Bangkok: Thailand's military government has expanded a draconian "attitude adjustment" programme aimed at muzzling its critics to include drink drivers in a bid to limit road accidents during the New Year period.
Driving under the influence of alcohol remains a chronic problem in Thailand, a big consumer of beer and whiskey. It causes thousands of deaths each year, with a surge of accidents recorded during holidays.
Drivers who fail breathalyser tests or people caught racing face seven to 15 days in detention, according to an announcement made in the Royal Gazette. People causing "disturbances, danger and damage from driving vehicles" could lose their licenses for 30 days and have their cars confiscated for a week or more.
Hundreds of Thais have been hauled in for "attitude adjustment" since a May 2014 coup led by General Prayuth Chan-ocha, who is now prime minister and has used the sessions to stifle detractors ranging from pro-democracy activists and journalists to politicians he ousted.
On Tuesday and Wednesday this week, 104 Thais were killed in road accidents, mostly due to drink driving, according to the interior ministry. The junta said 612 vehicles, mostly motorcycles, had been seized from December 25 to December 30.
The zero-tolerance junta has led a series of crackdowns it says are to promote the rule of law and rid the country of graft and social ills. The measures have ranged from rounding up illegal migrant workers and halting gambling dens to banning bars near universities and vendors who clog sidewalks.
