Thai media says three levels of authority will be able to fine smokers on Thai beaches

[jerojero]

There could be a fourth level -- vigilante gangs with power to flog offenders on the spot. Scouts could be secreted in disguised pits in the sand, ready to leap out at the first whiff of smoke. Specially trained dogs could also be employed -- after detecting a criminal trying to smoke discretely, the dogs would bite the offender in the groin. US drone experts could also be brought in to train locals on how to use heat-seeking drones. But the best weapon against smoking on the beach would be the Navy SEALS -- they could lie in wait off the beach ready to storm ashore at the first sign of smoking. 

Ahh Thailand. Where no crime goes unpunished. 

And where the punishment always fits the crime.

Sent from my SM-G950W using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[SirBuwanaDogbossKing]

1 minute ago, overherebc said:

See one of my previous posts where I stated ' not yet'.

I could expand your reasoning to cover a multitude of illegal items.

Driving a top end car that has been illegaly imported and no tax paid is one. No law states I can't drive it but the law says it's illegal for me to have it.

again you're waffling..........of course it's bloody illegal if its been illegally imported. But I am not importing any Ecig. I am using it personally.

import

verb

 

ɪmˈpɔːt,ˈɪmpɔːt/

1. 1.

   bring (goods or services) into a country from abroad for sale.

   "supermarkets may no longer import cheap jeans from Bulgaria"

   synonyms:

   buy from abroad, bring from abroad, bring in, buy in, ship in, source from abroad "the UK imports 95 per cent of its charcoal"
2.  

noun

 

ˈɪmpɔːt/

1. 1.

   a commodity, article, or service brought in from abroad for sale.

   "cheap imports from eastern Europe"

   synonyms:

   imported commodity, foreign commodity, non-domestic commodity "a tax levied on imports"

[Happyman58]

4 hours ago, HHTel said:

So are you suggesting water cannons and rubber bullets for smokers ignoring the ban!?

No they wont do that They will damage the " The milking cow" The tourists Ask if Thais are caught smoking on the beach would they receive the same fines  or would a blind eye come into play

[DEEWAYNE]

Next will be banning smoking altogether.  Not really so stupid as anyone who argues that smoking is not offensive, harmful or destructive must have their heads buried in their butts.

 

.

[overherebc]

11 minutes ago, SirBuwanaDogbossKing said:

again you're waffling..........of course it's bloody illegal if its been illegally imported. But I am not importing any Ecig. I am using it personally.

import

verb

 

ɪmˈpɔːt,ˈɪmpɔːt/

1. 1.

   bring (goods or services) into a country from abroad for sale.

   "supermarkets may no longer import cheap jeans from Bulgaria"

   synonyms:

   buy from abroad, bring from abroad, bring in, buy in, ship in, source from abroad "the UK imports 95 per cent of its charcoal"
2.  

noun

 

ˈɪmpɔːt/

1. 1.

   a commodity, article, or service brought in from abroad for sale.

   "cheap imports from eastern Europe"

   synonyms:

   imported commodity, foreign commodity, non-domestic commodity "a tax levied on imports"

So it was a miracle that suddenly made it appear in Thailand?

Years ago in UK I had two derringer pistols that my grand-dad had owned. If I had been caught using them I could have used your defence strategy.

Sorry officer, they're just for my own use.

[Megasin1]

3 minutes ago, DEEWAYNE said:

Next will be banning smoking altogether.  Not really so stupid as anyone who argues that smoking is not offensive, harmful or destructive must have their heads buried in their butts.

 

.

which is probably a much cleaner environment than the baeches

[overherebc]

3 minutes ago, Megasin1 said:

which is probably a much cleaner environment than the baeches

Even as a smoker I would probably agree to that. I would then really have to give up.

??

[madusa]

4 hours ago, HHTel said:

So are you suggesting water cannons and rubber bullets for smokers ignoring the ban!?

I am suggesting we behave like the Una bomber and form a network throughout the whole world to support each other. Get rid of the pests

[madusa]

17 hours ago, AWillOz said:

The poor ol' smokers! first they were pushed outside to smoke, and now being pushed back inside!

I heard someone said they should be executed.

[overherebc]

20 minutes ago, madusa said:

I heard someone said they should be executed.

OK but gently executed.

May sound strange but self and SWMBO smoke and we're ok with sitting in a non smoking restaurant or area and still enjoy the afternoon or evening.

Neither of us mumble and grumble about it. Most of the hotels we stay in when away for a few days are non-smoking so it's no big hassle.

If you ask if they have a smoking area they are always happy to show you where and give you an ashtray etc.

Don't see the big deal about no smoking beaches.

Edited November 18, 2017 by overherebc

[SirBuwanaDogbossKing]

59 minutes ago, overherebc said:

So it was a miracle that suddenly made it appear in Thailand?

Years ago in UK I had two derringer pistols that my grand-dad had owned. If I had been caught using them I could have used your defence strategy.

Sorry officer, they're just for my own use.

