Be Wary of the Bangkok Cops
Bangkok cops have cracked down on an individual flouting the ban on vape product sales despite the fact that they adopt a pretty hit and miss approach to enforcement of the legislation
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by Dave Cross
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Thai police have been pretty busy of late; arresting pro-democracy teens [link], closing down press conferences [link], and breaking out the water cannons to deal with pesky protestors [link].
One thing they haven’t cared so much about is the anti-vape legislation – unless, according to locals, it suited them.
The Foreign Office declared Thailand a no-go for vapers three years ago. It told prospective UK travellers: “You can’t bring vaporisers (like e-cigarettes and e-baraku) or refills into Thailand. These items are likely to be confiscated and you could be fined or sent to prison for up to 10 years if convicted. The sale or supply of e-cigarettes and similar devices is also banned, and you could face a heavy fine or up to 5 years imprisonment if found guilty. Several British Nationals have been arrested for possession of vaporisers and e-cigarettes.”
Enforcement was carried out in a haphazard fashion over the following years. Netherlands’ Eurovision pop star Gerard Jan Joling fell afoul of the laws last year, accusing the police of corruption, and was only released once a “fine” had been paid.
Thai legislators have clung to a succession of laughable locally produced studies and a number of the most ridiculous ones emanating from the United States to justify its war on harm reduction and common-sense. Of course, the government’s stance can’t have anything to do with the fact that the country hosts a tobacco monopoly, the Tobacco Authority of Thailand.
Pattaya News reported the recent Bangkok action as cops stormed 35-yr-old Chalitpon Saardrup’s private home. It is reported as a “major raid”, but the haul was quite pathetic:
- 74 devices
- 85 atomiser heads
- 990 bottles of e-liquid
- 7 plastic bags
- 3 rolls of vaping wire
- 2 battery chargers
- 220 coils
Local sources told Planet of the Vapes that such action frequently occurs when “tea money” hasn’t been handed over to local officers, and street stalls proliferate on the streets of Thailand’s premier city.
With such a ramshackle and crooked approach to public health, no wonder pro-democracy protests are being held and Ends Cigarette Smoke Thailand is calling for openness and the responsible use of research.
Related:
- “Thai No-Go For Ecigs”, POTV – [link]
- “More than 70 e-cigarettes and thousands of their components seized during police raid at Bangkok house yesterday”, Pattaya News – [link]
Photo Credit:
- Image by 41330 from Pixabay
- Image by Arek Socha from Pixabay
Dave Cross
Journalist at POTVDave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous vape companies to develop content for their websites.
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