80pc of people hit by Phuket beach clean-up apply for help

[Lite Beer]

80pc of people hit by Phuket beach clean-up apply for help

The Phuket News

The destruction of illegal beach businesses has left hundreds jobless.

PHUKET: About 80 per cent of the people in Kathu District who have lost their livelihoods because of Phuket’s massive military-backed beach clearance have registered at the District Office for help in getting their lives restarted.

Registration was open for residents of Kamala on Monday and Tuesday and for Patong on Wednesday to today (August 29). The main targets were beach chair renters, masseuses and roaming food and drink vendors. Jet-ski and parasailing operators can qualify under the "other" category.

“The total number who registered with us is 371 from a total of 466 beach businesses operators we inspected before the beach clean-up project began,” Kathu District Chief Sayan Chanachaiwong told The Phuket News this afternoon (August 29).

Of the 371, 81 registered in Kamala and 290 in Patong.

“After completing registration we will begin discussion and inspection of all the people on the list to get more detail,” Mr Sayan said.

“We have already made some preparations. For example we will ask the hotels to help by taking on masseuses in their spas, and some of the beach vendors will move to booths provided on municipal land,” he explained.

Patong Municipality has already prepared half a dozen booths at Loma Park.

“We will try to find out first what they need, and if they want a change of career the Labour Department will provide them with training courses,” Mr Sayan said.

Anyone else who has been affected by the clean-up can still come to Kathu District Office after today, but the 371 already registered will get priority, he said.

Muang District (which covers Kata, Karon and Nai Harn Beaches) and Thalang (Surin, Laypang, Bangtao, Layan, Naithon, Naiyang and Mai Khao Beaches) are carrying out similar exercises.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/80pc-of-people-hit-by-phuket-beach-clean-up-apply-for-help-48472.php

-- Phuket News 2014-08-29

[Patje]

First they tried to rip everybody off , now they are holding their hands up for help, nice bunch !!!

[khunsiam]

First they tried to rip everybody off , now they are holding their hands up for help, nice bunch !!!

None of them ever forced me to buy something. Sure the beachchairs and the beachmassage will be missed by tourists.

[smedly]

First they tried to rip everybody off , now they are holding their hands up for help, nice bunch !!!

you are entirely right but most of Thais in tourist areas are conditioned for exactly that - extract as much money as possible almost to the extent that they feel they have exclusive rights

new girls get indoctrinated by the old timers like it's an apprenticeship for how to mine money, rather sad really

[bangkokheat]

but why oh why has walking street beach encroachment been left alone, perhaps targeted, perhaps not because of influence from someone hi up

[ebean001]

People making money is good.

[StefanBBK]

I am not sure what the beach chair situation is now, but I would prefer paying for a good chair, well maintained in a clean area. Not one of these tattered pieces of rubbish they rented out for 200 baht .....

[lust]

so now these people that were selling som tam will soon be selling yabba. good job

[Carl64]

Sure they should get assistance! Just turn up with your business registration details, applicable licences, insurance, and 3 years tax returns.

[belg]

massages in hotelrooms

sound just a little dubious ...

[Pinot]

There is no unemployment in Phuket. I suggest free classes for all who lost their illegal livelihoods to teach them how to fill out a job application.

[keestha]

Sure they should get assistance! Just turn up with your business registration details, applicable licences, insurance, and 3 years tax returns.

People keep talking about beach vendors not having paid taxes, but be realistic, it is not Sweden here. The vast majority of small businesses in Thailand have never paid any taxes, and many are unregistered. Don't forget we are not only talking about beach chair rental outfits that made real money, but also about say guys walking up and down the beach to flog sunglasses.

[SOTIRIOS]

...one would think that they should be charged with....trespassing....unlawful revenue....tax evasion....operating without a permit or license....

...meanwhile they want to charge a foreigner 5 million baht for having acquired a business..... improperly registered by a Thai....

...get real....

[Oziex1]

Let them go home to their old provinces and do some real work, they got money for nothing and now want more money for nothing.

