Pattaya announces new public enemy number one - smokers and their deadly cigarettes!

[webfact]

Pattaya announces new public enemy number one - smokers and their deadly cigarettes!

 

Picture: Sophon Cable

 

The Pattaya mayor has announced all out war on smokers.

 

Heavy penalties will await those who break the law come February as the local authority rolled out their campaign to stop beach smoking.

 

But it is not just the beach that is on mayor Anana Charoenchasri's radar - heavy penalties are promised for smokers and those who sell the demon weed in other areas too.

 

Sophon Cable TV reported on the mayor beginning the anti-smoking drive with a large number of officials and operators in attendance at various events on Jomtien Beach yesterday.

 

Cigarettes and smokers were deemed the new enemy - both of the public and the environment.

 

Apart from being bad for health to users and through second hand smoke to the innocent, the butts were damaging marine life, killing the environment and even blocking drains causing floods.

 

One year in jail and 100,000 baht fines await those disobeying the environmental ordinances that also include the dumping of rubbish that is damaging the local environment.

 

Also 5,000 baht fines were awaiting those smoking in places were the habit was forbidden while those selling tobacco to minors could expect 3 months inside or a 30,000 baht fine or both.

 

People splitting up cigarettes to sell individually would be liable to 40,000 baht fines too.

 

As beach chair operators and Thai traditional masseuses gathered for "training" early yesterday in Jomtien the message was clear - help us rid the resort of smokers on beaches and in forbidden places.

 

And give the non-smoking public clean smoke free air to breathe and cleaner beaches to enjoy. 

 

Source: Sophon Cable

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2017-12-05

[Thaiwrath]

14 minutes ago, webfact said:

The Pattaya mayor has announced all out war on smokers.

Still waiting for the 'all out war' on drink drivers that take lives, and cause carnage on the roads !

Edited December 4, 2017 by Thaiwrath

[ezzra]

The thing is, that in Pattaya and in many other arias around Thailand,

they don't do diddly squat for many years and about many problelms

and than they embark on this crusade and over kill of a draconian edict,

there are many things that needs to be address and fixed in Pattaya

but somehow, smoking become the most important issue, talking about

selective targeting...

 

[trogers]

I would have thought driving kills more. Does the mayor sees more carnage on the beaches than the roads?

[Get Real]

As I see on the picture, there are no health concerns there. Or maybe all persons in need of a toilet are considered to be smokers.

[trogers]

6 minutes ago, Get Real said:

As I see on the picture, there are no health concerns there. Or maybe all persons in need of a toilet are considered to be smokers.

It's considered smoking when two guys share a toilet...

[Get Real]

8 minutes ago, trogers said:

It's considered smoking when two guys share a toilet...

And there is no fine for that, right! A win-win situation!

[ChrisY1]

Just a diversion from the usual police extortion, underage sex slaves, ladyboy street thefts, falling elevators...

Useless administrators in Thailand are everywhere

[trogers]

7 minutes ago, Get Real said:

And there is no fine for that, right! A win-win situation!

Smoking is prohibited! It sends you to heaven.

 

 

 

 

[jacko45k]

3 hours ago, Thaiwrath said:

Still waiting for the 'all out war' on drink drivers that take lives, and cause carnage on the roads !

I saw them breath checking someone yesterday, it was about 11am.

[captspectre]

Smoking is now a major crime in pattaya, yet the raw sewage that is being dumped into the ocean everyday is not? you would have to be brain dead to swim near the beach in pattaya. just last month there was a major story on thai visa concerning this.

[bangkokheat]

so the public can enjoy fresh air and clean beaches, yep, stop your filthy habit and the beach wont be a toilet to swim in anymore, and the diesel smoke from buses will turn healthy

[mark01]

I remember when smoking was banned in Pattaya bars and gogos.

Smokers were given lipo bottles or coke cans to use as "secret" ashtrays.

Only the police and officials were given real ashtrays.

 

The ban didn't last long. Is it still illegal?

Edited December 5, 2017 by mark01
Edit

[Emster23]

More smoke and mirrors. Fortunately administration has the attention span of a quark

[AhFarangJa]

Public Enemy Number One ........Thai Drivers.......

[Hayduke]

48 minutes ago, ChrisY1 said:

Just a diversion from the usual police extortion, underage sex slaves, ladyboy street thefts, falling elevators...

Useless administrators in Thailand are everywhere

 

Maybe true, but the authorities are always looking to further expand the bribery net. This provides the police with a custom-made excuse to jack up the monthly ‘tax’ bars have to pay in order to allow smoking.

[dinsdale]

Complete and total f.......k......n lunatic. The rich can kill and not go to jail but this idiotic campaign with completely over the top penalties is indeed lunacy. 

