Beach vendors still defy junta’s orders at Pattaya and Jomthien



PATTAYA: -- Pattaya City officials say vendors are still defying the military junta's beach clean-up policy as they still operate on restricted open areas on the beach front with more chairs and umbrellas than permitted, and also on Wednesday which is declared a vendor-free day on the beach front.

City officials said after the NCPO began a cleanup policy on Pattaya beach, more tourists were seen to enjoy themselves on the open beach front and the shoreline has become neatly organised.

But they said despite of the reorganisation plan, vendors still were defiant of the regulations by occupying more open spaces on the beach front with more than 37 umbrellas and lounge chairs.
Besides they also operated on Wednesday which was declared vendor-free day on the beach front.

They said if the regulations and rules are still defied, they might impose a 500-million baht fine first, and if the same offence is repeated, violator could face a one week ban from business, or a month if repeated for second or third time.

Officials could also ban violater for life to operate in the area if same offence is repeated many times.

The military regime appears willing to give Pattaya officials time to bring order to the city’s beaches, but remain poised to move in should the effort go the way of so many other crackdowns.

While the National Council for Peace and Order sent soldiers to remove beach vendors and dismantle illegal structures in Phuket, the military so far has taken a hands-off approach to umbrella-dotted Pattaya and Jomtien beaches.

The NCPO ordered city officials to clean up the beach and have assigned the Royal Thai Navy to keep tabs on their efforts. So, at least for now, the military has no plans to take direct action.

The more immediate concern for Pattaya officials are the beach chair and umbrella vendors.

The regulations laid out in detail for beach vendors by Banglamung District officer stated vendors can occupy no more than 50 percent of the sand and can only operate from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. with a maximum 40 lounge chairs and 35 umbrellas in their 7-meter-wide plot.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/beach-vendors-still-defy-juntas-orders-pattaya-jomthien


-- Thai PBS 2015-01-19

they might impose a 500-million baht fine first, and if the same offense is repeated, violator could face a one week ban from business ….

I'm thinking if they can pay the 500 million baht fine, a week off without pay ain't gonna change anything.

Not a big problem at all.

Send the police in to arrest them and clear the beach.

If that doesn't work do the same thing a few days later and arrest the police as well.

Looks like they mean business this time:

They said if the regulations and rules are still defied, they might impose a 500-million baht fine first

did the powers that be not set a penality from the get go? if not get rid of that group, put someone/group in charge and clean the place up. defient vendors, boo hoo, slap there arse in local drunk tank for a few days and see what happens with the program.

again enforcement seems to be the first problem, so both parties can share the drunk tank to discuss the future. you expect to show your children how to cross the street safetly, when they become adults you expect them to do the same with their children.

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Do any Thais respect any law ?

I think not.

Thais respect laws that are enforced. The culprits are not the beach vendors, it's the local officials and the OrBoTors, the people who stick the rent money directly into their pockets that are to blame. If they say no, than the crap comes off the beach.

Don't hold your breath waiting for change. Here in Phuket the rules are intermittently enforced with the results being spotty. Some temporary wins. It literally changes daily. When the military stops checking, the chairs, umbrellas, kitchens all grow hourly. It's like bacteria growth.

A job for the new Police Superintendent, he can make his mark.

As long as long arm of the law is just in pocket of law breakers.... at least with bar girls you get something worth while for your money that harms no one else (usually anyway...)

What am I missing here? Isn't a million baht about $32,000 U.S. dollars? and 500 times that is about $16,000,000.

If you combind every vendor on every beach, I don't think they could ever come up with that much?

A 500 million baht fine. Wonderful! Now if they would only introduce similar fines for motoring offences, there might be more than a few lives saved.

A job for the new Police Superintendent, he can make his mark.

+1...a good chance for him to shine.

Must be something wrong with the translation. Not 500 mill baht but 5000 baht seems more reasonable to me. Should keep the vendors away for a few days.

I'm sick of reading this tosh

Why do Thailand even bother having police, rules, or even a government, because they take no notice of any of them.

If they had a fixed area no harm. it is the constant pestering itinerants that is the issue. If you want squid you can get off your bum and walk and get it. Same with a beer. But they are lot less of an eyesore than the 50s something farang women in a bikini and her beau in a pair of speedos.

Do any Thais respect any law ?

I think not.

Do any farang have any sense of perspective?

I think not.

We're talking about beach vendors not sex tourist kiddie fiddlers or terrorist bombers.

I guess in Farang Land the police are largely redundant and the prisons vacant because everyone there has such respect for the law.

Can never be 500 mill bath.Not even 5 mill. bath.

Something is wrong with that update.

As another mentioned maybe 5000 bath. More realistic.

Maybe, finally, a use for one of those 1,500 sniper rifles the military bought 2 years ago !

what makes me sick is take a nice beach like Layan beach in Phuket. The restaurant/bars were set back from the beach a short way and they'd have a handful of sunbeds and parasols and a distance between each bar of maybe 50 meters.. It was nice and from the beach you could hardly notice them and the ones you could notice, like the reggae bar were nice to look at and had low key music. They all had showers and toilets. GONE! Then I look at that aberration in the photo where people on a sunbed can't even sit in the sun and it's still there!! It's a karsy and an eyesore!

This was Layan beach....

500 million Baht fine is.............get ready...........$15,151,515.00 American dollars. Can you say mis-print.......mis-print.

I get the idea of wanting to have a clean beach. But, have tourists complained there hasn't been enough of it? What is the impetus by the military to impose these restrictions on vendors/chair/umbrella folks? Chairs are side by side. I'm on the beach and I want shade......thus umbrella's. If someone doesn't want one they take it away. Just ask.

