Tour boat operator fined for allowing tourists to step on coral reefs in Phi Phi islands

By Thai PBS

 

 

A tour operator was fined by the Noppharat Thara-Mu Koh Phi Phi National Park in Krabi province for allowing its tourists to step on coral reefs in the Viking bay, Phi Phi islands.

 

Mr Worapot Lomsil, chief of the national park, said he decided to invoke Section 25 of the National Park Act B.E. 2504 to impose a fine on owner of the Phi Phi Seaborne tour boat for allowing about 20 tourists that he took them to the Viking Bay for snorkeling on March 17.

 

The tourists were seen stepping on the shallow-water coral reefs with some of them sitting on the reefs by a diver who videotaped the incident and who also approached the group not to step on the coral reefs.

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/tour-boat-operator-fined-allowing-tourists-step-coral-reefs-phi-phi-islands/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2018-03-19

"However, someone in the group challenged him to inform the authorities"

Was that the dumbest of the dumb bunch? Guess he is the most popular person in the group.

1 hour ago, webfact said:

by a diver who videotaped the incident and who also approached the group not to step on the coral reefs

highlights the general uncontrollableness of thais; boat owner likely laughed at the fine

Mass tourism and conservation are antithetical. Thailand has decided (in reality that is, symbolic gestures notwithstanding) to go the mass tourism route, especially with the Chinese; it's always going to be a losing battle.

The amount of the fine was not even mentioned. I wonder if the fine was enough to deter the company from doing this again.

27 minutes ago, Salengrider said:

The amount of the fine was not even mentioned. I wonder if the fine was enough to deter the company from doing this again.

Last year a Russian lady on a boat was feeding bread to the fish, 100.000 baht fine.

 

But this boatowner is thai so i guess 100 baht fine for him.

24 minutes ago, Thian said:

Last year a Russian lady on a boat was feeding bread to the fish, 100.000 baht fine.

 

But this boatowner is thai so i guess 100 baht fine for him.

To be paid at the rate of 1 Baht a week........

There will always be some Thai out there that will agree to anything for a quick buck - and to hell with the environment !

5 hours ago, Thian said:

Last year a Russian lady on a boat was feeding bread to the fish, 100.000 baht fine.

 

But this boatowner is thai so i guess 100 baht fine for him.

It’s certainly about time that the boat owners / tour operators were targeted, vs the tourists.... make the fine large enough to incentivize, and they might be on a winner.

 

as to the russky fish feeder... she was bailed at the maximum allowable fine for the offense, but appeared in court to answer the charge, and was given a small fine ( by comparison to the 100k bail)

 

 

and the fine was   ????????

This is all piecemeal rubbish...just waiting for when everything is destroyed by the Chinese and other tourists and there is nothing left, with the locals wondering why no-one comes anymore....haha. I'll give it 5-10 years max and then the doggy-doo will hit the fan.

Is it true that Maya Bay on Koh Phi Phi will be closed off for 3 or 4 months every year in order to rehabilitate the coral reefs there ?

Edited March 28, 20188 yr by Sandy Freckle