Phuket pyre flames B182mn of pirated goods

Phuket Gazette –

Pirated goods valued at more than 182 million baht were shoveled into the Phuket Town incinerator. Photo: Orawin Narabal

POUND FOR POUND: Deputy Commerce Minister Bhumi Saraphol hammers his ‘Stop Piracy’ campaign slogan home – Buy original! Photo: Orawin Narabal

PHUKET: The Phuket Town incinerator today flamed counterfeit products valued at more than 182 million baht as part of the Intellectual Property Department’s crackdown on copyright infringement across the country.

A total of 79,524 items seized by officers of Provincial Police Region 8 and 9, as well as the Regional Customs Bureau 4, were destroyed in the incinerator.

“Intellectual property infringement is illegal, so these items must be destroyed,” said Deputy Commerce Minister Bhumi Saraphol, one of the VIPs at the event.

“The destruction [of such goods] must be shown to the public to make this clear, and to assure the owners of those intellectual properties that the confiscated items will not be exported abroad or resold at the markets,” explained Mr Bhumi.

Bags, CDs, DVDs, watches, sunglasses, shoes, caps and clothing items were all included in the burning.

Among the items burned today were counterfeit goods seized by the Kathu Police in Patong yesterday.

That haul netted goods with a total estimated value 2 million baht.

The mass burn-off was the result of a coordinated campaign against copyright pirates by the Intellectual Property Department, the Royal Thai Police and their Department of Special Investigations, the Customs Department and the Ministry of Finance.

After the ceremony, the VIPs walked the streets of Patong, Kata and Karon to encourage tourists and vendors to not buy or sell any pirated goods.

Source: http://www.phuketgazette.net/archives/articles/2012/article12779.html

-- Phuket Gazette 2012-03-29

Thats all very good but, what happens when theres nothing left other than original goods around? People can hardly afford to buy cheap pirated goods let alone originals. I bet the police have pirated copies of windows on their computers, pirated watches they caught before they all got burnt etc

Thats all very good but, what happens when theres nothing left other than original goods around? People can hardly afford to buy cheap pirated goods let alone originals. I bet the police have pirated copies of windows on their computers, pirated watches they caught before they all got burnt etc

There are plenty of cheap local brands to wear if you can't afford Versace.

Thats all very good but, what happens when theres nothing left other than original goods around? People can hardly afford to buy cheap pirated goods let alone originals. I bet the police have pirated copies of windows on their computers, pirated watches they caught before they all got burnt etc

Yeah but look at how gentle he's being with the hammer

.

That's a lot of money. Why not pay some cheap labor to remove the pirated branding and resell as generic for charity?

Shops in Phuket will be open again next week selling fakes, DVDs etc nice show but that's all

It is. Went to the local dvd shop yesterday and was wondering eh everything was locked up now I know.

Should create a few more jobs in the pirating business..... Just when was the last time you went into a shop and actually found ' original ' goods ? Maybe the ' clampdown ' should extend further for instance,to cars that one assumes are identical to those found in the European markets etc., and are made in Asia. Are you really sure that the build quality is the same ?

Take away copied / pirated goods ? Why ? They are just a cheap imitation anyway.

I like to buy cheap so when someone steals it, i'll just buy another one newer, take

that away from me and let's see ? Cambodia ? Vietnam ? Burma ? Here i come.

Thai tourism note, falangs that come here do so for a reason also note, we can go

anywhere, we come here because of the exchange rate, value for money, freedom

of the country, take that away and there's no reason to come here anymore.

This stunt is happening every year just to get rid of the shelf hugger!

Shops in Phuket will be open again next week selling fakes, DVDs etc nice show but that's all

It is. Went to the local dvd shop yesterday and was wondering eh everything was locked up now I know.

It was business as normal for shops in Patong last night!

Great!!! Burn it all in public and contribute to environmental pollution to set an example, which then will cause no change whatsoever!!! Last time I checked burning stuff in public was illegal. They've got major air pollution problems up north stemming from people clearing vegetation and here they burn plastic!!! Pathetic!!!

I bet the T shirt and cap the driver of the Cat is wearing aint no Gucci

This stunt is happening every year just to get rid of the shelf hugger!

