Pattaya Beach Infested With Rats

[Colabamumbai]

"It's not a new problem. The rats seen after dark are large, old and have been around for a while."

Great quote. But seriously, shame to see a once pristine beach spoiled by these rodents for so many years.

Rodents called foreigners have being spoiling the beach and the streets in Pattaya for the past 35 years, before then it was pristine. There were no clubs, no women on the street and no rats etc.

[selftaopath]

No kidding, rats are everywhere in this country and I doubt it is the tourists causing the problem. Thais are notorious for throwing anything and everything on the ground thinking someone will clean up after them...and usually some poor slob getting paid to do so does.

Oh how very true. I can not "get over" seeing Thai's trash their environment. This does not exclude their own house and area surrounding it. Like a chicken bone is supposed to be thrown over one's shoulder.

GEEZE. How backward; no wonder bugs et al are everywhere.

[husskydog]

Just buy the Glitter Man a flute and he'll march'em all to Isaan where the locals will make good use of'em ....problem solved

Snob...ELITIST..... :D

[lazygourmet]

I would avoid ratatouille for the moment.

Try them grilled then...

[dumball]

'Thailand' date='2010-05-23 16:27:27' post='36355Thai at Heart' post='3635374' date='2010-05-23 09:19:36']I am sure the rats will actually be proven to be Cambodian, since Thai rats wouldn't ever harm Thais or tourists.

No chance of them being from Cambodia , rats fetch 5,000 riel a kilo in the market .

[brahmburgers]

.....and rodents also.

They could start by adding a few hundred trash bins and have them emptied regualarly. I am amazed at the lack of bins for people to throw their garbage into. No wonder they toss trash on the ground.

Seconded. Up here, there doesn't seem to be hardly any garbage bins at all. Loads of piles of trash in front of businesses and restaurants though, sitting in open bags. I just throw any garbage I have in with that.

Not many rats up here though. Tons and tons of cockroaches though.

I don't know where you're from, but no cockroaches here, and the only rats I've seen are hanging out in the open-air butchers area of the market.

garbage bags but that never caught on much (maybe because of poor durability). The only one I can think of still around is next to the bus stop bench in front of Ploenchit Center.

Wow, that's a sobering commentary on affairs in Bangkok, if a poster has to mention a specific garbage pail in a city of many millions of people.

Speaking of cockroaches and rats. You know this, but it never hurts to be reminded: Rats and cockroaches were here a long time before people, and they'll be around a whole lot longer - after our species drowns and/or chokes in its own filth.

Maybe the Thai habit of leaving trash everywhere is a Darwinian adaptation - a sort of twisted 'survival of the fittest'. If Thai kids can grow up and procreate while surviving in a trash choked environment, then they'll likely have a better chance of spreading their seed, than children who succumb to dying before child-bearing age - from trash and its pathogens and toxic chemicals. That's about the only advantage I can think of - for living in a big city.

[fredob43]

"It's not a new problem. The rats seen after dark are large, old and have been around for a while."

Great quote. But seriously, shame to see a once pristine beach spoiled by these rodents for so many years.

Once pristine beach my Buddha how long have you lived here over 20year's ago it was crap. Raw sewage ect that they only started to sort out 8 or so year's ago. Pattaya beach is a joke.

[brahmburgers]

That is what happened. During the 2006 coup a bomb was put in (maybe a bank ATM slip) trash can. After that all trash cans in Bangkok -- banks, 7/11, Family Mart, even the small public ones attached to poles -- were removed. There was a subsequent effort to replace them with frames holding clear plastic garbage bags but that never caught on much (maybe because of poor durability). The only one I can think of still around is next to the bus stop bench in front of Ploenchit Center.

Not sure how I missed all that before, but GREAT info. Thank you.

Guess I just never noticed the lack of bins until this time.

Occam's Razor would indicate that the most likely reason there are hardly any trash bins is that they're a hassle to deal with. No one likes to deal with public trash, any more than cleaning a public toilet. So, if there's no trash receptacle, then there's one less unpleasant thing to deal with. Simple.

Oh, then there's trash alongside every street, highway, sidewalk, abandoned lot everywhere - ok, but that's someone else's problem if it's a problem at all.

You know how Thais are so adept at not hearing loud horrible noises - so too, they're inured to seeing trash everywhere. .....and the black mildew that grows on the side of every building, and the tangle of black wires that are everywhere. To reside in Thailand is become inured to a whole lot of things that would drive a sensitive person crazy, if he/she were aware of them.

There's a true story of a Thai girl who was deaf. At age 11 (or so) she got an operation than enabled her to hear for the first time. For months afterwards, any time a visitor spoke, she would run away and hide. The sounds hurt her ears. Her mother wound up telling everyone who visited to speak softly. Unbeknownst to Asians, people can hear another person talk without the other person shouting. When I'm with friends, we speak only as loud as we need to - to be heard. That's unheard of in Asia (pun intended). An Asian will speak to a person standing next to them, as if the person is on the other side of crowded football pitch. Ok, off topic, sorry.

