The Muslim Connection group in Khon Kaen join a local anti-alcohol parade yesterday to support a

The Public Health Ministry will be seeking a green light from the Cabinet today for its Alcohol Control Bill, after efforts to ban alcohol advertising hit legal problems.

The Council of State ruled last week that the ban was invalid because the Food and Drug Administration did not have the mandate to enforce such a ban.

Although the Council of State will be asked to review its ruling, it is clear that the ban cannot take effect on Friday - as initially scheduled.

Public Health Minister Mongkol na Songkhla said yesterday his ministry would seriously push for the Alcohol Control Act now that the FDA ban had been declared invalid.

"The Alcohol Control Act should be able to ensure a happier society," he said.

According to Mongkol, alcohol consumption accounted for 90 per cent of the road casualties - 37 lives a day - and also led to violence and crime.

Mongkol said relevant authorities had spent more than four years preparing the Alcohol Control Bill and it had already passed through public hearings.

"This is in line with people's opinions," he said.

Disease Control Department's deputy director general Dr Narong Sahamethapat said the Alcohol Control Bill had already been amended based on recommendations from a previous Cabinet meeting.

The move appears to have public support. A survey by the Abac Poll Research Centre found that 62 per cent of young respondents agreed with the ban on alcohol ads.

The survey, conducted from November 24 to 26, gauged the opinions of Bangkok residents aged from 15 to 24 years old.

The respondents said that  brawls, accidents, violence, sexual assaults, pre-marital sex among teenagers and drug abuse were common problems caused by alcohol.

Some 64 per cent of respondents felt alcohol advertising aimed to mislead consumers, while the rest felt it encouraged vices.

In a related development, FDA secretary general Siriwat Thiptaradol said his agency had yet to receive an official ruling from the Council of State in regard to its proposed ban on alcohol advertising. "Once we receive it, we will ask the FDA to review its ruling," he said.

Siriwat said the FDA spent nearly a year preparing the ban and representatives from the Council of State also helped during the preparation.

In a related development, Office of the Consumer Protection Board secretary-general Rasamee Vistaveth said the best way to enforce the ban on alcohol advertising now was to push for the Alcohol Control Act.

"But if the FDA wishes to urgently enforce the ban, it could also push for the ban to take effect and wait to hear what the Administrative Court says," she said.