Bangkok, 'Chulaphan' led the Customs Department team to organize a ceremony to destroy more than 1 million pieces of counterfeit copyright-trademark evidence of e-cigarettes and to deliver 4,500 pieces of coolant evidence whose cases have been finalized for destruction, totaling more than 39 million baht. Mr. Chulaphan Amornvivat, Deputy Minister of Finance, presided over the ceremony of destruction of evidence in which the case has been finalized and the ceremony of handing over evidence of refrigerants in which the case has been finalized for destruction, with an economic damage value of over 39 million baht. Mr. Thirat Attanavanich, Director-General of the Customs Department and executives of the Customs Department, along with Mr. Awut Wongsawat, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Intellectual Property, and Ms. Khemasiri Nichchakorn, Director of the Intellectual Property Violation Suppression Division, Department of Intellectual Property, joined the ceremony at the lobby of Building 1, Customs Department. Mr. Chulaphan revealed that according to the policy of Mr. Settha Thavisin, Prime Minister and Mr. Pichai Chunhavajira, Minister of Finance, the Customs Department has given importance to preventing and suppressing the smuggling of copyright infringing goods, trademark infringing goods, cigarettes and e-cigarettes, and other types of products strictly in order to maintain the market mechanism and for the good quality of life of the people. Mr. Thirach Attanavanich, Director-General of the Customs Department, has instructed customs officers to strictly prevent and suppress offenders who smuggle and avoid importing such goods. He also emphasized that customs officers should work together with other relevant agencies, such as the Department of Intellectual Property, Department of Special Investigation (DSI), Economic Crime Suppression Division (ECD), Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD), in order to operate with maximum efficiency and in the same direction. Today, the Customs Department, by the Investigation and Suppression Division, has collected evidence in violation of the Customs Act, Intellectual Property Law, and other related laws, such as cigarettes, e-cigarettes, copyright infringing goods, trademark infringing goods, including evidence that affects the environment, such as refrigerants or fluorocarbons (FCs) that will release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, etc., with a total of 1,093,000 pieces of evidence and 4,500 tanks of refrigerants, resulting in economic damages of more than 39 million baht. The legal proceedings have been concluded and the evidence is now the property of the state according to the law. The Customs Department has scheduled to destroy the evidence by incineration at the Waste to Energy for the Environment, Nong Khaem Waste Disposal Center, which is under the supervision of CandG Environmental Protection (Thailand) Co., Ltd. and demolish it using a roller at Golden Deep (Thailand) Co., Ltd. on 16-17 July 2024. For the fluorocarbon (FCs) seized items, the C ustoms Department has scheduled to destroy them by incineration using a Fluidized Bed incinerator at Bangpoo Environmental Complex Co., Ltd. (BPEC) in Bangpoo Industrial Estate, Samut Prakan Province, which is under the supervision of West Management Siam Co., Ltd. (WMS). The fluorocarbon (FCs) seized items are scheduled to be delivered for destruction in late July. Customs officials will oversee the destruction of the seized items. Source: Thai News Agency