video: unhappy tourists at Patong beach

[ExPratt]

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Typical German , his holiday is in ruins because he cant have a sun bed

Typical Brit: can't distinguish one accent from another.

They all sound the same to me

[LivinLOS]

The motives of the recorder dont really matter.. the frustration of the tourists is just as real no matter which side records it.

I agree. However, if the motive of the recorder were to pressure The General into conceding to the beach vendors, it's possible "loss of face" may come into play, and on that basis, the recorder may have done more harm than good, to their cause.

I am unsure how much face there is left to lose.. Is there any one out there that doesnt think this is being run by keystone cops level incompetence by now ??

No one knows what rules are, what will be applied, where they will be applied, what rules will be tolerated as broken, whose going to rip them off, what fines they may get extorted for.. The storys change daily, on, off, on, off, maybe, in a zone, out of a zone, private but not rented, rented in a zone, etc etc.. The only constant is the Jetski touts can sit on their chairs.

In a nation so obsessed with saving face, its a wonder how they allow such a clusterfuck to happen.. Does that obvious incompetence to manage even the simplest thing, not equal a loss of face ??

[Reigntax]

The motives of the recorder dont really matter.. the frustration of the tourists is just as real no matter which side records it.

I agree. However, if the motive of the recorder were to pressure The General into conceding to the beach vendors, it's possible "loss of face" may come into play, and on that basis, the recorder may have done more harm than good, to their cause.

I am unsure how much face there is left to lose.. Is there any one out there that doesnt think this is being run by keystone cops level incompetence by now ??

No one knows what rules are, what will be applied, where they will be applied, what rules will be tolerated as broken, whose going to rip them off, what fines they may get extorted for.. The storys change daily, on, off, on, off, maybe, in a zone, out of a zone, private but not rented, rented in a zone, etc etc.. The only constant is the Jetski touts can sit on their chairs.

In a nation so obsessed with saving face, its a wonder how they allow such a clusterfuck to happen.. Does that obvious incompetence to manage even the simplest thing, not equal a loss of face ??

Agree. They just need to make a decision and stick to it and people can then decide to come on that basis or go somewhere else.

Isn't this just a typical example of every decision either the military, police, governors or politicians make.

The only ones you can believe are those that say nothing as at least they are never wrong nor open to interpretation.

[Felt 35]

So, Thailand is kaput and you may not return again - because of a deckchair. Mother of mercy!

Are people really that thick? Do they not "feel" the more natural environment around them and appreciate it? I'll bet these people think spending a night in a casino playing slots is really cool.

Natural environment

[eezergood]

How to make friends and influence people..... I saw them a few days ago being quite aggressive in their request to remove the chairs. All as total f@@@@@@ idiots drive at crazy speeds all along the foot path. Some of the taxi scum have even set up shop in the kids playground, this of course is just fine

[KarenBravo]

So, because of the inability of Thais to obey the law and their inability to enforce the law, it's the tourists (this province's bread and butter) who suffer.

A circus without a tent (not allowed to pitch a tent).

[YaiJung]

Those beach chairs in the second video look exactly like the ones being rented out on the sly by the beach vendors in Karon today.

[surangw]

posting the latest rules in hotels seemed like a good idea, but the way things are going the rules may change from they time you read them during the time you walk to the beach

[Old Croc]

Don't care if you're an expat living here and in love with mother nature, plenty of it still in Phuket. Get of your F$%^ as and find it.

Why would tourist and others who like a bit of luxury and entertainment have to suffer from your opinion?

It's the same all around the world, everything that is slightly funny, fun to have, fun to do or just plain fun is looked upon as being anti social, bad for the environment and so on.

But you're forgetting that driving a hybrid car does not help the world.

Since the beach shit my lady cannot convince me anymore to have a nice day at the beach simply because I cannot sit on the sand and that's a old age/medical problem.

And @ Old Croc, you might be blessed with the typical Aussie health and muscular body, most of us are not.

To Bubblegum.

I'm uncertain if the first couple of strange paragraphs in this post were directed at me or not, so I'll just shake my head and pass. However you did mention my name and make some assumptions about me.

