He said legislative amendments were required before the ban could be imposed.

Mongkol was reacting to a bureaucratic and legal tussle over which government agency had the power to enact and enforce the ban.

"Alcohol advertising will definitely be prohibited, and the Cabinet will on Tuesday discuss ways to sort out the legal mess," he said.

For the time being, authorities will continue to remind manufacturers and sellers of the pending ban, he said.

He added there should be no "false hopes" the prohibition could be avoided.

The Council of State notified the minister on Friday that the Food and Drug Administration was not legally permitted to enforce the ban as previously believed.

It recommended the law be amended to reclassify alcoholic beverages from a food to a controlled category so the FDA could legally regulate them.