Former Kata-karon beach operators clean beach

[Lite Beer]

Former Kata-karon beach operators clean beach
Saran Mitrarat

PHUKET: Disgusted with all all the litter piling at their former work place, 200 former operators of jetskis, umbrella chairs, and massage stations at Kata and Karon beaches decided to make use of their idle time and clean the beach up today.

The clean-up follows Phuket Vice Governor telling disgruntled ex-beach vendors to find other work if they refuse to accept that they will no longer be allowed to perform their old jobs at their original sites, on public space.

“Our beach must be cleaned and free of garbage for a good image,” said Mr Sunan Boonwat, President of Kata Karton beach chair club, “Even if we are not allowed to have businesses here, but we still want to keep it clean, because this is our home. We do not want our home to look dirty.

“Some hotels operating here capitalize on the good landscape as their selling point, yet they don’t even contribute to the upkeep of a clean beach. We can’t stand on it anymore,” he added.

“Instead of protesting against those people, we decided to set a weekly date for beach cleaning in Kata and Karon, to be every Friday, and if sometimes the garbage is too much, we will collect it on Saturday also,” Mr Sunan said.

However, their prospects to use the beach for business remains bleak.

“Besides, while we are waiting for officials consideration [to solve our jobless problem], we are free. We are always being told to change our job, but I've worked here for 30 years. I am too old to start a new job,” he explained.

“In the past, we had never stopped working as we need money for our children and monthly bills. But now, we have nothing as we lost job for the past three months and we also have a lot of debt [bills] to pay.

“Hopefully, they [officials] will note our good intentions and some day allow us to keep our old jobs.” he concluded.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/former-kata-karon-beach-operators-clean-beach-48720.php

-- Phuket News 2014-09-13

[Somtamnication]

But it was dirty when you guys were running the beach mafia.

[NomadJoe]

“Our beach must be cleaned and free of garbage for a good image,”

It's not your beach.

[LivinginKata]

Yesterday mmorning I noticed the regular local authority street sweepers down on Kata Beach clearing up litter on the sand.

[Showbags]

Where do they dump the rubbish they pick up ???

[krisb]

They should just get JJ and his rifle doing litter patrols.

Cleanest beach in the world right there!

[Crazy chef 1]

are they finally woke up??

[LivinginKata]

Where do they dump the rubbish they pick up ???

Black plastic bags, carried up to the road, collected by garbage truck.

[KarenBravo]

Forgive me if I think they have an ulterior motive.

[steelepulse]

This isn't being done out of the goodness of their hearts, they are doing this to get their easy money back. Beach chair club, seriously?

Let's see how long they keep this up once they realize they won't get their concessions back.

In the meantime, good on em.

[daveAustin]

Surprised he hasn't blamed foreigners.

Believe me, Mr Boonwat, cleaning your beach will not give YOU a 'good image'. Doing things because it is right, all the while not worrying about how others perceive you, is how it is done. Have a read about the whys and ways of your adopted Buddha. It's never too late to learn.

[robertthebruce]

Well that's a nice surprise, and they cannot be that Daft...

Saying that, maybe they are hoping to go back to there old ways... ??

Who knows time will tell.

But for the moment it's a lovely gesture... And SORELY needed.

[goldmonky]

It would't be too much to ask the visitors to the beach to take their rubbish with them.

[stevenl]

“Our beach must be cleaned and free of garbage for a good image,”

It's not your beach.

It is, it is everybody's beach.

[puipuitom]

A friend of mine works as international hotel manager: Xián - China, York and Leeds - UK, Port Harcourt - Nigeria, Sharm-e-Sheikh - Egypt, Santiago - Chile, St-Petersburg - Russia, Khoh Samui- TH. Here he tried to get the staff mooving to clean up the beach seen so much glass pieces in the sand. Imagine, you are enjoying your breakfast in at Euro 750 per night hotel, and your kinds... step in a piece of glass at the beach..... Impossible. The typical Thai habbit in this: the rubbish as at least one arm lenght away from me, so.. why to bother. Only a coup d'Etat can forse such a changement in attitude.

