Smoke on Thai beaches this high season and face jail or 100,000 baht fine

[sambum]

9 hours ago, wealthychef said:

You can't smoke on the damn beach.  Deal with it.  LOL

I don't need to deal with it - as I've already said - I DON"T SMOKE!  

 

And I wish someone would "deal with" bigger problems than cigarette butts on the beach - like getting an incinerator to work rather then covering over more than 250,000 tons of stinking garbage with nets!

 

And I don't know what "LOL" has got to do with it - I don't find it funny at all. 

 

[shaurene]

It really does want to make you want to vomit. We read these laws put out from so called ecperts in the government when The biggest cause to the environment stares them in the face every day. Plastic Plastic Plastic. Especially the small shops and supermarkets that give you a bag for anything. It has been made easy for the Thai people to dump rubbish as they walk, out the car, kids just drop it on the roads. No teaching by their parents or seriouse teaching by the schools. It should all be ncluded in the penelties.

it is just the foreign people, easy money in the  police pockets. But we all know it will never happen in Thailand 

[ukrules]

I think in the end we will find that tourists are both the cause of and solution to all of Thailands problems.

 

At least according to the morons who make up these rules.

 

I remember reading about some woman who was arrested and thrown in jail for feeding fish in the sea.

 

Unless they reverse this announcement pretty quickly there's going to be a lot more news headlines like this around the world. This is one issue which will stop people coming to Thailand. They come here to get away from this kind of thing.

 

[adammike]

3 hours ago, gk10002000 said:

From a selfish perspective I like the smoking ban.  But I know so many people go to the beaches and enjoy a smoke.  Smoking is not the cause of the debris and pollution, throwing the butts on the beach is the problem.  California in the USA did the same thing.  Banned smoking because people were throwing the butts on the beaches as they had been doing for centuries.  I am not so sure the smoking ban was the best solution.  I mean, one could also ban people from the beaches and they would stay cleaner also

Roll your own butts are not a problem,it's the modern filter made of some mix of plastic,they don't seem to break down. Next time you are on the beach dig around with your hand and see how many filters you find,when  they get into the food chain they become a problem. It's not flotsam and jetsam it's the butts discarded on the beach above the tide line. 

[adammike]

11 minutes ago, ukrules said:

I think in the end we will find that tourists are both the cause of and solution to all of Thailands problems.

 

At least according to the morons who make up these rules.

 

I remember reading about some woman who was arrested and thrown in jail for feeding fish in the sea.

 

Unless they reverse this announcement pretty quickly there's going to be a lot more news headlines like this around the world. This is one issue which will stop people coming to Thailand. They come here to get away from this kind of thing.

 

More more more imagine a smoke free Thailand and only a few tourists.clean empty beaches,500 LT.

Of course it would attract a better class of tourist if they marketed Thailand as a smoking free country.

[webfact]

No ifs, no butts – smoking ban for 20 popular beaches

By THE NATION

 

File photo: Patong Beach

 

THE MARINE and Coastal Resources Department plans to ban smoking on beaches around the country next month after thousands of cigarette butts were found in the sand.

The ban will take effect on selected beaches during the pilot phase, including three in the popular beach city of Krabi. 

 

“To ensure tourists are aware of the smoking ban, we will erect signs with the ban announcements on the beaches of Phra Ae, Klong Dao and Klong Kwang,” Wittaya Khunsan, chief of Krabi’s Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, said yesterday. 

 

He added that the announcements would be made in Thai, English and Mandarin. 

 

Ekawit Pinyothammanothai, chairman of the Krabi Tourism Industry Council, said he agreed with the ban but hoped there would be time to raise public awareness before it took effect. A local resident in Krabi, Bodin Klasamut, said if the ban took effect, the relevant authorities should make sure there were designated smoking zones. 

 

 

In the pilot project, the department has invoked a coastal resources management law to issue a smoking ban on 20 popular beaches early next month.

 

Marine Department chief Jatuporn Buruphat said he had consulted with Natural Resources and Environment Minister General Surasak Kanchanarat, who agreed with the ban. As it will be based on marine park law, offenders will be subject to maximum penalties of one year in jail or a Bt100,000 fine.

 

Jatuporn said the ban had been discussed with provincial governors and local administrations. The 20 beaches involved include Mae Pim, Laem Sing, Bang Saen, Cha-am, Khao Takiab, Bo Phut, Haad Sai Ree, Patong, Pattaya, Jomtien, Koh Khai Nok and Koh Khai Nai.

 

The Department decided to take action after the Andaman Coastal Resources Research and Development Centre recently found between 63,000 and 138,000 cigarette butts on a 2.5-kilometre stretch of Patong Beach. The estimate was based on a survey of a nine-square-metre area to a depth of 10 centimetres. The survey found an average of 0.76 cigarette butt per square metre of sand. 

