More than 64,000 vaping products valued at 12.6 million baht were confiscated in a crackdown by the Customs Department, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) and the Royal Thai Police (RTP) recently.
Speaking to the media, Theeraj Athanavanich, director-general of the Customs Department, said the products were seized on Thursday during an inspection of eight unclaimed shipping containers at Laem Chabang port in Chon Buri.
A total of 64,397 e-cigarette products, both disposable and refillable, were seized as part of ongoing investigations into smuggling, particularly of prohibited goods such as vaping products.
The find came after some 260,000 e-cigarette products worth 130 million baht, believed to be the country's largest ever haul, were seized at a warehouse in Nonthaburi's Bang Bua Thong district earlier this week, following an eight-month investigation into online vape networks linked to over 100 shops nationwide.
Authorities have ramped up efforts to stem the flow of vaping products after the government set a one-month deadline for a crackdown on vaping products, especially sellers operating outside or near schools.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives yesterday discussed a report from a special committee studying laws and regulatory measures to control vaping and its impacts before forwarding it to the government.
Dr Thossaporn Sereerak, a Pheu Thai MP for Phrae and chairman of the House committee on public health, raised concern over proposals to regulate vaping and questioned if this was a move toward legalisation.
He criticised those who proposed legalising vaping products to generate tax revenue, arguing that the tax income would not outweigh public health costs associated with treating smoking-related illnesses.
The Pheu Thai MP said the best course of action regarding vaping is to keep it illegal and strictly enforce the existing laws. Pheu Thai MP for Udon Thani Thirachai Saengkaew criticised an attempt to present e-cigarettes as an alternative to smoking and stressed the need to curb the spread of these products, particularly among teenagers.
Dr Wannarat Charnnukul, a member of the special House committee, echoed such concerns and supported a ban on all e-cigarette products.
Both government and opposition MPs urged the government to continue the ban and intensify the crackdown.
