An MP from the Move Forward Party is accused of violating a ban on advertising alcohol after he shared a photo of a beer can. Padipat Suntiphada, an MP from the northern province of Phitsanuloke, also serves as deputy House speaker.
According to a Thai PBS World report, trouble broke out when he shared a photo in which he was holding a can of craft beer brewed in his hometown.
Activist Srisuwan Janya wasted no time in filing a complaint against the MP, calling on House speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha, who also chairs the House Ethics Committee, to investigate Padipat.
Srisuwan says that by posting a photo of a beer can, the Move Forward MP has violated section 32 of Thailand’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Act. Under the law, the advertising of alcoholic beverages is banned. Violation carries a fine of up to 50,000 baht and/or imprisonment of up to one year.
Srisuwan is on a roll, saying he also plans to file a complaint with the National Anti-Corruption Commission and the Alcoholic Beverage Control Committee in the coming days.
Rames Rattanachaveng, spokesman for the Democrat Party has also stepped into the fray, posting on his Facebook page that Padipat should have been aware of the law.
He has called on the House Speaker to investigate the Move Forward MP immediately, to safeguard the reputation of the parliament.
“Parliament’s image should not be tainted by the behaviour of the Move Forward MP.”
SOURCE: Thai PBS World
