Smoking is illegal in restaurants, soo is...

Prostitution, bribing police officers, government corruption, selling beer between 12-5pm, driving on sidewalks, setting up a stall within 5 meters(?) of a cross walk, not using the meter in a taxi, driving over 80kph on highways, driving on the shoulder of the road, etc......

but no one seems to care.

but no one seems to care.

Sorry but that's what I love in Thailand

My wife and I (both non smokers) were in O,Malleys Irish Pub in Chiangmai and this was before the No Smoking ban came in. We sat down next to two American guys who were eating their meal and put in our order. The two guys finished their meal just as our order arrived. As soon as we started to eat one of the guys lit up a pipe. He was less than a meter from me as well. The smoke belched out of his pipe and drifted across our table. I asked him if he could stop smoking or move maybe to the bar area away from the dining area. Well, he said " If you God Damm dont like it YOU move". So we got up and checked the bill and never been back since. We are very happy about the No Smoking rule now as I can enjoy a cold beer or a meal in a Pub/Restuarant with no one bloody Smoking.

I think the OP faced one of the two kind of mental ditacture that exist for that case :

1) Or the person does not smake, and expect everyone to do the same

2) Or the person is a smoker and does not care if others are contaminated.

Both behaviors simply denote a lack of politeness, alas trait so common today.

Being an heavy smoker myself, bakc in youth when I was in the military I always booked a place in the train that was for smoker. While I was going from Paris to MArseilles, I often got problems in the middle of the trip , with people complaining I was smoking (the compartment was a smoker one, I did pay a premium for it!). Once even, a couple of old people used to stop the train (used the alarm signal), the wife claiming I was killing the husband. Even with the controller intervention they refused to move to a non smoker place(compartment I do repeat, so no pollution).

On the other hand, usual politenes (at least the one I leasrned), is to NOT light a ciggy before everyone have reach the cheese (or the last dish for Thailand) and to loudly ask for permissions. In a restaurant, it would mean you would simply step outside, because usually people do not finish (or start) all at the same time!

Usual politeness also would push One to ask such a question BEFORE to sit in restaurant, is it a smoker place? I can not bear smoke, do you have accomodation for non-smoker?

Saddly, and I do feel for the OP because eating in the smog is a poor experience (even for an heavy smoker such as me), politeness is as rare as 25 years old maiden serving beer in Nana plaza! Fact it is not about the legality of the thing but more on how we do behave / interact with other in a civilised maneer (or not).

Regarding ' what you think was the mental structure in this case ' For your number 1. Since smoking is illegal in restaurants this person expected that there would not be smoking.

Your comment equating the expectation that a restaurant be smoke free , as understood to be the law, with the expectation that everyone is a non smoker is absurd.

As you are typically attempting to paint non-smokers as being as inconsiderate as smokers.

To the O. P. : When you smell smoke at the door, there is smoking. Do as I do and exit. .