Tourists Targeted For Dropping Litter

[Xircal]

There's an interesting report on Bangkokpost.com this morning concerning the Thetsaki a.k.a. the "litter police". It seems they deliberately target tourists dishing out maximum fines of 2,000 Baht if you happen to drop a fag in the gutter, yet ignore any Thais who do the same thing. Sounds like another get-rich-quick scheme to ripoff those 'immensely wealthy farangs'.

I've seen a similar thing on the road between Patong and Karon beaches. At the bottom of the hill along the coast road which descends into Karon beach there's a police checkpoint. I was taking a motorbike trip along that route with my GF last year and she pointed out that the police ignore any Thais regardless of how blatantly they might be breaking the law by grossly overloading their motorbikes for example, but grab any unfortunate farang that happens by for the most trivial of reasons just so that they can levy a fine.

It's reminiscent of the double standards we see everywhere in Thailand. The attachments are photos I took of the entrance fees to Pang Sida National in Sakaeo province. Thai nationals pay an entrance fee of 40 Baht while the park levies a "Foreigner Fee" of 200 Baht for anybody else.

Does wonders for Thailand's reputation as a hospitable country that wants to welcome first time visitors I'm sure....

[Hans Brix]

Nothing new at all. 10 years ago the sukhumvit police were handing out those 2000 baht fines. Very old news

[Travel2003]

I got fined a few years ago for dropping a cig on the street.

2000 in fine.

My wife was with me and gave them a hard time, which resulted in a reduced fine to 1000.

I also got a receipt, which probably doesnt mean anything.

Moral of my story is, I dont do it anymore.

So I am one person less whom drops litter.

The double pricing was a bit annoying in the beginning.

But then again, it is the Thai tax payers (or the state) whom keep paying for the maintenance of the areas.

[chiang mai]

Yet another good reason not to smoke! And as far as double pricing is concerned, get yourself a Thai drivers license, it can work wonders at reducing such costs.

[Travel2003]

Yet another good reason not to smoke! And as far as double pricing is concerned, get yourself a Thai drivers license, it can work wonders at reducing such costs.

What a cheap shot (the smoking issue) from a radical.

By the way, Im all for whaling as well.

Shoot.

Of course that is not considering as dropping litter.

[carmine]

Ofcourse its not right that only foreigners are being targeted but at the end of the day if you drop litter its your lookout and i have no time for you.

The fact that Thais are not targeted, if this is true, goes some way to explaining why there are so many "litter bugs" in this country.

[sarahsbloke]

Thai driving licence gets you in the national parks at the cheaper Thai price

[neverdie]

I am sure this tune has been played before

[chiang mai]

Yet another good reason not to smoke! And as far as double pricing is concerned, get yourself a Thai drivers license, it can work wonders at reducing such costs.

What a cheap shot (the smoking issue) from a radical.

Much cheaper than the Baht 170,000 I had to pay for the 2.9cm piece of metal tube in my right coronary artery because I didn't stop in time, it's up to you as they say.

[Tonto21]

Regardless if Thai don’t get fined for dropping litter, it’s an offence…………So don’t drop litter! It would be a different story if your fined, and not dropped any…………..That’s a rip off!

As for entrance fees for foreigners….Rip off, I hate to admit it but I’ve used my Thai D/L to get in at Thai price, but I really try and boycott such venues, If you keep playing ……You’ll keep paying!

[Travel2003]

Yet another good reason not to smoke! And as far as double pricing is concerned, get yourself a Thai drivers license, it can work wonders at reducing such costs.

What a cheap shot (the smoking issue) from a radical.

Much cheaper than the Baht 170,000 I had to pay for the 2.9cm piece of metal tube in my right coronary artery because I didn't stop in time, it's up to you as they say.

Sorry to read that.

But then you also know how it is.

Something strange about us smokers.

We know it is dangerous.

And still we do it.

[Pushit]

This country is awash with litter the roadsides are filthy with discsrded rubbish people don't think twice about rolling down a vehicle window and throwing their rubbish out, and no one does a thing about it. Forget the cigarette butts and start importing other countries garbage and dump it where ever because who cares in Thailand...Unless there's a few baht to be made from a stupid foreigner.

[Travel2003]

This country is awash with litter the roadsides are filthy with discsrded rubbish people don't think twice about rolling down a vehicle window and throwing their rubbish out, and no one does a thing about it. Forget the cigarette butts and start importing other countries garbage and dump it where ever because who cares in Thailand...Unless there's a few baht to be made from a stupid foreigner.

Unfortunately I think you hit the nail on the head here.

It is really sad to see the total disregard for littering here.

[Soutpeel]

But then again, it is the Thai tax payers (or the state) whom keep paying for the maintenance of the areas.

