B34m of “fake’ goods destroyed

PHUKET CITY: Phuket Provincial Police incinerated fake goods worth some 34 million baht at Phuket City Municipality Incinerator on August 25.

The imitation brand-name goods, totaling 68,809 items, were seized in raids over the past four years. The contraband included clothes, watches, bags, shoes, sunglasses, VCDs, DVDs and electronic games.

Overseeing the burn-off was Police Region 8 Deputy Commissioner Maj Gen Worawet Winitwetayanond, accompanied by legal representatives in Thailand of brands including Billabong, Camel, Puma, Nike, Adidas, Levi and other well-known labels.

Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Col Chalit Thintanee said that pirate goods are a persistent problem in Phuket, with illegal copies of goods being sold predominantly in Patong, Kata and Karon.

“Most of these items are from Patong because it is the most popular tourist area on the island. There are many tourists there, so it’s very easy for offenders to sell goods. Fake goods are popular in Kata and Karon, too,” he added.

“Although local police and Crime Suppression police keep arresting the vendors, it is much more difficult to identify and locate the people who make the fake goods, so pirate goods are still being sold in tourist areas in Phuket,” Col Chalit said.

He added that his officers would continue their efforts to arrest fake-goods vendors and seize their contraband.