DEPUTY Prime Minister/Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira today (Feb. 13) said he supported lifting the ban on sale alcohol from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and on important Buddhist holy days to spur the economy if drinkers abide by the rules after Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra ordered a review of these rules last Tuesday, TV Channel 7 said.
While a working group would study all the details of this step, the minister said he personally thinks drinking alcohol is a personal matter but drinking too much is not good, especially by Thais.
However if people drink and abide by the rules it would be possible to implement this step with the Finance Ministry looking at the overall picture with this policy having more benefits than drawbacks.
Pichai added that as there are no side effects he is ready to support easing this ban.
On whether setting up entertainment complexes which will also have casinos in them would boost the economy, Pichai said this issue can be looked at from two angles with one being failure on the part of some countries that have set them up without meeting their goals and properly controlling them.
Yet if these venues are well supervised and are truly entertainment it would work, he said, giving the example of the behaviour of people in many countries who visit them in large groups of seven to eight people but only one person would go to the casino.
Moreover people get fed up with gambling and don’t want to visit just one venue, he added.
As to whether the entertainment complexes would actually materialise, Pichai said every project has both supporters and detractors but a survey has shown that more people are in favour of establishing them.
As a public opinion survey has already been conducted he is uncertain whether a referendum would be needed on this issue.
CAPTION:
Deputy Prime Minister/Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira next to some bottles of alcohol. Photo: TV Channel 7
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