Would this work in Thailand?

[DJ Pat]

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Alcohol ban for Australian town

Alcohol ban for Australian town

The town of Alice Springs in Australia's Northern Territory has become a dry zone, with drinking banned in all public places.
The move was instigated by local people who wanted to curb crime and violence.

But they also feared the impact on the town of tough new measures being brought in by the federal government.

These will ban the consumption of alcohol - also known as grog - in Aboriginal communities as part of an attempt to stamp out child abuse.

Heavy fines

Alice Springs is the fountain-head of what is often called the Northern Territory's "river of grog."

Alcohol is readily available, and it is common to see clumps of people sitting by the roadside or gathered in public parks drinking beer and spirits.

Now, though, this parched desert town has officially been declared a dry zone - a move instigated by local people to crack down on harmful alcohol consumption and the crime and anti-social behaviour it causes.

Drinking in all public places will be punishable by hefty fines.
Liquor permits will only be available for community festivals, sporting events and weddings on public lands.

This prohibition pre-empts a move by the federal government, which plans to bring in strict new measures later this month to curb child abuse in Aboriginal communities.

The government wants to ban the sale, consumption and possession of alcohol on Aboriginal lands, and to grant the police new powers to search vehicles suspected of being involved in grog running.
Residents of Alice Springs are concerned that these new measures will shift the problem drinkers into their town - hence the move to declare themselves dry.

[shehiredahitman]

Alcohol should be catagorised alongside other drugs & banned.

[DJ Pat]

Should this be implemented in parts of Isaan?

[slimboyfat]

Should this be implemented in parts of Isaan?

yes it should.

make it so, DJ Pat

[stroller]

So banning alcohol will solve social issues, including alcoholism?

What a stupid measure.

Prohibition didn't 'work' in the US, why should it work in Australia or Thailand?

Yet another substance to wage "war" on, waste tax-payers' money and ruin people's lives...

[El Gibbon]

^

Ah, Stroller, it did work!

It gave the mob an ever increasing cash haul and spawned a whole industry of sleaze and excess. Not to leave out the birth place of all those "machine" gun movies.

E. G.

[Wayne Kerr]

It wouldn't work in Thailand, and of course it won't work in Alice Springs. But I think the situation in Alice Springs is so out of control they have no other option ... here's a pic of a typical street corner in Alice Springs with the drinkers waiting for the bottle shops to open:

[Frankenstein]

They like their grog it seems, these blackfellas.

Who can blame them though with all those red-faced prunes who have invaded their once calm and peaceful great wide open?

[britmaveric]

Unenforceable....

[blackgang]

In the US there is an alkie ban on reservations, so the indians just go off the res and go into town, buy the booze or drink it in a saloon, get drunk and try to drive back to the res and wreck and kill a bunch of folks on the roads.
Most places there is a saloon right outside the entrance to the res, like at WARM SPRINGS res, reservation on one side of the Deschutes river bridge and a saloon on the other, plus a market that sells off sale beer and wine, no whiskey as in Oregon that is sold in state package stores.

Doesn't keep the injuns sober there either.

[Scooter]

Alcohol should be catagorised alongside other drugs & banned.

Not sure anything should be banned.
The Uk gov would never ban booze because of the tax revenue.
They actively encouraged young drinkers in the early 90's introducing alcopops etc. Teenagers were spending more on pills and other goodies and putting no money into the treasury.

[DJ Pat]

Should this be implemented in parts of Isaan?

yes it should.

make it so, DJ Pat

I'll need some help, any volunteers?

[blackgang]

Not me, I don't care what they sell and to who.

I am the one that needs to stay clear of alcohol, and is none of my business who drinks and who doesn't,, just so I don't drink any and I will be alright and I will not police the world.

[Lily]

So banning alcohol will solve social issues, including alcoholism?

I think you will find that the pubs will still serve alcohol, but there is some control over how much alcohol can be consumed on licenced premises.

It is the loitering in parks, streets and footpaths that they are trying to prevent.

If you had seen it, you really would say; 'something should be done about this.' It is really terrible.

Little kids wandering around and crawling over drunken mothes lying in the street and men hitting women in parks and falling over and all this at eleven o'clock in the morning.

I don't know what the solution is but something has to be tried.

[Cujo]

So banning alcohol will solve social issues, including alcoholism?

I think you will find that the pubs will still serve alcohol, but there is some control over how much alcohol can be consumed on licenced premises.

It is the loitering in parks, streets and footpaths that they are trying to prevent.

If you had seen it, you really would say; 'something should be done about this.' It is really terrible.

Little kids wandering around and crawling over drunken mothes lying in the street and men hitting women in parks and falling over and all this at eleven o'clock in the morning.

I don't know what the solution is but something has to be tried.

Those that haven't seen it won't understand Lily.

[Lily]

^Well, I am sure that if they did and they weren't Australian, they would be outraged that society allowed these people to do it to themselves.

Townsville, Moree, Walgett and many other towns should do it too.

[sabang]

I do not know the answer, but it is tragic to see the state of Australia's indigenous people.

[Lily]

^I think most Australians would agree with you, but no one can find a solution or find a way to allow them more self esteem and motivation.

[slimboyfat]

so might as well just use Memocks helicopter pilot friend to put them out of their miseries eh

[Lily]

^No, but restricting alcohol sales to established licenced pubs is a step, whether in the right direction or not remains to be seen.

[mad_dog]

The poor buggers will just start sniffing petrol. The plight of the abo community in Australia highlights the terrible nature of Anglo Saxon culture. Malaysia's indigenous groups have faired far better from the influx of Malay Muslim colonists.

[Lily]

The poor buggers will just start sniffing petrol.

The kids do that.

[corvettelover]

All states in australia have a duty of care in hotels and clubs.(law)
if you are drunk they cut off your drinks and ask you to leave.
Mind you this leads to some fights.
there have been several instances where hotels have been sued for serving drunks, where they have left the hotel and injured themselves or others and the hotel has been held responsible for serving them too much alchol and not cutting them off and asking them to leave.
drinking in public is banned in most states as well, mind you the fine is a pittance but you can have the booze confiscated.

The whole idea in the 70s was to allow canteens on the missions to keep the blacks on the mission and drunk there insted of the main towns.
several missions have voted to go dry and no booze allowed on the mission.
Then the booze runners started up 1 x cartoon of beer $100, Bottle of whisky $100.
Those caught running it $10,000 fine and loss of motor vehicle.
but it still gets on to the missions as they brew their own or bring in lemon essence,
The main problem is there is nothing to do on these missions and they are trapped in a vicious circle, hard to solve

[Lily]

^Very.