Beer-loving Thai lawmaker takes aim at $14 billion booze industry duopoly

A beer-loving lawmaker from Thailand's Move Forward Party Taopiphop Limjitrikorn poses at his bar after an interview with Reuters, in Bangkok, Thailand, May 23, 2023. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha

BANGKOK (Reuters) - A beer-loving lawmaker in Thailand once arrested for illegal brewing is hoping his party's election win can give him a long-awaited shot at breaking up a $14 billion alcohol duopoly of two of the country's wealthiest families.

Brewer-turned-politician Taopiphop Limjittrakorn has been fighting to overhaul strict regulations for years, taking on Boon Rawd Brewery and ThaiBev, which have long had a stranglehold on the production of alcohol.