Dirty Beaches

[colfergie]

Went down to Koh Samet for the day last Sunday as everyone said it was a good day out from Pattaya. I was stunned when I got there as to how dirty the place was especially the beaches. Plastic bottles, tin cans, you name it, it was on the beach. This is in a place where one has to pay a toll to be on the island for conservation ???

Just wondering why one has to pay if they do not keep the island and beaches clean as this would have more of a positive effect than the current negative one.

Just wondering if anyone has any opions about this, and YES I know the common expression TIT's !!! but wanted some views.

[neverdie]

You could do a 'thai visa' search & have a look at some of the other threads about some dirty beaches around Thailand.

No one is going to argue with you, its true, the situation in Thailand with filth, polution, littering ect is country wide. Natural resources are being raped here is such a voilent way the damage is probably irrevesible. Nobody seems to give a dam_n either, its a shame yes, but if you find 'Richards' thread about it you can see how the thais get a real good laugh at a farang that tries to make a difference.....you're pissing into the wind.

Want clean beaches.....go somewhere else, they are few and far between here.

[JR Texas]

You could do a 'thai visa' search & have a look at some of the other threads about some dirty beaches around Thailand.

No one is going to argue with you, its true, the situation in Thailand with filth, polution, littering ect is country wide. Natural resources are being raped here is such a voilent way the damage is probably irrevesible. Nobody seems to give a dam_n either, its a shame yes, but if you find 'Richards' thread about it you can see how the thais get a real good laugh at a farang that tries to make a difference.....you're pissing into the wind.

Want clean beaches.....go somewhere else, they are few and far between here.

Agree with you.........FILTHY. I am amazed when Russians come to "Amazing Thailand" and sit on the amazingly filthy beaches and swim in the amazingly filthy water and smile.

[barrybike]

go down to the beach at sattahip ,you pay a toll to the army ...go to the second toll ..real nice there and the army keep it real clean ..a real jewel from pattaya ,,mostly thai people there ,not many farangs know about this place ..so keep it quiet lol

[patklang]

must agree barrybike,the navy beach is lovely and proper toilets too.Rayong has a great beach too but 1 hour away,worth the drive though.

[colfergie]

go down to the beach at sattahip ,you pay a toll to the army ...go to the second toll ..real nice there and the army keep it real clean ..a real jewel from pattaya ,,mostly thai people there ,not many farangs know about this place ..so keep it quiet lol

Yep have read some of these posts. Also sad that they are actually charging for upkeep on the beaches etc and then have very deep and long pockets !!!

Have been down to the "Army toll" and was turned away even after I showed them my Thai driving licence. Maybe will try again to get in there as these have been highly recommended.

[Beacher]

Not to defend anyone, but I live in a condo at a beach between Pattaya and Sattahip, and it's amazing how dirty the beaches can get in one day or even overnight. When the ocean is rough and choppy, a very large amount of trash can accumulate on the beach. I have gone down to the beach behind my condo one day and its very nice and clean only to see it absolutely filthy the next day. Like I said, I'm not defending anyone because all that crap shouldn't have been thrown or dumped into the ocean in the first place, but don't assume that the beaches at Koh Samet are always like that.

[tuky]

I have gone down to the beach behind my condo one day and its very nice and clean only to see it absolutely filthy the next day. Like I said, I'm not defending anyone because all that crap shouldn't have been thrown or dumped into the ocean in the first place, but don't assume that the beaches at Koh Samet are always like that.

I beg to differ.

They will always be like that as long as rubbish is dumped without concern.

Shame on Thailand. Too busy fighting each other for the right to pilfer the countries coffers to actually have any time left over to spend a minute or two thinking about the future.

I will always have "Keep Australia Beautiful" etched into my head from the gov't campaigns to...well, keep Australia beautiful. My conscience won't allow me to throw any rubbish out the window, and all that took was an ad campaign during prime time tv during my childhood. That is all it takes, a few ads during the rubbish Thai soaps and after a few years the Thais too will begin to develop an environmental conscience. Maybe...

[neverdie]

Not to defend anyone, but I live in a condo at a beach between Pattaya and Sattahip, and it's amazing how dirty the beaches can get in one day or even overnight. When the ocean is rough and choppy, a very large amount of trash can accumulate on the beach. I have gone down to the beach behind my condo one day and its very nice and clean only to see it absolutely filthy the next day. Like I said, I'm not defending anyone because all that crap shouldn't have been thrown or dumped into the ocean in the first place, but don't assume that the beaches at Koh Samet are always like that.