What are they wanting....a nice areal view for photos? From the water a natural look? Then, one day a week nothing! I wouldn't go to the beach if I had to sit on the sand. I want a chair, shade........comfort. This whole business is just nuts in my opinion. This is people's livelihood. How many of you would just take a day off every week? Not many I bet.

Must be something wrong with the translation. Not 500 mill baht but 5000 baht seems more reasonable to me. Should keep the vendors away for a few days.

transulation correct, ..... ehhhh da cops get confused with the zeros :-)

This is a joke Right. They do not care about rules and regulations for Thais Only Farang get the short end of the stick regardless

It sounds like a bit of anarchy going on here. The government does not respect the people, and the people do not respect the government, and everyone does what they want to do in a never-ending game of dodge ball.

Truth be told, I am certain that the government is more afraid of the people than the people are afraid of the government, and something like this is not worth getting their pretty uniforms messed up over, while on the other hand, the beach vendors (call em what you want) aren't about to give up their livelihoods and dynasties they've struggled to build throughout this never-ending game of dodge ball. They'll fight tooth and nail, is what I think, and I think the government knows this... and especially since the government can push us foreigners around, but not he Thai people. Fact is, they both know deep down it's all BS... but messing around with someone's ability to put rice on the table is another story.

Just a bit of my take on this, and what's even more funny is how Thais demonstrate Thainess to each other under the headlines of asking foreigners to discover Thainess for themselves from the very same Thais... almost a conundrum there.

Now if that isn't a showstopper, then I don't know what is.

i walk the beach daily several times,i have never seen so many people enjoying themselves with out the restriction of''sitting in one of those old beach chairs'' that kill your back.,...people are laying around,playing frisbee,vollyball and picnicing...its nice...and .ps in your face beach vendors....sawadee no crap

500 million Baht fine is.............get ready...........$15,151,515.00 American dollars. Can you say mis-print.......mis-print.

I get the idea of wanting to have a clean beach. But, have tourists complained there hasn't been enough of it? What is the impetus by the military to impose these restrictions on vendors/chair/umbrella folks? Chairs are side by side. I'm on the beach and I want shade......thus umbrella's. If someone doesn't want one they take it away. Just ask.

What are they wanting....a nice areal view for photos? From the water a natural look? Then, one day a week nothing! I wouldn't go to the beach if I had to sit on the sand. I want a chair, shade........comfort. This whole business is just nuts in my opinion. This is people's livelihood. How many of you would just take a day off every week? Not many I bet.

Yea. Right. Going to the beach and sitting on the sand? Thats ridiculous.

WE WANT FURNITURE ON THE BEACH!!!! EVERYWHERE!! NO SAND. And umbrellas set up under shade trees. That's what's needed. Shade under shade.

We don't want to see people exercising, playing frisbee or volleyball, nature or open space.

We want wall to wall crass develompent. And pestering all day long by vendors. That really makes it nice. An opportunity to buy some dirty shrimp or a nice leather belt perhaps, or a frog, a nice wooden frog. Every 3 minutes I get an opportunity to buy that frog again...

Now thats a beach holiday.

500 million Baht fine is.............get ready...........$15,151,515.00 American dollars. Can you say mis-print.......mis-print.

I get the idea of wanting to have a clean beach. But, have tourists complained there hasn't been enough of it? What is the impetus by the military to impose these restrictions on vendors/chair/umbrella folks? Chairs are side by side. I'm on the beach and I want shade......thus umbrella's. If someone doesn't want one they take it away. Just ask.

What are they wanting....a nice areal view for photos? From the water a natural look? Then, one day a week nothing! I wouldn't go to the beach if I had to sit on the sand. I want a chair, shade........comfort. This whole business is just nuts in my opinion. This is people's livelihood. How many of you would just take a day off every week? Not many I bet.

Yea. Right. Going to the beach and sitting on the sand? Thats ridiculous.

WE WANT FURNITURE ON THE BEACH!!!! EVERYWHERE!! NO SAND. And umbrellas set up under shade trees. That's what's needed. Shade under shade.

We don't want to see people exercising, playing frisbee or volleyball, nature or open space.

We want wall to wall crass develompent. And pestering all day long by vendors. That really makes it nice. An opportunity to buy some dirty shrimp or a nice leather belt perhaps, or a frog, a nice wooden frog. Every 3 minutes I get an opportunity to buy that frog again...

Now thats a beach holiday.

Well 'Bone' that is not what I wrote and you probably know it. I was not insinuating that the beach should be filled with furniture. I have been on the beach and have not heard of any complaints from anyone that they couldn't sit on the sand, stroll along the beach or play frisbee. Umbrellas under shade trees eh. You must not spend much time as I see folks wanting theirs moved because the sun was in their eyes. Maybe you are one of those tourists that like to complain.

Then again, you may be one of those 'manspreaders' on the subway also. You know, the world is only for you.

What am I missing here? Isn't a million baht about $32,000 U.S. dollars? and 500 times that is about $16,000,000.

If you combind every vendor on every beach, I don't think they could ever come up with that much?

Einstein, think it could possibly mean from 500 to a million baht?

Do any Thais respect any law ?

I think not.

Do any farang have any sense of perspective?

I think not.

We're talking about beach vendors not sex tourist kiddie fiddlers or terrorist bombers.

I guess in Farang Land the police are largely redundant and the prisons vacant because everyone there has such respect for the law.

Sorry Suradit. Your comment is way beyond any comprehension. I cannot believe the dribble just written