[bernd1616]

First they tried to rip everybody off , now they are holding their hands up for help, nice bunch !!!

None of them ever forced me to buy something. Sure the beachchairs and the beachmassage will be missed by tourists.

no, is not so. all the tourist (and this was a high number, about 50) i have asked say its much better now without beachchairs rental. now they are free to lay down an th beach whereever they want without getting ripped off.

[bernd1616]

People making money is good.

yes, people but not rats

[peterb17]

but why oh why has walking street beach encroachment been left alone, perhaps targeted, perhaps not because of influence from someone hi up

It's been on the cards for years- but Walking Street is a big attraction ( hate it or love it- I loathe it) and brings in much revenue for City Hall to provide quality infrastructure ( please note a little sarcasm here)

Personally I feel we may? see a clean up of the beaches , businesses , and perhaps a serious look at City Hall in the future

Walking Street- no that will be left alone - it would be a massive undertaking - not just bamboo huts.

It's going to be interesting to see what happens

[Phuketboy]

They were there illegally so why should they be compensated or given anything, it wasn't their land so they should never have been there in the first place. If anything they should be fined and given clean up duty.

[Krataiboy]

Reading some of the postings here makes me wonder at the apparent ignorance, as well as arrogance, of many falangs who live, work or holiday in Thaialnd.

In case it has escaped their notice, this is not the affluent West, where the welfare state lobs out redundancy and unemployment pay, job seekers' allowances, retirement pensions and other benefits at the general population like sweets and real poverty is a rarity.

Millions of Thais, unable to afford a decent education and with no formal qualifications (which you need here to get any kind of job which isn't slave labour) live on the breadline. Life for many families is literally a struggle for survival.

Is it really so difficult to understand why some Thais resort to bending rules and regulations (which are bent on a much bigger scale by the political and business elite who control their lives) and that some even resort to ripping off tourists and expats - whom they are brainwashed into believing are all wealthy - by overcharging for deckchairs and suchlike?

This is not a phenomenon unique to Thailand - It is routine in tourist resorts the world over. Personally, I don't begrudge paying a little over the odds to a beach masseuse or souvenir seller who makes less in a year than I get in a couple of months. It's almost a welcome change, in these days of increasing wealth inequality, to find an example of the relative poor ripping off the relative rich!

Seriously, though. A little humility would be in order from those resident falangs who enjoy a much better lifestyle than ever they could in their own countries precisely because of the ruthless exploitation of the vast majority of the indigenous labour force.

[johnburger]

The majority of Thai earn their salaries honestly in accordance with the law, why not these people?

[billd766]

The majority of Thai earn their salaries honestly in accordance with the law, why not these people?

My family certainly does. Some in BKK and some up here in rural Thailand.

[canuckistaner]

Regarding:

The majority of Thai earn their salaries honestly in accordance with the law, why not these people?

Yeah, how do you know that? Regarding above quote.

I'm living in the Philippines but have been to Thailand so many times. There are many similarities especially, concerning the rights of workers and farmers. Even the upper classes of both countries are similar: basically wealthy and connected Thai-Chinese and in the Philippines wealthy and connected Filipino-Chinese. The infrastucture in Thailand is much better and thats why there are over 20 + million tourists a year there and so many farangs desperately trying to renew their visas, whereas here in the Philippines, the infrastructure sucks and hotels and food are more expensive than in Thailand. Workers here are paid peanuts and treated like disposable tissues.......its impossible to get ahead or even survive unless you do something illegal or get out of the country!

