One foreign diver deported, one clings on after Koh Pha-ngan eco assault

[worgeordie]

Blown out of proportion ,OK a fine, don't do it again,

Picking up a sea cucumber,either the cucumber never

knew a thing about it, or thought wow ! somebody is

taking an interest in me...fishermen dragging their nets

over the bottom,nets full of by catch,the same invertebrates

the divers touched....

regards Worgeordie

[connda]

18 hours ago, ChipButty said:

Thats a bit over the top, obviously fining them was not enough

Exactly.  You have to completely destroy their lives where a fine and a warning would have sufficed.
<ruined business, broken foreigner-Thai marriage, separation from family, labelled a criminal and ejected>

Truly, if this had been two Thai divers what would have been the outcome. 
<slap slap>

In the meanwhile, truly heinous crimes and assaults are committed and preps walk away with hand slaps.
<slap slap>
 

[shackleton]

17 hours ago, J Town said:

The mistake these guys made was publishing it on social media. They didn't do anything most of us divers have done at one time or another, but we didn't brag about it on the internet.

Agree putting out information on social media usually has a way

Of biting you back especially here in Thailand

[digger70]

18 hours ago, Cake Monster said:

When  I see the Daily assault that many, many Thais put upon their own Eco System, with their Commercial Scale Trash burning, Toxic Waste dumping, disrespect for the Environment as a whole, and the Authorities turning a blind Eye or taking a Bung, this is really Pathetic.

OK, these Guys made a very bad mistake, they should have known better, but their treatment has been disproportionately harsh, and a large fine and a Diving ban for One Year would have been sufficient.

We dont see so many prosecutions for Dumping and Trash Burning 

Two faced Thailand.

 

This is to let the Foreign people know that the Thais are not equal ,they are Better than them.

[ChipButty]

The whole reason they shut down Maya bay was because of the abuse, 10,000 people a day came into Maya Bay the park ranger told me, That was in high season

[Jeffr2]

1 minute ago, ChipButty said:

The whole reason they shut down Maya bay was because of the abuse, 10,000 people a day came into Maya Bay the park ranger told me, That was in high season

And they were pocketing the money rather than passing the graft to the higher ups.

[ChipButty]

31 minutes ago, connda said:

<ruined business, broken foreigner-Thai marriage, separation from family, labelled a criminal and ejected>

Obviously that never gets taken into consideration, it's like they want you to grovel on your hands and knees begging for forgiveness 

[ChipButty]

8 minutes ago, digger70 said:

This is to let the Foreign people know that the Thais are not equal ,they are Better than them.

Power Trip

[brianthainess]

16 hours ago, ChipButty said:

I'll stick to muff diving

 

 

[joecoolfrog]

3 hours ago, ardsong said:

can not belief these stu... divers.

first of all disturbing the natural beauties of the sea and than secondly most stupid to shows their own illegal actions on the public internet. Had they not posted these pictures, nobody would have know except these divers and then they could have shown the pictures to their close friends only . 

 

I dont think anybody disputes that they were idiots. Its the relatively harsh penalties that is the issue.

[Mike k]

17 hours ago, ChipButty said:

I'll stick to muff diving

If they have a muff ????

[RJRS1301]

9 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

More likely close it quickly and get it under the carpet before it effects Thailand tourism image

Nah he needs to lease/sell company and has people waiting, but cannot do whilethis miscreant is still in the country, deport now

[RJRS1301]

52 minutes ago, Mike k said:

If they have a muff ????

Is tha similar to abolone??

[Nanaplaza666]

I dont know if it's smart of the second diver to try to stay and fight his case , seems like the justice system already made up their mind so i don't think the outcome of his case will be any different then the first divers . But then again , they didn't seem like the smartest bunch to begin with . 

[thailandbeachisland]

why some people are really bad at "discussing" with cops ? it's not difficult in this country, especially at KPG where they like cash a lot...

 

[PETERTHEEATER]

19 hours ago, ChipButty said:

I'll stick to muff diving

Tickling bearded clams is considered disturbing the marine environment. You have been warned!

[oslooskar]

I believe it is also illegal to collect seashells on the beaches here in Thailand.

[Freigeist365]

Hypocrisy at its very finest... 

At the end of a dive - who threw the trash I had collected from the sea and that initially was thrown into the sea amidst a national park by the Thai boat owner back at me screaming, "This is MY country!!! I can make as dirty as I want!!!!", followed by the kind information that I could remain at one of those islands if I feel that I have a say on this...?

Who does oil changes on their boats in national parks, getting rid of the used oil slick via bilge pumps as soon as the boat is moving away from a national park, or between islands?

Who throws 7Eleven trash bags full with plastic and glass bottles, empty crisp bags, etc. right out of the window of the moving pickup after passing (inbound) our national park sign?

