BRIT holidaymakers have been warned they could up to 10 years in prison for carrying a seemingly innocent holiday essential.
If you are caught with 120 playing cards in Thailand, authorities have the power to throw the book at you.
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Known as the “Playing Cards Act” – which been in place lace since 1935, it is illegal to possess more than 120 playing cards.
The decades-old law states that unless your over double-size card pack has been registered with a government department, you could face a sentence of up to 10 years for being caught with it.
Thailand has strict anti-gambling laws, with almost all forms of gambling prohibited as a means to crackdown on corruption and crime.
Gavin Lapidus, Company Director at the travel agency eShores, said, “It’s really important that travellers are aware of local laws and customs, as the rules in destination countries may be very different to their own.
“While some of the stranger laws around the world may seem odd to us, it’s crucial to check each destination before travelling.
“Places often have restrictions on what medicine can be
taken into the country, unique driving laws, different guidelines about gender and sexuality, as well as a myriad of other local rules.
“The two most important things are to do your research in advance and to respect local laws and customs.”
In 2016, a group of elderly bridge players were arrested in the Thai resort town of Pattaya.
The group, which included 32 foreigners – including 12 Brits – were caught playing with unregistered playing cards during the anti-gambling raid.
They insisted they were not playing for money, but for fun.
The incident saw the president of Thailand’s bridge league forced to fly to Pattaya to explain to police how the game is played.
Aside from Thailand’s bizarre anti-card law, The Sun has previously told of five strange foreign laws that could easily catch out Brit travellers as they jet off for their holidays.
Germany
While it can be very tempting to nip across the road if you’ve waited too long for the traffic lights to turn green, this is known as jaywalking in Germany.
It was introduced to keep people safe on the roads, but those who try to dart across face being fined between €5 (£4.30) to €10 (£8.60).
Italy
Holidaymakers flocking to Venice will know that the city’s squares are often overrun with pigeons, so much so that Venetian lawmakers made it illegal to feed the birds.
Anyone caught feeding leftover sandwich crumbs, seeds or other scraps of food could be fined up to €700 (£622).
While some fines are smaller at €70 (£62), this could still significantly dent the holiday budget.
Greece
If you’ve already packed your suitcase with stilettos, you may want to rethink your choices of footwear.
In 2009, authorities in Greece made it illegal to wear high heels at both the Parthenon and the Acropolis.
This was after officials became concerned that the monuments were becoming scratched or damaged.
Just remember that heels aren’t completely outlawed in Greece – it’s only these historical sites.
Meanwhile you’ll also need to be careful of where you sit down in Rome.
Barbados
Camouflage clothing became outlawed in Barbados because the government didn’t want the public to be confused with military personnel or the police.
In total 10 other countries including Jamaica, Grenada, Antigua, Dominica and Trinidad and Tobago have stopped ordinary civilians from wearing camouflage for various reasons.
In some of these countries, these garments are associated with rebels or terrorist organisations.
The penalties vary in each country, but in Grenada you could be sent to jail while in other places you’ll just be asked to get rid of the offending item.
Sri Lanka
When you’re next in Sri Lanka avoid taking selfies with a Buddha statue because this act has been outlawed.
Tourists have been jailed on several occasions for posing and even kissing a statue of Buddha, while another woman was arrested for displaying a Buddha tattoo.
This is because many people in Sri Lanka believe that Buddha is the 9th avatar of the god Vishnu and crimes regarding his image are taken seriously.
Just remember you can take pictures of the statue of Buddha as long as you’re facing the statue – just no selfies.
