Booze-zoning order hailed a success

The zoning of bars serving alcoholic beverages under a special order by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has seen a significant drop in the number of businesses selling alcohol near educational institutions, according to a new opinion survey.

However, one in four respondents said they have seen some bars reopened after they were ordered shut for violating the 22/2558 alcohol-zoning order.

The results of the survey, conducted on 1,500 people from Nov 25-30, were disclosed at a seminar in Bangkok recently on how to sustain the order.

Despite rather low awareness of the order (32.5%), the majority of respondents deemed it effective in limiting the availability of alcohol near places of study.

The survey also found that most people associated the proximity of available booze and places of study with violence, congestion, road accidents and various types of crime, said Khamron Chudecha, a coordinator at Alcohol Watch, the advocacy group that organised the poll. “The fewer shops there are selling alcohol near universities, the less these problems occur,” he said.

Piyawat Khong-in, a lecturer at Walailak University in Nakhon Si Thammarat, said he has seen signs of improvement since the zoning order took effect. No new bars have opened in its wake, while those already in operation have made all the necessary adjustments, he said.

Walailik University has been supporting the move by working with the Excise Department, police and the Public Health Ministry in conducting a surveillance programme on the affected businesses’ compliance with the order.

“We’ve been trying to put a limit on these shops and bars around the university for a long time. Now we’re supporting the businesses that have sprung up in place of the ones that have been shuttered,” he said. Mr Piyawat called on political parties to come up with policies to protect young people from the dangers of alcohol, as they prepare to campaign for the coming elections.

Suphaphon Chomchai, a secretary to the committee tasked with following up on the implementation of the NCPO’s order, said the panel is discussing possible amendments to related laws on alcohol and entertainment venues, to ensure the effort is sustained.

The alcohol-zoning order will end after the February poll.