Report Phuket Restaurant Owner Urges More Public Bathrooms After Incidents

[snoop1130]

Photo via Facebook/ ปณณัฐ อัศวพิทักษ์ชน

 

In light of two unpleasant incidents involving foreign tourists defecating outside his restaurant, a Phuket eatery owner is urging the government to address the scarcity of public bathrooms for tourists. Pananut Asawapitakchon, owner of Salaloy Restaurant, shared his concerns on Facebook on May 22, highlighting these incidents that happened on separate occasions when his business was closed.

 

Despite Pananut’s generosity in allowing tourists to use his restaurant's facilities, even when they aren’t customers, the problem occurred when the premises were not open. He expressed a willingness to shoulder the costs for maintaining the bathroom facilities as a part of supporting tourism and hoped it would benefit his business over time.

 

The incidents saw tourists resorting to defecating outside his establishment, primarily due to the unavailability of nearby public amenities. The first incident involved a foreign man last week, followed by a foreign woman this week, the latter captured in a photo shared by Pananut, holding used tissue papers.

 

Pananut voiced concerns about his staff, who had to endure the task of cleaning the waste, a duty far beyond their regular responsibilities. He also speculated if other restaurant operators in Phuket might be facing similar challenges.

 

The restaurant owner argues that such incidents reveal a significant shortcoming in Phuket's infrastructure, a famed tourist destination known for its world-class appeal, yet lacking basic visitor necessities. He implores authorities to seriously consider expanding public bathroom facilities as part of future tourism improvements, even if the issue might seem trivial in comparison to others.

 

In his conclusion, Pananut acknowledged that while not an immediate crisis, the problem should not be overlooked. He added humorously that, in the interim, he might continue collecting the waste himself.

 

This issue echoes previous complaints from Thai netizens regarding similar incidents of public urination by tourists, attributing such behaviour partly to insufficient access to public bathrooms, beyond merely criticising tourists themselves.

 

It's clear that for Phuket to maintain its reputation as a premier tourist destination, addressing the need for accessible public amenities should be part of the broader strategy to enhance visitor experience and city management.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Thaiger 2025-05-23

 

 

[bubblegum]

Same as waste paper baskets on or near the beaches. Phuket has nothing a "top" designation should have.

[ChrisY1]

Trash bins...toilets....very hard to find....sometimes too late for many!

[hotchilli]

15 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Pananut voiced concerns about his staff, who had to endure the task of cleaning the waste, a duty far beyond their regular responsibilities.

So he didn't feel like doing it himself then...

[Kasset Tak]

Not enough public toilets, lack of trash bins, and so on are common problems all over Thailand.

[ignore it]

This western cultural appropriation of Chinese custom has to stop

[portisaacozzy]

1 hour ago, hotchilli said:

So he didn't feel like doing it himself then...

 

1 hour ago, hotchilli said:

So he didn't feel like doing it himself then...

he had them working for '<deleted> ' money so that was ok,im glad he had a laugh ,a 'turd' by any other name !

[paul1804]

This is a common problem in Thailand, the authorities just dont see the connection between getting quality tourists & their money and providing simple basic ammenities. This is just another reason for people to choose other destinations with easier visa rules that are not forever changing, the street violence in Thailand is rising so the need for better policing, maybe even just seeing police walking the streets would be a good start to sending the right message. Address the corruption, Taxi mafia and their constant rip off prices & with their aggression towards competitors who offer a cheaper service.  Places like Phuket, Koh Samui, Krabi, Hua Hin etc etc that have large concentrations of tourists at beaches with no garbage bins, no public toilets, no tourist information centres and so are just missing the big picture. Obviously the same ammenities at other non seaside tourist attractions.  You want tourist dollars then provide basic amenities to cover their needs. 

 

So instead of spending 3.5B baht on some brainless scheme of attracting the Chinese who are poorly toilet trained and get confused between a toilet and the street spend that money on tourist related infrastructure and getting the "police" to actually Police which may address some of this growing street violence!!

[paul1804]

4 minutes ago, portisaacozzy said:

 

he had them working for '<deleted> ' money so that was ok,im glad he had a laugh ,a 'turd' by any other name !

Its not about who cleans it up but more to the point is addressing this common problem throughout Thailand!

[Magictoad]

Here in Pattaya we have plenty of public toilets I'm please to say.

[Magictoad]

2 minutes ago, paul1804 said:

This is a common problem in Thailand, the authorities just dont see the connection between getting quality tourists & their money and providing simple basic ammenities. This is just another reason for people to choose other destinations with easier visa rules that are not forever changing, the street violence in Thailand is rising so the need for better policing, maybe even just seeing police walking the streets would be a good start to sending the right message. Address the corruption, Taxi mafia and their constant rip off prices & with their aggression towards competitors who offer a cheaper service.  Places like Phuket, Koh Samui, Krabi, Hua Hin etc etc that have large concentrations of tourists at beaches with no garbage bins, no public toilets, no tourist information centres and so are just missing the big picture. Obviously the same ammenities at other non seaside tourist attractions.  You want tourist dollars then provide basic amenities to cover their needs. 

Tourist information centres have gone by the wayside in the age of the Internet, and cops on the streets just intimidate people. A lot of the amenities you mention actually spoil the atmosphere for people and are not really wanted. If people really need a toilet they can go back to their hotel room. As for taking a dump in the street; that's appalling.