This and many other thinks convinced him after 9 weeks: for you, bunch of stupid idiots, 10 better hotels on the world. Bye

[Strangebrew]

See we ripoff tourist but do merit so to balance karma. We good quality Thai people only drop trowel where frang go so we can say farang nasty people.

[madmitch]

But it was dirty when you guys were running the beach mafia.

Illegal or not, the beach chair operators did keep their part of the beach clean.

[billd766]

quote "We are always being told to change our job, but I've worked here for 30 years. I am too old to start a new job,” he explained."

That is odd to me.

I changed jobs at age 40, 44 and 54 and while it wasn't always easy it wasn't that hard.

But what do I know anyway. I am just a dumb farang.

[zaZa9]

But it was dirty when you guys were running the beach mafia.

Illegal or not, the beach chair operators did keep their part of the beach clean.

Yes , a good deal of the time they did.

Khun Boonwat wants to make out that hotels dont contribute , but I have personally seen a large crew of Club Med staff cleaning the beach on a number of occasions. Im also of the belief it was a CM truck that removed the rubbish and even some large tree trunks each time.

What needs addressing is that black and dirty klong that runs onto Kata at the north end and continues up behind CM.

I hope some of CMs substantial rent increase will go toward that job asap.

[Oziex1]

Where does the rubbish go after it's picked up, I dont know at Kata / Karon but at Ya Nui I see a guy cleaning the beach and recycling the rubbish. Yep he takes it to the end of the beach the Prom Thep side and dumps it on the rocks a few days later it will be back or maybe at Nai Harn beach, therefore recycled,

[robertthebruce]

I have actually been to a beach clean up at Kata Beach, it was organised by a guy who does Muay Thai boxing and training...

We did get a load of funny looks from the Bathers, us walking about with our Plastic gloves and black bin liners, but it did make a difference, there was quite a few local Thais there too, and they were happy to see a few Farangs. Join in...

I am up for it again, if I hear about it....

[ChoakMyDee]

These beach vendor mafia think that by keeping a presence on the beach they can inch their way back to opening their businesses again.

[alfalfa19]

Gee, isn't that nice. I knew all along they were really a bunch of nice Boy Scouts.

[NamKangMan]

This isn't being done out of the goodness of their hearts, they are doing this to get their easy money back. Beach chair club, seriously?

Let's see how long they keep this up once they realize they won't get their concessions back.

In the meantime, good on em.

The term, "club" is now the nice way to say, "association" and both terms are the nice way to say, "mafia."

Edited September 15, 2014 by NamKangMan

[khunjamesjohnson]

(why do Thais consider a special occasion when they pick up the trash?)

A real environmentalist concerned about the islands image.

Look! Look! Everybody look! I'm picking up trash! Take a picture!

Now can we turn the beach back into a shanty town slum again to exploit the tourists?

Edited September 19, 2014 by khunjamesjohnson

[steelepulse]

I went to Karon for the first time in a few months and saw quite a bit of washed up trash around. Beach boy jet ski and parasail thugs were out in force, as well as parking being extremely limited for good spots once again. It seems the taxi tuk tuk gang now take up all the prime parking once again, and many of them are of the illegal black plate variety. Seems it's almost business as usual again as far as the thuggery goes.

[madmitch]

If all the beach vendors have gone, how was it that an iguana tout managed to find his way onto Karon Beach yesterday?

My daughter and friends had their photos taken but they weren't charged as they were Thai but were told not to tell the farangs who were paying 100 baht.

I wasn't there but have seen the photos.

[Jimlove]

This taxi-mafia is like a bad rasch - keeps coming back. Think military has to put up posts in verious places to stop these parasites once and for all

[NomadJoe]

“Our beach must be cleaned and free of garbage for a good image,”

It's not your beach.

It is, it is everybody's beach.

My point exactly.

[NamKangMan]

“Our beach must be cleaned and free of garbage for a good image,”

It's not your beach.

It is, it is everybody's beach.

Thailand, as a sovereign nation, means the beach in Thailand is sovereign Thai land, therefore, owned by all Thai citizens.

Foreigners have no claim of right over the beach, unless war is declared, and Thailand is conquered, and occupied, Some may argue this has already happened, without a bullet being fired - all you need is a visa.

However, currently, no, it's not "everybody's beach."