Thai man threatened with 300,000 baht fine and jail for flying a drone

 

Picture: Sanook

 

Sanook reported that a Thai man went on Facebook to write about his experience of flying an unregistered drone in Bangkok. 

 

The man claimed that all he was doing was taking pictures from the air - he was not contravening laws about flying in restricted areas or spying on secret installations. 

 

Yet in October of last year he got a call from the Civil Aviation Authority to say he could be fined 320,000 baht. They eventually settled on 290,000.

 

He found this unacceptable and refused to pay even though he admitted not having the correct license. 

 

He tried to get the fine reduced and was threatened with jail. 

 

Finally a court fined him 5,000 baht and gave him a jail term suspended for a year. 

 

But the CAA had prosecuted him in several police jurisdictions. 

 

Ultimately he was obliged to pay 55,000 baht in fines. 

 

He has vowed never to fly a drone again. 

 

Source: Sanook

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2018-11-20

So he broke the law and got found out - so what, serves him right

1 hour ago, canopus1969 said:

So he broke the law and got found out - so what, serves him right

Calm down old man, you might pop an artery

To fly a drone you’ll need both NBTC and CAAT registrations. It took me over 2 months to receive the documents for my drone. Besides, the offices aren’t available in all provinces so you need to take your a** to where they are located or pay someone who can do it. This guy didn’t do anything wrong if you ask me. 

How did they know he fly drone?

15 minutes ago, racket said:

To fly a drone you’ll need both NBTC and CAAT registrations. It took me over 2 months to receive the documents for my drone. Besides, the offices aren’t available in all provinces so you need to take your a** to where they are located or pay someone who can do it. This guy didn’t do anything wrong if you ask me. 

Maybe the rules have changed but the original advice for those in the back of beyond like me was to register the drone at the local police station. I tried this and the response was "mai pien rai".

 

This guy stays in BKK so should have registered his drone. I don't put my footage on social media so hopefully won't be getting a call any time soon.

It must be an awful quandry in the court room when its Thai vs Thai - we all know they are never wrong

Flying a drone 320,000 baht lowered to 290,000, baht. All ridiculous 5,000, still too much. 1000 baht is probably about right. Final, 55,000 baht, crazy. I am guessing someone just wanted to keep the drone. No sense of proportion in Thailand. Pick mushrooms, 15-year jail sentence. An unlicensed driver kills 8 people in a traffic accident and she gets 40 hours of community service. (and she appeals thinking this is far too harsh) I continue to shake my head.

5 hours ago, canopus1969 said:

So he broke the law and got found out - so what, serves him right

Ok so anyone breaking a law must be doing something wrong, is that it?

May I remind you it was once legal to own slaves and exterminate Jews. 

Just because something is "a law" doesn't mean it's right.

Edited November 20, 20187 yr by Time Traveller

Flying a drone on the beach whilst vaping must carry a life sentence ????

How is a drone different from an RC airplane ?   The word "drone" refers to an unmanned or autonomous vehicle.  If you were operating a quad copter via an RC radio, is that a drone and illegal?  its not autonomous.    A tri, quad, helix, or octacopter can all be flown like any other RC device. 

 

Thais should stick to assault and battery which carries a 5000 THB fine.  Throw in a deadly weapon like a machete for another 2000 THB.  Affordable crimes for Thais.

Leave drones and graffiti and cigarettes at the beach crimes to the farangs who can pony-up 100K or 200K THB.

34 minutes ago, connda said:

Thais should stick to assault and battery which carries a 5000 THB fine.  Throw in a deadly weapon like a machete for another 2000 THB.  Affordable crimes for Thais.

Leave drones and graffiti and cigarettes at the beach crimes to the farangs who can pony-up 100K or 200K THB.

Yes wrong customer. Theory is correct there nothing but thieves and crooks wearing uniforms

Troll posts have been removed. 

I think the camera is the issue.

What about flying a drone without a camera?

