OPINION

Blame it on the booze

Life, Yvonne Bohwongprasert, Published on 03/05/2012

» Alcohol-related crimes and traffic fatalities continue to dog Thai society, dominating front-page headlines on a daily basis. Judging by last Songkran's death toll, campaigns against drink driving seem to have done little to influence the masses to become responsible drinkers. In my opinion, it takes more than campaigning to dissuade perpetrators, most of whom have a long history of drinking problems, to be model social citizens. And this goes for both people who drive intoxicated and criminal minds, who might start with petty offences _ often slapped with a fine or a night in lock-up _ and gradually progress to more serious offences such as rape, spousal battery and even murder.