[fredwiggy]

9 minutes ago, paul1804 said:

This is a common problem in Thailand, the authorities just dont see the connection between getting quality tourists & their money and providing simple basic ammenities. This is just another reason for people to choose other destinations with easier visa rules that are not forever changing, the street violence in Thailand is rising so the need for better policing, maybe even just seeing police walking the streets would be a good start to sending the right message. Address the corruption, Taxi mafia and their constant rip off prices & with their aggression towards competitors who offer a cheaper service.  Places like Phuket, Koh Samui, Krabi, Hua Hin etc etc that have large concentrations of tourists at beaches with no garbage bins, no public toilets, no tourist information centres and so are just missing the big picture. Obviously the same ammenities at other non seaside tourist attractions.  You want tourist dollars then provide basic amenities to cover their needs. 

 

So instead of spending 3.5B baht on some brainless scheme of attracting the Chinese who are poorly toilet trained and get confused between a toilet and the street spend that money on tourist related infrastructure and getting the "police" to actually Police which may address some of this growing street violence!!

The more you have to spend accommodating tourists the less you pocket. It's far better to just take as much as you can and spend as little.

[fredwiggy]

4 minutes ago, Magictoad said:

Tourist information centres have gone by the wayside in the age of the Internet, and cops on the streets just intimidate people. A lot of the amenities you mention actually spoil the atmosphere for people and are not really wanted. If people really need a toilet they can go back to their hotel room. As for taking a dump in the street; that's appalling.

For a person to need to do this, it's likely a bowel issue. Some cannot walk or drive back to their hotels in time. You can see how many locals piss and defecate in the streets and fields every day here. When you have to go, you have to go. If there are more toilets available, which means spending a little to accommodate those money spending tourists, you make a place more appealing. The same with lowering the crime in tourist areas, which makes it a lot more likely people will come  and or return again.

[fulhamster]

 

17 hours ago, bubblegum said:

Same as waste paper baskets on or near the beaches. Phuket has nothing a "top" designation should have.

Same in Pattaya.

Very few bins and no public toilets

[fulhamster]

14 minutes ago, Magictoad said:

Here in Pattaya we have plenty of public toilets I'm please to say.

Where, apart from the shopping malls and supermarkets ?

[yang123]

34 minutes ago, fulhamster said:

Where, apart from the shopping malls and supermarkets ?

I've heard there are plenty of lavatories in Soi 6 or, if you're desperate, Soi 6/1

[alant]

Not sure about all of the references to the Chinese, if they do have to go in the street it may be because in Chinese cities there are many many available, clean and fully equipped toilets and here...

[stevenl]

1 hour ago, Magictoad said:

Here in Pattaya we have plenty of public toilets I'm please to say.

 

49 minutes ago, fulhamster said:

 

Same in Pattaya.

Very few bins and no public toilets

Can you guys please make up your minds?

[CCesar]

17 hours ago, ChrisY1 said:

Trash bins...toilets....very hard to find....sometimes too late for many!

Totally agree, and that is pretty much the case all over Thailand. Even if you'd find a public toilet, they are usually filthy, smelly and simply disgusting. About time to use some of the tourist income and show some appreciation, but there are too many deep pockets and never-ending greed, which doesn't exactly help. However it should be up to the locals to make it happen and raise standards to a civilized level for their own good.

[CCesar]

5 minutes ago, stevenl said:

 

Can you guys please make up your minds?

Plenty of decent public toilets is wishful thinking, not the reality!

[CCesar]

1 hour ago, Magictoad said:

Here in Pattaya we have plenty of public toilets I'm please to say.

I am pleased to say that you must be dreaming about having plenty of public toilets, because your opinion certainly does not reflect reality!

 

[Patong2021]

1 hour ago, Magictoad said:

Tourist information centres have gone by the wayside in the age of the Internet, and cops on the streets just intimidate people. A lot of the amenities you mention actually spoil the atmosphere for people and are not really wanted. If people really need a toilet they can go back to their hotel room. As for taking a dump in the street; that's appalling.

 

No they cannot.  For example, there are no toilet facilities or  accessible garbage bins on Hua Hin beach. 4 km long. I often walk the  beach and there have been days when I needed to pee. The only options are the 2 malls near the middle of the beach. If one is at one end of the beach, it can be a  1-2 km walk  back, plus 10-5 minute   walk from the beach and crossing a very busy road.  It can take 30 minutes to  get to the toilet.

 

We can all say it is wrong to  crap on the street, and it is, but  anyone who has had food poisoning  here  will  attest to the inability to control one's bowels. Sometimes, when it flows it flows.

[CCesar]

3 hours ago, hotchilli said:

So he didn't feel like doing it himself then...

 

1 minute ago, CCesar said:

I am pleased to say that you must be dreaming about having plenty of public toilets, because your opinion certainly does not reflect reality!

 

 

22 minutes ago, alant said:

Not sure about all of the references to the Chinese, if they do have to go in the street it may be because in Chinese cities there are many many available, clean and fully equipped toilets and here...

Clean and fully equipped toilets in Thailand would be appreciated, but far from reality.

[Kinok Farang]

Only last week i stood in a big pile of human shiit.

A man nearby said"i've just done that"

Dirty baastard seemed proud of it!