The serene waters of Ao La on Koh Racha Yai, situated south of Phuket, were recently embroiled in controversy when tourists from a Chinese tour company, Jinyang Holiday Group, engaged in activities harmful to marine life and environment. They posed for photos with seemingly innocent starfish in hand and ventured onto delicate coral reefs, drawing the ire of local marine officials.

 

Yesterday, the top brass of Jinyang Holiday Group made a formal apology for the unsettling incident. Sirikwan Saengravee, the company’s manager, admitted the actions of the tourists were inexcusable considering the fragile status of marine life within the area.

 

Saroch Ubonsuwan, the director of the Phuket Marine Resources Conservation Center, and Suthep Chualong, head of the Marine and Coastal Resources Research Center, had promptly reported the incident to the Suthep Police. Law enforcement is currently contemplating pressing charges against the culprits.

Officials were first alerted to the incident through a post on the Monsoon Garbage Facebook page, sparking an immediate investigation.

Sirikwan mentioned that it now became imperative for the company to instruct all their dive instructors not to permit tourists to interact physically with corals and marine wildlife. She referred to past instances where Chinese tourists, enticed by the cute creatures, picked them up for photo sessions to share with friends.

“This incident serves as a harsh lesson to us. Jinyang Holiday Group has only been operational for the past two months… Yesterday marked our inaugural trip,” Sirikwan explained.

 

by Mitch Connor Mitch

Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

 

Full story: https://thethaiger.com/news/phuket/chinese-tour-group-apologised-after-causing-harm-to-thai-marine-life

 

-- © Copyright Thaiger 2023-06-26

 

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Two Chinese Tourists Officially Charged After Starfish Incident in Phuket
By Goongnang Suksawat

 

 

Phuket – Concern has been rising after photos of divers touching starfish under the sea in Phuket went viral on Thai social media.

The issue has been brought to light by the Facebook page ‘Monsoon Garbage Thailand’ earlier this week.

 

They posted photos with a message that concluded, “Illegal tour companies with illegal tour guides are around Racha Island (in the Chalong area) . This particular incident was on Thursday (June 22nd) in the afternoon. We received a video clip from a Good Samaritan. Divers in the video clip appeared to pick up starfish and took photos. Some divers even climbed on coral reefs.”

 

They have called for relevant authorities to investigate the incident which took place over the past several days.

 

Full story: https://thephuketexpress.com/2023/06/25/two-chinese-tourists-officially-charged-after-starfish-incident-in-phuket/

 

-- © Copyright The Phuket Express 2023-06-26

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

What complete and utter nonsense.

But how could the tourists take the sea life home to eat if they can't pick them up from the reefs?

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Yesterday, the top brass of Jinyang Holiday Group made a formal apology for the unsettling incident. Sirikwan Saengravee, the company’s manager, admitted the actions of the tourists were inexcusable considering the fragile status of marine life within the area.

First dive message of the day... Don't touch anything.

1 hour ago, ukrules said:

What complete and utter nonsense.

Because one or two starfish josled and violated won't hurt them?  The tourists are ignorant an need a stern talking to obviously the have not been briefed properly by the  operators who know better. The cumulative effect of hundreds of boat and coral trampling well documented previously.

 

Time for some sanction or fine. Or perhaps this is better handled in a more discreet way with these so-called "Marine officials" ?

I've seen plenty of Thai people doing exactly the same yet I've only ever seen these complaints aimed at foreign tourists.

9 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

First dive message of the day... Don't touch anything.

Take pictures, leave bubbles.

<sarcasm>

 

I am SURE the tour boats selected spots to drop anchor that didn't hit any coral.

 

</sarcasm>

Ignorance... The condition of being uneducated, unaware, or uninformed... so an apology should be ok... right!!!

3 hours ago, webfact said:

She referred to past instances where Chinese tourists, enticed by the cute creatures, picked them up for photo sessions to share with friends.

Really?! So the Chinese have been doing this all along,  but Thai netizens did not do their faux outrage schtick, & all was kept quiet. Impressive, considering the "outrage and howling" about the recent pipefish petting. Before that, the arrest, jailing, deportation & stealing siezure of property from Farang divers by BiB & Government people on Koh Phangan after similar howling of faux outrage by netizens. You wonder how Attila Ott or Francesco Simonetta feel about the Chinese getting away with an apology, and kid glove treatment?