Firstly there are no such things as miracles, and the only pertinent thing that appeared was the 2014 law that banned the importation of Ecigs and related paraphernalia for resale or distribution.

There has never been any law which prohibits the personal use of Ecigs. It is just misinterpretation and scaremongering by certain individuals on blog sites such as this.

And no you could not use an excuse for using your pistol in the UK as there is a law against such use

[overherebc]

2 hours ago, SirBuwanaDogbossKing said:

Firstly there are no such things as miracles, and the only pertinent thing that appeared was the 2014 law that banned the importation of Ecigs and related paraphernalia for resale or distribution.

There has never been any law which prohibits the personal use of Ecigs. It is just misinterpretation and scaremongering by certain individuals on blog sites such as this.

And no you could not use an excuse for using your pistol in the UK as there is a law against such use

At the time they would have been legal 'if' they were registered on a firearm cert.'

Sort of like my shotgun licence which at the time said licenced to hold shotguns, not a shotgun serial number xxxxxxxx.

Things have very much changed since those days.

Anyway go fill your boots 'vaping' where you will. I actually don't care as long as it's not on the non smoking beach or in a restaurant I'm in.

Have a good evening.

[rosst]

If only the level of energy being diverted to this issue were to be applied to enforcing the traffic regulations, they would save tens of thousands of lives. 

I am at a loss to explain why the ability to enforce draconian fines for smoking on the beach but it is not applied to the universal throwing of plastic litter on the beaches. 

I know what would benefit the country the most. 

[Happyman58]

2 minutes ago, rosst said:

If only the level of energy being diverted to this issue were to be applied to enforcing the traffic regulations, they would save tens of thousands of lives. 

I am at a loss to explain why the ability to enforce draconian fines for smoking on the beach but it is not applied to the universal throwing of plastic litter on the beaches. 

I know what would benefit the country the most. 

Ok Rosst This is why Catch a falang smoking and throwing away the butt -100,000 Baht fine  cant leave the country until they pay( Unless Red Bull heir) See a Thai throwing away plastic rubbish(eg bottles) turn a blind eye knowing they cant or wont pay No money benefit for them there You think they really care about throwing away rubbish and the enviroment Its all about making money 

[connda]

It's pretty easy for me now to recommend to any of my friends considering a 'beach holiday' to skip Thailand completely and to enjoy the beaches closer to home, like Cabo San Lucas, Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Puerto Vallarta, Ensenada - a place where you can have a beer or cocktail any time of the day, an e-cig if that's your thing, and clean beaches.
Yeah you may still have the scams, but three out of four ain't bad.  
Clean beaches with surfable waves being at the top of my own list.

Edited November 19, 2017 by connda

[HHTel]

23 hours ago, SirBuwanaDogbossKing said:

Are they? where did you get this information from?

They have been illegal since 2014.  Do keep up!

[HHTel]

Directly from a police website:

 

Quote

 they fall into a category of goods that have not had tax levied on them and their possession therefore is illegal. Offenders could face five years of jail time or a fine of four times the value of the goods or both jail and a fine.

The importation, sale, and production for sale of e-cigarettes is also illegal with offenders liable to 10-year sentences for production and sale and a fine of five times the value of the goods or both. This law has been on the statute since December 2014.

 

[thaibeachlovers]

21 hours ago, madusa said:

I heard someone said they should be executed.

I'd agree to that on anyone smoking a cigar near me. 

[thaibeachlovers]

7 hours ago, rosst said:

If only the level of energy being diverted to this issue were to be applied to enforcing the traffic regulations, they would save tens of thousands of lives. 

I am at a loss to explain why the ability to enforce draconian fines for smoking on the beach but it is not applied to the universal throwing of plastic litter on the beaches. 

I know what would benefit the country the most. 

It's more to do with politics and less to do with health, litter or anything else.

However, given that the person responsible used the wrong legislation and too much face would be lost to admit they were wrong, it's probably going to be mostly ignored as with most such regulations ( they tried to ban people sitting in the back of pickups, but nothing actually happened about that where I am ), till it gets quietly forgotten.

I'm hoping that even the most rabid official will understand what will happen to farang tourism if they actually put someone in jail. However, the scammers will love it, till it gets too much publicity.

All happened before on Sukhumvit with the ciggy butt scam.

[nisakiman]

I've asked this question before on previous threads on this subject, but haven't yet received a sensible answer.

 

The law has been tagged on to the environmental protection laws, the 'crime' being littering, or polluting the beach rather than smoking per se. That's what all the publicity has been about - the 'terrible pollution' caused by cigarette butts.

 

So what if I'm a pipe smoker? No butts. No litter. Am I to be prosecuted under the environmental protection laws for polluting the beach with cigarette butts even though I'm doing nothing of the sort? Or what if I always carry a portable ashtray with me, and always take my used cigarette butts away with me. Am I to be prosecuted for polluting the beach, even though I leave no trace of smoking behind me? Or what if I smoke filterless roll-ups, the butt end of which biodegrades in a couple of days (just a bit of rice paper and a few strands of dried leaf)? No polluting cellulose butts involved there.

