BANGKOK, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- A provincial excise office in Thailand's eastern province of Sa Kaeo said on Thursday that it had transfered smuggled cigarettes and liquor to a local Buddhist temple which then turned them into effective pesticides for distribution to local farmland.
The Sa Kaeo Excise Office told the Thai TV that representatives of the Excise Department handed over 54,817 packs of smuggled cigarettes and about 2,000 liters of liquor to Athikanphiset Weerapanyo, an abbot of Wat B. Grimm Temple who in turn soaked tobacco in liquor inside plastic containers for about two weeks.
The excise office said the abbot then added water to the mixture, which was filled into containers and distributed to local farmland for pesticide use.
The liquid mixture of cigarettes and liquor can be sprayed on plants and fruits," said abbot Athikanphiset. "The smell of the liquid repels insects away."
The excise office said other provinces will be adopting the same practice as well to save costs on purchasing new pesticides while recycling destroyed smuggled tobacco and liquor.
