Footage shows vape pens openly on sale just days after Thai police admitted they extorted 27,000 Baht (810 USD) from a Taiwanese tourist for carrying the illegal devices.

The devices were recorded on a busy street in Bangkok with police ignoring them on the same day that the government's Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) publicly warned that they are illegal to buy, sell or possess.

Sellers on the city's Sukhumvit Road even said they pay daily bribes to police and council officials to continue selling the e-cigarette vape pens.

It highlights the endemic corruption, disregard for laws and inability or unwillingness of authorities at all levels of the state to tackle the issue.

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt was elected last year promising a wave of reforms amid jubilation from democracy activitis but he has so far not addressed the issue of devices being sold illegally.

It comes as Taiwanese actress Charlene An, also known as An Yu-qing, and her friends paid bribes to officers from the Huay Kwang Police Station to avoid a night in the cells and a possible court appearance after they were caught carrying three vape pens at a checkpoint.

After returning to Taiwan, Charlene revealed the incident, sparking outrage and highlighting how police extort tourists for bribes. Police chiefs initially denied extorting the tourist but later admitted they had forced bribes from the group after threatening them with two nights in the cells.

The sale of electronic cigarettes and vape liquids is prohibited by Consumer Protection Board Order No. 9/2015, and can result in a jail term of up to five years or a fine of up to 500,000 baht (15,000 USD), or both.

Lawyer Ronnarong Kaewpetch explained that possessing electronic cigarettes is illegal in Thailand because they are prohibited goods for import.

The punishment for the offense is a jail term of up to five years and a fine of four times the value of the product, including any unpaid taxes.

In 2014, the Ministry of Commerce issued a notification ordering the Customs Department to arrest those who import electronic cigarettes and vape liquids.

This act violates Section 20 of the Export and Import of Goods Act and is punishable by a jail term of up to 10 years, a fine of five times the value of the products, or both.

Additionally, vaping in public is also against the law and violates Section 42 of the Tobacco Control Act.

The punishment for this offense is a fine of 5,000 baht (150 USD).