by Brian Enever
8th August, 2012
Thailand has enacted new legislation outlawing all consumption of alcohol when using any form of road transport. As from August 8th, 2012 it is now illegal to consume any form of alcohol if you are using public or private road transport. Drivers and passengers included! This includes private cars, motorcycles, taxis, pickup trucks, public buses, private tour buses, etc. It applies to all forms of road transport wherever you are seated, including the rear cargo bed of a pickup truck.
The penalty is six months in a Thai prison and 10,000 baht fine. We presume that local police officers will be making good use of this legislation. It remains to be seen what will happen during the Songkran Festival, notorious for drunk people riding (and frequently driving) pickup trucks and motorcycles.
Comment
Interesting one this. Drinking on the bus whilst travelling to and from away games is a huge part of the day out and the culture. I wonder if football supporters' coaches will be targetted by the police?
Trips from Chonburi to Bangkok, and most points north, usually involve passing through the motorway toll booths, where there is usually a police presence of some sort and an ideal opportunity for members of the constabulary to board the buses and search for booze. There is also the possibility that officers may now be waiting for us when we arrive at away grounds, in order to check for alcohol.
Our next weekend away trip outside of the province isn't until the 2nd of September (Chainat) so we won't have to deal with it for a few weeks. In the meantime I'm curious to see if any incidents of stop and search are reported by fans of other clubs and whether or not Chonburi FC and the transport organisers will make any official public announcements about adhering to this new law.
With all food and drink already banned from Chonburi Stadium and now the prospect of 'dry' away trips, following Thai football is becoming less and less enjoyable - for some of us at least.
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