Koh Samet businesses say booze ban will hit them badly

By The Nation

Restaurant owners on Koh Samet, off the coast of Rayong province, are fighting against a blanket ban on the sale of liquor in national parks, saying that the island attracts lots of private investors and they could not possibly continue their businesses by serving just water to customers.

Thanakij Supphasee, owner of the Saeng Thian Beach Resort, said restaurateurs and resort owners would launch a campaign against the ban if it were officially imposed on this tourist haven.

He said Samet was different from other national parks because private resorts and restaurants were allowed there. "All places have eateries or restaurants, and food always goes with liquor.

"The ban should not be imposed on one and all, but instead on a case-by-case basis. The ban is good for areas or national parks that are in pristine condition or where there are no businesses. But Samet is different, because people have invested heavily in this area," he said.

In Chiang Mai's Inthanon National Park, signs have been posted banning alcoholic drinks from being brought in. Park chief Kriangsak Thanomphan, however, said checkpoints would not be set up nor luggage searched because it would only drive away tourists.

The chief of Huay Nam Tang National Park in Chiang Mai's Mae Taeng district, Suwit Kaewpiyarat, said local shops and eateries did not sell alcohol and tourists usually brought their own.

The authorities at Phoo Hin Rong Kla National Park in Phetchabun province praised the ban, saying that visitors should enjoy nature instead of drinking alcohol.

However, shops based in Loei's Phoo Kradueng National Park are feeling the pinch. The park already had a policy in place, in which visitors and shops had to pay a deposit for all the alcohol brought in, and only got it back when they returned or took back the bottles or cans brought in.

One of the shop owners said the new law only affected shops that had no choice but to empty their stocks of alcoholic drinks.

The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry revived a 1961 directive prohibiting the sale of alcohol in national parks, which subjects violators to a month in jail and/or a Bt1,000 fine in the wake of a student's murder at a recent musical extravaganza in Nakhon Ratchasima's Khao Yai National Park.

-- The Nation 2010-12-29

The ban is good for areas or national parks that are in pristine condition or where there are no businesses. But Samet is different, because people have invested heavily in this area," he said.

In a roundabout way is he saying it's turning into another ruined dump but who gives a <deleted>?

Show me the money!

Edited December 28, 201015 yr by mca

Ban plastic bags. Ban plastic water bottles. Ban smoking in the dry season now that would make sense but alcohol why! If they are worrird about drunks then sutely thst can be enforced by current laws anyway.Makrs no differense to me but Thailand wake up.....or go back to sleep.

I see it is a 1961 law that is now being applied. The bars cannot say they did not have enough warning.

The ban is good for areas or national parks that are in pristine condition or where there are no businesses. But Samet is different, because people have invested heavily in this area," he said.

In a roundabout way is he saying it's turning into another ruined dump but who gives a <deleted>?

Show me the money!

Maybe that's the way to get read of those Russians on Koh Samet.

Ban plastic bags. Ban plastic water bottles. Ban smoking in the dry season now that would make sense but alcohol why! If they are worrird about drunks then sutely thst can be enforced by current laws anyway.Makrs no differense to me but Thailand wake up.....or go back to sleep.

For the most part you are rite on.

One reason to ban alcohol is because to much of it can cause a person to do far more damage than a plastic bag can. Also beer bottles look out of place in a park.

That being said it is rather unfair to apply the same standards on a pristine area to a developed area.

A wee bit of discretion is called for here.

Ban plastic bags. Ban plastic water bottles. Ban smoking in the dry season now that would make sense but alcohol why! If they are worrird about drunks then sutely thst can be enforced by current laws anyway.Makrs no differense to me but Thailand wake up.....or go back to sleep.

Not being able to sleep after a day of hiking because the drunks next tent are having an all nighter is not my idea of being one with nature and all that. If they want to get pissed out of their minds they should hit the bars instead. I like to hear crickets and rustling leaves when I'm out in the sticks, YMMV of course.

more tea money for someone to get over this "problem" I have noticed the ocean getting dirtier and the shore getting more crowded by noisy speedboats.

