Fruitless: Tourists they face jail time for bringing fruits to Thailand, govt warns

[webfact]

Picture courtesy of Jordan-Christian / Unsplash.

 

by Bob Scott Bob

The Thai government issued a warning to tourists that it would be fruitless to bring fruits into Thailand unless they wanted to go to jail.

 

The Department of Agriculture specifically stated that transporting fresh fruit into Thailand without a phytosanitary certificate could result in a fine of 20,000 baht or a jail sentence of one year.

 

The director-general of the Department of Agriculture, Rapeephat Chantarasriwong, emphasized that both Thai and international tourists are subject to this law, and violating it could lead to both fees and jail, as it is illegal under the Plant Quarantine Act B.E. 2507 and its amendments, reported KhaoSod. Rapeephat said…

 

“This is a travel season in Thailand when we have many tourists from Thailand and outside, especially those who come back from South Korea and Japan. They like to buy fresh fruits like persimmons and grapes, which are cheaper than in Thailand, to return to the country.

 

Full story: https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/crime/fruitless-tourists-they-face-jail-time-for-bringing-fruits-to-thailand-govt-warns

 

-- © Copyright Thaiger 2023-04-12

 

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[John Drake]

Sounds like sour grapes to me.

[IvorBiggun2]

 Tourists they face jail time

What about non Thais bringing fruit in over land borders?

[aussienam]

Well, well, well, what do we have here?  A lovely bunch of coconuts!  

"Get your hands off my breasts officer"! 

[dinsdale]

46 minutes ago, webfact said:

They like to buy fresh fruits like persimmons and grapes, which are cheaper than in Thailand, to return to the country.

Ah! Silly me. I thought this was about bio secrurity. Guess not. People bringing in fruit which may or may not have a bio risk is not the problem it seems. It's those pesky people putting fruit in their hand luggage that will damage the Thai economy. We need all the money we can get because we owe the Chinese a lot of money.

[Callmeishmael]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

The Department of Agriculture specifically stated that transporting fresh fruit into Thailand without a phytosanitary certificate could result in a fine of 20,000 baht or a jail sentence of one year.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I would rather pay the 20K baht than go to jail! ????

[billd766]

Never mind the tourists.

 

How about the Thais who cross borders and bring fruit and veg back into Thailand without a licence?

[JensenZ]

This reminds me of my own experience back in about 1998. I was flying from US to Australia. I packed 2 bananas in my carry on bag which I intended to eat on board. I'd forgotten about them, and when I was picking up my bags at the Brisbane airport the sniffer dogs were getting excited at the smell of overripe bananas.

 

They did a full search and treated me like a criminal due to an obvious mistake. Wtf would anyone smuggle 2 overripe bananas (practically mush at this point) into Australia. Customs officers are not allowed to use common sense. The whole customs team was totally bamboozled and didn't know what to do. I was there for hours, waiting for a decision. Luckily they didn't arrest me and sent a fine in the mail.

 

This is no way to treat tourists... over fruit. A tourist is not importing fruit, but bringing something to eat. Just throw it in a bin and tell the tourist it's not allowed.

 

 

Edited April 12, 2023 by JensenZ

[rabiedabruce]

59 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

Ah! Silly me. I thought this was about bio secrurity. Guess not. People bringing in fruit which may or may not have a bio risk is not the problem it seems. It's those pesky people putting fruit in their hand luggage that will damage the Thai economy. We need all the money we can get because we owe the Chinese a lot of money.

I recently read a report that most oranges here contain dangerous levels of toxins. Never bought one since. Pot meet kettle.

[anchadian]

14 minutes ago, billd766 said:

Never mind the tourists.

 

How about the Thais who cross borders and bring fruit and veg back into Thailand without a licence?

Exactly.  Another useless report.

[dinsdale]

3 minutes ago, JensenZ said:

This reminds me my own experience back in about 1998. I was flying from US to Australia. I packed 2 bananas in my carry on bag which I intended to eat on board. I'd forgotten about them, and when I was picking up my bags at the Brisbane airport the sniffer dogs were getting excited at the smell of overripe bananas.

 

They did a full search and treated me like a criminal due to an obvious mistake. Wtf would anyone smuggle 2 overripe bananas (practically mush at this point) into Australia. Customs officers are not allowed to use common sense. The whole customs team was totally bamboozled and didn't know what to do. I was there for hours, waiting for a decision. Luckily they didn't arrest me and sent a fine in the mail.

 

This is no way to treat tourists... over fruit. A tourist is not importing fruit, but bringing something to eat. Just throw it in a bin and tell the tourist it's not allowed.

 

 

This is why Australia is the most bio-secure continent/island/country in the world. If you think allowing bio risks in to possibly decimate agricultural industries then that's your opinion. South Australia has even more bio secruriy in place. Interstate travel into South Australia is guarded by customs for the same reasons. Fruit fly is a big one. 

