Online craft beer reviewer Artid Sivahansaphan falls foul of Thailand’s strict alcohol advertising law, receiving a hefty fine and suspended prison sentence after posting a beer
A Thai court has fined a craft beer enthusiast THB150,000 (US$4,360) and handed him a six‑month prison term, suspended for two years, after ruling that a Facebook post “reviewing” a beer violated Thailand’s strict alcohol‑advertising law.
The Nonthaburi Provincial Court, just north of Bangkok, convicted freelance translator Artid Sivahansaphan under the 2008 Alcoholic Beverage Control Act, which bars “direct or indirect” promotion of alcoholic drinks.
The Act carries a maximum penalty of one year in jail and a THB500,000 fine. The court reduced an initial eight‑month sentence and THB200,000 fine because it judged Artid’s testimony to be cooperative, according to people who attended the hearing.
Artid’s contested post, published in 2020 on his 70,000‑follower Facebook page, featured a photograph of a beer alongside his tasting notes. Artid said he is a freelance translator by profession and does not have any business interest in alcoholic beverages, but he is passionate about craft beer. His Facebook page, where he has written about both Thai and foreign beers for about 10 years, has more than 70,000 followers.
Prosecutors argued the content amounted to advertising. Artid plans to appeal, saying he was reviewing the product from a consumer perspective rather than promoting it commercially. “I didn’t advertise it. I didn’t encourage people to drink it. I didn’t advocate for driving drunk. I only talked about the aesthetic aspect of it,” he said, according to an Associated Press report. “Thailand is a country where it’s illegal for people to drink a beer and say it’s delicious.”
Thailand imposes tight curbs on alcohol marketing and consumption, including restricted retail hours and mandatory blurring of drink images on television. Activists and small brewers say the rules shield large conglomerates and stifle the burgeoning craft beer sector.
Campaign group Beer People, which advocates liberalisation of brewing and sales regulations, criticised the ruling as disproportionately harsh and out of step with penalties for offences such as drunk‑driving. Supporters note that a first‑time drink‑driving conviction typically draws a lower fine than the sum imposed on Artid for his online review.