Yeah & I live not too far away from one of the poluted river mouths that allow everyones rubbish that has been dumped into a klong or whatever within however many hundreds of kilometres of waterways to flow out into the ocean so it can drift back onto their own beaches....how appropriate.

Having said that I am not disagreeing with your theory, there is alot of rubbish floating around out at sea, its a real shame.

Anyway, it is my opinion that TIPLAND only has its self to blame.

[tuky]

Hey Neverdie...what does "slip, slop, slap" mean?

[colfergie]

Anyway, it is my opinion that TIPLAND only has its self to blame.

TIPLAND ...good one and appropiate one at that !! LMAO

[tuky]

Anyway, it is my opinion that TIPLAND only has its self to blame.

TIPLAND ...good one and appropiate one at that !! LMAO

The sad part is that it is true...

[toybits]

Filth and trash from Pattaya has to go somewhere.

Went down to Koh Samet for the day last Sunday as everyone said it was a good day out from Pattaya. I was stunned when I got there as to how dirty the place was especially the beaches. Plastic bottles, tin cans, you name it, it was on the beach. This is in a place where one has to pay a toll to be on the island for conservation ???

Just wondering why one has to pay if they do not keep the island and beaches clean as this would have more of a positive effect than the current negative one.

Just wondering if anyone has any opions about this, and YES I know the common expression TIT's !!! but wanted some views.

Edited March 26, 2009 by toybits

[PhilHarries]

Last time I was on koh Samet I got up early morning, around sunrise, for a walk and ended up spending an hour clearing up the empty beer, wine and whisky bottles from the beach.

Why did I do it? My upbringing would not let me just walk past it all lying there in the sand.

Therein lies the reason. As a kid I was taught by my parents to respect the countryside and take my rubbish home or put it in a rubbish bin. The Thais, and increasingly all nationalities, now have this attitude that somebody else will clear up after them.

Sad, so sad.

[peter991]

Hey Neverdie...what does "slip, slop, slap" mean?

Here's the answer, Tuky ... Slip Slop Slap is well known (at least in Australia) for Slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen and slap on a hat.

Unfortunately, Australians - especially teenagers are becoming like Thais - throwing their rubbish on the ground - even when a rubbish bin is right in front of them.

Amazing Thailand: Don't drop a cigarette butt in Bangkok - get a 2000 baht fine. Elsewhere - no problems.

Peter

[thithi]

it seems like they clean those beaches once in a big while.

i was at samet last year it was really clean. and then now you said it was dirty.

again i went to Bangsaen last year .. it too was really dirty then i posted about it in here .... someone said right now it is really clean.

HAH!!! surprisingly

and hey! i dnt drop rubbish on the floor...

Edited March 26, 2009 by thithi

[colfergie]

Maybe they just have a yearly spring beach clean then

[Richb2004v2]

I had a thread a while ago about my attempt to clean a beach near my home. It was disgusting but I was very enthusiastic to start with. Inevitably after four months I realized the pointlessness of my task and gave up defeated.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Ban-Chang-Be...Up-t214288.html

I drove past the beach today and my wife reminded me that I not been to clean the beach for a while. My reply was that if the Thais are happy living in a world of sh*t then good luck to them. Who am I to try to change it.

As someone else said, if we want to experience clean beaches and surroundings we are probably in the wrong country.

[neverdie]

Hey Neverdie...what does "slip, slop, slap" mean?

tuky, I know the slip, slop, slap that peter quoted, but I would imagine there is a much more sinister meaning for it too!

Growing up in Australia, the word 'slap' had nothing to do with putting on a hat .

[neverdie]

I had a thread a while ago about my attempt to clean a beach near my home. It was disgusting but I was very enthusiastic to start with. Inevitably after four months I realized the pointlessness of my task and gave up defeated.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Ban-Chang-Be...Up-t214288.html

I drove past the beach today and my wife reminded me that I not been to clean the beach for a while. My reply was that if the Thais are happy living in a world of sh*t then good luck to them. Who am I to try to change it.

As someone else said, if we want to experience clean beaches and surroundings we are probably in the wrong country.

I mentioned your thread initially Richard. Also I find it interesting that the Thai Govt did have a littering campaign running not so long back, it basically said, "Don't litter, its bad for tourism"! <deleted>? I can think of about a million things about littering before the word tourism comes into it.

Yes, this is definately TIPLAND!

[robblok]

Its probably because garbage cost money. Here in the village we pay for garbage collection, some ppl dont pay and dump their stuff somewhere else.

