduced, had put enough of a damper on tourists’ fun, he  said. 

“Now nobody is booking the trip [to the Surin Islands] because they can’t do anything there,” he said. 

Mr Pracha was skeptical that authorities would be able to prevent tourists from smuggling alcohol into park territory. 

He  also thought the ban was hastily issued, coming after the isolated  death of a student at Khao Yai National Park in Surat Thani. 

Surapong  Janin, a manager at the Kuraburi Greenview Resort & Travel company  that runs speedboats to islands off Phang Nga, said the management at  the national park restaurants had complied with the new order by ceasing  alcohol sales there. 

The islands are not appropriate for drinking sessions because the generators stop at 10pm and all the lights go out, he added. 

Thus far he has not noticed anyone sneaking alcohol onto the island, he said. 

John  Gray, who runs John Gray’s Sea Canoe, said, “I think it’s great.  Alcohol is worse for you than heroin. I used to be in medical research.  The worst things you can do are drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes and  eating red meat. 

“I am all for it [the ban], especially because  alcohol and boats don’t mix. I’ve been running dry boats since I  started in 1983 and I don’t allow people to drink or jump off the top  deck,” he said.                          

phuketgazette.net

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## Mid

*National park booze ban ‘well received’ by Phuket tourists*
Atchaa Khamlo
                               Saturday,  January 8,  2011


_Tourists  arrive at Phi Phi Island, where enforcement of the alcohol ban at  national parks there is reportedly ‘well received’._ 
Photo: Pimwara  Choksakulpan
  *
PHUKET:* The directors of several national parks in the Andaman region have told the _Phuket Gazette_ they have received good compliance with the ban on alcohol inside parks. The ban came into effect late last month. 

Natural  Resources and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti issued the ban  immediately following the December 26 stabbing murder of a student by a  group of drunken schoolmates camping at Khao Yai National Park in Surat  Thani. 

Nontawit Jaturabundit, chief of the Sirinat National Park  in Mai Khao, said, “Some people are still bringing alcohol into the  park at night. We keep asking them to not bring alcohol and to refrain  from drinking anywhere in the park, but we have yet to fine or prosecute  anyone.” 

“Many people were informed of the regulation during  the new year period. They all seem to understand and have given us very  good co-operation. The situation is under control,” he said. 

Most of those warned about drinking in the park were Thais, but a few were foreigners. 

“As the park is quite expansive, sometimes people might be drinking inside without our being aware of it,” he added. 

Two  signs declaring the park an alcohol prohibition zone are now being  constructed and should go up at both entrances very soon, along with a  third sign to go up in the middle of the park. 

Under the law, offenders face a maximum fine of 1,000 baht or a jail sentence of not longer than one month, or both. 

Chaitat  Bunphuphantanti, director of Khao Sok National Park in Surat Thani,  said, “We stopped selling alcohol about two years ago when the  department issued a new regulation and then restricted people from  bringing alcohol into the park on December 27.” 

Standard  procedure is for staff to ask people trying to bring alcohol into the  park to leave it with officers during their visit, he said. 

“We  prefer to ask people for their co-operation rather than threatening them  with punishment. It seems our public relations campaign is going well,  as most people just drink Coke or water,” he said. 

“Most  foreigners understand quite well. Not many of them drink whiskey, but  some like to drink beer. But they don’t seem to have any problem with  alcohol being unavailable inside the park and they tend not to bring  their own alcohol with them like Thais do,” he said. 

Signs in Thai declaring the park alcohol-free are posted at the national park office and at Ratchaprapa Dam, he said. 

Phi Phi Islands National Park chief Niroot Puttapong admitted that beer still finds its way into the park by speedboat. 

“Most  tourists visiting the national park are foreigners. We have officially  informed tour business operators by letter and asked them to stop  bringing in alcohol aboard boats. We seem to be getting a good  response,” he said. 

“People come to visit during the day. It is not an overnight destination, so there aren’t problems with people getting drunk. 

“But we keep telling people not to bring alcohol on shore,” he said. 

Chief Niroot quipped that many visiting tourists are _mao_ (drunk) upon arrival by speedboat, _mao reua_ being the Thai term for seasickness. 

“The national park doesn’t have any problems at all with tourists being _mao_. They have to sit in a boat for a long time to get here from Phuket. 

“If they are already a bit sick when they arrive, alcohol will only make them worse,” he said. 

All  of these factors made it highly unlikely that drunken mayhem of the  kind that transpired at Khao Yai would ever take place at the park, he  said. 

“Some tour operators provide beer with their clients’  meals to relax them, but they don’t want them getting drunk while still  on the speedboat. 

“We will warn them first not to bring alcohol ashore before fining them,” he said. 

The park plans to put up signs.                         

phuketgazette.net

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## Mid

*DNP bans alcohol in Mu Ko Chang National Park* 
Surapan Laotharanarit

*TRAT,* 19 February  2011 (NNT)  A ban on alcohol has been issued by the Department of  National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) for seven national  parks in the East, including Mu Ko Chang National Park. 

The DNP now prohibits visitors from bringing alcoholic beverages into a  total of seven national parks located in the eastern provinces of  Rayong, Chanthaburi and Trat. The seven alcohol-free zones comprise Khao  Laem Ya-Mu Ko Samet National Park, Khao Chamao-Khao Wong National Park,  Khao Khitchakut National Park, Namtok Phliu National Park, Khao Sip Ha  Chan National Park, Namtok Khlong Kaeo National Park and Mu Ko Chang  National Park. 

As part of the governments anti-alcohol policy, the measure is aimed to  maintain the countrys natural sites tranquil and free of pollution and  disturbances. Violators will be subject to imprisonment of up to one  month and/or a fine of a maximum of 1,000 THB  in accordance with the  National Parks Act BE 2504 (1961).    

thainews.prd.go.th

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## Lancelot

> Plus can you imagine a single park ranger or employee who is going to enforce it?


Maybe "selective" enforcement"?  :bananaman:

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## avogadro

What is all this urgency to drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes ?  If one cannot do that in a National Park  , there are many other locations for such activities .

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