Thai Alcohol Control Committee opposes selling booze till 4 AM

The Thai Alcohol Control Committee opposed a proposal to extend the legal hours for selling alcoholic beverages to 4 AM, citing a potential rise in traffic accidents.
Dr. Opas Karnkawinongpop, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Public Health, revealed to Thai reporters today, November 25th, after completing a meeting with the Alcohol Control Committee that the committee initially opposed the idea of allowing the sale of alcohol from 5 PM to 4 AM.

The committee said it was too long because it meant alcohol could be sold for 11 hours per day, which could increase alcohol-related health problems, injuries, and casualties.

Dr. Opas stated the chance of drunk-driving-related accidents could also rise by more than 27% or 10-20 casualties per day if alcohol was allowed to be sold from 5 PM to 4 AM despite all-night police checkpoints.

The Thai Alcohol Control Committee had already considered the economic benefits of the proposal, but still had agreed that the extension should not be mandated, Dr. Opas added.

Nonetheless, the committee’s objection was only a suggestion, which would be forwarded to the National Alcohol Beverage Policy Committee for consideration on December 22nd.

Dr. Opas said the objection against extending alcohol sale hours had nothing to do with another proposal to extend the legal closing hours for entertainment venues.

Technically, the two rules are seperate notes TPN media, and even if the Thai Cabinet agrees to extend nightlife closing hours in theory alcohol sales hours would also need to be legally extended.

The Thai Cabinet is set to meet Tuesday, November 29th, to discuss extended nightlife hours in tourism zones.

Source - Pattaya News

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Confusion reigns as Thai PM announces end of quarantine and alcohol restart "spoiler"

It was supposed to be Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha's chance to announce the end of quarantine and the opening of the country's nightlife and serving of alcohol.

Instead it has just created more confusion if the online reaction is anything to go by.

Posters on ASEAN NOW seemed more confused than ever and criticized the lack of clarity as par for the course of a government that has chopped and changed at every turn throughout the pandemic but especially over the last six months.

Many felt the proposed relaxation had not gone far enough and that nothing should have been announced before the decisions were set in stone.

Many posters said this kind of "might" and "mull" philosophy was hopeless for foreign tourists who have to plan for a visit well in advance.

Prayuth's Monday televised address was also just a precursor - a spoiler if you like - for the actual decision that will be made by the CCSA on Thursday.

Will they tweak the proposals or reverse them? Tourists both foreign and domestic, expats, and operators in the industry are all desperate to know the score.

Desperate for an ounce of clarity.

As it stands Thai Rath reported what has been announced internationally.

That tourists from ten countries including Singapore, Germany, the US and the UK will not need to quarantine but will need to have been double vaxxed and have tests before and after arriving.

But what other documents they will need and what other countries are on the list remained unclear.

China was also on Prayuth's lips - but there has been no announcement from the Asian giant that they are allowing their citizens to travel. So that is effectively a moot point.

When it comes to alcohol the situation is still utterly unclear.

About as cloudy as a Pernod and water.

The Thai media interpreted the PM's announcement that alcohol would be allowed in restaurants from December 1st.

But that pubs, bars and nightclubs would only be allowed to reopen.

It wasn't stated that the blanket alcohol ban would be lifted for all establishments.

Prayuth has stated that the tourism industry cannot stand another decimated high season. He has avowed that the risks of reopening outweigh the continuing calamity caused to the economy by the pandemic, especially its tourism sector.

But his comments about the possibility of reversing these "decisions" remains if cases spike, as they are expected to even by the PM's own admission.

Others like the Rural Doctors group have stated in the last 24 hours that Thailand's infection rate is not dropping as official stats state.

Yet another example of "you pay your money and take your choice" when it comes to believing police and stats coming out of Thailand.

Thursday's Center for Covid Situation Administration meeting may provide a little more clarity.

Source - ASIAN NOW

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#Sydney to ease drinking rules to boost nightlife

Sydney's lackluster nightlife received a long-awaited boost when officials announced an end to rules severely limiting where and when people can drink alcohol.

New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian announced pubs' trading hours would be extended and laws curbing after-midnight drinking would be eased in most of central Sydney.

"We need to ensure we have a strong and vibrant night-time economy that reflects our position as Australia's only truly global city," said Berejiklian.

For a city famed for its New Year's Eve parties and weaned on alcohol -- rum was the currency of choice among early settlers -- Sydney is surprisingly dead at night.

Under famed "lock-out laws", bar doors close at 1:30 am, there are restrictions on serving cocktails, shots or "drinks in glass" after midnight, and bouncers and police hover over proceedings.

The measures were introduced in early 2014 to limit alcohol-related violence.

The laws have thrown up some tragicomic results -- with Madonna and Justin Bieber famously unable to attend their own after-parties because they arrived too late from gigs.

A TimeOut.com survey placed Sydney the 39th best city in the world in 2019, largely because residents ranked "our city worst in the world for nightlife".

The new laws take effect on 14 January

Source - TheJakartaPost

World Cup moves onto Qatar and a whole lot of problems

FIFA World Cup 2022 hosts Qatar will have to up their game to match the standards set by Russia during the FIFA 2018 World Cup

 

As one of the best World Cups ever ends in Russia, football’s biggest tournament must now prepare for its most controversial, in Qatar in 2022.

Since the tournament was handed to the supremely wealthy Gulf state, whose team has never appeared in a World Cup, FIFA’s decision has been roundly questioned and resulted in severe consequences for football and its governing body.

