Banglamung, Chonburi –
Police raided two restaurants in the Banglamung district in the early hours of this morning, August 7th, and confiscated a large number of hookahs that were reportedly illegally sold to the customers.
The search was conducted at Aisha Lebanon and Mo Salah & Asma Coffee Shop located in Soi Marine/Soi 16 in South Pattaya, Nong Prue Subdistrict, following the search warrant of the Pattaya Provincial Court after the establishments were reportedly operating as restaurants while discreetly selling illegal hookahs (shisha) to a large number of foreign tourists.
A hookah smoking substance was first found at Mo Salah & Asma Coffee Shop and more than 11 hookahs and additional equipment and substances were discovered on the rooftop of Aisha Lebanon restaurant. More unactivated hookahs were also found lying near the door of the nearby shop.
Initially, all of the properties were confiscated. Two alleged restaurant owners were summoned for interrogation at Pattaya City Police Station for further legal proceedings.
TPN notes that shisha is illegal in Thailand, with officials claiming this is due to health concerns. Critics, however, say it is primarily due to the fact the material used is nearly all imported illegally and due to lack of tax, as well as opposition from cigarette companies.
Ironically, however, smoking cannabis is currently decriminalized since early June and is being widely sold across Pattaya, although public smoking is forbidden and, in theory, it is supposed to be only for medical use.
A review of the laws allowing cannabis is currently in process with final laws mandating their use still being drafted by a Parliament committee. This draft is expected to be complete in the next month or so, according to Anutin Charnvirakul, Deputy Prime Minister of Public Health.
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