[r136dg]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Apart from being bad for health to users and through second hand smoke to the innocent, the butts were damaging marine life, killing the environment and even blocking drains causing floods.

No doubt, the cigarettes are bad stuff; but, how about a serious campaign on all the plastic bags & garbage randomly thrown out along roads and countryside. I'd think that's a much more serious issue regarding "damaging marine life, killing the environment and even blocking drains causing floods."

Urgencies & priorities seem to get a little mixed up here, or is the cigarette thing simply an easy revenue builder???

[torrzent]

A vile and filthy habit......thank you to the authorities!

[waders123]

1 hour ago, Get Real said:

As I see on the picture, there are no health concerns there. Or maybe all persons in need of a toilet are considered to be smokers.

I agree with you.  Everybody has to walk through the group of smokers to reach the toilets?!?  Move them away from everyone if you are going to limit the smoking to a designated area.  This was the same as some universities in the US when they first stopped smoking in buildings on campus.  The smokers would gather around the doors and everyone passing through would get a dose of second-hand smoke.   

[wombat]

send the fines to the cigarette companies who gave us the addiction.

 

[hawker9000]

LOL    Death by a thousand cuts and still the smoking addicts don't get it, and offer us up one deflection piled on top of another.  Epic lame.  For politicians, smokers are the easy target that everyone loves to hate.  You just can't go wrong with an anti-smokers campaign.  Too bad smokers couldn't get with the program back when they had the chance to be courteous and considerate toward the non-smokers, but instead swaggered about boasting about their inalienable "right" to smoke, and blowing the stench in everybody's face.  And now the screws keep turning, ever so slowly but inexorably.  Boo-hoo and suck it up.

 

OK, lamo's.  Now sing us that ridiculous old song about our backyard BBQs, internal combustion engines, dirty socks, and whatever...   

 

 

 

 

[sammieuk1]

The problem of flooding has now been solved it was the fags !!

[hawker9000]

1 minute ago, wombat said:

send the fines to the cigarette companies who gave us the addiction.

 

Yeah.  'Held a gun to your head and forced you to start smoking, didn't they?  So tell us.  What WAS the reason you started smoking?  Be honest.  I've asked this question a lot, and by far the most common response is along the lines of "because the cool kids [or some such ill-chosen role-model] did".  

 

"I'm a victim.  Somebody else is responsible.  Not my fault."   Oh Boo-hoo.

 

 

[samsensam]

3 hours ago, ezzra said:

The thing is, that in Pattaya and in many other arias around Thailand,

they don't do diddly squat for many years and about many problelms

and than they embark on this crusade and over kill of a draconian edict,

there are many things that needs to be address and fixed in Pattaya

but somehow, smoking become the most important issue, talking about

selective targeting...

 

 

it's about setting achievable(ish) objectives

[trianglechoke]

no pics of Thai people pointing at cigarettes...... surely fake news without the pics

[monspencer]

45 minutes ago, mark01 said:

I remember when smoking was banned in Pattaya bars and gogos.

Smokers were given lipo bottles or coke cans to use as "secret" ashtrays.

Only the police and officials were given real ashtrays.

 

The ban didn't last long. Is it still illegal?

Yes it's still illegal, but there is no enforcement, they do sweet rock all about it.

 

I was in a gogo bar recently and not only were people smoking but somebody was even puffing on an e-cig which is also illegal

[Dipterocarp]

Beachgoers on the way to the sea will breath in clouds of diesel exhausts

and pass huge piles of garbage in vacant lots,  to find more trash and wastes on the beach.

 

100,000 Baht for a puff of smoke? I don't smoke or vape but it is too much to ask for a completely smoke free outdoor environment when other much more serious violations are not even addressed.

 

 

[smedly]

This is the typical reaction of a Thai official who doesn't like the comments being made about him and his ideas, rather immature and childish - time to go away and do a rethink about what is actually important instead of this nonsense, take a walk down on the beach after heavy rain and see what gets washed up on the beach - all of it comes from your lovely pristine Pattaya city streets drains and sewers. 

 

Enough of this nonsense and start to tackle the real issues 

[smedly]

9 minutes ago, Dipterocarp said:

Beachgoers on the way to the sea will breath in clouds of diesel exhausts

and pass huge piles of garbage in vacant lots,  to find more trash and wastes on the beach.

 

100,000 Baht for a puff of smoke? I don't smoke or vape but it is too much to ask for a completely smoke free outdoor environment when other much more serious violations are not even addressed.

 

 

There are many closed door pubs and restaurants (in fact most that know of) were smoking is not allowed, add to that shops and shopping centers - government buildings etc etc, there is a smoking ban in place and as far as I can see is quite effective, as you mention - outside bars open places still allow smoking simply because ....................... well it is "outside", the only exception to this are Thai venues along 3rd road and North pattaya were smoking is allowed inside...go figure