[Goat]

17 minutes ago, billd766 said:

Never mind the tourists.

 

How about the Thais who cross borders and bring fruit and veg back into Thailand without a licence?

They are talking about Thai tourists bringing fruit back in after touring other countries.

Calm down. This isnt about "farang victimisation".

 

Months old news anyway.

https://www.khaosod.co.th/economics/news_7361767

[still kicking]

17 minutes ago, JensenZ said:

This reminds me of my own experience back in about 1998. I was flying from US to Australia. I packed 2 bananas in my carry on bag which I intended to eat on board. I'd forgotten about them, and when I was picking up my bags at the Brisbane airport the sniffer dogs were getting excited at the smell of overripe bananas.

 

They did a full search and treated me like a criminal due to an obvious mistake. Wtf would anyone smuggle 2 overripe bananas (practically mush at this point) into Australia. Customs officers are not allowed to use common sense. The whole customs team was totally bamboozled and didn't know what to do. I was there for hours, waiting for a decision. Luckily they didn't arrest me and sent a fine in the mail.

 

This is no way to treat tourists... over fruit. A tourist is not importing fruit, but bringing something to eat. Just throw it in a bin and tell the tourist it's not allowed.

 

 

Nonsense they take the fruit of you destroy it and fine you for not declaring it.

[JensenZ]

7 minutes ago, still kicking said:

Nonsense they take the fruit of you destroy it and fine you for not declaring it.

What was nonsense? You should try reading a post before making a reply.

 

 

[JensenZ]

24 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

This is why Australia is the most bio-secure continent/island/country in the world. If you think allowing bio risks in to possibly decimate agricultural industries then that's your opinion. South Australia has even more bio secruriy in place. Interstate travel into South Australia is guarded by customs for the same reasons. Fruit fly is a big one. 

There's no need to inject your own words into my story.

 

The reason for the banning of fruit are clear and not disputed. They also have bins asking people to discard fruit and other food.

 

My story was about how customs handled an obvious and honest mistake. It's pretty obvious that no traveller would purposefully import 2 rotten bananas.

Edited April 12, 2023 by JensenZ

[dinsdale]

4 minutes ago, JensenZ said:

The reason for the banning of fruit are clear and not disputed. They also have bins asking people to discard fruit and other food.

Yep. Amazing how many people try to get food in. <deleted>. Don't know if you know this stuff but I took some natto (japanese fermented soybeans that really smells but I like it) into Aus. I declared it, they didn't know what it was, I openned up one package and the customs officer took several steps back, looked like they were going to throw up and basically said "go for Christ's sake go now". Always declare food going into Australia.

[sammieuk1]

Welcome you made it to the hub of jail time empty your wallet and beggar off home, next crop ????

[spidermike007]

The constant threats and declarations are surely enhancing tourism. Some of these officials are not only clueless, they have exceptionally big heads, accompanied by very small brains. The Thai army is nothing if not predictable. Without exception, they always pick from the bottom of the barrel, and consistently choose ministers with the least amount of talent possible. 

Edited April 12, 2023 by spidermike007

[Pink Mist]

Several off topic bickering posts have been removed.

[JensenZ]

9 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

The constant threats and declarations are surely enhancing tourism. Some of these officials are not only clueless, they have exceptionally big heads, accompanied by very small brains. 

Well said! When there were no tourists they were crying, then as soon as they started arriving, they bring out the sledge hammers.

 

 

[spidermike007]

Just now, JensenZ said:

Well said! When there were no tourists they were crying, then as soon as they started arriving, they bring out the sledge hammers.

 

 

Utterly clueless. The lack of talent, vision, understanding and humility is astonishing, on the part of the officials here. Can they ever learn anything? 

[John Drake]

27 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

The constant threats and declarations are surely enhancing tourism. Some of these officials are not only clueless, they have exceptionally big heads, accompanied by very small brains. The Thai army is nothing if not predictable. Without exception, they always pick from the bottom of the barrel, and consistently choose ministers with the least amount of talent possible. 

Yea, don't understand the threats of fines and jail time. Just confiscate the fruit.

[Pedrogaz]

What about saving jail time for murderers and the violent? Why all this desire to send tourists to jail for bringing an apple into Thailand.....or for vaping? You are a bunch of idiots.

[Lucky Bones]

1 hour ago, JensenZ said:

This reminds me of my own experience back in about 1998. I was flying from US to Australia. I packed 2 bananas in my carry on bag which I intended to eat on board. I'd forgotten about them, and when I was picking up my bags at the Brisbane airport the sniffer dogs were getting excited at the smell of overripe bananas.

 

They did a full search and treated me like a criminal due to an obvious mistake. Wtf would anyone smuggle 2 overripe bananas (practically mush at this point) into Australia. Customs officers are not allowed to use common sense. The whole customs team was totally bamboozled and didn't know what to do. I was there for hours, waiting for a decision. Luckily they didn't arrest me and sent a fine in the mail.