So where does that put Farangs who pay taxes in Thailand then ???.....shouldnt they be automatically given the reduced rates ?....We know in a lot of places, produce a WP or DL you get in at the "normal rate" but I will be this is not law.

[Travel2003]

But then again, it is the Thai tax payers (or the state) whom keep paying for the maintenance of the areas.

So where does that put Farangs who pay taxes in Thailand then ???.....shouldnt they be automatically given the reduced rates ?....We know in a lot of places, produce a WP or DL you get in at the "normal rate" but I will be this is not law.

Paying taxes how?

Via stuff you buy/use, or from income?

I guess if the latter, it would be easy to get a licence, which one of the members here talked about, and then get it reduced.

[prometheus]

This country is awash with litter the roadsides are filthy with discsrded rubbish people don't think twice about rolling down a vehicle window and throwing their rubbish out, and no one does a thing about it. Forget the cigarette butts and start importing other countries garbage and dump it where ever because who cares in Thailand...Unless there's a few baht to be made from a stupid foreigner.

Unfortunately I think you hit the nail on the head here.

It is really sad to see the total disregard for littering here.

Try london, 1 cig every step you take

[carmine]

This country is awash with litter the roadsides are filthy with discsrded rubbish people don't think twice about rolling down a vehicle window and throwing their rubbish out, and no one does a thing about it. Forget the cigarette butts and start importing other countries garbage and dump it where ever because who cares in Thailand...Unless there's a few baht to be made from a stupid foreigner.

Unfortunately I think you hit the nail on the head here.

It is really sad to see the total disregard for littering here.

Try london, 1 cig every step you take

Don't forget the chewing gum thats been spat out.

[Soutpeel]

Paying taxes how?

Via stuff you buy/use, or from income?

I guess if the latter, it would be easy to get a licence, which one of the members here talked about, and then get it reduced.

Working here and paying income tax, springs to mind

[Travel2003]

Paying taxes how?

Via stuff you buy/use, or from income?

I guess if the latter, it would be easy to get a licence, which one of the members here talked about, and then get it reduced.

Working here and paying income tax, springs to mind

I think that was what I asked about.

[IanForbes]

Why worry about double standards and things you can't change? Just don't litter, and follow all the rules (strange as some may seem) and the police won't bother you.

[bangsaenguy]

There used to be rubbish bins along Sukhumvit. Wonder where they went? I thought the thread was about rubbish, not smoking.

Edited August 29, 2010 by bangsaenguy

[mallyrd]

There used to be rubbish bins along Sukhumvit. Wonder where they went? I thought the thread was about rubbish, not smoking.

The opening post refers to "cig butts".

[Travel2003]

Why worry about double standards and things you can't change? Just don't litter, and follow all the rules (strange as some may seem) and the police won't bother you.

Agree

[neverdie]

Paying taxes how?

Via stuff you buy/use, or from income?

I guess if the latter, it would be easy to get a licence, which one of the members here talked about, and then get it reduced.

Working here and paying income tax, springs to mind

Makes sence, working here and paying income tax exempts one from the laws that relate to littering thats what happens all around the world.

[Suradit]

I got fined a few years ago for dropping a cig on the street.

2000 in fine.

My wife was with me and gave them a hard time, which resulted in a reduced fine to 1000.

I also got a receipt, which probably doesnt mean anything.

Moral of my story is, I dont do it anymore.

So I am one person less whom drops litter.

The double pricing was a bit annoying in the beginning.

But then again, it is the Thai tax payers (or the state) whom keep paying for the maintenance of the areas.

Very good point. Even if a law appears to not be applied even handedly, it is still the law. You won't be bothered by the apparent double standard if you don't litter. I doubt the ignorance of the law defence would apply since most westerners and presumably people from Japan, Singapore, etc have regulations against littering, so why should they come to Thailand and behave differently than they would at home?

[rgs2001uk]

There used to be rubbish bins along Sukhumvit. Wonder where they went? I thought the thread was about rubbish, not smoking.

They were all removed for security purposes after the New Years bombing at Pratunam in 2006.

[jackr]

Thai driving licence gets you in the national parks at the cheaper Thai price

Not all of them.

[phetaroi]

Just for the record, while I'm sure foreigners are targeted far more frequently than Thais, I have seen Thais being fined for littering when the litter police were working on Sukhumvit down near The Emporium.

That's not to say there's not a clear bias. Read the headlines from The Nation any day -- you would think the vast majority of crimes in Thailand are committed by foreigners. Most days the majority of crime stories are about foreigners...not necessarily those who are English speaking, by the way. You would think, for example, that Thais rarely commit sex crimes. You might say, but it's a newspaper written in English, so it focuses on what English speaking visitors do. Yet most of newspaper is about Thai news.

[moe666]

The nation a english language newspaper wonder why only stories about farang crime? I donot think most of the readers care about Thai crime.

[philliphn]

The lesson to be learned is, DON'T LITTER!