Asian news round-up

Bangkok bourse delays Thai Beverages float on Stock Exchange
At least 20,000 protestors with 500 Buddhist monks marched on the Stock Exchange of Thailand SET in March to protest at the proposed listing of Thai Beverages. The brewer, which produces Chang Beer and a top-selling whisky, had planned to raise more than 1 billion US Dollars by floating on the exchange. The listing of Thai Beverages, which is part of the empire of Thai billionaire Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi, would be a first by a local liquor company. Its rival the Boon Rawd Brewery, the country’s oldest and maker of the Singha brand, reportedly had plans to follow suit. The President of the Stock Exchange, Kittiratt Na Ranong, said the exchange’s board had postponed its decision because they wished to be free of outside pressure.

The demonstrators argued that consumption among young people had surged in Thailand. According to the health ministry Thailand was the world’s fifth-largest consumer per capita of alcoholic beverages, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra rejected speculation that his administration was behind SET’s indefinite postponement of the listing. “Government did not interfere with the stock market ... but many in the public still oppose the listing so the stock market should be more prudent in its listing considerations,”

Thaksin told reporters.

“Today is a day of relief for the Thai people who are concerned over an ill society already damaged by excessive alcohol consumption,” the network said in a statement

Bhutan confronts alcohol problem
Alcoholic drinks have played a significant role and are interwoven with the traditions of the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan. They are part of all ceremonial and religious occasions, with almost every household brewing its own ricebased liquor.

However, health officials now say they are concerned about the increasing cases of alcoholism being reported at the national hospital in the capital, Thimphu.

“We acknowledge that alcohol is a problem,” says Dr Sangay Thinley, Bhutan’s health secretary. He accepts that alcohol is one of the biggest causes of adult mortality in Bhutan.

The fact that, in the psychiatric ward of the Jigme Dorji Wangchuk National Referral Hospital in Thimphu, half of the eight beds are occupied by alcoholics underlines Dr Thinley’s concern.

Dr Chencho Dorji is the only psychiatrist in Bhutan. He counsels patients suffering from depression, anxiety, epilepsy, and psychosis, but he says dependence on alcohol is the most common problem in Bhutan. In the past three years he has treated more than 1,500 patients, at least 10 per cent of whom have been alcoholics. He claims that 30 per cent of deaths in all hospital wards are due to alcoholism.

Government officials confirm the extent of the problem, admitting that the number of alcoholics in Bhutan is growing rapidly.

The acceptance of drinking in Bhutanese society, the widespread availability of alcohol, and growing economic prosperity have come together to make matters worse.

Dr Thinley, the Health Minister, says that the government is preparing awareness campaigns to encourage drinking in moderation. He also points out the importance of keeping a check on the liquor brewed at home.

The danger of excessive consumption of alcohol and the threat of full-scale dependence cannot be avoided even in one of the world’s most remote countries.

Alcohol and road traffic deaths in Asia
Of the one million people killed on roads during 2000, nearly 75 per cent died in developing countries, almost half of them in Asia. According to research carried out by Dr G. Guturaj of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences in Bangalore, India, road traffic injuries in the South Asia Region constitute the second or third leading cause of death in the 5-44 year old age group and alcohol is a major risk factor. In Bangalore, night-time crashes account for 30-40 per cent of road traffic injuries. The risk of mortality increases 2.2 times among those under the influence of alcohol.