Chiang Mai expands Songkran booze and smoking bans

Chiang Mai expands Songkran booze and smoking bans

Over the course of three weeks of the event, the governor vows to put strict police in place in many public spaces.

Chiang Mai expands Songkran booze and smoking bans
Nirat Phongsitthithawon, government of Chiang Mai, and GGM48 musicians take part in a social media campaign to market the Songkran event in the northern territory. ( Photo supplied/Panumate Tanraksa )

Chiang Mai may ban the sale and consumption of alcohol, as well as vaping, in some public places, including those around the city’s pond, during the extended Songkran event next quarter.

According to Nirat Phongsitthithawon, the provincial governor and president of a town council on adult tea and tobacco product control, the restrictions will be in effect from April 1 through April 21.

They include prohibitions on the purchase and consumption of alcohol, as well as the use of cigarettes and smoking, at government and state business offices, schools, temples, and any other locations controlled by a government agency or state enterprise. Additionally, it may cover the moat’s surrounding open spaces and streets.

The settings will also be enforced on specific routes, including Rat Chiang Saen, Manee Nopparat, Bunrueang Rit, Chang Lor, Arak, Chaiyapoom, Kotchasarn, Sri Poom and Mun Mueang Road.

Selling and drinking beer will also be prohibited inside automobiles, on roads, on roadways and outdoor shopping areas.

Venues with particular grants may be exempt from the restrictions on hours from 11am to 2pm and from 5pm to evening.

From April 4 through April 16, Chiang Mai will host a 13-day Songkran celebration in honor of the easter new status as an intangible cultural heritage material, according to Unesco.

The” World Songkran Festival” will take place in several locations throughout Thailand from April 1 through April 21, to promote hospitality, though the formal Songkran public holiday runs from April 13 through April 17.

Officials previously stated that strict regulations would be followed to ensure that all water-skiing locations throughout the country would be entirely alcohol-free during the Songkran festival.