[PhilHarries]

Rodents called foreigners have being spoiling the beach and the streets in Pattaya for the past 35 years, before then it was pristine. There were no clubs, no women on the street and no rats etc.

Just like the same rodents have spoilt the pristine countries of south east Asia.

Before the foreigners there were no rats in south east Asia.

What planet are you from?

Before the foreigners there were no women on the street.

Please stop or I'll piss myself. Whatever you do don't mention the clubs.

This has to be #1 candidate for the TV niaivete award for 2010 and we're not even halfway through the year.

[cpofc]

just be careful if you run into one with a gold tooth and a rolex watch, it may be Jeff Savage.

[sokal]

No kidding, rats are everywhere in this country and I doubt it is the tourists causing the problem. Thais are notorious for throwing anything and everything on the ground thinking someone will clean up after them...and usually some poor slob getting paid to do so does.

I have been all over Thailand and all things considered, I am surprised there is not a bigger problem. I have never seen a rat in Thailand.

[toenail]

Interesting..I just walked down 2nd street tonight trying to throw away my trash ...walked three blocks- no trash bin. Took it with me and dropped it in a bucket on a baht bus. Why is the city of Pattaya so clueless about things like this? Meanwhile they'll eagerly drop a few million baht on some commercial sign announcing some event in the city. ( I like the old one reminding people to pick up their dog's doo doo when walking their dog. That's my favorite one.) Or spend a town meeting discussing how the beach umbrellas should match each other.

Edited May 23, 2010 by toenail

[cardinalblue]

I would surmise that tourists are only one contributor to the littering/improper disposal of beachgarbage...Take a look behind any fence of a modern hotel where there is an empty lot..

The Thai culture is clueless about integrated wade managemnet practices..

But always good to find a scapegoat...

CB

[cpofc]

Interesting..I just walked down 2nd street tonight trying to throw away my trash ...walked three blocks- no trash bin. Took it with me and dropped it in a bucket on a baht bus. Why is the city of Pattaya so clueless about things like this? Meanwhile they'll eagerly drop a few million baht on some commercial sign announcing some event in the city. ( I like the old one reminding people to pick up their dog's doo doo when walking their dog. That's my favorite one.) Or spend a town meeting discussing how the beach umbrellas should match each other.

Yeah, I know what you are saying, but in some cities in Australia they actually removed bins from the streets on purpose! They found that they contibuted more to the litter problem having them, as not having them.

However, having said that, this has also been vigorously backed up by a very aggressive advertising, education and public awareness campaign. "Dont' Rubbish Australia'

A great idea for a 'Royal Project' actually - an intense, nationwide Anti-Litter Program.

[asiawatcher]

Well Pattaya is a known haunt for rats or all types - just look around.

[mickj88]

So the point of the rubbish being caused by ferang will be proved over the next few months as visitors to Thailand drop by some 60 to 70% due to the troubles .

I know of around a dozen people that have canceled their hols already as the British embassy ( and many others) are telling people to avoid the place.

This means the litter problem should be greatly reduced and therefore to rat problem will also diminish (I think not).

maybe that was the plan all along , maybe the red shirts caused the trouble to keep ferang away so the litter would be reduced

[Torres09]

before coming to Thailand I would NEVER litter and would often clean up trash, but here it is ridiculous how there are no trash bins anywhere. You might have to carry that empty can and bag for 2-3 kilometres before you see a trash bin if your lucky.

just keep a look out for one of the many recycling guys that tour the town & toss it to them.

[Tony Clifton]

No kidding, rats are everywhere in this country and I doubt it is the tourists causing the problem. Thais are notorious for throwing anything and everything on the ground thinking someone will clean up after them...and usually some poor slob getting paid to do so does.

Food vendors in neighbouring moo bans would throw scraps and scrapings from pots and pans down the closest sewer grate at shutdown, feedind roaches and rats down there on a daily basis while they fumigated twice a year.

[balo]

I wish they could start serving rats in the restuarants , so maybe we can get rid of some of the local expats .

One problem solved.

Edited May 23, 2010 by balo

[Danlo]

A few rats maybe, infested what a load of crap.

[nikkoid66]

If the rats goes away, watch out what you eat in your plate!

Edited May 23, 2010 by nikkoid66

[needforspeed]

Any place not infested by rats in Thailand ?

Street food = rats but as soon as they don't attack humans, what is the problem with this ?

The two legg, street food eating type attack humans as well.

They very dangerous

[selftaopath]

Littering is illegal here ...

Yea and so is prostitution. LOL-tit Lack of Sanctions (LOS)

[brahmburgers]

So the point of the rubbish being caused by ferang will be proved over the next few months as visitors to Thailand drop by some 60 to 70% due to the troubles .

I know of around a dozen people that have canceled their hols already as the British embassy ( and many others) are telling people to avoid the place.

