Large number of hookahs confiscated at Pattaya restaurants after reportedly being sold to foreign tourists

[webfact]

 

By Nop Meechukhun

 

Banglamung, Chonburi – Police raided two restaurants in the Banglamung district in the early hours of this morning, August 7th, and confiscated a large number of hookahs that were reportedly illegally sold to the customers.

 

The search was conducted at Aisha Lebanon and Mo Salah & Asma Coffee Shop located in Soi Marine/Soi 16 in South Pattaya, Nong Prue Subdistrict, following the search warrant of the Pattaya Provincial Court after the establishments were reportedly operating as restaurants while discreetly selling illegal hookahs (shisha) to a large number of foreign tourists.

 

A hookah smoking substance was first found at Mo Salah & Asma Coffee Shop and more than 11 hookahs and additional equipment and substances were discovered on the rooftop of Aisha Lebanon restaurant. More unactivated hookahs were also found lying near the door of the nearby shop.

 

Full story: https://thepattayanews.com/2022/08/07/large-number-of-hookahs-confiscated-at-pattaya-restaurants-after-reportedly-being-sold-to-foreign-tourists/

 

-- © Copyright The Pattaya News 2022-08-08

 

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[2baht]

Meanwhile.........

 

[CelticBhoy]

My goodness! There are "hookahs" in Pattaya! Are they freelance?

[SAFETY FIRST]

58 minutes ago, webfact said:

Mo Salah & Asma Coffee Shop located in Soi Marine/Soi 16 in South Pattaya

The Arabs making headlines again. 

 

 

[wombat]

OH!..Hookahs?

My bad...Move along nothing to see.

[jacko45k]

1 hour ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

The Arabs making headlines again. 

 

 

Couldn't get the backhanders based on alcohol or dancing girls.... really, talk about harassment..... getting a buzz on before they raced motorcycles around the streets. 

[JayBird]

Let me get this straight:

 

Marijuana: Legal

 

Hookah:  Illegal

[Mr Meeseeks]

Hookahs were made illegal years ago during the Purachai purge under Thaksin iirc. 

 

Another law that is selectively enforced. 

[Gottfrid]

The crime of the week! Sensational!

[spider1197]

Silly me, for a moment I thought a hookah was a slang pronunciation for a Hooker.

[RT555]

Arabs commit the most crimes of any tourist, walking street Arabs are selling a lot of drugs and smuggled goods.

[2baht]

2 hours ago, JayBird said:

Let me get this straight:

 

Marijuana: Legal

 

Hookah:  Illegal

Simple logic is'nt it. ????

[mikeymike100]

I have seen these being used in bars, in Jomtien and Pattaya, depends on how much the police get paid to look the other way !

Whenever the police from Bangkok come the local police warn all the bars to be "careful"

[mikeymike100]

1 minute ago, 2baht said:

Simple logic is'nt it. ????

Yes, to the authorities in Thailand.????

[ChrisY1]

Hookah confiscation is far more important than disco compliance!

[Seppius]

You see a lot more people vaping these days as well, also openly sold

[hotchilli]

7 hours ago, CelticBhoy said:

My goodness! There are "hookahs" in Pattaya! Are they freelance?

Rent is negotiable.

[HappyExpat57]

What the <BLEEP!> exactly makes a hookah illegal? Isn't it just metal, plastic, and maybe a little rubber? What would need to be removed or reshaped to make it legal? SMH!

[bristolgeoff]

The bar/restaurant was selling sisha,s to foreigners maybe to take home not to be used in thailand I did not know that was illegal to sell them.What about a private home  in pattaya can you use them  for decoration or private use in the home.

          They have made marijuana legal to grow or smoke now so why the problem with selling sisha,s

[Eaglekott]

8 hours ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

Hookahs were made illegal years ago during the Purachai purge under Thaksin iirc. 

 

Another law that is selectively enforced. 

My guess that they were illegal many years before but under Thaksin many many very old and outdated laws was enforced, like the Alcohol selling hours law with a 2pm-5pm break.

[PingRoundTheWorld]

13 hours ago, JayBird said:

Let me get this straight:

Marijuana: Legal

Hookah:  Illegal

Actually neither are legal to smoke in public. Unfortunately that doesn't stop anyone. I wish they enforced this law better because hookahs have become a huge nuisance and health hazard in most nightclubs - you simply cannot escape the smoke. I'm in favor of businesses running as they please and patrons voting with their legs/wallet - but in this particular case non-smokers have no other option if all venues are full of hookahs.

[JayClay]

1 hour ago, PingRoundTheWorld said:

in this particular case non-smokers have no other option if all venues are full of hookahs.

They're not

[The Hammer2021]

The righteous  campaign against the stinking Sheesha continues as does the campaign  against the vile, e cigarettes. Great work and good decisions by the Thai  authorities- especially  when linked to the decriminalisation  of dope.

[unblocktheplanet]

Hookahs?!? In Pattaya?!?

[bang saen guy]

On 8/8/2022 at 3:17 PM, HappyExpat57 said:

What the <BLEEP!> exactly makes a hookah illegal? Isn't it just metal, plastic, and maybe a little rubber? What would need to be removed or reshaped to make it legal? SMH!

Tobacco not taxed. Same as e-cigs

[HappyExpat57]

16 minutes ago, bang saen guy said:

Tobacco not taxed. Same as e-cigs

They didn't take any tobacco, they took the tobacco delivery system. How is this different for busting someone selling cigarette holders?

 

[The Hammer2021]

On 8/8/2022 at 7:55 AM, JayBird said:

Let me get this straight:

 

Marijuana: Legal

 

Hookah:  Illegal

Yes its entirely  logical.

[bang saen guy]

49 minutes ago, HappyExpat57 said:

They didn't take any tobacco, they took the tobacco delivery system. How is this different for busting someone selling cigarette holders?

 

Read it closer

[PingRoundTheWorld]

On 8/8/2022 at 6:58 PM, JayClay said:

They're not

I dare you to find one big nightclub on bangla road in Phuket that isn't full of shisha smoke. Yes- you could go to a smaller nightclub that has no people and therefore no smoke, but that kind of defeats the purpose.

In Bangkok I can think of a few clubs that have non-smoking sections, but that doesn't exist in Phuket or Pattaya AFAIK.

[JayClay]

On 8/11/2022 at 2:37 AM, PingRoundTheWorld said:

I dare you to find one big nightclub on bangla road in Phuket that isn't full of shisha smoke. Yes- you could go to a smaller nightclub that has no people and therefore no smoke, but that kind of defeats the purpose.

In Bangkok I can think of a few clubs that have non-smoking sections, but that doesn't exist in Phuket or Pattaya AFAIK.

I mean you've kind of answered your own question... The places exist and you *still* don't want to use them because they're empty.