The only possible exception would be for advertising in "live" TV sports shows, Dr Narong Sahamethapat, deputy director-general of the Disease Control Department, said yesterday.

New Public Health Minister Mongkol Na Songkhla wants to give top priority to this issue while the bill to completely ban alcohol advertising as well as zone the sales of alcohol waits to be passed into law, Narong told The Nation in a telephone interview.

Section 24 of the Consumer Protection Act of 1979 gives the "Committee of Advertisement" the power to issue orders to restrict or prohibit the advertising of goods that may be harmful to consumers, he said.

A ministerial directive would be prepared and the details, including the date it actually takes effect, should be finalised by next week when Mongkol approves its issuance, he said.

Such an abrupt change would hurt the advertising business for sure, said Chaipranin Visudhipol, former chairman of the Advertising Association of Thailand.

More than half of the Bt1-billion annual advertising budget for alcoholic beverages was usually spent in the last quarter of the year, he said.

And if the alcoholic beverage companies were forced to withdraw their advertisements, the ones that would suffer would be the media, he said.

The impact of the ban would vary according to its scope, he said.

If it also covers below-the-line activities such as give-aways or sales promotions at the point of purchase, the situation would become like the one cigarette companies found themselves in.

Then posters, signs and other materials would be pulled off and young women working at restaurants and bars to promote the sales of alcohol would lose their jobs.

If it extends to sponsorship by alcoholic beverage firms, many sports events particularly live telecasts of foreign sports would be greatly affected, not to mention the sports stars hired as presenters.

Arthit Khwankhom

 The Nation