keepsamuiclean

Clearly - YOU did not get it!

"As per contribution to the police.

BKAhas been affiliated in many projects contributing to the local comunity. they are flying kids for school excursions for free and are promoting many island events.. and yes they contributed to the police buiding. whats wrong with that?? you think Dr prasert needs favours from the local police???"

Remember one island event - the Samui Carnival which should become the second Rio!

When I am in business (and I am) I have to care for my customers and not for unneccesary sponsorships with money my customers paid. And when this money got wasted I have to increase my rates??

And when people who criticize this policy can take the ferry - why cannot kids go on excursions by ferry?

"its the costliest 50-70 Minutes flight all over asia!

the pricing politics only benefits the airline shareholders."

...and the police. Had to visit Nathon station 3 years ago and was very astonished about a sign that said the police was very grateful to Bangkok Airways for the reburbishing of their office.

Imagine any police station in Germany thanking Lufthansa for new furniture..

From 6 to 14...and almost all who are in hospitality business noticed it already before this ranking came out. Seems that the new high-star properties do not suffer as much with all their contracts with agencies were the per-person rates seem to be better than two flights and one room rate. But when a hotel is charging 650 US$ per night incl. breakfast and the guests get a bill of 650 US$ plus a la carte breakfast this hurts too! There are so many hotel reviews on the net that also these high spending people who do not get the value for their money will not come back. Phuket had a very good low season with almost 80 % occupancy, Samui had a high season much below average - for many even compared to low season.

Bangkok Air plays a role too. But as long their hotel Samui Palm Beach is getting booked via packages and their newly planned 60 room boutique hotel might get booked too, I have the feeling that they do not want more tourists on the island spending their money in other hotels.

From beginning of 2005 till August 2006 environment - energy, water, waste water, solid waste on Samui were topics for a feasibility study of substainalble development of Samui island, sponsored also with EU money. The result came out one year ago. Anybody heard of this?? Have a look! We have 3 wastewaterplants on Samui - not operating as private investors are needed now..We have a garbage collection with 21 trucks - charging still the same meager amount as 6 years ago or even nothing - no wonder that they collect the black bags and dispose it off a few meters away in one of the left coconut plantations.

What should we do now?

www.samui-sd.net/index

emmezeta - Lamai could count the tourists without calculator...

womble - there is one feasibility study for sustainable development of Samui on the net:

http://www.samui-sd.net/index.htm. On page 4/5 of the introduction there are the arrivals from 1990 till 2004, devided into Thai tourists and foreigners. Whereas the ratio Thai/foreigner was in 1990 53:47 % it is in 2004 13:87 %

But the very moderate increase of foreign arrivals between 1999 and 2004 (635 Tsd to 719 Tsd) does not justify any hype!

Friends of a friend were just driven from the airport to Taling Ngam for 2500 Baht!! They remembered the number and reported to one the Tourist Police the resident knows well. But it was not too succesfull as they did not get money back...

On the other hand I got an offer from a lady driver for 200 Baht from Lamai to Nathon - but went by Songthaew for 50 Baht.

Does anybody know how many songthaews are still on the road?

Buy a ticket for her, get a visa, take her home and lock her in the loo while you are out.

Living 16 years in Asia now - and did not give up hope..... we could call it stupid...But I like the "sponsor" idea and am thinking about it further.

Asked my staff - nobody is paying for garbage collection. They put it to a certain place or at the road and then it's gone -or not. One said that only owners of a house have to pay and he only rented the land and built a small bungalow.

I would like to "sponsor" the wild garbage collection for my staff of four with 500 Baht per month. But this should reach the accounts of Tessaban and spend for the purpose of garbage collection. How can this be done?

"The can't charge you more for the garbage collection - because there aren' only farang people here on the island!

but also low-income earners!"

But the entry fees to National Parks are also higher for foreigners than for Thais... and hotels and resorts are certainly not branded with the lable of low-income earners! Let it be according to the number of rooms; a private family is paying 30 Baht per month, a resort with 12 rooms has to pay 360 Baht plus 120 Baht for the restaurant, a resort with 40 rooms 1200 Baht plus 400 Baht for the restaurant and so on.

Samuian, you said before that it's going slow here, that people know the problems but nobody dares to point his fingers to somebody else. And I agree fully with it.

When your hotel implemented several measurements why not PROMOTE these measurements to the people you know and talk about it that other new constructions of big hotels do not get a building permit without doing the same. As you are the manager it could be that your bosses are Thai and would be glad when their hotel is a forerunner in environmental protection. A talk to Community Magazine could help, to report about the hotels which are a a kind of forerunner already. I know some more who would qualify regarding recycling and nature protection. Then all concerns could start on a positive level.

Anyhow was quite astonished about the tax amount of 480 mio. If this figure is now similar highdivers calculation is affordable.

And Claude, I have a small resort and pay for garbage removal 150 Baht/month since 2001. Told them a few times I would like to pay more....., nothing more than a smile came up. Knowing owners of houses in the hills who bring their garbage to the Tesco bins as there is no collection point. They really could earn more money.

highdiver - this is a nice answer!! Also frustrated in a certain way? Seems that we really should come together for some kind of improvement. I do not have your estimated millions, sorry! If you like send my a pm and then we can have further dicussions - and perhaps a few solutions,

"Who the heck would buy an overpriced, old and substandard car?"

