The Phuket Tourist Police and the Airports of Thailand management team operating Phuket International Airport (AoT Phuket) swiftly responded to a social media alert regarding a convenience store at the airport displaying alcohol without the necessary warning that it cannot be legally sold on Visakha Bucha Day, which fell on June 3 this year.
The alert was raised by the Phuket Info Center page, operated under the Phuket branch of the Ministry of Interior of Thailand.
"Tourists are asking questions! Why is a shop at Phuket Airport’s Domestic Terminal selling alcoholic beverages today (June 3, 2023), even though it is Visakha Bucha Day, a big Buddhist holiday, and the law clearly prohibits selling alcohol?" stated the Phuket Info Center publication, posted at 8.05am, the time when the selling of alcohol is prohibited regardless of any holidays.
At 10.49am, the Phuket branch of the Tourist Police Bureau responded to the online concerns by sharing pictures of its officer in the rank of Senior Sergeant Major inspecting the shop and taking appropriate measures.
"Tourist police at Phuket International Airport have informed shops about the ban on selling alcoholic beverages on Visakha Bucha Day," read the publication, accompanied by a picture showing a notice saying, "Cannot sell alcoholic beverages," placed in front of the beer cans in the fridge.
In an update posted at 11am, the Phuket Info Center confirmed that AoT Phuket acknowledged the incident and issued a statement in which explained it as a "misunderstanding in the rules of practice."
"We apologise for this incident. If you come across a shop at Phuket Airport that violates or commits an offense, please notify 076351090 or 076351414," said AoT Phuket in a statement cited by the Phuket Info Center.
As of 11.30am, the statement was yet to be published on AoT Phuket’s official Facebook page.
A nationwide ban on the sale of alcohol will remain in effect until midnight today as the country commemorates the Buddhist holiday Visakha Bucha. The holiday marks the birth, enlightenment and death of Prince Siddhartha all occurring on the same date, but decades apart, on the ancient Buddhist calendar.
The ban on the sale of alcohol is instituted by law, introduced under an announcement by the Prime Minister’s Office in January 2015. Anyone caught breaking the ban faces up to six months in jail or a B10,000 fine, or both. The law technically does not ban displaying alcohol without a warning, yet it is common for Thai shops to have them in place during prohibition days.