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Home » News from the Netherlands and Belgium » Gerard Joling arrested in Pattaya for meddling with e-cigarette
Gerard Joling arrested in Pattaya for meddling with e-cigarette
Posted in News from the Netherlands and Belgium
Tags: E-cigarette, Gerard joling, Pattaya
Today in De Telegraaf there is a story by Gerard Joling (59) who was detained for a number of hours at the Pattaya police station. Joling was in Pattaya for a performance and then went out with his crew. His sound man had an e-cigarette with him, was approached by police officers and was taken to the police station.
Gerard interfered and was, according to him, locked up in a kind of glass cage. After the payment of a 900 euro fine, the gentlemen were allowed to go again.
The singer warns others not to bring an e-cigarette to Thailand:
“I think it would be good to warn people who go to Thailand that an e-cigarette can get you into serious trouble. At least we were quite scared. I had a great time there and I often do in that country. But, on the other hand, they put you so tight and then you just have to see how you get out. That mess is as corrupt as hell!”
Read the whole story here: www.telegraaf.nl/entertainment/1911861825/gerard-uren-vast-op-thais-politiebureau
A fine of the equivalent of 30.000 baht seems illogical to me.
Much more obvious is a “voluntary donation” to the police and (I still doubt) Telegraaf sensation.
Maybe next time before going on a trip, see what is and isn't allowed in the country of destination.
Has nothing to do with corruption. These Dutch holidaymakers are as rude as the back of a cow. First make yourself aware of the rules in your holiday country. Then you will avoid problems such as dexe!
How can you be aware of everything that is and is not allowed
Certainly an e-cigarette seems to me that no one thinks about that. And yes corrupt
they could also have said that an e-cigarette is not allowed and might confiscate.
But to detain you for that and give a high ticket seems
grossly exaggerated to me.
There is plenty of advertising on Dutch TV, to load the customs app, it seems to me that it can be so much trouble.
Is still no basis for the word Corruption. Please inform yourself before using such words.
It seems to me more that Gerard has interfered in his well-known hysterical manner and thus risks a fine for obstructing the police, insulting, etc., etc. It will not be about that e-cigarette in itself.
it is forbidden to have an e-cigarette with you, so I do not share your opinion.
I can imagine that Mr. Joling has stirred up the situation quite a bit and you shouldn't do that in Thailand. Well, Mr. Joling can afford those 30.000 bahts.
“That mess is as corrupt as hell!” With a little preparation for this trip, this shouldn't have happened. Who's stupid here? And swearing is so cheap….
Dear Gerard,
First read Thailand Blog then you know that an e-cigarette is prohibited in Thailand.
Well-intentioned, but don't interfere at certain times! Saves a lot of money and misery!
Have a nice time!
“… like hell!”? It is unknown whether the e-cigarette can promote the contraction of tuberculosis, 'the consumption' in the vernacular. It is true that certain substances in the e-cigarette are bad for the airways and lungs, and may thus indirectly make them susceptible to TB infection. That is why some fear of the Thai police is understandable. Preventive collection of compensation for this seems entirely reasonable to me.
It has of course been known for some time that e-cigarettes are prohibited. Also clearly marked when you arrive in Bangkok. But to arrest people for that, threaten with 5 years in prison and make people pay a huge fine of € 900, is exaggerated! Looking for a tourist, bag filled?
Well Gerard nothing new right, if you've been there before you knew it's a corrupt mess there.
This isn't the first time a foreigner in Thailand has gotten into trouble over an e-cigarette. Again due to ignorance and the assumption that everything is allowed abroad that is allowed or tolerated in the Netherlands.
“That mess is as corrupt as hell!” is of course no excuse, but it sounds delicious.
I think a fine of 900 euros is far too little. E-cigarettes are very dangerous to the health and safety of the Thai people. Staying in the Bangkok Hilton for free for a week would have been a better punishment. After all, for illegally picking mushrooms in a forest you get 5-15 years in prison!
https://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/advanced/1242397/supreme-court-5-years-prison-for-elderly-mushroom-pickers
Dear Mr Kuis,
I often read pieces of yours and often agree with them, but I found this response a bit short-sighted?
If it really was a 900 euro fine for just smoking an e-cigarette on the street, then I think that's way too much and I also doubt whether the e-cigarette is harmful to the Thai who walk in the open air?