 

I really don't think they've thought this one through properly. If the authorities really do start fining people, and they catch someone who falls into one of the above categories who has enough time and money that he or she decides to fight the case, I can't see the authorities being able to win. If they'd banned smoking on the beach on the spurious grounds of 'health', they would have a stronger case, but banning it on the grounds of polluting the environment should, in theory, exempt any smoker who is demonstrably NOT polluting.

[Dexlowe]

@nisakiman -- the obvious answer is that the law is what the individual with enough power wants it to be. That's the way it is, and I can't see it ever changing because the elites see it as a way to allow the lower classes a chance to share in the country's enormous corruption without them having to "get down and dirty" and engage with the hoi polloi. Remember all the BS concerning the tesakit in Bangkok over the years? Despite prolonged protest and bitching from tourists, no one in authority, least of all any Bangkok governor, bothered to do anything about it. 

[Naam]

On 11/17/2017 at 5:28 AM, Samui Bodoh said:

While I am okay with banning smoking on the beaches, I am deeply concerned with the management of this policy; nowhere in the story did it mention a committee to implement the policy!

 

How can you have a policy without a committee? 

 

Anarchy... Madness... Chaos... What the hell is happening???

nothing much happening. just the usual Thai clowneries.

[sharpjwe]

On 11/17/2017 at 8:47 AM, impulse said:

 

But the unacceptable act is littering, yet they've banned smoking.  It's a little like banning driving because some idiots are a menace behind the wheel.  Or swimming, because a few people drown each year.

 

Come down like a hammer on littering.  And bad driving.  Don't just ban it for everyone.

 

on the beach we should relax in a clear air enviroment 

smoking does not held that . again you hav the right to smoke 

without disturbing others there  will be smoking areas for you to poison your selves 

without disturbing others

come back to me when you can walk one meter without seeing ten or so TAB ENDS

 

[sharpjwe]

On 11/17/2017 at 8:51 AM, sammieuk1 said:

Glad to see you are giving a 20m area for smokers may consider starting . 

what on earth do you mean ?

is that english?

words missing?

[sharpjwe]

On 11/17/2017 at 9:01 AM, stephen tracy said:

Sure, a small fine is reasonable but a jail term is certainly not. I quit smoking years ago and also don't like being around second hand smoke anymore, but I think you're getting a bit high and mighty referring to them as "filthy".  There are far worse things one can do than smoke. 

check smokers lungs lined with TAR

filthy habbit

filthy to throw ever cigarrette they smoke on the ground plus the packets for their all short lives

how many M3 is that ?????

 

other things far worst ( lets keep to the subject at hand)

[sharpjwe]

On 11/17/2017 at 10:38 AM, DM07 said:

You are the life of every party, I bet!

Did you get the children off your lawn?

what is your answer to the question

i told many kids and adults not to litter 

 

this is our planet for all of us to protect .

 

all the party i do are fun and well apreciated thanks 

never tolds kids to get off the lawn

 

 

 

[sharpjwe]

On 11/17/2017 at 6:04 PM, garbolino said:

why are there NO SEATS IN THE SMOKING TENTS ?????????????

same reason there are no seats in toilets 

[sharpjwe]

On 11/17/2017 at 9:11 PM, connda said:

They don't have the manpower to patrol the most dangerous roads in the world here in the LOS - but they seem to have excess manpower to go after - smokers.    Is this surreal or what?

stop going off subjet 

you are right roads are killers

but keep it for the correct forum

you are not helping 

[Naam]

1 hour ago, sharpjwe said:

again you hav the right to smoke without disturbing others there  will be smoking areas for you to poison your selves 

without disturbing others

an excellent idea! i hate it when others disturb me with filthy and silly comments when i'm enjoying a cigarette or a cigar.

[thaibeachlovers]

3 hours ago, nisakiman said:

 

 

I really don't think they've thought this one through properly. If the authorities really do start fining people, and they catch someone who falls into one of the above categories who has enough time and money that he or she decides to fight the case, I can't see the authorities being able to win. If they'd banned smoking on the beach on the spurious grounds of 'health', they would have a stronger case, but banning it on the grounds of polluting the environment should, in theory, exempt any smoker who is demonstrably NOT polluting.

If they'd "thought it through properly" that would be a first.

Don't count on a farang ever winning in court if they don't want the farang to win.

 

As for your question, it all depends on who is booking you, if they had one last night, if they had an argument with the mia noi, if they had enough to eat, or if they are annoyed at life in general.

 

They used the environmental legislation rather than littering because, IMO, they didn't understand it properly. No sane person is going to put a tourist in jail for a year or fine them 100k for having a smoke of tobacco when littering is a mere 2,000, though I saw a no smoking sign threatening 5,000 for smoking on a songtheaw the other day. Still rather less than 100k.

 

BTW, don't expect to ever win an argument with a petty official on the basis of logic or sense, and that applies anywhere in the world.

 

PS- creating smoke by any means is polluting, whether by ciggie or pipe. The only thing it isn't would be littering.