What harm could that possibly do?

13 minutes ago, gr8fldanielle said:

I think the camera is the issue.

What about flying a drone without a camera?

What harm could that possibly do?

Can still, say, blind someone that it crashes onto, moreso in built up area. 

Any gun is always assumed to be loaded, so anyone under a drone could therefore assume any drone is loaded with a camera. ... 

Besides who'd want a drone if it didn't have a cam in the package?  There would be no point! 

Edited November 20, 20187 yr by tifino

4 hours ago, sammieuk1 said:

Flying a drone on the beach whilst vaping must carry a life sentence ????

Yes but you must be sprinkling hands full of someone's cigarette butts as well for maximum sentence. 

Drones can be a damned nuisance and can appeal to annoying or nosy people 

Edited November 20, 20187 yr by The Deerhunter

I fly a drone, registered it with the template for CAA, they send several E-Mails to me which I answered, but never get any license in return from them. I believe my drone is registered and all is ok with it. If you never send anything to CAA you might get a fine. And this is what everybody knows who bought a drone from DJI Thailand.

27 minutes ago, tifino said:

Can still, say, blind someone that it crashes onto, moreso in built up area. 

Any gun is always assumed to be loaded, so anyone under a drone could therefore assume any drone is loaded with a camera. ... 

Besides who'd want a drone if it didn't have a cam in the package?  There would be no point! 

I've seen drone racing through obstacle courses with no cameras. Regardless of opinion, would someone just flying a drone without a camera be causing any harm? What would be wrong with flying a drone in an open field?

I was at Pier 39 in San Francisco in August and some clown was flying a drone above the crowds walking around. Security ran him down and shut him down no drones in that area. They allowed him to pack it up and leave

6 hours ago, Time Traveller said:

Ok so anyone breaking a law must be doing something wrong, is that it?

May I remind you it was once legal to own slaves and exterminate Jews. 

Just because something is "a law" doesn't mean it's right.

Aint that the truth!!!

 

I wonder if IconSiam registered the 1,500 drones used in their opening ceremony!

9 hours ago, Xaos said:

How did they know he fly drone?

Because he's a really smart guy,and posted that he was flying

the drone on FACEBOOK.

regards worgeordie

7 hours ago, worgeordie said:

Because he's a really smart guy,and posted that he was flying

the drone on FACEBOOK.

regards worgeordie

AHA! Interactive policing! Today's version of what the Hull drug squad used to do back in the 70s - send someone into the busiest student pub in town and yell "look out there's gonna be a raid!" then nab everyone who ran for the toilets.

20 hours ago, canopus1969 said:

So he broke the law and got found out - so what, serves him right

Absolutely, no licence to fly a drone so that's what he does then brags about it in social media.. 

lesson learnt.

On 11/20/2018 at 10:34 AM, canopus1969 said:

So he broke the law and got found out - so what, serves him right

Exactly! It took him several times before he figured it out. But the CAA had prosecuted him in several police jurisdictions. Glad I didn’t buy one....

Perhaps he got fined for not having the compulsory 1,000,000 baht third party insurance.

Just to give this topic some perspective with the actual requirements...

 

https://www.caat.or.th/en/archives/27220

Edited November 22, 20187 yr by Argus Tuft

On 11/20/2018 at 8:16 PM, HyperRai said:

I fly a drone, registered it with the template for CAA, they send several E-Mails to me which I answered, but never get any license in return from them. I believe my drone is registered and all is ok with it. If you never send anything to CAA you might get a fine. And this is what everybody knows who bought a drone from DJI Thailand.

"never got any license in return from them"

 

"I believe my drone is legally registered"

 

You believe wrong...

14 hours ago, Argus Tuft said:

"never got any license in return from them"

 

"I believe my drone is legally registered"

 

You believe wrong...

We call them and they said the drone is registered. They just not send paper copies out anymore.

They will send an E-mail with the registration.