Would it not have been easier all round just to ban "musical extravaganza"s. I still am having difficulty thinking how they fit into the scheme of things for the National Parks and their charter.

The Entrepreneur in me says this new ban / crackdown / etc is opportunity in hiding.

Got yourself an extra aircraft carrier or similar laying around rusting? Why not turn it into a floating pub. Corner the market - show them who's boss. Charge what ever you feel. If you also put in a smoking section - guaranteed to double your profits.

jk of course,.

The Entrepreneur in me says this new ban / crackdown / etc is opportunity in hiding.

Got yourself an extra aircraft carrier or similar laying around rusting? Why not turn it into a floating pub. Corner the market - show them who's boss. Charge what ever you feel. If you also put in a smoking section - guaranteed to double your profits.

jk of course,.

Only part of Koh Samet is a national park. Those outside of should will do very well.

Would it not have been easier all round just to ban "musical extravaganza"s. I still am having difficulty thinking how they fit into the scheme of things for the National Parks and their charter.

Exactly.

As far as Koh Samet. Its beautiful as it is. Instead of messing around with some ridiculous alcohol ban, which ruins the holiday experience for the MAJORITY of people (not just me), they would be far better to enforce sustainable development of the island, ban plastic bags and bottles, force businesses to recycle, ensure only sustainable building practices using sustainable materials are allowed. Limit the size of hotel rooms (still allow high end, but limit the size of the buildings). Do not allow swimming pools. Enforce sustainable landscaping at all resorts and ensure any new roads are pervious. Introduce a renewable / sustainable upgrade plan. Ban jet ski's, bannana boats, etc. (if for no other reason than to reduce oil slicks on the beach). Designate a boating channel for arrivals to/from the island and ban boats from landing at the beaches.

This type of thing will do far more to preserve the natural beauty of places like Samet, and in fact improve upon the structures that are already there. Furthermore, it will improve the natural park experience for the MAJORITY.

Places that have not already had permanent structures built, well prevent them from doing so...... let the tent living out-doors type go there, where they can enjoy what they like. Let the sex-pats go to Patong and Pattaya - and let the rest of us alone who enjoy a few beers on a clean beach, and enjoy a night out on the same beach.

As far as music extraveganza's in national parks...... well its a bit of a numb-skull idea to do it in the first place...... why not promote singing in the library.

You could argue that a National Park should not be full of resteraunts/bars/hotels/motorbike rentals/taxis/7-11s/etc. It should be kept natural for the benefit of everyone and future generations? We all know what happened to Koh Samet; the big money got in and the law and environment was disregarded (which seems a common occurrence here).

I went there last year and it was another Thailand 'will never go there again' experience. Every time I go it gets more and more developed and we even came across a huge rubbish dump in the middle of island, with a pigsty full of pigs within the dump (so if you eat pork in Koh Samet you have to wonder what the pig was fed; rotting garbage?). The there was the boats the came up the beach to pump out the sewerage from the bungalow operations (via a pipe down the beach through the sea where people were swimming), garbage everywhere, torn up tracks/roads filled with rubble from rebuilt bungalows, etc.

Sorry for the rant but sometimes we have to say no to money and big business and protect what is beautiful and natural.

Edited December 29, 201015 yr by MaiChai

Koh Samet only has access by water - who cares if tourists in resorts drink? God who thinks up this crap?

Case-by-case basis sounds good in theory - in Thailand however that would translate to who is willing to pay the highest bribe.

What they should push for is certain areas of Samet not to be zoned as national parks.

sorry wrong thread - delete this post plz

Edited January 2, 201115 yr by HC82

I thought it would be fairly simple.

Allow drinking in licensed establishments. Don't allow drinking in public places.