As stated, my posts on this thread have been about the pathetic, almost weeping in despair, attitudes of those adult Euro people because their hire chairs, rightly, or most probably wrongly, were taken from them. I'm not sure that emotionally ill equipped people like that should be allowed to travel!

You, and at least one other, have made assumptions about how I feel about the situation. Let me clarify.

The Army cleanup on the beaches directly resulted in the closure of one of my wife's business's (the profitable one)just before high season. We have lost several hundred thousand baht because of this.

However, my personal thoughts about the coup and the beach cleanup are not dictated by selfish concerns. I believe it was necessary to try to save this Island on which I live and my regrets are that it is not going fast nor hard enough and much may be left undone.

Ripping hire chairs away from whiney tourists is not the correct way for the police to behave, but in my opinion piece earlier, I suggested they (who ever is in charge of the beaches) may be trying to dry up the criminal element before starting again.

And, Mr Bubblegum, while I may have a large, and still reasonable muscular body for my age, I am far from healthy.

(Although, my muscular arms have become rather toned over the last 18 months that I've been pushing my large frame around in a wheelchair.)

I haven't been able to get on a beach for a couple of years and would need something to sit on if I could do so. But I do enjoy the new, uncluttered views when I drive by them.

[Guest]

How short is the memory?

There used to be huge amount of people who simply ignored all the rules and did things for their own monetary benefits. Phuket was drowning because of these people.

Yes, we got used to umbrellas etc. It was all good, until the greed was introduced to the system. After that it was ok to rip off the tourists as there would be more of them to come in the future. The cancer spread.

Now Phuket is undergoing cancer treatment. It does not feel good. It messes with many vital organs, but yet it's absolute necessary to go through.

If the cancer had not been so widespread by the beach thugs, there would not have been a need for all of these annoyances for the tourists.

[LivinLOS]

How short is the memory?

There used to be huge amount of people who simply ignored all the rules and did things for their own monetary benefits. Phuket was drowning because of these people.

Yes, we got used to umbrellas etc. It was all good, until the greed was introduced to the system. After that it was ok to rip off the tourists as there would be more of them to come in the future. The cancer spread.

Now Phuket is undergoing cancer treatment. It does not feel good. It messes with many vital organs, but yet it's absolute necessary to go through.

If the cancer had not been so widespread by the beach thugs, there would not have been a need for all of these annoyances for the tourists.

You say that as though there are cancer free places In Thailand.. That this cancer is something that can be removed and the host can still live.. Where are these places in Thailand that you wish Phuket to be like ??

[LivinLOS]

http://www.phuketgazette.net/articles/articles/get_article_detail/48349

“Thai people who travel abroad must obey the laws of whichever country they are visiting; why can’t foreigners follow Thailand’s laws?”

As I asked earlier.. What laws ?? What law, says a person cannot take their own private chair to a public space to sit on it ?? Do the police even understand that when they make this stuff up, it isnt a law just because they say it is.. Secondly "why cant people follow Thailands laws" would that be todays laws, or yesterdays laws, or what the governor says the law is, or what the police says the law is, in Patong, or in Nai Harn ?? I mean if they want a clear and consistent system, its up to them to implement and enforce a clear and consistent system. just complaining at these terrible foreigners (whose spending powers everything on the island) for not simply jumping and sauling every dumb idea that is randomly thrown at the problem, is pretty low.

Although Ms Chalermluck confirmed that the chair ban is policy and police must carry out their duties in accordance with it, she said that she has spoken to Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong about the issue.

“I have spoken to Governor Nisit several times about this. I requested that we allow elderly tourists to use their loungers in the 10-per-cent sections of the beach where vendors are allowed. This would satisfy both tourists and the public,” she explained.

Ohh so its not a law ??? Its only a law for some ?? Define 'elderly'.. Who can who cant who gets exceptions..

I mean is it possible to make it any more confused or unenforceable.. This grey haired 58 year old can.. But this fit looking 65 year old maybe cant ?? Ohh why wont these pesky tourists carry their identity papers to the beach ?

As has been pointed out by Phuketwan last night (and I was saying on here) The jetski touts have their chairs and those are left totally alone.. Theres no drive to clear Thais from sitting on chairs, while conducting business on the beach, in full view of the tourists being told to surrender theirs. "why wont these terrible foreigners not just stick to the rules" ??