This means the litter problem should be greatly reduced and therefore to rat problem will also diminish (I think not).

maybe that was the plan all along , maybe the red shirts caused the trouble to keep ferang away so the litter would be reduced

I don't think anyone can say with a straight face that farang are the major cause of the rubbish seen everywhere in Thailand. If they say that, they've got a big fat agenda against farang, because it's plainly not true. Farang learn from an early age to not be litterbugs, just as they learn to be polite to pedestrians while driving, and to not hang up a phone immediately when getting a wrong number.

Farang Rock climbers and mountain trekkers have even got in the habit of storing and taking their solid bodily wastes out of natural areas. Can you imagine Thais being that sensitive to their environment and concerned at how others who come along later, might perceive the environment?

[tigerfish]

Perfect community service for those who participated in the red mob. Bus them down there and make them each catch 50 rats as part of probation and/or opportunity to avoid 1-year in jail.

i would have thought that they would jump at an oppotunity like that, seeing as thats what a lot of them do back in the heartlands of red country. only problem being trying to convince/bribe the local bib to let them take the rats back home to sell.

[zigistar]

I lived in Pattaya for few years(yes i did run away) and by my knowledge the beach is always been the playground for rats at night,i dont see this as any news!!!

They where on the beach more then 10 years ago and today they still are(BREAKING NEWS!!!!!!)

Ofcourse i agree that those animals can spread nasty deseases who even can kill us and spread as an epedemic.

While i write this i realise that the 2 different kind of rats on Pattaya's beach do have allot in comon!

[sawati]

The problem with the rats is because there are too many stray dogs so no cats.

Well, not necessarily, my dogs all hunt and kill rats, so the land is clean of rats...

I am talking about stray dogs and i think yours are domestic dogs,not the same.In the talat nats you can see a lot of rats but the stray dogs keep the stray cats away...they are the natural enemies of the rats,they finished a plage i have in my house with the rodents coming from a vacant plot of land

God bless the stray cats!!

[IMA_FARANG]

Pattaya is infected with an overpopulation of humans.

The humans provide the edible garbage which is a good source of food for the rats.

But no one wants to make the obvious connection; that if the people weren't there, or there were fewer people there, there would be fewer rats.

We call it 'progress" and "development" when there are too many people in a small area. But then we call it a "plauge of rats". That's human conceit in action.

As for the statement that a lot of people made on this forum that "Thais are not taught to not throw their litter everywhere" that's just crap. All humans do that.

I am living in Crete right now. I once lived on the side of a hill overlooking the mediterranean sea. Down below me was a nice white sand beach. It was a beautiful spot. About 50 meters from my house was a garbage dumpster. It was almost always full to overflowing with trash. Why? Because the Greeks said,"The government hires people to pick up the trash. Why should we worry about the trash overflowing that dunpster. It's the government's job." It has nothing to do with Thais or Farangs. It is just human nature.

I'm willing to bet that there isn't a single poster on this topic who hasn't at least once tossed a half eaten piece of food into a trash bin. I know I've done it and never even thought about it.

It's just more food for the rats.

Edited May 24, 2010 by IMA_FARANG

[MaiThaiMai]

They could start by adding a few hundred trash bins and have them emptied regualarly. I am amazed at the lack of bins for people to throw their garbage into. No wonder they toss trash on the ground.

Ditto - doubleditto - tripleditto - quadrupleditto - qunitriplitteditto, Since I was blamed within the first four words of the article I feel the need to respond; I looked for trash cans everywhere I went and was resigned to the fact that if I bought anything on the run I wouldn't be able to throw away whatever until I was at a Family Mart or 7/11 ... this is largely the city's created problem for first of all not providing containers (for regular pick-up) in convenient thoroughfares then allowing garbage to pile up on the beaches for days, even worst after the flash floods that blew on through...several times I cleaned up dangerous broken glass in walking entrance/exit areas to beach areas ... don't blame anyone other than city officials for not providing a fundamental need for a large number transient (albeit just as many locals) populations health concerns ...

"adding a few hundred trash bins" won't suffice for a 1/2 day, adding a FEW HUNDRED THOUSAND trash bins around the main city will be a good START then educating EVERYONE that the earth is not a trash bin may help some more ... it's the same story all over the world you let a place get run down then people treat it like it's run-down and it stays run-down

I love the beauty and warmth of the LOS but that was the very first thing I noticed was how can these people in this city live in such filth yet I see many elderly ladies out every day sweeping up where there doesn't appear anything to actually sweep up, great effort on their part, lost cause on the rest... seems to me there would be plenty of Thai people (since fur'nur's aren't suppose to be allowed work there for the most part) that would be available for such duty?

Dumb old sentimental old fool old me dreamscaping one fine afternoon last summer (low season) I could establish a Pattaya non-profit clean-up brigade specifically for the beach head/areas just to give back by asking for donations from local businesses and try and hire the most disadvantaged or downtroddened locals with hungry families having trouble finding any kind of work but were still physically able and paying them a living wage but I must have been pretty <deleted>' drunk that day I'll say , only one thing, I don't drink alcohol...

Just my .25 Bt I guess

MaiThaiMai

[neverdie]

Speaking of...

Anyone notice the removal of litter bins from 7-11s?

Yes, I noticed that. Did the rats carry them away?