If a farang is doing that he gets the death penalty or blacklisted

1 hour ago, HappyExpat57 said:

<sarcasm>

 

I am SURE the tour boats selected spots to drop anchor that didn't hit any coral.

 

</sarcasm>

No anchoring there, only mooring lines 

5 hours ago, webfact said:

They posed for photos with seemingly innocent starfish

I demand that they set up a committee to determine if they're innocent or not?

And feeding fish with bread comes with a 100,000 Baht fine...

Recall how marine life flourished during covid when there were no tourists allowed in the country.

They are lucky they didn't see these:

Troll post removed 

Interesting - the diving tourists got charged for an offence that carries a sentence of up to 2 years jail and/or a 200'000 Baht fine  ......

while the dive company and their dive instructors got away with a proverbial wai.

Just wondering whether or not the Chinese have been instructed not to Interfere with marine life and the possible consequences of doing that under thai law prior to the dive.

Hi Ya Mum, look what I got to eat tonight, Cow Pat Starfish.

Greed, greed, greed, status, status, status... Humans become more and more degenerates.

People nowadays have no respect, no self-restraint. It is the self with all those self-loving social-media degens trying to produce content no matter what.

was hungry and thought that it was part of the buffet

 

 

8 hours ago, stevenl said:

No anchoring there, only mooring lines 

Have you ever dived on a dive site in Thailand? Regardless of mooring lines thai boats especially long tails and speed boats drop anchor as they please and often will go straight over marked divers.  Having a propellor churning lethally a couple of inches above your head is an experience never forgotten. 

Seems it matters who is doing the touching of marine life … .https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1978671/two-foreigners-arrested-for-taking-selfie-video-with-marine-animals

8 hours ago, hkt83100 said:

And feeding fish with bread comes with a 100,000 Baht fine...

Quite right. Have you seen the state of the bread here?! ????

7 hours ago, rwill said:

They are lucky they didn't see these:

Ah,the venemous blue ringed octopus. Still, prefer it to the "chocolate starfish"...

10 hours ago, hotchilli said:

First dive message of the day... Don't touch anything.

Unless it's your thong wearing Russian dive buddy! ????

I briefly used to work on a private yacht (Below Deck style) whose owner loved to dive, sometimes 3 times a day. What I saw in Indonesia and particularly Thailand was mind blowing.
 

Thai diving boats crowded around a particular diving spot, backing up and dumping dozens of Chinese divers in a white water of spinning props. It was carnage. Somehow I needed to look after my 2-3 guests who threw themselves into this cauldron, possibly loathing it as much as me. Insanity.

In other words, this doesn't surprise me at all. Did give me a taster of what Thai greed looks like, especially in combination with Chinese tourisms. Pack 'm in like sardines, steam to the diving spot, chuck them overboard on top of the diving spot and let them destroy whatever is in arm's reach. Next day, rinse repeat.

 

Sad to see that nothing's changed.

17 hours ago, webfact said:

Two Chinese Tourists Officially Charged After Starfish Incident in Phuket
By Goongnang Suksawat

 

 

Phuket – Concern has been rising after photos of divers touching starfish under the sea in Phuket went viral on Thai social media.

The issue has been brought to light by the Facebook page ‘Monsoon Garbage Thailand’ earlier this week.

 

They posted photos with a message that concluded, “Illegal tour companies with illegal tour guides are around Racha Island (in the Chalong area) . This particular incident was on Thursday (June 22nd) in the afternoon. We received a video clip from a Good Samaritan. Divers in the video clip appeared to pick up starfish and took photos. Some divers even climbed on coral reefs.”

 

They have called for relevant authorities to investigate the incident which took place over the past several days.

 

Full story: https://thephuketexpress.com/2023/06/25/two-chinese-tourists-officially-charged-after-starfish-incident-in-phuket/

 

-- © Copyright The Phuket Express 2023-06-26

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

If you involve in prostitution,  expect to get <deleted>.

13 hours ago, 10baht said:

I would like to apologize for you being an idiot, uncaring , disrespectful CHINESE! But what good would that do. Go home and change your country's government from within.

Oooh, said a farang.  Same same with your country.