The four-year run-up to the Middle East’s first ever World Cup is unlikely to prove any different.

With a host rocked by a diplomatic crisis, accused of supporting terrorism, facing allegations of corruption and human rights abuse, a tournament shifted to November and December for the first time and uncertainty over how many teams will take part in 2022, it is fair to say there has never been a World Cup like Qatar’s.

The emirate sold its bid in part by claiming Qatar’s World Cup would be one for the Middle East but that claim has been severely undermined by political events.

Since June 2017, a group of neighbouring countries including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have frozen relations with Qatar, accusing it of backing extremism and being too close to Iran.

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The crisis has lasted 13 months and shows little sign of abating, instead deepening with Qatar taking the UAE to the International Court of Justice in June. It has unsettled the most stable part of the Middle East and placed 2022 in its crosshairs.

Officials in Saudi Arabia and the UAE have openly called for Qatar to be stripped of the World Cup and promised fresh revelations later this year.

As part of the crisis, Saudis and UAE citizens are prevented by their own countries from travelling to Qatar; prior to the dispute Doha tournament organizers predicted up to 1.5 million fans arriving for the tournament, many from football-mad Saudi.

FIFA has desperately tried to stay out of the bitter and bizarre conflict, but that appears unlikely to last.

On July 11 it announced it was preparing to take legal action in Saudi Arabia against pirate broadcasters, transmitting stolen live World Cup games from Qatar’s beIN Sports.

And behind all the drama politics continue as FIFA president Gianni Infantino seeks to balance relations with Qatar and his increasingly warm links with the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates

List of issues

The myriad of issues surrounding Qatar 2022 are almost unfathomable.

Corruption investigations continue with the Swiss Attorney General’s office examining the awarding of the 2022 tournament as well as an American court case hearing graft claims last year.

Qatar denies all allegations, as it does with terror-funding claim by its former allies.

The thorny issue of compensation for Europe’s top leagues including Spain, England and Germany because they will suspend their leagues during a “Winter World Cup” remains unresolved, with a payout as high as €1 billion suggested in some quarters.

Despite mooted labour reforms affecting some two million migrant workers helping build World Cup venues and related projects, human rights groups remain anxious about the pace of reform promised by Qatar.

And the enthusiasm among some FIFA members, including apparently Infantino, for a 48-team World Cup in 2022 rumbles on.

Set to be discussed at FIFA’s Moscow Congress, it was taken off the agenda, only for senior Qatari World Cup official Nasser Al-Khater to say in Russia on July 7 that a 48-team tournament was doable “if the format is done right”.

As if all that is not enough, Qatar now has to follow one of the greatest World Cups, with expectations vastly raised ahead of 2022. And beyond global issues, it will have to deal with more commonplace ones, such as how much to limit alcohol sales during 2022.

Qatari organisers reportedly sent a team of some 30 officials to Russia and will have noted the the street party atmosphere in bars, something alien to Doha.

Qatar’s World Cup preparations have so far been like none before it – and the next four years promise to be no different.

Source - PhnomPenhPost

Majority of Mental Health Issues Remain Untreated in #Laos

Like all countries, the number of Lao citizens who suffer from mental health issues are abundant. However, due to the lack of treatment options readily available to patients, 41,000 people in Laos live with their mental health issues untreated.

Socio-economic development is vital to the improvement of people’s daily lives, but also heightens the risk of mental health issues due to the increased pressures of modern existence. A psychiatrist has explained that mental health issues can be triggered or provoked by things such as socio-economic difficulties and other mental burdens, along with inadequate access to diagnosis and treatment.

At a workshop themed ‘Mental Health in Laos’ earlier this week, programme manager of the Basic Needs project and a practicing psychiatrist, Dr ChantharavadyChoulamany, stated that the biggest obstacles in providing a solution to the mental health struggles in Laos, is due to the lack of resources for effective treatments.

Dr Chantharavady went on to explain that mental disorders affect nearly 12 percent of the world’s population, an estimated 450 million people, and that one out of every four people globally will experience a mental illness at some point in their lives.

Statistics have shown that 70,000 people in Laos have reported mental health issues, but  due to inadequate personnel, facilities and financial resources, only 29,000 of those people have access to treatment and mental health services. 

Dr Chantharavady added, “According to a survey by Basic Needs, anxiety disorders rank first with a rate of 33 percent followed by schizophrenia with 19 percent, epilepsy at 14 percent, psychosis due to infectious diseases 8 percent, depression 3 percent, substance/alcohol abuse 0.7 percent, dementia 0.5 percent, and mental retardation 0.1 percent.”

People suffering from mental illnesses not only have to battle the disorder itself, but with the stigma from society as well. They are not only discriminated against, marginalized and shunned in their own community, but in some cases, are subjected to emotional and physical abuse in both mental health facilities and by the public. Inadequate quality care due to lack of qualified health professionals and dilapidated facilities could possibly lead to further deterioration of their mental state of mind.

Currently, there are just two hospitals that provide mental health units, Mahosot Hospital and 103 Military Hospital, amassing over  27,000 cases.

During this year’s World Mental Health Day on October 10, the World Health Organization will be raising awareness in communities with the aim of ensuring that people with mental health conditions can continue to live with dignity, with the theme “Dignity in Mental Health”. 

According to WHO, it does so through the promotion of human rights-oriented policy and law as well as training of health professionals, respect for informed consent to treatment, inclusion in decision-making processes, and public information campaigns.

Source - Laotian Times