Who dumps construction trash and leftovers right along the roads (preferrably near or in national parks?)?

Who throws trash in his own yards, preferrably in a nice "design" all around the house and could not be bothered?

Who dumps everything, including flammable and highly toxic substances happily into their toilets and sinks?

Who gives a <deleted>' toss about nature preservation at all, UNLESS!!!! a "Farang" can be blamed???

 

You guess what the answer is - it starts with capital T

 

[Freigeist365]

Forgot: Who did dynamite fishing until a few years ago? Who still does illegal shark finning? Who fishes at marine protection sites at night? Who kills and sells sharks and rays at local markets? ...and on and on it goes.... 

[Amo]

Sounds like this operator was in the way of someone who needed this business.

If you cant compete then have them removed ! 

[Freigeist365]

14 minutes ago, oslooskar said:

I believe it is also illegal to collect seashells on the beaches here in Thailand.

Yupp, that's why they have the "sea shell" museums and souvenir shops for tourists along Highway 4 ????

[Freigeist365]

3 minutes ago, Amo said:

Sounds like this operator was in the way of someone who needed this business.

If you cant compete then have them removed ! 

More than just plausible in LOS! ????

[Freigeist365]

23 minutes ago, PETERTHEEATER said:

Tickling bearded clams is considered disturbing the marine environment. You have been warned!

That means, I'm in the clear since I prefer nudibranches. Right? ????

[khunPer]

In my modest opinion a hectic fine would have done the job, both for the parties involved, and for the diving instructor to teach other divers how to behave, and to show the World, and particularly tourists, that Thailand cares about eco-system and environment. The the way it's handled now might might have the opposite effect, but of course I'm only an alien expat, and there are so much I still don't understand about Thailand...????

[Monkeyrobot]

Please advise the PPC fishing fleet not to disturb the environment.

[Old Croc]

The penalties for their actions were over the top.  However, their actions in breaching eco laws, a serious offence according to some grifters in power in Thailand, and then advertising it on social media, was very stupid. 

It's wise to remember that when you are staying in any country on a temporary visa, cancellation of that visa is always a possibility if you abuse local laws. This can amount to a far greater personal and monetary loss for the visitor than a simple fine a local might receive. It is therefore a strong incentive to avoid any legal trouble when away from home country. I've lived in Thailand for more than ten years, but am always aware of the temporary nature of my tenure. Immigration remind me of that fact yearly.

 

These guys, and obviously many other long term visitors posting on Thaivisa, continually labour under the belief that justice in Thailand is fair and balanced and that they will be afforded the same treatment as a citizen when they breach the law.

How much evidence do you need to realise we are considered less than second class, and even hated,  by many people on the street and even in positions of power. 

 

 

[ukrules]

This place should be on a black list, never to be visited by tourists again.

[SupermarineS6B]

22 hours ago, RJRS1301 said:

Cheap diving school for lease, please apply local immigration chief. (brother)

 

100 % 

[Scot123]

5 hours ago, ardsong said:

can not belief these stu... divers.

first of all disturbing the natural beauties of the sea and than secondly most stupid to shows their own illegal actions on the public internet. Had they not posted these pictures, nobody would have know except these divers and then they could have shown the pictures to their close friends only . 

 

You do realise that the did not disturb or touch any endangered animal? The animals are very common in what is left of the echo system around thailand or was 15 years ago when I was diving there (300++ dives). This is like a foreigner picking up a worm from his garden or pushing a scorpion away. The lesson learnt here is if you are Thai you can drop your anchor on beautiful hundred year old choral beds ripping up and killing it, catch beautiful majestic whale sharks and kill them for profit like wise with any living creatures in the sea or on land. You can breed and trade in tiger parts kill big cats for fun but heaven forbid pick up some dead choral off a beach or have fun and like it or not the dive videos are made to promote and bring in tourists. All this has done is reinforce people knowledge about how disposed and I'll treated westerners are and how they are mistreated. Dont invest any more in thailand than you can easily walk away from tomorrow and that is a fact of life being an expat in thailand. No matter how rich you are or how long you have lived in thailand it just takes one thai to have envious eyes and your life can disintegrate in seconds around you just ask the multi millionaire Duchman and his wife.

[Bradmeister]

Again with "The Foreigners" ....Us and Them.

 

Why is it so hard to SAY: Hungarian and Dutch? 

 

Is the school system in Thailand not teaching the students geography anymore? 

 

I'm visualizing a roll down map of the Planet (rolled down) in front of a chalk board that shows : Thailand and its boarders...... and everywhere else on every continent and land mass, it just reads Foreigners.

 

Shame on you Thai Visa :The Nation!

 

We are suppose to be helping and educating the locals, not encouraging ignorance and racism.