BURI RAM: A 60-year-old vendor caused a stir when she accused local excise officials of unjustly taking action against her for selling khao mak, sweet fermented glutinous rice, and expecting her to pay a hefty 50,000 baht fine.
Her story drew sympathy from netizens after it went viral online, with many people criticising excise officials over the arrest.
However, authorities told a different story. They said she was fined for selling sato (traditional rice wine), not khao mak, in violation of Section 153 of the excise law. It was in plastic bags found behind her.
Grandma Saneh Puangram, a resident in Muang district, said she regularly made khao mak, a traditional dessert usually wrapped in banana leaves, and sold 20-30 a day at the nearby market, where she was detained by excise officials on July 22.
They charged her and said she was liable to a fine of 50,000 baht.
The 60-year-old woman said she had no knowledge that selling this traditional dessert at 5 baht each was illegal. She had begged the officials not to take action against her, but they did anyway.
She was taken to the Buri Ram provincial excise office and charged.
Her daughter, Boomanee Puangram, 42, confirmed the story, saying she was shocked when told her mother had to pay a 50,000 baht fine for simply selling khao mak.
Her mother kept crying as the family could not possibly afford that, Ms Boonmanee said.
“I appealed to officials that I had no money. I sympathised with my mother, she was crying all the time. The officials later reduced the fine to 10,000 baht. I had to rush out and borrow the money from relatives,’’ she said.
After the fine was paid the officials were all smiles and issued a receipt. One of them gave her family a blessing, saying, “I wish you good luck when selling goods and that you win the lottery first prize,’’ according to Ms Boonmanee. (continues below)
The local excise office chief, Nopparat Janyawarangkul, said Mrs Saneh was wrong. She was arrested and fined for selling home-made sato, not khao mak.
Excise officials found 11 plastic bags of sato behind her back. She was taken to the Buri Ram excise office and fined 10,000 baht. He showed the media the seized bags of murky wine, and the receipt.
The officials were sent to the khlongtom market in tambon Krasang of Muang district on July 22 following a complaint that sato was being sold there illegally. They caught Mrs Saneh, Mr Nopparat said.
