The Digital Economy and Society Ministry (DES) has blocked more than 9,500 URLs involved in selling e-cigarettes in the past year, according to the government.
The crackdown on e-cigarette sales portals is part of government efforts to block all online channels, including social media accounts and web pages, used in the selling and smuggling of vapes, deputy government spokeswoman Sasikarn Wattanachan said.
From March 2024 until March 19 2025, the ministry blocked 9,515 URLs that sell or import e-cigarettes. Some 9,200 X accounts, 235 websites, 28 Facebook accounts, 12 Instagram accounts and 14 TikTok accounts were closed.
The ministry also shut down 120 Facebook groups linked to e-cigarettes. Ms Sasikarn also said that the ministry used social listening tools and data monitoring tools and found 285 posts on e-cigarettes from sellers and 93 posts from buyers.
According to the Consumer Protection Act, those who sell e-cigarettes and related equipment could face a three-year jail term, a maximum fine of 600,000 baht, or both.
Ms Sasikarn said an importer could be jailed for at least ten years and fined five times the cost of the imported items. Buyers can also be jailed for at least five years and fined four times the cost of the items they had bought.
People are being asked to call the DES hotline on 1212 or law enforcement agencies to report any e-cigarette sales or smuggling, said Ms Sasikarn.