Vaping in Thailand - trickier than you'd expect

[digicig]

Vaping in Thailand was much more difficult than anywhere else i've visited - even had a Vaperesso mini and cubis taken off me at the airport in Phuket!

Vaping - whilst not technically illegal - can be considered by some Police Officers, as to be so due to an outdated piece of legislation. This makes it difficult and vape gear potentially liable to a fine and or confiscation. So stealth vaping is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

So anyone heading to Thailand - break everything down and refer to your mod as a Powerbank (now bought Eleaf Pico Dual Avatar Reverse Charging Adapter from FT to screw onto a mod before going through customs in future) - $2.71 seems a good option compared to losing a £50 mod

[Perpetua]

Our ghostrider1971 has just recently returned from one of his regular visits there Digi . . . . so he may have further words of advice to offer.

Ignore me, I'm talking twaddle and will stick to offering advice on cartomiser tanks in future!

[Postmodern Smoking]

Aug 12, 2017 17:39:05 GMT Perpetua said:

Our ghostrider1971 has just recently returned from one of his regular visits there Digi . . . . so he may have further words of advice to offer.

ghostrider1971 was in the Philippines!  .... which is a different country Mandy!   

[Perpetua]

Aug 12, 2017 17:41:31 GMT Postmodern Smoking said:

Aug 12, 2017 17:39:05 GMT Perpetua said:

Our ghostrider1971 has just recently returned from one of his regular visits there Digi . . . . so he may have further words of advice to offer.

ghostrider1971 was in the Philippines!  .... which is a different country Mandy!   

Oooops Dave!

[gill2009]

Aug 12, 2017 17:39:05 GMT Perpetua said:

Our ghostrider1971 has just recently returned from one of his regular visits there Digi . . . . so he may have further words of advice to offer.

Ignore me, I'm talking twaddle and will stick to offering advice on cartomiser tanks in future!

                                        

[Bob]

Aug 12, 2017 17:50:28 GMT gill2009 said:

Aug 12, 2017 17:39:05 GMT Perpetua said:

Our ghostrider1971 has just recently returned from one of his regular visits there Digi . . . . so he may have further words of advice to offer.

Ignore me, I'm talking twaddle and will stick to offering advice on cartomiser tanks in future!

                                        

Maximum sentence in Thailand is now 10 years but you would have to be really bad to get that, someone got fined recently about baht equivalent of £600 and managed to barter it down to £200, Singapore is just as bad

[Postmodern Smoking]

Aug 12, 2017 18:07:24 GMT Bob said:

Aug 12, 2017 17:50:28 GMT gill2009 said:

                                        

Maximum sentence in Thailand is now 10 years but you would have to be really bad to get that, someone got fined recently about baht equivalent of £600 and managed to barter it down to £200, Singapore is just as bad

If you are referring to the thread started in May 2017 on UKV.... my understanding is that he paid about £650  (bartered "down from about 3 times that amount").
A sad state of affairs  ... tobacco companies there are state owned.... which might explain the penalties for daring to use a smoking alternative! 

[Bob]

Aug 12, 2017 18:27:02 GMT Postmodern Smoking said:

Aug 12, 2017 18:07:24 GMT Bob said:

Maximum sentence in Thailand is now 10 years but you would have to be really bad to get that, someone got fined recently about baht equivalent of £600 and managed to barter it down to £200, Singapore is just as bad

If you are referring to the thread started in May 2017 on UKV.... my understanding is that he paid about £650  (bartered "down from about 3 times that amount").
A sad state of affairs  ... tobacco companies there are state owned.... which might explain the penalties for daring to use a smoking alternative! 

Probably was that one, remembered it because my friend flew there on 31/05 to start her SE Asia trip which has now been cancelled due to friend she was with had death in family

[digicig]

I actually met my South African Vape supplier in China there - Pascal. We were chatting on WeChat and discovered we'd both be in Patong at the same time - so met at an Irish pub.
He was suggesting caution and was surprised i'd had me mod confiscated.

The apparent reason is the Thai Government don't know how to classify vaping for tax purposes - and therefore it's illegal

[digicig]

"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."

[GunJack]

Aug 12, 2017 18:48:46 GMT digicig said:

"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."

So going by that logic, they could fine or imprison you for not paying import tax on your phone, tablet, binoculars, cameras, etc., or do you have to pay import duty on such things when you enter the country with them?

To say thats barking is an understatement.....

[Richard46]

Aug 12, 2017 18:27:02 GMT Postmodern Smoking said:

Aug 12, 2017 18:07:24 GMT Bob said:

Maximum sentence in Thailand is now 10 years but you would have to be really bad to get that, someone got fined recently about baht equivalent of £600 and managed to barter it down to £200, Singapore is just as bad

If you are referring to the thread started in May 2017 on UKV.... my understanding is that he paid about £650  (bartered "down from about 3 times that amount").
A sad state of affairs  ... tobacco companies there are state owned.... which might explain the penalties for daring to use a smoking alternative! 

Sounds like the one started by me. Yes that was what he said happened i.e. My friend ended up paying £650 apparently. I have not seen him since in person to confirm however. 

Link to the UKV thread;

ukvapers.org/Thread-Vaper-arrested-in-Thailand

[Postmodern Smoking]

Aug 12, 2017 23:56:15 GMT Richard46 said:

Aug 12, 2017 18:27:02 GMT Postmodern Smoking said:

If you are referring to the thread started in May 2017 on UKV.... my understanding is that he paid about £650  (bartered "down from about 3 times that amount").
A sad state of affairs  ... tobacco companies there are state owned.... which might explain the penalties for daring to use a smoking alternative! 

Sounds like the one started by me. Yes that was what he said happened i.e. My friend ended up paying £650 apparently. I have not seen him since in person to confirm however. 

Yup... just checked, and I was quoting from your post!

[beedee]

Intersting, digicig . Me and may partner go to Thailand most years, use it as a hub to explore other places in SE Asia and love the place. Went over there around Oct/Nov time last year, having read all the dire stuff about people having mods confiscated and being fined.

I was very discrete. I ensured everything was broken down when (rather nervously) going through customs. I had no problems at all. There was even a fair amount of vaping gear for sale in the markets in Bangkok.

However, the stories on Thai vaping forums continue. I put it down to policemen looking for bribes - which is really common in that part of the world, the law is really ambivalent, but, last I looked, no-one had ever actually been prosecuted in a court. That may have changed, now.

It's sad. Since the King got ill and army took over things are looking bad there - people being hauled off to 're-education camps' and so on. The King always stood in the way of the army taking over permanently there - now he's dead, his son is not King material, so there is no-one in their way.

[-V-]

Yep it's got harder over in Thailand the last few years.
I still own and run Thailand Vapers Forum, but it's not as it once was, a vibrant posting community with good Thai sellers keeping us well stocked up on the latest mods, tanks and juice

Here are a few Threads of interest on my Forum to anyone going to Thailand:
www.thailandvapers.com/threads/updated-public-vaping-is-not-legal-fined-for-possessing-vape-gear.16359/

www.thailandvapers.com/threads/proposed-thai-laws.16345/

The Staff members of the Forum also will try to help out anyone who might ask questions.

A lot of the vapers have this bookmarked on their smart phones for when they are out and about vaping:



Basically the top cop saying it's not illegal to personally vape but import and export is a no no...