Though vaping and smoking e-cigarettes has been illegal since 2014 in Thailand, the practice is still quite common among both Thais and foreigners and the law is not widely enforced.
One UK travel agent, Pat Waterton, is now warning all her clients about the law to make sure it doesn’t ruin their holidays. She only learned about it herself when her nephew was threatened with jail when he was caught smoking an e-cigarette in Bangkok.
He was unaware of the law and, in the end, the police only had him pay a fine of about US$150 (THB4,700), according to Travel Weekly.
Waterton said, “I got a message from my sister saying James had been arrested in Thailand because he had an e-cigarette. He managed to pay the policeman, who had told him he could go to jail.”
“If I’m selling Thailand I will definitely mention it to my customers now. All travel agents should. Thailand is very popular so we should make sure we are telling people about things that could ruin their holiday.”
The UK Foreign Office already advises travelers not to bring vapes or similar items to Thailand and many foreigners have been arrested over the last few years for having these items in Thailand.