 

“We won’t totally ban smoking but we will set aside smoking areas for smokers before they reach the beach. They can drop their cigarette butts there but they will not be allowed to stroll on the beach while smoking,” Jatuporn said. “Doing that allows for a high possibility of cigarette butts being dropped in the sand.” 

 

Jatuporn said his department would soon expand the ban to cover every beach in the country and the department would also consider a smoking ban on passenger and tourist boats to prevent cigarette butts being dropped into the sea.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30328988

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-10-11

[jacko45k]

This country is going off its head! Huge fines like that for smoking yet get falling down drunk and mow someone down in your car and petty fines are issued.  Cigarette butts are relatively small, the rubbish I see piled up by the roadside  may have one or two butts from the Thai man who spent ten minutes dumping it there!  Fortunately I never visit the beach here, it would take more than a few banned cigarettes and banned bottles of beer to take my mind off the smell of the sea and all the non-cigarette rubbish around there.

[ThaidaGwaii]

A year in jail???  I think Thai officials are smoking the wrong stuff to come up with these stupid ideas.  Considering the amount of plastic Thailand is throwing out the windows everywhere, this makes absolutely no sense.

 

[anon789561]

Just now, ThaidaGwaii said:

A year in jail???  I think Thai officials are smoking the wrong stuff to come up with these stupid ideas.  Considering the amount of plastic Thailand is throwing out the windows everywhere, this makes absolutely no sense.

 

to be fair it says up to. in other words we'll charge you what we can get away with. a bit wrong but just don't smoke on the beach. it's their rules. 

[Get Real]

Guess it´s just to stick the butt up the butt. It´s all fine and no fine is needed. 

It hurts like hell, though. 

[Kieran00001]

4 hours ago, adammike said:

Roll your own butts are not a problem,it's the modern filter made of some mix of plastic,they don't seem to break down. Next time you are on the beach dig around with your hand and see how many filters you find,when  they get into the food chain they become a problem. It's not flotsam and jetsam it's the butts discarded on the beach above the tide line. 

 

It is both, the problem is not only the plastic the filter is made from but also the chemicals that are created when burning tobacco that are toxic to marine life.

 

And of course it is not flotsam and jetsam as they are shipwreck terms describing goods that have floated following a wreck or have been purposely jettisoned at the time of the incident, they are actually legal terms, flotsam remains the property of original owner whereas jetsam having been thrown overboard is the property of the finder, cigarette butts are way outside of these definitions, they are just rubbish.

[soalbundy]

where can I dispose of my batteries ? they are real poison, in my house everyone dumps them in the dustbin, better to dump them on the beach maybe, it,s allowed i'm sure.

[Kieran00001]

5 minutes ago, soalbundy said:

where can I dispose of my batteries ? they are real poison, in my house everyone dumps them in the dustbin, better to dump them on the beach maybe, it,s allowed i'm sure.

 

Pretty much every large government building has a designated bin outside, some families!

[pattayadgw]

So why dont they enforce the same fine jail time for those the run from the scene of an accident????

[peperobi]

They are not criminals...if you smoke on the beach you are a CRIMINAL...

[mark01]

Is the seatbelt law still in effect?

Is the not riding in the back of pickups law still in effect?

Is the not smoking in bars and public buildings law still in effect?

 

Add this to the list of laws selectively used to extort some tea money by your friendly cop!

[newnative]

    I'm happy to see the beach smoking ban and I hope to see it spread to other places.  It can't happen too soon in my opinion.   I'm seeing a few encouraging signs.  The last condo I lived at, which was brand new,  had a smoking ban almost everywhere.  That included condo rooms, condo balconies,  hallways, the swimming pools, outside lounge areas, gardens, and the pathways.  Smoking was only allowed at two or three outside designated areas.  

    Now that I am living at a different condo I appreciate the no smoking rules the last condo had.  At my new place I often smell offensive cigarette smoke in the hallways.  There is a chain smoker living above me and I smell the cigarette smoke when I sit on the balcony and his cigarette ashes land on my balcony.  There are smoking areas allowed at the 2 swimming pools so you are having to breathe in cigarette smoke and stink while you're trying to enjoy your pool time.  It's amazing how one or two smokers can smell up the whole area and spoil things for everyone else.   I'd love to see more places be smoke-free for the benefit of the large majority who don't smoke.   And, by making it more difficult to smoke, it might help smokers cut down on the number of dangerous cigarettes they smoke. 

      

[wealthychef]

8 hours ago, Kieran00001 said:

 

How you sumised that from what I wrote is beyond me, are you drunk?

 

I surmised that because you are ignoring the actual topic and going off on a tangent.  Not drunk this morning, no. How about you Einstein? 

 

[wealthychef]

8 hours ago, wakeupplease said:

So are you saying the fish eat them?

 

No is the answer they know what they can eat and that is a fact.

Yes, the fish eat them.  Do you not have access to google?  A little bit of curiosity here would tell you what you need to know.  

