Five-year plan to tackle vice Ministry's initiative to focus on gambling

Five-year plan to tackle vice Ministry's initiative to focus on gambling.

ANJIRA ASSAVANONDA

The Ministry of Social Development and Human Security is set to embark on a five-year plan to free society from vice, especially gambling. Minister Paiboon Wattanasiritham yesterday announced the plan which the ministry will jointly carry out with the Thai Health Promotion Foundation and the Morality Centre.

Each agency will spend a five million baht budget during the first phase of the plan, which focuses mainly on reducing gambling among young and poor people in five major provinces including Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima. The other three have yet to be named.

The plan is aimed at cutting the number of gamblers by half.

A study by the Child Watch project in 2005-2006 found that students at all levels bought tickets in the two and three-digit lottery. Of this group, 6.2% were primary students.

The study linked the government's two and three-digit lottery to violence including threats and physical assaults among students.

According to the study, more than 700,000 high school and university students were threatened or physically assaulted over the past two years.

Wallop Ploytubtim, permanent-secretary for social development and human security, said about two million youngsters drink or gamble.

''People spend so much on vice that the amount is said to be equal to the entire national budget,'' he said.

Cooperation from the public would be needed to make the plan work. One strategy would be to discourage people, especially those in rural provinces, from gambling at funerals.

Dr Poldej Pinprateep, secretary to the social development and human security minister, said the ministry had sent the five-year plan to the cabinet. It would require a state budget of 500 million baht a year.

Dr Somsak Chunharasmi, head of the National Health Foundation, said the first phase would raise awareness and develop policy

Bangkok Post
Friday January 12, 2007