Thai bulletproof vests are not classified as military items. The bulletproof vest of the Hong Kong photographer was made of a controlled material, which is illegal," he said.
The photographer who came to Thailand to cover the Erawan Shrine bombing was stopped from boarding his plane home at Suvarnabhumi Airport and charged with possessing military materiel without a permit.
Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai confirmed that the photographer had been released.
He said he was told that the lensman might not have been aware that such military gear could not be used without a proper licence.
This case should be a lesson for everyone to be more careful and learn about other countries' rules, rather than doing things based on one's assumption of what is right or wrong, he said.