The Move Forward Party has offered a trickle of hope to drinkers who have long agonized over the alcohol ban imposed during religious holidays. The ban will be banished if it forms the new government, the party has promised.
“Scrapping the prohibition is one of our policies,” affirmed Amarat Chokepamitkul, who was elected as a party-list MP for Move Forward when it scored a shock win in the May 14 national poll.
She highlighted the policy after the ban was enforced for Visakha Bucha Day last Saturday, when Thailand’s normally buzzing nightlife fell silent, along with countless cash registers around the country.
Thai authorities prohibit the distribution of alcoholic drinks on five religious holidays, including Visakha Bucha, which marks the birth, death and enlightenment of Lord Buddha. Abstaining from intoxicants such as alcohol is one of the Five Precepts that all…
