Frenchwoman deported for vaping

[sawadee1947]

5 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

Why would you expect a tourist to know that it illegal to carry an e-cigarette in Thailand, when where she comes from and as far as I know in every other country in the world - certain;y in Europe - they are legal and indeed popular. But, as usual, Thailand has to be different.

That's not right. Sales of e-cigarettes are forbidden in many European countries. If you are under 18

[BestB]

17 minutes ago, tlandtday said:

The more i study the vaporizers the more i believe they should be illegal or at best prescription for current smokers.  For example JUUL the number one company in the usa is backed my marlboro and JUUL has been using a special salt nicotine blend that is ten times stronger than the normal.  Illegal is the way to go but not the way Thailand is doing it as laws here seem to be more created upon revenue flow such as the smoking or litter in public fines lol.

Juul is not the biggest company and Juul does not use anything 

 

Saltz is a brand of ejuice that comes in different strength nicotine from 0 up to 24mg

 

nocotine on its own is not harmful like a ciggarrete but is additive.

 

i suggest you study and understand little more before posting incorrect information 

[richard_smith237]

1 minute ago, sawadee1947 said:

That's not right. Sales of e-cigarettes are forbidden in many European countries. If you are under 18

Awww, come on, Please...... are now become so applicable to that Mark Twain quote posted in Post 212... 

[Bangkok Barry]

1 minute ago, sawadee1947 said:

That's not right. Sales of e-cigarettes are forbidden in many European countries. If you are under 18

 

Was this woman under 18? If you are trying to bring age into it then please give up, you've lost the argument and are just making yourself look silly.

[BestB]

2 minutes ago, sawadee1947 said:

That's not right. Sales of e-cigarettes are forbidden in many European countries. If you are under 18

She was not under 18 and no one argues it should be sold to under 18’s

[sawadee1947]

2 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Your argument in blindly accepting that "the Law is the Law" represents an Orwellian naivety... 

No, that's not. But if you travel to a Third World country which is ruled by an army you should be very careful in following the rules. And after controversial discussions in EU countries this lady should have informed herself prior to her flight to Thailand.

[Gandtee]

Ridiculous! Perhaps the French government should advise its citizens not to visit Thailand. Any threat to tourism seems to work wonders. The French might even be treated to a mango fest.????

[dick dasterdly]

1 hour ago, sawadee1947 said:

No, it's not. If you don't like Thailand's laws you are free to look for another destination 

This topic is about a woman who was DEPORTED for having an e-cig in her hand....

 

We can argue until the cows come home about laws/enforcement here - but surely even you realise there is something seriously wrong with a tourist being deported for this minor crime!

[ujayujay]

And if a Thai national get caught?......500THB Fine!?

[homeseeker]

Outrageous....I have not gone through all the replies to this story so if someone has mentioned it already so be it but I am sure when and if the event reaches the British newspapers this will or ought to be a major story....if they can put aside brexit for a few minutes!

[Tchooptip]

2 hours ago, BestB said:

I am well aware of that , but you assuming she was, which is highly unlikely.

 

it makes perfect sense that of you are out on bail or awaiting for court hearing for your visa to be automatically extended as it is out of your control , but in Thailand it does not work this way. 

 

Not saying what is right or wrong , all I am saying is that reason for deportation is most likely visa overstay not the vaping 

No Sir sorry it was not, she went straight from the court to prison in Bangkok, and she went to court seven days after her being arrested, I cannot give the link to the French TV because only English is allowed on TV.

But I can tell, she and her family looked like very decent persons, still telling their story very politely and calmly,  like only well-educated people would do even after the nightmare that happened to her and her family instead of the hoped-for holidays. It's rare enough to be mentioned  

[Songlaw]

18 hours ago, SammyT said:

8000 Euros would have to be an embellished figure. 1000 Euros for a one way flight to France, maybe another thousand for a lawyer, and then who knows where the other 6000 went?

 

Agree with the above sentiments of the thread though, there are way worse/more dangerous behaviours they could crack down on. People who vape generally look stupid blowing out a cloud of smoke that a Bangkok bus would be proud of. That's punishment in itself.

It's not smoke. It's steam (water vapor). And when was the last time (assuming it wasn't shooting out of a pipe in a boiler room) that water vapor actually hurt anyone? Give us a break. And how a person 'looks,' speaks far more to the shortcomings of the observer, than to those of the observed.

