In a bid to tackle premarital sex and drug use, the Social Development and Human Security Ministry will enforce more stringent rules on dormitories, Minister Watana Muangsook said yesterday.

The ministry will ensure that all dorms are registered and genders are kept apart, he said.

Dormitories were given four months to register and owners face arrest if their business breaks the rules that came into effect this week.

Any dorm that is unregistered, allows different sexes to stay together, or turns a blind eye to illegal drug use and illegal gatherings will be penalised, Wattana said.

The public is being urged to tip-off authorities on the Prachabodi Centre's hotline 1300. A parental network has been established to target dormitories that break the law, Wattana said.

Apartments not classified as dorms, which are often favoured by university students who want to live with partners, will have to require students of the opposite sex who live together to present a letter of permission from their parents, he added.

He instructed the police to check dorms or apartments to ensure the conditions are adequate and members of the opposite sex are not living together. Owners of dorms that violate the rules can be arrested under the Building Control Act.

The small size of many dormitories has often made gender separation difficult, Watana said.

About 8,500 of 13,000 dormitories are registered. Some businesses might not be registered because their owners want to avoid paying tax, as they only operate for nine months a year during school terms, while the tax is charged for the full 12 months, Watana said.

Many owners of dormitories - under other names such as apartments, flats and condominiums - had not registered as required by the Dormitory Act of 1964 because they did not know the procedure.

Owners are often prepared to take anyone to fill empty beds, dodge taxes and are frequently slow to improve dorm conditions, Watana said.

The ministry is also introducing incentives, such as lower taxes, to encourage dorms to register and is planning to find low or no-interest loans for dorm owners so that they can upgrade living conditions, Watana said.

The Cabinet last year approved in principle the ministerial regulations about dormitory operations that raised the age limit of dormitory tenants from 23 to 25.

Permanent Secretary Wallop Ploythubtim said all provincial offices of the ministry had been instructed to investigate registered dormitories, defined as residential premises housing more than five students.

This new definition will include apartments, condominiums and rented homes and is aimed at preventing youths from gatherings to have sex or use illegal drugs.

Inspectors will urge non-registered dorms to sign up, Wallop said.

He said dorm owners who

broke the law could see their businesses closed and licences suspended.

They could also be jailed up to six months and fined Bt6,000.

The government also aims to amend the ministerial regulations to let other agencies such

as the Education Ministry, which is responsible for student welfare, join the mission, Wallop added.

Lat Phrao dorm owner Chanchai Jiankul said the government must legally differentiate between dormitories and apartments, with clear regulations for the two to reduce confusion that may arise because those living in apartments were mostly working people, with students forming a small minority. Students would find it more difficult to find accommodations under the new regulations, he said.

Anan Paengnoy

The Nation