[starkey_rich]

Funny how people from Australia, the Americas, Africa and most of Asia can manage to sit on a beautiful sand beach without looking like a beaten soi dog.

I lived close to a beach in Australia (Scarborough), spent a large part of my life on the beach, yet never sat on a sunbed until I had to at Patong.

Whining tourists looking for a sunbed to save for later with their towels.

Perhaps they should head to a lovely North Sea beach for their next holiday.

As the guy in the video says "A lot of older people can not lie on the sand" what he probably means is that a lot of older people have difficulty getting up and down .I myself have a busted knee so can not get down on the sand.

So all us oldies with crook joints have to stand on the beach then?

Totally pathetic place.

Rumour has it that the guy who wrote the Walking Dead took his inspiration from Thailand it was first called the

Walking Brain Dead

[starkey_rich]

Don't care if you're an expat living here and in love with mother nature, plenty of it still in Phuket. Get of your F$%^ as and find it.

Why would tourist and others who like a bit of luxury and entertainment have to suffer from your opinion?

It's the same all around the world, everything that is slightly funny, fun to have, fun to do or just plain fun is looked upon as being anti social, bad for the environment and so on.

But you're forgetting that driving a hybrid car does not help the world.

Since the beach shit my lady cannot convince me anymore to have a nice day at the beach simply because I cannot sit on the sand and that's a old age/medical problem.

And @ Old Croc, you might be blessed with the typical Aussie health and muscular body, most of us are not.

To Bubblegum.

I'm uncertain if the first couple of strange paragraphs in this post were directed at me or not, so I'll just shake my head and pass. However you did mention my name and make some assumptions about me.

As stated, my posts on this thread have been about the pathetic, almost weeping in despair, attitudes of those adult Euro people because their hire chairs, rightly, or most probably wrongly, were taken from them. I'm not sure that emotionally ill equipped people like that should be allowed to travel!

You, and at least one other, have made assumptions about how I feel about the situation. Let me clarify.

The Army cleanup on the beaches directly resulted in the closure of one of my wife's business's (the profitable one)just before high season. We have lost several hundred thousand baht because of this.

However, my personal thoughts about the coup and the beach cleanup are not dictated by selfish concerns. I believe it was necessary to try to save this Island on which I live and my regrets are that it is not going fast nor hard enough and much may be left undone.

Ripping hire chairs away from whiney tourists is not the correct way for the police to behave, but in my opinion piece earlier, I suggested they (who ever is in charge of the beaches) may be trying to dry up the criminal element before starting again.

And, Mr Bubblegum, while I may have a large, and still reasonable muscular body for my age, I am far from healthy.

(Although, my muscular arms have become rather toned over the last 18 months that I've been pushing my large frame around in a wheelchair.)

I haven't been able to get on a beach for a couple of years and would need something to sit on if I could do so. But I do enjoy the new, uncluttered views when I drive by them.

Why are they whiney?

They are having their say as you are on here.

Or are you having a whine also ? What if someone stopped you from getting near the beach in your wheelchair ?How would you feel on the matter.

The only problem with that video is that it is taken by a Thai who is probably an ex chair renter and has lost his very profitable illegal business.

[keestha]

The real agenda: as agreed within the AEC framework, Thailand is fulfilling its obligation to stimulate beach tourism in the Philippines, Cambodia and Vietnam.

[thhMan]

I thought that it was the commercial renting of chairs that was illegal

The tourists bring their own chairs, as they do in any other part of the world.

This is simply ridiculous and I for one feel sorry that this aggravation is on the tourists, all due to the infestation of commercial chairs and the associated crap that comes with it.

[manarak]

This is all very stupid.

[xylophone]

Reminds me of the words in a song, " Send in the clowns..........don't bother they're here".

LOS.......land of stupidity.

[phuketrichard]

German

Thailand Kaput

farang cant sit on the sand 55555

most western countries do not rent chairs/umbrellas for the beach get a life

For me, i love it, Kamala Beach looks great and lots of people enjoying the beach

[xylophone]

Reminds me of the words in a song, " Send in the clowns..........don't bother they're here".

