The Federation on Alcohol Control of Thailand (FACT), representing 24 associations of alcohol importers, restaurants, hotels and alcohol beverage producers, told The Nation newspaper that it is discussing with lawyers plans to ask the Supreme Administrative Court to stop the alcohol-control measures.
The ministry has proposed a full ban on alcohol advertising on television, in newspapers and on billboards to reduce the country's alcohol consumption.
Under the new regulations, to take effect on 5 December, health authorities had planned to raise the minimum legal age for those allowed to buy alcohol from 18 to 25 years. However, the cabinet has asked concerned agencies to reconsider the bill.
But alcoholic drinks will also be required to place a warning label on bottles of alcoholic beverages to alert consumers to potential risks of drinking.
"We are discussing with the federation's lawyers about filing the petition as the Public Health Ministry has abused its power by enforcing new rules without consulting private operators," Boonchuay Tongcharoenpulporn, secretary-general of the new organisation, told The Nation yesterday.
Thailand already bans alcohol ads from 5:00 am until 10:00 pm, but Health Minister Mongkol Na Songkhla says that advertisers have increasingly ignored the order. The most recent statistics showed that in April, illegal alcohol ads jumped 126 percent from nine months earlier, he said.
Violators of the new rules will face up to three months in prison or a 30,000 baht (800 dollar) fine.
The health ministry estimates that the ban could result in annual losses of 2.5 billion baht (66 million dollars) to the advertising business.
Thais are among the world's heaviest drinkers. A health ministry study two years ago found that per capita, Thais consumed 41.6 litres of alcohol in 2001, up 67 percent from a decade earlier.
That placed Thailand only behind Portugal, Ireland, the Bahamas and the Czech Republic, the study found.
However Manit Arunakoon, deputy secretary-general of the FDA, told the paper that he has signed the regulations to enforce the ban and "it won't be relaxed".
Warathep Rangchaikul, CEO of Riche Monde (Bangkok) Co Ltd, a local distributor of Scotch whiskies, said his company might scrap the March 2007 Johnnie Walker golf tournament in Phuket if the law is enforced.
