Research shows that regulations for granting liquor selling licences need to be stricter to prevent unscrupulous vendors selling alcohol to minors.
The study, conducted by the Centre for Alcohol Studies (CAS), signals that, according to existing regulations, liquor selling licences are "too fast, too cheap and too easy to obtain".
Ratapakorn Nipanun, of the Office of the Council of State, who conducted the research for the CAS, said to solve the problems licences must be revoked when regulations are
violated.
"At present, if a store operator is found guilty of selling alcohol to under-aged youths, he will be punished under the Child Protection Act but there will be no impact on his alcohol selling licence," he said.
According to the law, those who sell alcoholic drinks to youths aged under 18 face a three-month imprisonment term and a fine of 30,000 baht.
Mr Ratapakorn said the threat of losing their licences will encourage more shop owners to abide by the law.
Mr Ratapakorn said the Excise Department should complete an on-the-ground survey of all stores and bars applying for licences, to make sure they are not located next to schools or temples as required by law.
Numerous operators bend the rules by taking advantage of the unclear wording of the Alcoholic Beverages Control Act, he said.
"Some store owners will explain they are not located 'next to' a school because they are on the opposite side of the street, or separated from a school's fence by five metres," added Kanittha Thaikla, from the Centre for Substance Abuse Research at Chiang Mai University, who joined the forum.
According to the CAS, getting an alcohol licence takes little more than 10 minutes and costs between 200 and 1,500 baht per year depending on the type of permit. About 600,000 liquor licences were issued last year.
CAS research found it takes a person less than five minutes — or a journey of one kilometre — to find a store that sells alcohol in urban areas of Thailand.
Mr Ratapakorn called for the certification of those who sell alcohol in bars on top of the requirement for liquor licences.
People who sell alcohol should acquire adequate training and study regulations, he said.