Unlike the West, its not even a remotely equal playing field for working people. Farangs living in Thailand and the Philippines seem to think that all the locals have to do is to go and find a job and everything will be ok. Why resort to illegal freelance jobs like those on the beach etc and not paying taxes etc etc....Why don't these illegal business people and freelancers follow the rules etc. I'm not condoning lawbreaking but over here in the Philippines, if YOU don't break the laws, you will get absolutely NOWHERE and probably either starve to death or die or watch a family member die due to lack of medical care or any social assistance. And yes, there are all kinds of laws....on the books....laws against corruption, laws guaranteeing human rights blah blah blah ad nauseum...but come over here and be a local and try living as one and try getting a job as a local or getting emergency medical care if you have no money or job! Your Westerner's frustration level would go through the roof. The laws and workers rights are NOT upheld. Injustice is the norm here and don't expect any recourse..even the courts are f.....ked up. Expect to be a victim and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it. Complain to the authorities or lobby the govm as an activist........activists and journalists over here disappear at an alraming rate and nobody ever solves the case. Sometimes a body turns up with a bullet in the back of the head.

In fact 99.99% of you, including myself, would never survive the Philippines and quite possibly Thailand in their working or normal living environment. I'm not talking about the middle class living environment, but the ordinary peasant/working class who make up the bulk of the population..the ones you find renting beach chairs or selling food and drink etc. In the West, we have labour rights and govm laws to back it up, minimum wages, health care, welfare, GIS, CPP, OAS...food banks...in Vancouver you can get 3 FREE meals a day from social welfare agencies.....hospitals cannot turn you away even if you have no money..its against the law. Try gaining treatment to a public or private hospital in the Philippines during a medical emergency as a local person (not as a well heeled farang). You line-up for hrs at Thai immigration........come on over to the Philippines, where you line-up to get your Police Clearance, NBI, BRGY clearance, any govm document......takes a few hrs to a day to get most documents..........job interview.....lucky to get one done in a whole day.

You want to get a job in the Philippines as a local.....5-6 documents required before the job interview. In Vancouver, nothing..just a 5 minute interview then if they hire you, show your SIN card and fill out the application.

The point I'm trying to make is that the masses have to scramble to make a living at subsistence level so I tend to sympathize with these now unemployed workers who are being kicked off the beaches, streets, parking lots etc all over the place because some Farangs/Thai are hassled and cannot deal with it or are being overcharged.....heck, I never allow myself to be overcharged..I bargain like hell and leave if I don't get a reasonable price....use common sense.........and yes, its a blight on the image of Thailand and yes, I agree that some rules have to be made but to stop thousands from doing their business...do they have a long term solution for unemployment...??? People resort to "illegal" freelancing on public land (heck all the land is public or privatized anyways so where do you go) because they are mostly struggling to survive. I can understand where these folks are coming from because if I were them, I'd be doing the same thing. I'm sure the conditions in Thailand are similar to Philippines where the govm is so inept and in denial about the state of the economy and the condition of the masses...that the masses basically have to do anything they can to eke out a living. All of the street food here in the Phil, is on public land and basically illegal. So, you "logical" folks may be saying..."So do it properly..get a legal licence!" This is not like in a Western country where you go to City Hall and apply for a licence which has a set price......this is Asia, and in the Philippines, and I'm sure Thailand....corruption among most lower, mid and top level bureaurcrats is endemic no matter what Prayuth or Aquino says. Most leaders (maybe not Prayuth...I'm beginning to like the guy) are totally blind as to how the masses survive. Aquino thinks that the Philippines is undergoing reforms initiated by HIM......hahahahah ask any Filipino and come here and live for a while. There are NO REFORMS! Everyone I know cannot find a job, they just sit around all day dreaming of leaving the country. If you do not have an OFW relative working abroad, chances are you will be living illegally on govm land with minimal shelter... a house built of cardboard, stray pieces of wood, tin, plastic etc........with a wife and 2 or 3 kids to feed. The Media is owned by the Aquino family! Most people want to follow the rules, but when it becomes impossible to follow the rules...then they have to break the rules........in order to survive. If Thailand was or is anything like the Philippines, then I fully understand why people encrouch on public land with their "illegal" businesses and hassle tourists for business or try and overcharge.........Its up to us to become aware and smart to avoid being taken to the cleaners.

