The country's consumer protection body has welcomed a comprehensive ban on alcohol advertising.

The office of the Consumer Protection Board (OCPB) yesterday hailed Public Health Ministry moves to ban all alcohol ads. The comprehensive ban takes effect on December 3.

"Without the comprehensive ban alcohol companies will continue to exploit legal loopholes to encourage people to drink," board secretary-general Rasamee Vistaveth said.

Current restrictions allowed alcohol advertisements that use corporate images only. But the board discovered that companies repeatedly broke the restrictions by using clever ad designs that continued to entice people to drink.

"It is apparent they are not afraid of fines," Rasamee said. Last year, four companies were found to have broken ad restrictions. This year, the number of offences rose to six.

Each offence is punishable by up to six months in jail or a maximum fine of Bt50,000, or both. Repeat offenders face an additional fine of Bt10,000 a day until an ad is removed. "But one alcohol company has simply not removed ads. Its daily fines have accumulated for 163 days and are Bt1.63 million now. It has yet to pay the fines," Rasamee said yesterday.

She believed the new comprehensive ban would affect alcohol sales. This was the right thing to do.

"We have to protect youth, not the business interests of alcohol companies," she said.

Meanwhile, an informed source said the Global Policy Alliance (Gapa) - one of the world's largest networks of academics and activists - had praised the government for its alcohol-ad ban.