BANGKOK, 5 May 2012 – The Public Health Ministry is poised to declare more areas that are officially alcohol-free in the near future.
Permanent Secretary for Public Health, Dr. Paijit Warachit said that the 2012 Alcohol Beverage Control Committee meeting, on Friday, resolved to agree with the PM’s Office announcement draft to declare more alcohol-free areas in Thailand.
The Committee’s resolution stated that it concurred with a call to make factories, state enterprise offices and all types of vehicles free from alcoholic beverages.
Under the current law, religious premises, state-run public health offices, state offices, gas stations, public parks and student dormitories are to be alcohol-free.
The Alcohol Beverage Control Committee has decided to expand the alcohol-free policy after it found that road fatalities related to alcohol consumption rose during the country’s long holidays.
It planned to propose the draft announcement to the National Alcohol Beverage Policy Committee for consideration on May 16th, before presenting it to the prime minister for her signature to put it into effect.
