A 23-year graduate student was beaten by guards at a pub-restaurant in Chiang Mai last week after complaining that a restroom had been roped off for the exclusive use of television celebrities patronising the place.

The incident was no different to scenes of violence witnessed at nightclubs anywhere, but it made headlines because the young victim happened to be the son of a high-ranking military officer. It helped, too, that a group of male and female TV stars was involved. The boyfriend of one of the actresses has been blamed for instigating the attack. He is also reportedly a business partner of the pub.

The victim was severely injured in the attack and remains in hospital. As a customer of the pub he had every right to complain about what he saw as “unequal” service.

Public response to the case has focused on juicy details concerning the celebrities’ actions in the private restroom, but there are much deeper questions that need answering.

One concerns the rumour that the pub is run by “influential” people. We must also ask why the guards brutally assaulted the young man in front of dozens of customers while the actress’s boyfriend looked on?

Speculation that the owners have connections in high places comes from the fact that the pub is located no more than 150 metres from two universities in Chiang Mai, and is thus openly flouting the law on alcohol sales.

This case offers yet more evidence that the government’s ban on sales of alcohol in the vicinity of educational institutions is impotent.

The recent amendment to the law was aimed at ridding the streets of illegal racing. But the rule was loosened when the stipulation of a “dry” zone of 300 metres from educational institutions was removed from the draft after it received widespread criticism.

The pub owner in Chiang Mai has already shuttered his business, but the big problem of alcohol being sold openly close to schools and universities – and under the eye of the police – is getting worse.

A survey conducted by Suan Sunandha Rajabhat revealed a mushrooming of shops, pubs and restaurants selling alcohol within 500 metres of 13 universities in Bangkok over five years, from 1,445 units in 2009 to almost 2,500 units in 2014.

That figure has likely grown since then.

Part of the problem is that the law is hazy, giving those responsible for its enforcement leeway to decide whether an alcohol vendor is too close to a school or college. Those vendors who have either “connections” or other means of persuasion can all too easily nudge police to look the other way. Once again, the privileged few are taking advantage at the expense of the rest of us.