Of course, no good having last years design on the shelves

182 million baht worth of goods. ...79,524 items works out at 2,288 baht per item, which were DVD's, CD's, sunglasses, watches, etc.

I know they ask stupid amounts at times. But this is ridiculous!!

Later they refer to the value at 2 million which is 25 baht per item. Odd.

How would Mr. gate know if my Windows 7 & MS office Professional is real?

Buying cheap fake goods is one of the main tourist attractions.

Just look at the first photo - There are supposed to be 79000+ items being incinerated at the value of 182 million Baht!

So as an average, that is 2300 Baht per item - there looks to be 50000 pieces of raggy rubbish and tat under the bulldozer, then the idiot with the giant hammer "Thor" no doubt, appears to have about 1000 Bahts worth of tat watches and other assorted crap. These people are just liars and conmen, you couldn't find quality like this in Billy Smarts Circus!

Great!!! Burn it all in public and contribute to environmental pollution to set an example, which then will cause no change whatsoever!!! Last time I checked burning stuff in public was illegal. They've got major air pollution problems up north stemming from people clearing vegetation and here they burn plastic!!! Pathetic!!!

EXACTLY - Lunatics of the first order!

That's a lot of money. Why not pay some cheap labor to remove the pirated branding and resell as generic for charity?

I agree, simply burning it and destroying it is ridiculous, surely the clothing could have been recycled and given out to the poorer people in the North to prevent them dying from the cold next winter!

But as usual, Thais are only ever in this world at the precise moment in time, their is no thought for the future, no idea of consequence on an action - next year they will be whining on for donations of blankets to save the poor people in the freezing North.

3rd world nation of fools!

How would Mr. gate know if my Windows 7 & MS office Professional is real?

Very easy. Try to get updates for fake Windows or MS Office and see what happens.

Just look at the first photo - There are supposed to be 79000+ items being incinerated at the value of 182 million Baht!

So as an average, that is 2300 Baht per item - there looks to be 50000 pieces of raggy rubbish and tat under the bulldozer, then the idiot with the giant hammer "Thor" no doubt, appears to have about 1000 Bahts worth of tat watches and other assorted crap. These people are just liars and conmen, you couldn't find quality like this in Billy Smarts Circus!

Think again, how the value is calculated. Yes, that's a show. If the show would have been for the sellers, there would not be any pirated copies on sale today. I guess that's not the case, so there has to be some other target audience for this show.

That's a lot of money. Why not pay some cheap labor to remove the pirated branding and resell as generic for charity?

GREAT idea!...what a waste of donateable merchandise. Just like GOODWILL INDUSTRIES, they could provide some employment getting rid of the "fashion" labels and sell for charity. And then BURNING this stuff in the already overloaded and massively polluting Phuket incinerator? Who is the genius that thought up THIS plan?...sheesh!

Phuket pyre flames Tuk Tuk & Jetski scums.

I'm no expert lets make that clear.

However

I just got back from Phuket a week ago. 3 weeks & 2 weeks over Xmas

I have gotten to know a long term Farang business owner very well there.

He tells me how it works here, is you must pay protection money monthly to Police.

what you get for that is basically nothing, except being left alone, and a phone number, which guarantees nothing.

Also it was made clear to him, if immigration is involved he will receive no help from Police at all, you are on your own.

If you don't, I'm sure those were the goods of those who didn't pay up.

And at the end of the day, it's a token exercise in PR.

Take a walk down Bangla, Otop, Aywun. Jungceylon or Karon, Kata., to name but a few.

THERE IS A SEA OF FAKES, billions of bahts worth.

Believe me or not I don't care, I'm sure he was telling me the truth.

I'm surprised it wasn't business as usual which is to confiscate said items, then "fine" the seller of pirated goods that wasn't on the monthly tea money list, and said goods returned to seller. Happens all the time to those that don't pay monthly tea money to be alerted when the copyright police from BKK come down. Those that are on the monthly payroll, simply close shop when BKK is in the area.

I'm surprised it wasn't business as usual which is to confiscate said items, then "fine" the seller of pirated goods that wasn't on the monthly tea money list, and said goods returned to seller. Happens all the time to those that don't pay monthly tea money to be alerted when the copyright police from BKK come down. Those that are on the monthly payroll, simply close shop when BKK is in the area.

And vendors not on the payroll don't notice when their neighbors are closing down?