No ifs or butts as Patong Beach starts enforcing no-smoking rules

By The Nation

 

File photo: Patong Beach

 

Patong City has designated 20 smoking areas along Patong Beach in Phuket to comply with the smoking-ban-on-the-beach policy of the Marine and Coastal Resources Department (MCRD).

 

Patong City Administration Organisation on Tuesday opened the smoking areas in order to encourage the people not to smoke and drop cigarette butts on the beach, and instead support the department’s new policy.

 

Patong Beach is among the first 24 beaches where the smoking ban will be introduced around the country through next February, as the MCRD applies the Marine and Coastal Resources Management Act to enforce the ban.

 

Violators of the ban will be punished with a maximum of one year in jail and/or a fine of up to Bt100,000.

 

Patong City mayor Chalermluck Kebsab said his authority had designated the smoking areas along Patong Beach in order to reduce the amount of littered cigarette butts on the beach, prevent disruption to those who do not smoke, and encourage the public to follow the smoking ban on the beach.

 

All 20 smoking areas are installed with clear signage informing people that they are designated areas where they allowed to light up.

 

From a first-day inspection, Chalermluck said that most locals and tourists had cooperated well and smoked only in a designated area.

 

However, it was noticeable that there was still a sizable distance between each smoking area and there were still no signs to explain the rule about not smoking on the beach.

 

“In order to support the MCRD’s policy of a smoking ban on the beach, the local authorities are also working with MCRD officers to inform local businesses and tourists about this policy,” the mayor said.

 

“There will also be the distribution of leaflets in multiple languages informing about the smoking ban and smoking areas, at the hotels as well,” he added.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30331090

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-11-07

29 minutes ago, webfact said:

there were still no signs to explain the rule about not smoking on the beach.

So how exactly are they enforcing the smoking ban, when they haven't even bothered to get the promised multi lingual signs made? Do they think tourists are psychic or that we have a hive mind? Anyone getting fined will be rightfully pissed off if there is no warning.

Just another Tourist Tax (by the way I am an avid non-smoker). No way are they going to stop the beach jetski touts and others smoking.

 

It will be 'pay me or else' intimidation and a lot will cave in to it.

2 hours ago, darksidedog said:

So how exactly are they enforcing the smoking ban, when they haven't even bothered to get the promised multi lingual signs made? Do they think tourists are psychic or that we have a hive mind? Anyone getting fined will be rightfully pissed off if there is no warning.

Stock answer here when questioning authority- 'you should know'.

 

Also code for THEY don't know.

Don´t worry. In reality this only means that you can´t show your butt in public while taking a cigarette.

File photo? your not kidding, that pic is a good few years ago when Patong beach was, well like a real tourist beach - parasols, chairs and actual tourists enjoying the beach...

 

On an average day now there is about 30 jet skis parked up on the beach on trailers (obviously grouped in their designated areas lol) at least three lots of parasailing stunt displays low flying across the sand area at various times, mostly Chinese tourists walking along taking pictures/selfies then yep about 20%  traditional tourists braving the garbage and 10% beach zones with hardly any shade or protection from the sun. Away to go patong!