Activists call for Songkran alcohol ban

Academics and activists have called on the government to invoke Section 44 of the interim charter to ban alcohol sales during the Songkran festival.

“If the government wants to use urgent measures to make this Songkran a safe period, sales of alcohol from April 13 to 15 should be banned, just as it is prohibited on Buddhist days,” said Udomsak Saengow, researcher at the Centre for Alcohol Studies and chief of the Centre of Excellence in Health System and Medical Research, Walailak University.

Dr Udomsak was speaking at a forum held in Bangkok yesterday to find ways to prevent road accidents during the Thai traditional New Year festival.

He said the government should announce that drivers and motorcyclists must have 0% alcohol in their blood.

Dr Udomsak said accidents during the Songkran festival increased every year, from 3,373 accidents causing 364 deaths and 3,559 injured in 2015, to 3,447 accidents causing 442 deaths and 3,656 injured last year.

The main cause was drinking and driving with males aged 25-49 in the largest group of casualties (injured and dead) and motorcycles the vehicles most involved in road accidents.

Songkran Pakchokdee, director of Stop Drink Network, said drink-drive accidents occurred mostly on small roads in villages.

Sopit Nasueb, a researcher of the International Health Policy Programme said accidents rise during long holidays, increasing by 10.2% during New Year and by 8.7% during Songkran compared to other times of the year.

Alcohol consumption during long holidays was found to double that of normal periods, she said.

Suwat Chariyalertsak, director of the Centre for Applied Health Science Research, Chiang Mai University, said 16% of the patients who came to hospital emergency rooms had drank alcohol within six hours prior to their accidents.