If the man had walked there with a joint, I would have understood it in Thailand, but you can smoke a normal cigarette (which is really harmful) on the street, but the completely non-smelling e-cigarette is not allowed pffffff
And yes, he should have known, because it is not allowed in Thailand, but I have read several pieces of tourists being detained and drained financially because of this e-cigarette.
I think that's unacceptable behavior.
1000 baht fine should be more than enough.
MVG Vincent
Dear Vincent,
It was sarcasm. A fine of say 50 euros is acceptable. And that old couple is in prison for 5 years for picking mushrooms, while a small fine would have been appropriate here too.
I don't always understand irony and sarcasm either...
Dear Tina,
haha ok now i get it..
Totally agree !
Yes, the case of that elderly couple is very bad and especially disgraceful.
Unfortunately, we will read that more often.
Kind regards, Vincent
The e-cigarette is probably banned to support the Thai Tobacco Monopoly.
I think they don't know what to do with the E-butt from a legal point of view. There is no excise duty because it is not alcohol or tobacco. And what should you charge? The E-butt itself, or the filling?
You can count on this gold mine being tapped once and that you can buy both E-butt and the filling with the excise label. Then as a traveler you can take half an hour of puffing for free and you have to declare the rest at customs.
I don't smoke, it doesn't cost me anything, luckily.
I'm afraid you missed Tini's sarcastic tone….
Is still no basis for the word Corruption. Please inform yourself before using such words. 'If the man had walked there with a joint' it would not have remained with a fine. The position of the offender may play a role here. It is certainly (and rightly so) not taboo in some countries, to fine a rich person other than a poor one.
I assume that the fine is also related to Mr Joling's behaviour
E cigarettes are absolutely forbidden. The Thai is also fined or arrested for this.
Bangkok hilton the popular name is in nonthaburi.
However, spending a week here is not for anyone.
The prisoners brought here have a sentence of at least 20 years up.
So tino.. If you stay there, it's something different than using an e cigarette.
Again a well-known Dutchman, who thinks that his fame also allows him (her) unlimited freedoms abroad. Let this person first become aware of what the rules and laws are in a certain country, before everything is trodden with BN feet. (Just like those two who thought they could play drug traffickers in the Czech Republic.)
It's a pity that they didn't extend their stay in Pattaya for a while because of insults, etc.
In the article, the singer confirms that he has been to Thailand several times. How come he is not aware that an e-cigarette, in possession and or smoking, is strictly prohibited in "that country", as he calls Thailand.
Can imagine how he must have interfered between the soundman and the police, who caught the smoker red-handed.
To continue labeling “that mess” as corrupt as shit confirms my imagination.
In any case, hope that the article, from the Telegraaf, (translated into Thai) will never be seen by the police in Thailand, because at the next confrontation it would not be a glass cage, but a cage with iron bars where he would then may continue.
Dre
Always stay neat and friendly, respect the standards and values of Thailand and you will not be bothered by corruption.
If you have a big mouth, the fine will automatically become higher, do not affect their honor.
Insults carry hefty fines and can even lead to jail time
Maybe they can hold him a little longer. He already loved the “Tropics”.
Yes not very convenient to do this. The fact that many people ignore the rules does not only occur with e-cigarette smokers. We also see this in traffic, where the helmet is mandatory for riding a motorbike. We see this in the bars, where prostitution is rampant and that it is nevertheless used. We also see this in the laundering of black money, examples abound. We see this in temples, breaking the rules. We see it in the purchase of homes, where the fake construction is applied by, among other things, using a company that is based on fraudulent information. I can go on like this for a while. It doesn't tell a lot of people the rules in Thailand so it doesn't surprise me. And oh yes, many Thai people do the same here, nothing world is strange to them.
Discipline and order destroy more than you love.
Progress is constantly doubting and adjusting whether the current insights are still up to date. As you think is almost touching to me and fits the picture exactly as the church would like it to be.
Don't you know that every rule in the law has the sole purpose of controlling the herd but that it is given a twist as if it is good for the citizen?
Alcohol, tobacco, sugar, bio industry could never exist again in a pure state of affairs in terms of following the protection of the citizen, but yes they are the missing rules and may it continue.
But… oh woe oh woe if it becomes a rule… strike down that civil disobedience because I'm the good guy.
Dear Johnny BG, rules are a necessary evil. If there are no rules then it's a mess. Despite this, Thailand is a mess in many areas, not because there are rules, but because they are not followed. That rules deserve adjustment because quite a bit has changed over time, such as people's opinions, I can agree with that. The rules must be established democratically and therefore supported by the majority. We are here in Thailand and people think differently there. The helmet is there for safety and no one can object to that. Respect for faith should also not be against anyone, although this is not for me. Laundering people illegally obtained money is not acceptable. Fraud ditto.
