Foreign tourists kicking up a stink about smoking ban - but Thais "willingly cooperate"

[snoop1130]

Foreign tourists kicking up a stink about smoking ban - but Thais "willingly cooperate"

 

 

Manager reported that foreign smokers said they won't come back to Pattaya if they are not allowed the freedom to smoke where and when  they want to.

 

While many are flagrantly ignoring the ban and refusing to use facilities laid on especially for their convenience.

 

But law abiding Thais are at least seeing sense - and happily complying with the ban for the benefit of all beach users.

 

Manager were down in Pattaya at Dong Tan beach, one of 24 nationwide that the environment and coastal resources department has deemed off limits to nicotine addicts. 

 

They reported that a specially sectioned off area by some toilets was being largely ignored by the foreign tourists. Even one especially set up by deck chair and umbrella operators was rejected.

 

Why?

 

The foreigners want their precious freedom to do as they please.

 

The operators say they have fully complied with the authorities' wishes but they are getting just grumpy reactions from foreigners.

 

Operator Chatchawan Simmasuk told Manager: "When informed about the ban most tourists react in a dissatisfied manner.

 

"They said if they are not allowed the freedom to smoke they won't come back to Pattaya. Most of these are foreign tourists.

 

"They are used to the freedoms of the past," added Chatchawan. "But at least most Thais are OK with it and gladly cooperate". 

 

Thaivisa notes that so far there has been a "softly, softly" approach - but from February 1st the law states that those that break the beach smoking ban will face up to a year in jail or 100,000 baht fines - or both. 

 

Source: https://mgronline.com/local/detail/9600000123033

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2017-12-06

[crazygreg44]

"LAW ABIDING THAIS"

 

how can be . . .  where did you see them in the wild, they were reported BEING EXTINCT many many years ago

 

Edited December 6, 2017 by crazygreg44

[gandalf12]

Law abiding Thai's? Is this a new breed of Thai as they ignore the laws more than any other nationality

[smedly]

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

But at least most Thais are OK with it and gladly cooperate

so none smoking Thais are cooperating by not smoking,

 

hilarious 

[darksidedog]

I suspect that when the law finally comes into play and the British tabloids front page news  shows people being jailed for a year for having a cigarette, or in jail unable to pay the fine, this bullshit will go the way of the sitting in the back of a pick up truck and the seat belt laws. They both lasted less than a week as I remember. Absolute idiots. Put a fine in place by all means, but make it commensurate with the offense, or they will be the laughing stock of the world. We have all seen serious stuff solved by a 500 Baht fine and a "wai" so this will not go down well in places where people have the ability to think.

[YaiJung]

"But at least most Thais are OK with it and gladly cooperate". ... I went for a walk at dongtan beach this afternoon and saw more Thais than foreigners smoking on the beach.

[mercman24]

plenty  of time to change their minds as is usually the case here, like most of the decrees we hear about, bloody  ell, its cheaper to kill someone

[Kadilo]

 
"They said if they are not allowed the freedom to smoke they won't come back to Pattaya. Most of these are foreign tourists.
 


Oh well.....


Sent from my iPhone using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[smedly]

11 minutes ago, Kadilo said:

 
"They said if they are not allowed the freedom to smoke they won't come back to Pattaya. Most of these are foreign tourists.
 


Oh well.....


Sent from my iPhone using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

because banning smoking in a huge open air outdoor space is idiotic never mind the jail time 

 

banning people from general littering is not idiotic and actually goes some way to deal with the actual real problem

[observer90210]

Looks like the severe fine and harsh 1 year jail sentence seems to be working with the locals on the beach cigarette issue....why not establish similar severity with the road laws and hopefully the message may get through ?????

[Kadilo]

59 minutes ago, smedly said:

because banning smoking in a huge open air outdoor space is idiotic never mind the jail time 

 

banning people from general littering is not idiotic and actually goes some way to deal with the actual real problem

Yep completely OTT. But that's the rule they have come up with and if some grumpy old foreigners think threatening not to come back is gonna make a difference I think they are mistaken. 

Hopefully they will ban foreigners wearing budgie smugglers on the beach too. 

[Thechook]

I guess thais were informed about the new laws but the international community were not.  Travel companies do not tell their customer and when they arrive they expected the place to be as it was last month.  Pattaya has a lot of men returning  a few times a year so they may not like the changes and look for fresh horizons

[Thechook]

4 hours ago, YaiJung said:

"But at least most Thais are OK with it and gladly cooperate". ... I went for a walk at dongtan beach this afternoon and saw more Thais than foreigners smoking on the beach.

Are you sure they were thai and not Burmese as thais are Co operating and obeying the law.  No problems with thais just foreigners. 

[brucec64]

8 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

 

 

6 hours ago, darksidedog said:

I suspect that when the law finally comes into play and the British tabloids front page news  shows people being jailed for a year for having a cigarette, or in jail unable to pay the fine, this bullshit will go the way of the sitting in the back of a pick up truck and the seat belt laws. They both lasted less than a week as I remember. Absolute idiots. Put a fine in place by all means, but make it commensurate with the offense, or they will be the laughing stock of the world. We have all seen serious stuff solved by a 500 Baht fine and a "wai" so this will not go down well in places where people have the ability to think.

