Thailand Lifts The Prohibition Of Buying And Selling Alcohol In The Afternoon, Will Be Evaluated For 6 Months

JAKARTA - Thailand lifted the ban on buying and selling liquor (alcohol) in the afternoon starting Wednesday 3 December. This ban has been in effect for decades.

Now consumers can buy beer, wine, and other alcoholic beverages at late afternoons which were previously banned.

Citing AFP, Wednesday, December 3, this provision will be evaluated after a six-month trial.

The country, which is predominantly Buddhist, still maintains strict alcohol laws, restricts sales at certain hours and prohibits it on religious holidays.

Stores, bars, and liquor traders in Thailand are prohibited from selling alcohol from 14.00 p.m. to 17.00 p.m., but the regulations that are now relaxed allow sales from 11.00 p.m. to midnight during preliminary trials.

The lifting of this ban came after officials conducted a preliminary review last month. This rule was originally introduced to prevent government employees from drinking alcohol during working hours, which often confuses foreign tourists.

"In the past, there were concerns government employees would sneak out for a drink, but now it's different," Thailand Deputy Prime Minister Sophon Saram told reporters last month.

Based on a Royal Gazette report on Tuesday, Thailand's Health Minister Pattana Promphat said the move was "according to the current situation".

Although Thailand has a reputation as a tourism and night entertainment center in ASEAN, Buddhist teachings remain rooted in the country, such as drinking alcohol as a moral offense in inspiring Thai alcohol laws.

However, the World Health Organization (WHO) noted Thailand has the highest level of alcohol consumption in Asia, with local residents usually choosing Chang, Singha, and Leo beer which is traded everywhere.

According to WHO data, Thailand is ranked 16th out of nearly 200 countries for the highest number of per capita highway traffic deaths by 2021.

Meanwhile, Thailand's Ministry of Public Health noted that nearly 33,000 people died in the country's drunken driving incident from 2019 to 2023.