The Ministry of Public Health will propose three new laws, including one to ban the sale of alcoholic beverages at street stalls, Public Health Minister Pradit Sintawanarong said Wednesday.
Mr Pradit was speaking after a meeting of his Office of the Alcohol Control Committee, which adopted three proposals to tighten bans on the sale of alcohol in public, and to increase penalties for violations.
The proposals include
- a ban on sales of alcohol on pavements, roadside areas, and public walkways;
- a ban on alcohol sales and consumption at public parks under governmental agencies, and,
- an increase in fines for violation bans on selling and serving alcohol outside permitted trading hours from 500 baht to 10,000 baht, with imprisonment up to six months. Violators may be punished with both fine and imprisonment.
The proposed new laws will be submitted to the National Alcohol Beverage Policy Committee for consideration, and will be forwarded for Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra for endorsement. The laws would take effect immediately after passage and publication in the Government Gazette, Mr Pradit said.