Everybody settle down. Nobody is going to jail for this...

[jaywalker]

39 minutes ago, brucec64 said:

 

Everybody settle down. Nobody is going to jail for this...

I agree with you, but that still doesn't stop the "authorities" from looking like complete buffoons.

[4MyEgo]

 

OK but no smoking

[dotpoom]

I gave up the fags myself many years ago but I can see how if you travel half way round the world for a hoiliday only to find thar you cannot have a puff on the beach...it would be annoying (I'd say it wasn't mentioned in the brochures and Thais are already aware of the situation). The Thais also are not as big smokers as Farangs.

[dinsdale]

So, this article is totally based on the comments of one person. Fantastic journalism. Thai good. Farang bad (but we want your money any way we can get it). Maybe this is just to set the scene when only farangs will get fined. Thais aren't getting fined because they're obeying the law.

As for foreign tourists kicking up, my guess is, it's the Chinese.

[mark01]

It's the law abiding Thais that caused most of the pollution (garbage in the sea and on the beach) problem in the first place.

The non-smoking beach solution is just idiotic.

[franklnooner]

I'm all for the smoking ban. smokers litter and don't care about about others who don't.

Unfortunately the law won't be enforced 

[Geoffggi]

9 hours ago, YaiJung said:

"But at least most Thais are OK with it and gladly cooperate". ... I went for a walk at dongtan beach this afternoon and saw more Thais than foreigners smoking on the beach.

I agree with the above statement as I have also witnessed more Thai's than Farangs smoking on the beach; in addition, let's not forget the Thai authorities are wanting more & more tourists, and the Chinese also do smoke more than the Europeans so which way do they want it?

[jaywalker]

This is all "Bread and Circuses" - An attempt to be "seen" as trying to "do something" to divert attention away from the myriad of other problems city hall should be focused on.

 

"Bread and circuses" (or bread and games; from Latin: panem et circenses) is metonymic for a superficial means of appeasement. In the case of politics, the phrase is used to describe the generation of public approval, not through exemplary or excellent public service or public policy, but through diversion; distraction; or the mere satisfaction of the immediate, shallow requirements of a populace, [ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bread_and_circuses ]

[AhFarangJa]

11 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

But law abiding Thais are at least seeing sense

Ahhhh!!!! It all makes sense now !! All the law abiding Thais are in Pattaya !!! That is why, when taking my Son to school this morning I witnessed Three, Four, Five on a bike, No helmets, Mostly underage, Car drivers on the phone, no seatbelts, driving the wrong way on a one way street, 12 in the back of a pick-up. Steel re-bar sticking out 2 metres from the back. Trucks overloaded with ballast and cement.......Women on motor bikes throwing bags of rubbish into the bushes without even slowing down .....Law Abiding Thais........LMAO.........

Brightened my day no end 

[Emster23]

I had a nice chat with some sharp dress BIB last week on my end of Jomtien Beach (I play what some think is music there in mornings, they came for selfies and jokes). Got issue cleared up: beach is beach, sidewalk is not beach. The mass of Russians near me all went to have a butt on the sidewalk, no problem.

 Yesterday noted that the edge of water had lots of that lovely brown foam that often graces our pristine paradise. Oh well, can't fine the sea

[petedk]

1 hour ago, dotpoom said:

I gave up the fags myself many years ago but I can see how if you travel half way round the world for a hoiliday only to find thar you cannot have a puff on the beach...it would be annoying (I'd say it wasn't mentioned in the brochures and Thais are already aware of the situation). The Thais also are not as big smokers as Farangs.

Or a beer on the beach.

 

I rarely drink beer during the day, but once in a while I may buy some seafood and have a cold beer with it. 

 

Last year, a group of about 30 friends came together from all over the world and we met in Phuket. We had beer with food on the beach every day. Most of them smoked too.

We meet once a year in Thailand and these guys spend a lot of money the 14 - 21 days they are here.

I don't think they know about the new smoking rules yet, but that may persuade them to meet elsewhere.

 

I don't smoke, so this is no great problem.

Edited December 7, 2017 by petedk

[NextStationBangkok]

Please don't come.   Better for beaches.

 

Less crowds and less smoke.

[wvavin]

What it needs is a collective effort to stay away from this place and we shall see how this country survive without the tourists money otherwise they thought tourists could not live without Thailand!

[robsamui]

I keep having a nightmare - and in it I dream that one day I'm going to wake up and realise that I'm trapped in a Monty Python sketch and not actually here in Thailand - but the nightmare is that I can't wake up.

[sammieuk1]

Good Thais don't want to be flooded by butt filled drains to short to cope !!

[robertthesculptor]

Thais just go round out of sight and smoke....have to read this as propaganda. Either it is trying to target forginers (xenophobic) or it is an attempt to to get the government's attention to a large loss of income by restricting the freedoms of visitors.