The FARANG Speaks 2 Much

I ranted before about the the utter stupidity of some of the decisions made by the Thai goverment and was hoping that the Coup was going to provide an opportunity to put things back on the right track but now I am not so sure…

There has been talk of a total ban an alcohol advertising in all forms except for inside restaurants and pubs but yet being an owner of a pub in all fairness we have not been told anything officially nor have any of us been consulted. There is talk of raising the legal drinking age from 18-25. U may notice that many bars and pubs actually advertise the legal drinking age as 20 - but 20 is the legal age at which ladies of the night can cohort with customers and make the deal - fyi. My point is Thailand seems to be struggling with actually how to make proper decisions and the cause and effect of such decisions. The lastest move by Johnnie Walker is probably one of many by companies who will speak with their wallets about how they feel about Thailand.

This was released by Yahoo News today - Johnnie Walker moves the Golf Classic from Thailand to South Korea. In all fairness it is not clear if Thailand will enforce the new alcohol advertising ban but if I were alcohol companies I might make decisions before I knew the outcome as well since Thailand could change their mind at any moment. There are other rumors that one of the large Thai brewers, makers of Heineken and Tiger, have threatened to close their Thai brewery and move it to another country. This would cost Thailand millions of dollars and about 30,000 jobs. I hope they do it. I hope someone actually makes a decision that causes the Thai goverment to actually think before making decisions rather than hastily making decisions and dealing with the fallout later.

For example. Thailand has imposed curfews for some years now and because of it tourists are choosing to go to other countries. Then the tourism board sits back and wonders why less people come to Thailand? Well folks. If u come for a holiday u don’t want to be told how much to drink and when to go to bed. Get with the program Thailand. Your drinking problem is with your own people - not the tourists u so badly need to keep your economy afloat. So solve the problem - don’t create a solution that further drives Thailand into the dark ages.

I am going to make some suggestions here:

1. If u have a problem with the locals drinking and staying out late then deal with that. Don’t punish the tourists. Let the tourist spots stay open later. Make them Farang Drinking Zones. Profit from it. More tourists will come. Shut down at a decent hour Ratachada, Ekkamai, Thonglor and so on if u really want the Thais to stop drinking. But u have to go one stop further. U must shut down the after hours places catering to the Thais that allow people to drink unitl the wee hours of the morning. There are places on Ratchada and Petchburi where the drinking is all night and the Thai kids are underage. Fire the police who allow this behavior to continue. If u are not willing to do this then please stop your cultural minister from going on and on about drinking problems because he is not serious and keeping people from watching a beer ad will not solve the problem.

2. Heavily Tax local whiskeys and beer. Y is it that the local brews are so cheap and a drunk in mass quantities by the locals and young people? We know y. The local companies want plenty of cheap booze to keep the young people drunk. So tax it, use the taxes for proper counseling/prevention and watch the abuse go down.

3. Get rid of the moonshine. Let’s face it. Lao Khao is the real culprit. It is cheap, not taxed, very strong and is drunk all over town all day long by the Thais. Not the tourists. So get rid of the source of this stuff and watch consumption go down.

Overconsumption is a problem. I won’t argue with that but Thailand needs to focus on the root problems instead of punishing expats, tourists and local business owners. Otherwsie tourism is going to take a big hit. Foreign investment will fall and Thailand will be in trouble because this is not a knowledge economy, a regional export hub or the pinnacle of educational systems in Asia. Thailand needs tourism and more importantly it needs to offer a solid nightlife that the expats who choose to move here or create businesses here continue to enjoy. Otherwise they will leave or convince their companies to invest elsewhere. Many companies are based here because the managing directors of said companies enjoy Thailand and want to live here. Take that away and the companies will move away. It really is that simple.

carry on…