Beer Enthusiast In Thailand Fined ₹3.5 Lakh & 6 Months In Prison For Uploading Beer Pic On FB

You must have heard people asking you to check the laws and “things not to do” of a particular city or state before visiting it. This is to avoid any unnecessary issues that might arise because you were unaware. In a similar incident, a craft beer enthusiast in Thailand was fined ₹3.5 lakhs and sentenced to six months imprisonment for uploading a picture of beer on Facebook.

Beer Enthusiast Fined In Thailand

Artid Sivahansaphan, a craft beer enthusiast, has been fined 150,000 baht, which is ₹3.5 lakh in Indian currency. With this, he also received a suspended six-month prison sentence by a court in Thailand for posting a picture of beer on Facebook.

While posting a picture of beer on social media might sound very normal to you, for people in Thailand, it is not. He was fined for violating an important law in the country related to advertising alcoholic beverages.

In an effort to change legislation that he feels is unfair to consumers and small business owners, Artid Sivahansaphan stated on Monday that he intends to appeal his sentence.

By definition, the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act of 2008 forbids “advertising or displaying, directly or indirectly, the name or trademark of any alcoholic beverage.” The maximum punishment is one year in prison and a fine of 500,000 baht (about ₹11 lakh).

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Testimony Considered Helpful

Thailand controls the manufacturing, marketing, and advertising of alcoholic beverages. Sales hours are restricted, and advertisements and other representations of alcoholic beverages are generally outlawed in all media. Alcoholic beverages like beer appear electronically blurred on television.

Artid was sentenced for this post on Facebook in 2020 by a court in Thailand’s Nonthaburi. The initial penalty that was charged to him was 200,000 baht (₹4.7 lakh) and 8 months in prison. The fine was reduced to 150,000 baht (₹3.5 lakhs) and the sentence to 6 months. This reduction was offered because his testimony was considered helpful by the court. (as per Moneycontrol)