so you were there at the checkin desk and saw what they said? I do not misunderstand what the rules are, the only misunderstanding of the situation is by you.
so telling a story about how it is, is a crime now? Or a chance for you to laugh at something bad that happened? I hope someone is there for you on judgement day.
this assumption that Thailand is unique in these experiences is bizarre. Not all countries are out to make maximum money out of people just wanting to be normal tourists and expats and behaving like they are some kind of special case because something bad happened once.