Legal Corner: What is the Legal Status of Cyanide in Thailand?

Today on behalf of our friends at Issan Lawyers we take a look at cyanide laws in Thailand.

This follows a major story this week in which four Vietnamese nationals and two American nationals with Vietnamese backgrounds died in what Thai police are saying was a murder suicide in Bangkok at a luxury hotel involving cyanide.

So now, let’s take a look at cyanide laws in Thailand, even as police continue to try to determine how the suspect in Bangkok managed to obtain cyanide.

Cyanide is classified as a hazardous substance in Thailand and is strictly regulated. It falls under the Hazardous Substances Act of 1992, which categorizes it as a type 3 hazardous substance. This means that producing, importing, exporting, or possessing cyanide without proper authorization is illegal.

The penalties for unauthorized possession of cyanide can be quite severe. Violators may face up to two years in prison and/or a fine of up to 200,000 baht. Additionally, if cyanide is used in food, drugs, or cosmetics, it is classified as a type 4 hazardous substance, and the penalties can be even harsher, with up to 10 years in prison and fines up to one million baht.

Given the recent incidents involving cyanide, the Thai authorities are likely to enforce these regulations strictly to prevent further misuse.

In another major incident involving cyanide, which we covered last year, a notorious alleged serial killer in Thailand is accused of killing at least twelve people by poisoning them with cyanide.

In 2019 cyanide was suspected of being mixed in herbal alcohol in Chonburi, killing one person and injuring twelve others.

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Adam Judd
Mr. Adam Judd is the Chief of Content, English language, of TPN Media since December 2017. He is originally from Washington D.C., America, but has also lived in Dallas, Sarasota, and Portsmouth. His background is in retail sales, HR, and operations management, and has written about news and Thailand for many years. He has lived in Pattaya for over a decade as a full-time resident, is well known locally and been visiting the country as a regular visitor for over 15 years. His full contact information, including office contact information, can be found on our Contact Us page below. Stories please e-mail Editor@ThePattayanews.com About Us: https://thepattayanews.com/about-us/ Contact Us: https://thepattayanews.com/contact-us/