[Tony125]

18 hours ago, Snow Leopard said:

Well, they say "Any press is good press". Not in this case. This was the days before trial by social media. Think about what will be going on between her FB and whatever else in France. Phuket police and Thailand will be getting a hammering. 

 

Just stupid, Talk about greedy and overzealous. Why use tact and diplomacy when you can use a sledgehammer. 

Don't see what all the TV posters are complaining about. Öh Phuket will take a hammering, lose tourists, blah blah, blah . As it's said The Law is the LAw. Is it not against the law to Vape in Thailand?  Some may  say it's harmless no big deal but until they change the law you can be arrested and deported so say-- I want to vape it's no big deal but if some cop wants to make it a big deal you have no recourse, you will be fined , jailed and/or be deported. don't vape , no problems. People going to stay away from Phuket because they can't vape ? How many is that 20 a year?

Edited February 28, 2019 by Tony125
correction

[Terek]

there was news last year November that vaping is going to be legalized finally, interesting, when to expect that?

[Fred white]

20 hours ago, oldhippy said:

A chance to extort 40.000 IS a big fish for the officers involved in this scam.

Yeah 10,000 each

[BritManToo]

4 minutes ago, Terek said:

there was news last year November that vaping is going to be legalized finally, interesting, when to expect that?

After they've grown the cannabis for us to put in it.

[Bangkok Barry]

5 minutes ago, Tony125 said:

The Law is the LAw. Is it not against the law to Vape in Thailand? 

 

As I posted earlier, why would you expect a tourist to know that it illegal to carry an e-cigarette in Thailand, when where she comes from and as far as I know in every other country in the world - certain;y in Europe - they are legal and indeed popular. But, as usual, Thailand has to be different.

And she was arrested or CARRYING, not USING.

[richard_smith237]

1 minute ago, Tony125 said:

Don't see what all the TV posters are complaining about. Öh Phuket will take a hammering, lose tourists, blah blah, blah . As it's said The Law is the LAw. Is it not against the law to Vape in Thailand?  Some may  say it's harmless no big deal but until they change the law you can be arrested and deported say say I want to vape it's no bigdeal but if some cop wants to make it a big deal you have no recourse, you will be fined , jailed and/or be deported. don't vape , no problems. People going to stay away from Phuket because they can't vape ? How many is that 20 a year?

 

Agreed... 

 

But to quote Dickens [Oliver Twist]... "If the law supposes that," said Mr. Bumble, squeezing his hat emphatically in both hands, "the law is a ass — a idiot. If that's the eye of the law, the law is a bachelor; and the worst I wish the law is, that his eye may be opened by experience — by experience."

 

In this case, the law indeed is an Ass...  and it is not unjustified to imply that an industrious Policeman, for his own gain attempted to take advantage of this little know law and extort a Tourist.

 

This is an extremely easy trap for unwitting tourists to fall into - news such as this may not have huge impact, but it certainly does not benefit anyone.

 

 

 

 

 

[Terek]

to be precise, is there really a law that prohibits carrying or using vape in Thailand? this looks more like some police officers scam. selling, importing is another matter

[Tony125]

14 minutes ago, Songlaw said:

It's not smoke. It's steam (water vapor). And when was the last time (assuming it wasn't shooting out of a pipe in a boiler room) that water vapor actually hurt anyone? Give us a break. And how a person 'looks,' speaks far more to the shortcomings of the observer, than to those of the observed.

Your assumption that its water vapor is wrong.   

https://www.centeronaddiction.org/e-cigarettes/recreational-vaping/what-vaping

 

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/27/us-house-lawmaker-faults-fda-chief-for-lax-oversight-of-teen-vaping.html

[NoComment]

Thailand will never be broken; for every deported person, for every death, for every bribed person there will always be another plane landing with fresh faced dreamers (was the Russians, now Chinese) wanting to explore the country. Thailand will never lose. As the old saying goes" bad publicity is better than no publicity.

As we are all aware the majority of the stories are exaggerated for the newspapers, if even one percent of the stories were one hundred percent accurate I would be amazed.

Thailand is a wonderful country that welcomes millions of happy (and return tourists) each and every year. The happy ones do not; drink to excess, take illegal drugs, fight, steal(the list goes on!) or overstay their visa. These folks return home, tell their story about a wonderful, amazing experience and the circle continues.

Couple the good news with the bad news, add the dreamers and the recipe results in a thriving and continuing tourist economy.

