Is this just ChatGPT with a wrapper?

No. A generic chatbot answers from training data and happily invents a visa rule. Thaissistant checks a knowledge base we maintain before it speaks, shows you which entries grounded the answer, and hands anything live to the Tour Tiger team. Anyone can rent the model we use. Nobody can rent the corpus — or a licensed operator in Maenam who picks up the booking.

How is the information verified?

Every law-and-life entry is researched from a strict source ladder: the Royal Gazette and the statutes first, then the government bodies that enforce them, then official translations — reputable secondary sources only ever as labelled support, and forums never. Each entry names its legal basis, links its sources, and carries the date we last verified the facts. Anything that moves faster than we can verify — office-level fees, officer discretion — is marked 'verify live' instead of stated as fact. The methodology page spells out the whole discipline.

Is this legal advice?

No — and we're careful about the difference. Thaissistant explains what the law says and how processes work in general, with citations you can check. It doesn't advise on your specific case, predict outcomes, or replace a lawyer. For a decision that matters, the entry's sources tell you exactly which authority to confirm with.

Can it actually book things?

Today it takes your request and hands it to a real person at Tour Tiger — often Alexander himself, on WhatsApp or the phone — who checks availability and confirms with you directly. Payments, PromptPay, and calendar booking are planned for Phase 3. The principle holds throughout: automate the conversation, not the transaction, until we can do the transaction properly.

Can it read a Thai document for me?

Yes — paste the text of a letter, a form, a lease, or a fine, and it translates and explains what it means in plain words. Two honest caveats: the translation is unofficial (only the Thai text has legal force), and if the document is high-stakes, it will tell you to confirm with the authority or a professional rather than pretending a chat is enough.

Alexander Wich — founder, and the person who answers the WhatsApp. He built Thaissistant himself, with Claude Code, on top of the business he already runs: Tour Tiger (Thailand) Co., Ltd., TAT Licence 44/00524, a registered Thai tour operator in Maenam, Koh Samui. When the assistant hands you to a human, that human is usually Alexander or someone on his team. Feel free to test that.

What does it cost to use?

For you, asking Thaissistant is free — and so is the knowledge library. For us, a conversation runs about $0.01, the whole 6-month validation budget is under $2,000, and monthly running cost sits at $50-225. Breakeven is one or two extra bookings a month.

Why did this start on Koh Samui?

Because we wanted to be genuinely excellent somewhere before being vaguely useful everywhere. Samui gave us a licensed operator, real products, and real customers asking real questions — the loop that proved the engine. The life-and-law library is that same engine pointed at the questions every foreigner in Thailand has, not just the ones on holiday.

What happens to my data and my question?

If it's a genuine booking or service request, it becomes a lead the Tour Tiger team follows up on — that's the point. We're not in the business of reselling your inbox. Anything specific, write to hello@thaissistant.com.

Vapes and e-cigarettes: illegal to bring in, sell or possess — and enforced

Facts verified · 2026-07-11

Unlike cannabis, this rule has not softened — it has hardened. E-cigarettes, vape pens, e-liquids, and baraku/shisha electronic devices have been illegal to import since a November 2014 Ministry of Commerce order, and their sale or supply is banned by a Consumer Protection Board order carrying up to three years' imprisonment or a fine up to 600,000 baht. Importing can be prosecuted under the Customs Act with heavy fines. There is no tourist exemption: visitors are treated exactly as residents, and the Royal Thai Embassy openly warns travellers not to bring vaping devices into the country.

Enforcement stepped up sharply through 2025 into 2026, with a nationwide crackdown, airport confiscations, tens of thousands of devices seized, and on-the-spot fines that in practice have run into the tens of thousands of baht — with detention legally possible. The practical rule for anyone entering Thailand: leave the vape at home. Do not pack it, do not buy one on the street here, and do not assume that because ordinary cigarettes are sold everywhere, vapes occupy the same legal space — they do not.

Legal basis

Ministry of Commerce Notification banning import of electronic cigarettes/baraku (2014); Consumer Protection Board Order No. 9/2558 (2015) banning sale/service (up to 3 years or 600,000 baht); Customs Act B.E. 2560 (2017)

⚠ Verify live

On-the-scene fine amounts vary widely by location and campaign and are often negotiated at the officer's discretion; the underlying ban is stable but the penalty you actually face is not predictable.

vapee-cigarettevapingbarakucustomsimport ban

General information, not legal advice. Laws and practice change; for a decision that matters, confirm with the authority named in the sources or a licensed professional.