Bangkok: PM orders crackdown on "e-cigarettes". If officials are found to be involved, they must be dealt with. After finding a severe outbreak in almost every area, he will give orders at the cabinet meeting tomorrow. "Jirayu" proposed to the PM to set up "Doraemon Task Force" as a suppression committee after finding officials involved in accepting bribes. They must be seriously punished.
According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Jirayu Huangsap, advisor to the Prime Minister, revealed that after the working group went to the area and arrested e-cigarette dealers in the areas of Khan Na Yao Police Station and Khok Kham Police Station, Bangkok, with more than 3,000 items worth more than 2 million baht on Sunday (23 February 2025), which was the only area of the Metropolitan Police Station, a large number of shops selling such illegal products were found.
This aligns with a 'secret' document on the e-cigarette and bribe business, as all the shops that were arrested were not hidden or concealed in any way. The task force discovered that all the shops were open on the side of the road, beautifully decorated and clearly visible, which could not escape the eyes of officers or patrol officers of the local police station. This leads to the belief that the police officers may have been involved in the omission of arrests according to the report 'Secret. E-cigarettes, Hellish Drugs for Children and Youth', which estimates the business to be worth more than 5 billion baht per year with thousands of shops open nationwide, especially in large cities and tourist cities.
Mr. Jirayu stated that according to the Prime Minister's policy on drug suppression, he had submitted this report to the Prime Minister's Secretary and the Prime Minister for their information, which found that the suppression of e-cigarettes in every province had stopped. Officials neglected the safety of children and youth, with some places opening for sale in front of educational institutions and officials involved in accepting bribes.
'In areas where arrests are made by other units, local police must be investigated by a committee similar to the arrest of a local gambling den to determine whether there was negligence or involvement in bribes. This has already been reported to the Royal Thai Police. However, if no action is taken by commanders, it will not be possible to completely suppress the operation. Today, it has gone as far as mixing strong drugs in e-cigarettes, and young people have died, even to the point of punctured lungs. In addition, the age group of users is decreasing, now under 14 years old,' said Mr. Jirayu.
Mr. Jirayu proposed to the Prime Minister the establishment of a "Committee on Suppressing Electronic Cigarettes", named the "Doraemon Task Force" to combat electronic cigarettes, as smoking devices with Doraemon and Toy Art designs are attracting children and youth in large numbers.
The task force would consist of components from relevant agencies, such as representatives from the Office of the Consumer Protection Board, the Prime Minister's Office, the Department of Disease Control, the Ministry of Public Health, the Customs Department, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Defense, the Royal Thai Police, representatives from the Anti-Money Laundering Office, the Internal Security Operations Command, and other relevant government agencies as a committee to prevent and suppress e-cigarettes that are currently prevalent in Thai society. The aim is to stop and cut off the cycle of illegal imports and sales, especially involving complicit officials at the border and within the police. The Royal Thai Police will be asked to set up a disciplinary committee if there are any arrests of trading locations. It is expected that the Prime Minister will give orders on this matter at the cabinet meeting tomorrow.