[NoshowJones]

18 hours ago, billd766 said:

In all my visits to Thailand since 1993 and the fact that I have lived here since 2001 I have actually never been to Phuket.

 

From the reports that I read here and in the BKK Post I shan't bother to go there either. I am quite happy living in Nakhon Nowhere where the people are friendly and the smiles are genuine.

That's true Bill, I thought about a trip to Phuket about ten years ago, then read about the behaviour of the taxi and tuk tuk guys, among other things, I decided against it, mentioned it on here and was blasted for it.

[Odysseus123]

11 minutes ago, NoComment said:

Thailand will never be broken; for every deported person, for every death, for every bribed person there will always be another plane landing with fresh faced dreamers (was the Russians, now Chinese) wanting to explore the country. Thailand will never lose. As the old saying goes" bad publicity is better than no publicity.

As we are all aware the majority of the stories are exaggerated for the newspapers, if even one percent of the stories were one hundred percent accurate I would be amazed.

Thailand is a wonderful country that welcomes millions of happy (and return tourists) each and every year. The happy ones do not; drink to excess, take illegal drugs, fight, steal(the list goes on!) or overstay their visa. These folks return home, tell their story about a wonderful, amazing experience and the circle continues.

Couple the good news with the bad news, add the dreamers and the recipe results in a thriving and continuing tourist economy.

Gosh-that was good!

 

..and now for a short break provided by our sponsor..

[nausea]

50 minutes ago, Terek said:

to be precise, is there really a law that prohibits carrying or using vape in Thailand? this looks more like some police officers scam. selling, importing is another matter

"Strangely, falling foul of the law is not due to vaping, as there is ‘NO’ actual law banning the possession of E-cigarettes in Thailand. The problem is due to the fact, these products fall into a category of, ‘goods that have not been taxed‘. This means being caught in possession of E-cigarettes, is therefore illegal, falling as it does under the scope of Customs and Excise:

Customs Act Section 20 is basically about being able to be arrested without an arrest warrant if you are breaking the law
Customs Act Section 27 states basic tax evasion, import duty stuff where the maximum 5 year sentence is from.

The maximum Five year sentence is linked to the import/export ban, meaning that if you are simply in possession of a vaping device, or its liquid, you have broken the law."

(somewhere on The Net)

[finnishmen]

i hope lot someday ALL normal humans countries boucot thailand and not come anythink tourist next 2 year, then thailand understand not play and make alltime shit idiot makers law.only at thailand have lot stupid laws what not newer need and do anywere normal human countrys.

[Tchooptip]

21 hours ago, tifino said:

...they know nothing zbout her 8000€ problems... well it was nothing to do with them, that she probably had to purchase new tickets, assuming her airline ticketing  agreement has no date chsnges no transfers... 

Not their problem.

On the French TV, they explained those 8.000 euros was the total amount of their expenses for this story, because they where asked money several Times, to get out of trouble, and when she was in immigration cell in Bangkok too, so they paid believing each time it will solve their problem. Cannot give link, its in French.

[sawadee1947]

1 hour ago, sawadee1947 said:

I know English is not your first language

Well, I'm sorry, probably it's my Limerick background. If it's not English I'm very proud 

[Vacuum]

5 hours ago, Old Croc said:

Smartraveler.gov.au tells Australians what should be obvious even to the semi-moronic:

 

"In Thailand and Indonesia, the possession of even small quantities of 'recreational drugs' can result in lengthy jail sentences, heavy fines and deportation."

When did vaping (or cigarettes for that matter) become a "recreational drug" ?

[Ctkong]

20 hours ago, fruitman said:

I see thai vaping everywhere, even in front Mega bangna which is the entrance of the mall...they don't seem to be scared for anything and just do it.

 

And this will be big in the French newspapers i think.....costing the Thai many millions year after year...

I think thailand had decided where her tourist money is going to come from . Mainly china and India. With many many years  to utilize. The white tourists are not as important as before. See the policies they had for those long staying in thailand and those using back to back visas. White foreigners are not made as welcome as before and unfortunately the trend is not going to change anytime soon. Having those trashy tourists and long stayers regularly in the news doesn’t help matters. I wonder if a Chinese tourist is caught vaping, would the sentencing be as harsh? Probably never know because he would probably pay up. It is in their culture. 

[Ctkong]

3 minutes ago, Vacuum said:

When did vaping (or cigarettes for that matter) become a "recreational drug" ?

They can use THC infused liquid in vaping...