Another Thai Crackdown
Crackdown announcements, an app created for people to grass on vapers, and a report recommending the legalisation of vapes is creating confusion in Thailand
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by Dave Cross
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The Thai government has followed its crackdown on ecigs by announcing yet another crackdown on vapes. Part of this new crackdown has been the launch of an app where people can dob in anybody they see vaping. Meanwhile, another government department has recommended legalising the sale of e-cigarettes due to the fact that the endless crackdowns have failed to achieve anything. No wonder the public is confused.
Another crackdown announcement
Following last month’s government announcement of a renewed crackdown on vaping, the House Committee on Governance announced a new crackdown on vaping.
Accompanying the crackdown announcement, the Royal Thai Police celebrated that over February they’d:
- Solved 955 vape related cases
- Arrested 991 people
- Seized 524,546 ecig devices worth over 50 million baht (over £1 million)
The police confirmed that vapers were being released without having to pay bail and their cases forwarded on to customs officers.
The House Committee reminded officers not to use the crackdown to extort large sums of money from tourists caught vaping.
Sellers face fines worth £13,500
Mobile App for Snitchers
The office of the Thia Prime Minister has announced the launch of a new mobile phone app that enables the public to snitch on people selling or using vapes – despite the fact that vaping is not illegal.
The Thang Rath app has also been developed to offer the ability to report online scams and give access to government departments. The public is being offered the equivalent of a £226 handout as the app also includes a digital wallet.
Of the 50 million Thais able to apply for the payout, 14.5 million have so far downloaded the app. Despite not being able to access the app’s services, the government has denied that the servers crashed or that there has been a massive leak of personal data.
The government says that dobbing in people you see vaping is all about improving public health, critics have said it’s simply aimed at raising more tax.
A report from the Ad Hoc Committee on E-Cigarettes
A report from the committee members has recommended legalizing vapes through targeted regulation, it has also included a suggestion that heated tobacco products are included.
Sarit Sitthiserichon, a spokesperson for ecig users, welcomed the report and said: “This report is a crucial step toward policy reform in addressing e-cigarette issues in Thailand, particularly youth usage. The country has maintained a ban on e-cigarettes for over a decade, yet this approach has failed to reduce usage rates. In fact, the number of e-cigarette users has increased tenfold in just two years.
“Additionally, the illicit e-cigarette market, which lacks quality control, has grown exponentially and is difficult to regulate, posing health risks to users. These issues highlight the ineffectiveness of the ban. Instead, proper legislation, as implemented in over 80 countries worldwide, is needed to ensure responsible regulation – not full prohibition nor an uncontrolled free market.”
Growing confusion
Amazingly, against a backdrop of crackdown announcements, police raids and government departments recommending legalisation, it’s been reported that the Thai public are increasingly confused as to the status of vapes.
The Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau has reminded people that vaping itself isn’t illegal. He said: “There is no legal basis at this time to detain someone just for using an e-cigarette. Our priority is to crack down on the illegal trade and distribution networks.”
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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 start-ups to develop content for their websites.
