Under-age drinking push targets vendors

A campaign to reduce under-age drinking is targeting alcohol vendors — especially those near educational institutes — asking them not to sell to anyone under 20.

The Thai Foundation of Responsible Drinking (TFRD), the Excise Department, and Suan Dusit Rajabhat University launched the campaign yesterday to combat growing numbers of under-age drinkers.

Chatchada Chantharangsu, from the TFRD, said the campaign hopes to create a sense of responsibility among both drinkers and sellers.

Many campaign activities will be conducted at schools and universities to persuade the young to avoid alcohol. Shops near educational institutions will be asked to check alcohol buyers’ identification cards and confirm they are 20 or over before selling them alcohol.

They face the threat of legal action if they are caught breaking the law, with authorities stepping up checks on licences.

The campaign also aims to cut the number of under-age drinkers, and dissuade others who are not yet at legal drinking age from consuming alcohol, Ms Chatchada said.

The Excise Department will carry out checks on shops selling alcohol to ensure licensing is up to date. Shops selling alcohol without licences will face legal action.

Once alcohol vendors have a licence from the department, they must follow the conditions of the Alcoholic Beverages Control Act.

Sales of alcohol to people aged under 20 are banned, said Thammasak La-or-iam, the department’s deputy director-general. However, imposing regulations on alcohol retailers to curb under-age drinking is only half the battle, Mr Thammasak said. Any progress will require co-operation from young people also.

The Excise Department is checking 6,000 licences over the first quarter of this year, paying special attention to shops near educational institutions.

Out of 600,000 retail alcohol sales outlets nationwide, 46,000 are in Bangkok, according to figures which the department compiled last year. Over 8,600 unlicensed shops were prosecuted last year.