This article reports that alcoholic drinks companies are fighting a Thai government plan to make graphic warning labels about alcohol risks mandatory on all bottles of beer, wine and spirits sold in the country. The proposed labels, which would cover 30% of the surface area of each bottle, include unusually explicit warnings about the risks of alcohol misuse: One picture shows a bare-chested man grasping a woman by the hair & raising his fist to strike her, accompanied by the words: "Alcohol consumption could harm yourself, your children and your family." Another depicts a pair of bare feet dangling in the air after an apparent suicide, accompanied by the words: "Alcohol consumption could alter consciousness and lead to mortality." According to Brett Bivans, VP of Int Centre for Alcohol Policies (USA), a not-for-profit group funded by the industry, the labels "are the most extreme we've ever seen." This follows a government announcement in 2009 of an increase in excise tax for alcoholic drinks, despite already being one of the most heavily taxed commodities in Thailand.
