The Department of Disease Control says posting pictures with bottles of alcoholic drinks with no commercial purpose is not an offence.
However if it is proved to have hidden intent for advertisement, then it is, said Dr Suthep Phetmark, the director-general of the department.
The doctor was commenting on current police action to enforce law on people posting pictures of alcohol drinking and sharing of pictures of friends holding bottles of alcoholic drinks on the social media.
Dr Suthep said before someone is even considered to be committing an offence, the police should first look into the intention of the poster.
If a friend take selfies with a bottle of alcohol and shares them on the social media, then it is not an offence, he said.
But if there is hidden commercial purpose, then the police can summon the poster for clarification to determine if the posting has any indirect commercial purpose or not, he said.
However the Network for the Campaign to Prevent Danger from Alcohol viewed that celebrities must not post any pictures of themselves with bottles as they are public figures who are followed by youths and children.
He said the department is currently pushing for putting warning logo on bottles of alcoholic drinks.
But it is important to first sound out opinions from business operators and the public.
However what it could do now is to launch graphic information to advise how to post alcohol legally.
They include following instruction of law in advertising, giving constructive information and learning to the society without showing alcohol, restriction of live broadcast of any event, particularly football games, from overseas that show logos of alcohol merchandise.
Entertainment and sports celebrities and youths under 20 years old are banned from advertising with alcohol merchandise, or using cartoons in alcohol advertisement.
A violator is subject to one year imprisonment or a fine of not more than 500,000 baht, or both.
This could become yet another “interesting” topic where the authorities don’t quite get it right. (Tongue is located firmly in cheek!)
(Source:-Thai PBS)