I go to a fishingpark and they dump garbage everywhere, it looks real bad there. It is their property but they never seem to clean it. Probably because its much work and cost mony. I dump my garbage in the garbage bins they have (just a few) but they are often broken so the garbage falls out. Its just anoying to see garbage everywhere.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

go down to the beach at sattahip ,you pay a toll to the army ...

Navy.

[Richb2004v2]

I think that part of the reason no one cares is that there is no money in it. Everything in Thailand is driven by money, and in picking up litter there seems to be none to be made. If just one government official worked out a way to make money I am sure things could be changed.

Maybe they should start a mobile phone for garbage campaign. The latest mobile for a tonne of rubbish. That should have the place clear in a day or so .

Alternatively, as I've said before, it would only take some words from 'the man' and a clean Thailand could be achieved. Sadly that would be too much like common sense or logic.

[SlackJawChef]

Went down to Koh Samet for the day last Sunday as everyone said it was a good day out from Pattaya. I was stunned when I got there as to how dirty the place was especially the beaches. Plastic bottles, tin cans, you name it, it was on the beach. This is in a place where one has to pay a toll to be on the island for conservation ???

Just wondering why one has to pay if they do not keep the island and beaches clean as this would have more of a positive effect than the current negative one.

Just wondering if anyone has any opions about this, and YES I know the common expression TIT's !!! but wanted some views.

The local mayor of Koh Chang here had a good Idea that helps a bit...

It was illegal for people to sell stuff on the beach. (not that it stopped them) so the new mayor came up with a plan to issue licenses to the beach sellers, if once a month they all get together and pick up all the garbage on the beach's on the west coast of the island....(the most heavily used and abused beaches)

Helps quite a bit...... and before every one starts bit@#ing about getting hassled to buy stuff on the beach... it is going to happen any way... at least this way you can get some of the cr@p that gets left behind. picked up on a regular biases....

[neverdie]

I think that part of the reason no one cares is that there is no money in it. Everything in Thailand is driven by money, and in picking up litter there seems to be none to be made. If just one government official worked out a way to make money I am sure things could be changed.

Maybe they should start a mobile phone for garbage campaign. The latest mobile for a tonne of rubbish. That should have the place clear in a day or so .

Alternatively, as I've said before, it would only take some words from 'the man' and a clean Thailand could be achieved. Sadly that would be too much like common sense or logic.

Richard,

I think there is definately some merit in the claim that money has something to do with it, but it also comes around with mindset. I have seen people here walking down the street that litter right next to a garbage bin. People that dump their household rubbish in bins across the street from where they are living & so on, its incredible. The mind set of people needs to change, if everyone did their little bit, it would make a HUGE difference.

I told you previously about a guy stopping his car on the side of the road & emptying out the inside of the car and the boot into the table drain before driving off. Closer inspection of his trash revealed heaps of bottles & recyclables & it was only a few hundred metres from a business that gives cash for that stuff.

My grandfather in law is onto this now, there is a klong which runs down one side of his property, he has set up a 'rubbish' trap there & is fishing all the collectables out of the klong and piling them up, when he gets a certain amount, a man comes down in the truck and takes it all away, leaving the old bloke with some $$$. Sadly some of the stuff he fishes out of the klong cant be recycled, so he sets fire to it.....which is definately not the best thing but I have seen a massive change in the appearance and smell of the klong in that area.

Definately something needs to be done here to improve the situation, so by doing my bit & showing those around me I care about doing that, I hope it catches on, but I wont be holding my breath.

[DP25]

Ko Samet is a weekend get away party spot for Bangkok Thais. They like to sit on the beach, eat, and get hammered, and then leave everything behind. It's never going to be clean.

[barrybike]

go down to the beach at sattahip ,you pay a toll to the army ...go to the second toll ..real nice there and the army keep it real clean ..a real jewel from pattaya ,,mostly thai people there ,not many farangs know about this place ..so keep it quiet lol

Yep have read some of these posts. Also sad that they are actually charging for upkeep on the beaches etc and then have very deep and long pockets !!!

Have been down to the "Army toll" and was turned away even after I showed them my Thai driving licence. Maybe will try again to get in there as these have been highly recommended.

why were you turned away...sounds strange .????????????

[barrybike]

go down to the beach at sattahip ,you pay a toll to the army ...

Navy.

yes navy .my mistake

[dumball]

Just last week I was on a beach in Cambodia , there were a couple of town employees walking up and down the whole time I was there , what were they doing ??? GARBAGE PICKING .

[dotcom]

I would make the vendors pick up trash every morning at 6 am if they want to hawk their junk. Been to Samet many times - it's a lot cleaner than most beaches.