Many people when the advertisement states the car is from Beckham or from the Pope. But I think the Pope did not check in to Samui yet? So lets take Goeranson, the manager of Thaksins ManCity.

Yes Paul Allen, I read them. But what is the sense of a nice picture when there is no garbage bin to put it in between 7 pm and 5 am? Where have all the blue "OTTO" containers gone? Putting a black garbage bag on the road attracts the dogs at night. I like the dogs during the day and besides of our two I am feeding two visiting dogs so that they do not have to open garbage. But the others?

Samuian - think the signs were a trial, put up with just about 5 mtr distance to each other - without any supporting garbage bin - and after a few weeks the first fell down. I am afraid almost all are now garbage itselves.

That the problems are well known is promising, that it is slow here is for sure. But we cannot wait for 40 years.

Just thinking that here is a new resort with the name "Atlantis" - nomen est omen??

If I were earning mios and mios I would put heavy amounts into measurements for environmental protection like sun energy, garbage pressing, shredders; now I can only try not to damage the environment by having no car and going with songthaews as often as possible, save on electricity with saving bulbs and proper wiring, do not burn garden garbage, get the toilet tanks emptied - not into the sea, have city water and not a well, keep my old trees, do not intend to construct new but demolished bungalows and put a green house instead.

To your sentence:

"And not to forget, many of these people here had Coconuts,Sand and Sea all their life until WE came.....!!!!"

I have to state that my place is better off than before. My landlord said 6 years ago, that the foreigners would build the future of Samui - but he did not think of 3 or 4 big shopping centers or a water park in the hills.

Just found out about The Meermaid of Samui Group and will try to join (if there is no language problem...). Thais and farangs together are anyhow better. Will inform if something is working out.

Thanks, Southbot for moral support.

And highdiver: I am clearly for restrictive development, not for a Robinson island.

Low profile is my thing too. Keeping away from gossip and keeping away from blaming the second next neighbor about releasing shit to the ocean. But I do not know how long I will be patient as it really hurts me what is going on on Samui.

Why are you still here??

"not because we are cowards or anything like that ,most of us have wives and children to worry about". Sorry, when your feelings are those - why don't you bring your wife and children to a safe place when you think Samui isn't?

Anyhow my next door neighbor is an influential Thai - and my landlord is his relative.

do you really think Thais will appreciate nosey farangs getting involved in things which are none of their business, regardless of the need to do so or the best intentions ?

As I wrote I have my good experiences. I have even a Thai landlord who accepted that I could not pay the complete rent as agreed on - due to the construction site next to my rented place.

Combining the threads about liability of construction companies, land sales on Samui and the new shopping mall I have the gutts to ask, what about forming a group which is addressing these concerns to the district chief?

This might sound naive but I am very much grown up and in the recent past I complained twice to him about evening construction noise of my neighbor (as he was not reacting) and then I got response and relief immediately. That I had to remember my neighbor later several times about what he assured me after the complaints is a different issue... but then it worked too.

We have several "clubs" on the island, Rotary for charity, Expat meetings for (?), for fine dining, Sisters on Samui (SOS), why not get together for environmental and development issues?

Baan Wai furniture and hotel supply - out of Nathon, direction Bang Po, right corner opposite the seafood restaurtant Big J.

O.k., Devil, this means that we have mainly the same opinions. I really do not like empty shop houses, mostly built without taste. But we cannot get them demolished. A Boutique shopping mall INSTEAD would be nicer. Opposite Buddy's there is a "Boutique Hotel and Shopping Mall" coming up, perhaps already a kind of alternative. Last time when I was in Chaweng the shopping mall opposite Amari was still not occupied. About 2 years ago they advertised this spot but the small shops had no doors or windows, which looked quite unappealling.

Development should be done in a restrictive way. There are so many talks about the "quality tourist". But does such kind of tourist need a 7/11 all 500 mtr (what is or was their target)? I can imagine the looks of the receptionist of a new Pool Villa Resort handling out the key to the 15000 Baht per night villa to a guest with plastic bag from 7/11 as the minibar is so expensive...

There are construction rules but they do not get enforced. The small plot in Chaweng Noi where Pongpetch' Guestotel (or a similar creative name) was, got sold, they demolished everything which was not a loss but then the construction got stopped as building there was against the law. Now they plaster this small plot full. In a way I have to say that this is even correct as others constructed in the meantime in taboo zones too. But are the laws thought to be only for stupid people who are acting accordingly?

I am convinced that the island development would draw more guests when it would be more responsible and if every resort would look at their surroundings also with responsibility. As guest from some luxury resorts (no names...) I would return without entering the premises seeing the non inviting pathes. The roads from the airport could be developped only with cleaning up the numerous garbage dumps. The garbage collection should cost more, I am paying still the same amount of 150 Baht per month since 2001 and I have a resort. No wonder that there is not enough money to collect all wild garbage. And one garbage bag in the fields is attracting more bags as people think that's the right place for it.

I could continue....but leave it for now.

And Mallorca was better off with the Ballermann tourists than with all luxury developments. Now 2 people have a pool for themselves, before 80 people shared a hotel pool (but not together..). It is also about resources! When there are more like minded people on Samui I would be more than glad to have some brainstorming together.

Applauding Lola for biting the "Sales Office" sign! Very sensible as too much is for sale....joking too! But do not overdo it with shots etc. My former street/beachdogs are now 8 and 3 without having seen the vet regularly as they are fine but if: Dr. Somsak.