[IAMHERE]

Ban filter cigarettes in Thailand and force packaging to be biodegradable. Probably ought to raise the taxes on them too.

[wealthychef]

8 hours ago, sambum said:

I don't need to deal with it - as I've already said - I DON"T SMOKE!  

 

And I wish someone would "deal with" bigger problems than cigarette butts on the beach - like getting an incinerator to work rather then covering over more than 250,000 tons of stinking garbage with nets!

 

And I don't know what "LOL" has got to do with it - I don't find it funny at all. 

 

 

If you've already said it, then why repeat it now in all caps?  

I'm surprised that someone with such a great sense of humor would not find my amazing joke funny.  

You wish for an incinerator and an efficient Thai government.  I wish I get a pony for my birthday.  I wonder which wish is more likely to come true?  

[Naam]

36 minutes ago, peperobi said:

They are not criminals...if you smoke on the beach you are a CRIMINAL...

only on one-way beaches on a sunday morning.

[rodney earl]

This is only for tourists, not thais, as it was in BKK years ago and maybe still is. The only people that were caught and fined for throwing a butt away were foreigners (2000thb). The coffers must be getting light on.!!

[Naam]

9 hours ago, TunnelRat69 said:

What about the guy that always sits in the next chair from me that smokes a pipe, smells good, no fiberglass filters.

200k fine!

[carmine]

3 minutes ago, rodney earl said:

This is only for tourists, not thais, as it was in BKK years ago and maybe still is. The only people that were caught and fined for throwing a butt away were foreigners (2000thb). The coffers must be getting light on.!!

It's known as biting the hand that feeds you and as they say, you reap what you sow.

 

For years tourism here has been taken for granted, tourists ripped off, locals that have committed physical assaults on tourists not dealt with harshly enough, dual pricing, list is never ending.  But in the past Thailand ruled the roost regards tourism in the region.  Now its very difficult, theres lots of completion but Thainess will see little done to makes things better here.  Just continue to blame foreigners, failure to look in the mirror, just play the blame game.

 

500 baht fine and a fine for jumping up and down on a car in a road rage incident  OR  100000 fine or up to a year in prison for a tourist caught smoking a cigarette.   Mindboggling stuff!!!!!!!

[hobobo]

"...they will not be allowed to stroll on the beach while smoking,” Jatuporn said. “Doing that allows for a high possibility of cigarette butts being dropped in the sand.” 

 

So anyone seen walking on the beach and smoking (with a portable ashtray in his left hand), will be followed by a fully armed soldier, just in case the butt falls in the sand! The army will have to move a lot of troops from the Deep South...

[Destiny1990]

1 hour ago, newnative said:

    I'm happy to see the beach smoking ban and I hope to see it spread to other places.  It can't happen too soon in my opinion.   I'm seeing a few encouraging signs.  The last condo I lived at, which was brand new,  had a smoking ban almost everywhere.  That included condo rooms, condo balconies,  hallways, the swimming pools, outside lounge areas, gardens, and the pathways.  Smoking was only allowed at two or three outside designated areas.  

    Now that I am living at a different condo I appreciate the no smoking rules the last condo had.  At my new place I often smell offensive cigarette smoke in the hallways.  There is a chain smoker living above me and I smell the cigarette smoke when I sit on the balcony and his cigarette ashes land on my balcony.  There are smoking areas allowed at the 2 swimming pools so you are having to breathe in cigarette smoke and stink while you're trying to enjoy your pool time.  It's amazing how one or two smokers can smell up the whole area and spoil things for everyone else.   I'd love to see more places be smoke-free for the benefit of the large majority who don't smoke.   And, by making it more difficult to smoke, it might help smokers cut down on the number of dangerous cigarettes they smoke. 

      

The fine amount is outrageous.Then it should be 500,000 bht if u drive true a red light instead of the current 500 bht! 

[MyFriend You]

9 hours ago, gk10002000 said:

From a selfish perspective I like the smoking ban.  But I know so many people go to the beaches and enjoy a smoke.  Smoking is not the cause of the debris and pollution, throwing the butts on the beach is the problem.  California in the USA did the same thing.  Banned smoking because people were throwing the butts on the beaches as they had been doing for centuries.  I am not so sure the smoking ban was the best solution.  I mean, one could also ban people from the beaches and they would stay cleaner also

I agree a BAN TOURISTS FROM THE BEACHES campaign should be started immediately!!!   Problem solved??  No on your life says the BIB, how will we be able to extract the 'fines' for smoking if there were no tourists, Thai's won't have that kind of money. 

[nasa123]

It`s in the Norwegian biggest News paper already, not many flight from Norway to Phuket this high season.

 

https://www.vg.no/forbruker/reise/thailand/roeykeforbud-paa-strender-i-thailand/a/24160685/

[joxxx]

rules in Thailand

what jokes

here just ripp of farangs