A House committee vetting an alcoholic beverages control bill will discuss with health and excise authorities about measures to address the issue of unregulated herbal moonshine (ya dong).
The move was prompted by the recent death of six people who drank herbal moonshine containing methyl alcohol. More than 30 others were hospitalised.
Wisarn Techathirawat, chairman of the panel scrutinising the alcohol control bill, said the matter poses a serious public health problem because production of herbal moonshine is widespread and unregulated, and consumers are unaware of or ill-informed as to whether the ingredients are safe.
The committee will hold talks on Wednesday with the Department of Medical Services director-general and representatives from the Department of Excise to introduce measures to prevent a recurrence of the recent tragedy and enforce the Alcohol Control Act and relevant laws to protect the public, he said.
Caretaker Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat has told the Excise Department to crack down on the unregulated production of alcoholic beverages, said Nittaya Soreekul, the department's deputy chief and spokeswoman.
According to Ms Nittaya, selling herbal moonshine is against the law, and offenders can be charged with selling alcohol without a permit and tampering with alcoholic beverages by mixing in other substances for sale. Illegally possessing a distilling machine carries a jail term of up to six months and/or a maximum fine of 100,000 baht. Selling bootleg alcohol carries a fine of up to 50,000 baht, and buyers also face a fine of up to 10,000 baht.
According to a department investigation, all the victims who were hospitalised for methanol intoxication had a history of consuming herbal moonshine, she said.
Those who supplied methyl alcohol to the herbal moonshine maker in Min Buri were charged with colluding to make alcohol without a permit.