 

This is no way to treat tourists... over fruit. A tourist is not importing fruit, but bringing something to eat. Just throw it in a bin and tell the tourist it's not allowed.

 

 

Had a similar experience in New Zealand airport some 20 years ago.

Put half of my airport cheese & ham sandwich into my backpack.

Forgot about it and got bailed up big time by sniffer dog (who looked hungry) and Immigration Officer (who was too fat to be hungry.)

Learnt a lesson.????????

[IvorBiggun2]

31 minutes ago, John Drake said:

Yea, don't understand the threats of fines and jail time. 

The threat is the deterrent.

[JensenZ]

52 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Utterly clueless. The lack of talent, vision, understanding and humility is astonishing, on the part of the officials here. Can they ever learn anything? 

Some sort of communication between the Thailand Tourism Authority and Customs/Immigration would be a start. Perhaps a crash course on how to treat tourists with some respect would be a good start. Would it hurt to make tourists feel welcome? The first time they see any of Thailand's LOS is after they leave the airport.

[RandiRona]

1 hour ago, JensenZ said:

Well said! When there were no tourists they were crying, then as soon as they started arriving, they bring out the sledge hammers.

 

 

Common , you just cant blame them for following their love-hate passion for falangs... love their money, hate their guts...

[spidermike007]

41 minutes ago, JensenZ said:

Some sort of communication between the Thailand Tourism Authority and Customs/Immigration would be a start. Perhaps a crash course on how to treat tourists with some respect would be a good start. Would it hurt to make tourists feel welcome? The first time they see any of Thailand's LOS is after they leave the airport.

Very true. I find most Thais to be pleasant, yet most government workers are toxic and difficult. A crash course in manners and making someone feel welcome, could work for some government workers who possess an open mind. After all, they do drone on and on about needing tourists. 

 

I totally blame Prayuth, the biggest joke and Anutin. They are bad for tourism. Immigration has gotten worse under their tutelage and their arrogance, and their insufferable xenophobia knows no bounds. This whole thing leaves a bitter, sour, nasty, foul taste in one's mouth, and the stench can be smelled for kilometers. Thailand is moving backwards on so many levels, I do not even know where to begin. I believe at this point, that if Brittany Spears were to declare her candidacy, she would beat Prayuth, hands down. That is how much he and the army are despised, at this point. 

 
 

 

 

[dingdongrb]

3 hours ago, JensenZ said:

This reminds me of my own experience back in about 1998. I was flying from US to Australia. I packed 2 bananas in my carry on bag which I intended to eat on board. I'd forgotten about them, and when I was picking up my bags at the Brisbane airport the sniffer dogs were getting excited at the smell of overripe bananas.

 

They did a full search and treated me like a criminal due to an obvious mistake. Wtf would anyone smuggle 2 overripe bananas (practically mush at this point) into Australia. Customs officers are not allowed to use common sense. The whole customs team was totally bamboozled and didn't know what to do. I was there for hours, waiting for a decision. Luckily they didn't arrest me and sent a fine in the mail.

 

This is no way to treat tourists... over fruit. A tourist is not importing fruit, but bringing something to eat. Just throw it in a bin and tell the tourist it's not allowed.

 

 

I witnessed pretty much the same event back in 2001. I was at LAX in the USA returning from Thailand and waiting for my bags to come out on the carousel like everyone else.

 

Looking just behind me I see a security canine handler walking a cute little Beagle around as it was sniffing around everyone and their carry-on items. 

 

The next thing I know the beagle started letting out one of those notorious Beagle barks (howls). The dog was tying to dig into a backpack sitting on the floor between a guy and girl. The handler looked at the guy and asked if it was his bag. The guy said, 'no' and proceeded to step away. 

 

The handler next asked the girl if it was her bag and she replied, 'yes'. The handler then asked if he could inspect it. Again she said, 'yes'. The handler opened the backpack and after searching through it reached in and pulled out an apple. He informed the girl that is was unlawful to bring fruit into the country and confiscated the apple.

 

As this was all occurring I was half expecting someone to be bolting down the terminal with a chase in pursuit as well as the handler pulling out a kilo of cocaine instead of an apple.

[dingdongrb]

2 hours ago, dinsdale said:

Yep. Amazing how many people try to get food in. <deleted>. Don't know if you know this stuff but I took some natto (japanese fermented soybeans that really smells but I like it) into Aus. I declared it, they didn't know what it was, I openned up one package and the customs officer took several steps back, looked like they were going to throw up and basically said "go for Christ's sake go now". Always declare food going into Australia.

I recall the United Airlines flight I was on back in early 2000 when the smell of durian hit the air after takeoff. An attendant came on the PA system asking for the person who brought the fruit aboard to declare it. I'm not sure if anyone did.