I agree with you that there is a lot wrong and many governments have a double agenda. If there is money to be made, they will certainly not let it, but the rules can be contradictory.
I don't have a problem with that e-cigarette, but it does cause problems and that's what we have to deal with. There is much room for improvement here, but civil disobedience is not going to work in this society. The authorities expect respect and that this doesn't go down well with some I can't help that. Sometimes you have to take your loss and, as you rightly say, progress means constant doubting and adjusting whether the applicable rule is still up to date. It's not up to us to change the rules and until then we'll measure it against existing rules whether you and I like it or not.
It is clearly stated on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website. Fine has nothing to do with corruption. Our riot niece just needs to do his homework before he starts screaming.
Mr. Joling got involved and told the Thai police what he thought.
They should have made him pay a fine of € 9000 that chatterbox.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I propose to exchange Joling for Taksin's sister, a nice announcer (after a Dutch course) for the NPO, who is already crazy about everything that is not Dutch.
And for the Thai a professional yodeler, who can bring some cheer to the prison system. Or, and very important; free performance at the police staff party.
No more boleros.
Only winners!
Many here are completely wrong with their bullshit about Gerard Joling, it was not he who had an E-cigarette with him, but his sound man, so he was wrong and all GJ did was interfere, moreover, that fine was not for him either but for the soundman so better read from now on and who you accuse.
Read the headline: “Gerard Joling arrested in Pattaya”
Gerard Joling (59) who was detained for a number of hours at the Pattaya police station…….
This is better headlined in the media than a “sound man arrested in Pattaya” where the name is
of a well-known songwriter from the Netherlands is being abused.
People respond to that.
The message reads as follows: Both gentlemen were arrested and after paying a fine of 900 euros, the gentlemen were allowed to go again.
I can imagine that the fine of 30.000 baht was not only for the cigarette, but was mainly for Mr Joling's behaviour.
What is ignored in most of the above responses is the way tourists are treated in such cases. Apparently few are able to separate the situation from the person of Joling, and it becomes easier to focus on him. There is nothing to fear from him.
Whether they are Dutch, Russians, Indians, Chinese, etc etc etc., the fact is that in all sorts of ways those who visit this country can be put in an extremely unpleasant situation by those who represent the government. And what is it about? For money. And not otherwise! It's always about money.
Thailand could apply a regular fine of ThB 3000, for example. Still a lot, but good. Let's assume that anyone visiting Thailand should know that sucking an e-cigarette carries a hefty fine. In the Netherlands they can be bought for less at Primera.
No, immediately demand the 10-fold, and if not then 5 years of detention. Well nice. When a farang living in Thailand is lifted tomorrow, the comments are not from the sky.
Thailand uses a method that is objectionable. That method is that by removing the sense of justice and instead making it clear that you are powerless over your own situation, freedom can be bought back. The price depends on how you are estimated. Farang pays more than double. Not (being able to) pay, then detention. In his response, Tino Kuis gives a good example of 2 old people who had to go to prison for picking mushrooms. Not a rooster crowing.
Thailand is so often praised for being such a beautiful country to live in. Maybe, but is Thailand really such a nice country to live in? You wouldn't think so if you read comments about items that affect Dutch residents living there.
E-cigarettes are absolutely forbidden just as prostitution is forbidden. I do have a little doubt that there is no corruption in Thailand.
Well, if we can buy off a police officer when committing a traffic violation, shove a civil servant under the table when extending a residence permit or when filing that infamous TM-30 form, then we'll all have butter on our heads.
We regularly read that various regular writers and or commenters have had to deal with some form of corruption and more or less express their indignation about it, which is then agreed to, but now that a Dutch celebrity expresses himself about it, he has to keep his mouth shut. whether he could have known it was forbidden because he has been to Thailand several times.
Of course we are aware of everything about Thailand, however, reading the daily Thailand blog and various forums, that is undeniably contradicted.
Conclusion. Dutch celebrities should read more TB. 😉
But of course you have a point and I agree.
As corrupt as the consumption, and that is not a word of a lie. The official fine may be only 3000 Bt but the corrupt police make it 30.000 Bt in that cage . With the help of your own compatriots or neighboring compatriots who act as interpreters in the capacity of aid and/or tourist police. (I have been there)