Bangkok hospital’s Nazi ‘gas chambers’ plan sparks fury

The director of Mongkutwattana Hospital in Bangkok sparked a storm of controversy with a plan to punish smokers who defy his anti-smoking ban, drawing comparisons to Nazi Germany’s grim practices.

Rienthong Nanna, the director of the private hospital located in the Laksi district, declared on Facebook that he would confine defiant smokers in ‘gas chambers’ made from old telephone booths until they inhale 100% of their cigarette smoke.

Rienthong detailed that these telephone booths, donated for Covid-19 screening between 2020 and 2022, will now serve as a method to enforce the smoking ban within the hospital premises. The initiative aims to contain the smoke, preventing it from affecting other patients and visitors while ensuring smokers fully absorb their cigarette emissions.

“In the innovative gas chambers, those who defy the smoking ban at Mongkutwattana Hospital can fully inhale the smoke from their cigarettes. The smoke will not be released to the outside and annoy or harm the public but will ruin the health of the smokers themselves.”

The booths will feature lock sensors that detect smoke. Once the smoke dissipates, the doors will unlock automatically, allowing the smokers to exit. Rienthong expressed his frustration with selfish smokers, noting that this method would replace previous physical confrontations.

Rienthong is not a stranger to controversy.

This announcement comes after a recent incident where Rienthong made headlines for slapping and stripping a teenager who smoked on hospital grounds. The director defended his actions, citing the need to protect other visitors and patients from second-hand smoke, which could travel through the hospital’s ventilation system.

The altercation led to legal action against the Bangkok hospital director. Complicating matters, it was later revealed that the teenager was allegedly in possession of heroin during the visit to the hospital, reported Bangkok Post.

In a related incident, a disturbing incident unfolded at Mongkutwattana Hospital yesterday, May 13, where the director, Doctor Rianthong Nanna, is accused of physically assaulting a 14 year old boy and ordering him to strip naked as punishment for smoking in the hospital’s restroom.