Countries with a stratified and unjust social systems almost always have these kinds of problems. But these are the same places where farangs love to hang out because everything is Cheaper than back home! If you want the same standards as back home, then Thailand or any other place will begin to resemble back home with prices to match...then, off to the next cheap country.

Labour is Dirt Cheap over here. Even farangs love to start a busines and hire the locals for peanuts. Macdonalds, Burger King, KFC etc pay a minimum wage of 10.25 an hour in Vancouver...but here they pay less than 400 pesos a day (thats $10)...not per hr. And they charge the same prices for food as in Vancouver.....so think how much extra they are making over here and the line-ups are much longer than in Vancouver......and last for hours....they are making a killing. $200 bucks a month is not enough to survive for a local family over here, unless they have some other source of income. Thats why Police are corrupt (and they make much more than $200) ....pulling aside motorists and getting paid cash by the motorist to avoid getting a ticket or their car confiscated. The infrasturcture sucks, the public transport system is almost non-existent and people spend up to 4 or 5 hrs a day commuting to jobs and back home.

Of course I'm not condoning criminality and theft etc but the vast majority of these people are just trying to survive. So, when I'm being "hassled" by some kid or anyone trying to sell me something, and I start getting annoyed...I remember to tell myself that I'm spending more on one meal than these people make in a few days and I can roam freely in their country and see more of it than they will ever see and when the going gets tough, I can get on a plane and go somewhere else. They all have a Life Sentence. So, before I get annoyed or mad I just say no thank you and move on. Even the aggressive touts who are trying their best to rip me off for jet boating or hang gliding.....no need to get mad or offensive, just don't partake of their services and move on. Yes, people tend to get greedy, when they see all of us Farangs wandering around from place to place with lots of money to spend. They see the "old fat white guys" in the bars spending money bar fining girls less than half their age........they want to get their share of the pie too........Maybe, a lot of them have just lost respect for the kind of tourists showing up on their doorstep..........Happens everywhere, which is why I no longer go to Phuket, Koh Samui and several other places....Don't blame the masses for trying to make a living when they can smell the money in the air from millions of farangs.

[watcharacters]

First they tried to rip everybody off , now they are holding their hands up for help, nice bunch !!!

you are entirely right but most of Thais in tourist areas are conditioned for exactly that - extract as much money as possible almost to the extent that they feel they have exclusive rights

new girls get indoctrinated by the old timers like it's an apprenticeship for how to mine money, rather sad really

And are you saying you support that approach?

[steelepulse]

Is there a dislike and uninformed button? There is a serious diatribe here.

[EBlair48]

First they tried to rip everybody off , now they are holding their hands up for help, nice bunch !!!

None of them ever forced me to buy something. Sure the beachchairs and the beachmassage will be missed by tourists.

no, is not so. all the tourist (and this was a high number, about 50) i have asked say its much better now without beachchairs rental. now they are free to lay down an th beach whereever they want without getting ripped off.

My queries of tourists on Bang tao were almost all nay- Especially near the recent destruction of the mid beach attractions. However, Bang Tao wasn't ever packed with chairs and is a 4 mile long beach that is now rather desolate.

[LivinginKata]

Is there a dislike and uninformed button? There is a serious diatribe here.

Unfortunately - No. There is no negative button. Only a dislike option if already liked.

[LivinginKata]

Inflammatory post with insulting remarks removed, plus the response removed.

[Jimi007]

Is there a dislike and uninformed button? There is a serious diatribe here.

Yep, according to someone the Philippines are just like Phuket… Amazing how uniformed that post was from the reality here…

[khunsiam]

First they tried to rip everybody off , now they are holding their hands up for help, nice bunch !!!

None of them ever forced me to buy something. Sure the beachchairs and the beachmassage will be missed by tourists.

no, is not so. all the tourist (and this was a high number, about 50) i have asked say its much better now without beachchairs rental. now they are free to lay down an th beach whereever they want without getting ripped off.

Why are people renting the beachchairs and having a massage near the beach?

[LivinginKata]

Inflammatory troll post removed.