Suvarnabhumi airport's belated announcement regarding a cap on the number of face masks people are allowed to take out of the country sparked heavy criticism before it was removed from the airport's social media account.
On Thursday, Airports of Thailand (AoT) posted the restriction on the airport's official Facebook account. Under the restriction, people exiting the country can carry up to 30 face masks or as many as 50 if they have supporting medical certificates.
Exports of face masks were also banned under the restriction.
Violators could face a jail term of up to five years and/or a fine of no more than 100,000 baht.
The announcement prompted panic among the public and an uproar among netizens, some of whom noted the restriction was issued in 2020. Some also criticised concerned agencies for failing to update the information.
Kittipong Kittikachorn, the airport's general manager, admitted yesterday it was a misunderstanding.
The information regarding the restriction was sent by the Commerce Ministry to the AoT when face masks were in short supply in 2020, but the information only reached the AoT last month, Mr Kittipong claimed.