LOS.......land of stupidity.

Actually a whole verse of the song aptly applies here.........

Don't you love farce?

My fault, I fear.

I thought that you'd want what I want -

Sorry, my dear.

But where are the clowns?

Quick, send in the clowns.

Don't bother, they're here.

[soalbundy]

German

Thailand Kaput

farang cant sit on the sand 55555

most western countries do not rent chairs/umbrellas for the beach get a life

For me, i love it, Kamala Beach looks great and lots of people enjoying the beach

I sat on the sand in Samui once,got worms eggs from the stray dogs under my skin on my bottom, i spent the next 10 days with an unbelievably itchy butt, had to take a course of tablets 3 times a day and could only sleep at night with ice bags on my bottom,i'll never forget that holiday.

[LivinLOS]

The real agenda: as agreed within the AEC framework, Thailand is fulfilling its obligation to stimulate beach tourism in the Philippines, Cambodia and Vietnam.

I posted way back when this started.. This whole thing was probably sponsored by the Sihanoukville marketing board.

[ravip]

So, Thailand is kaput and you may not return again - because of a deckchair. Mother of mercy!

Are people really that thick? Do they not "feel" the more natural environment around them and appreciate it? I'll bet these people think spending a night in a casino playing slots is really cool.

Indeed. Bloody morons. I am not a beach person (grew up on one) but if I were I'd rather sit on the sand than in a chair that has the sunscreen and sweat of the 872 previous occupants permanently soaked into it

"872 previous occupants"

Your precision is admirable!

[Guest]

You say that as though there are cancer free places In Thailand.. That this cancer is something that can be removed and the host can still live.. Where are these places in Thailand that you wish Phuket to be like ??

In the past, mainly.

[robertthebruce]

This whole "Beach Chair Lounger, Jet Ski , Taxis Tuk Tuk" scenario is getting so so boring, it's been going on for yonks...can't they for once sort a simple thing out ????

I do feel for the Tourists coming here, especially if they visit the beaches, must be so confusing for them...

Piss them off for sure..

[LivinLOS]

http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket-news/No-Beach-Butts-Phuket-bans-smoking-eating/48362

Oh this just gets funnier and funnier

[hansgruber]

I'm all for the non smoking but stopping people eating is a stretch.

[schlog]

Better no more tourists are allowed on the beaches or simply close the airport again. Let the jet ski boys stay alone.

[Guest]

http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket-news/No-Beach-Butts-Phuket-bans-smoking-eating/48362

Oh this just gets funnier and funnier

I have lost the idea what is behind of all of this. This does not seem to make any sense anymore.

There had been an idea, if the beach boys would have been pushing these bans, along with local authorities, to ridicule the bans. That would have been an opportunistic try to remove all the bans and therefore letting the beach boys back to the sand.

But the PG article mentioned "The governor made the announcement with Navy Region 3 Deputy Commander Narudol Pancharien and Provincial Police Commander Patchara Boonyasit at his side."

I guess the beach boys are creeping back to the beaches in one way or another, but how? If the government wishes to keep these folks out of the sand, why these new rules were added to the list of banned actions?

I can understand that the current game will finish once some parties run out of money and therefore resources and trust. What I can't understand how these new bans would benefit the strategy.

[Xircal]

http://www.phuketgazette.net/articles/articles/get_article_detail/48349

“Thai people who travel abroad must obey the laws of whichever country they are visiting; why can’t foreigners follow Thailand’s laws?”

As I asked earlier.. What laws ?? What law, says a person cannot take their own private chair to a public space to sit on it ?? Do the police even understand that when they make this stuff up, it isnt a law just because they say it is.. Secondly "why cant people follow Thailands laws" would that be todays laws, or yesterdays laws, or what the governor says the law is, or what the police says the law is, in Patong, or in Nai Harn ?? I mean if they want a clear and consistent system, its up to them to implement and enforce a clear and consistent system. just complaining at these terrible foreigners (whose spending powers everything on the island) for not simply jumping and sauling every dumb idea that is randomly thrown at the problem, is pretty low.

Although Ms Chalermluck confirmed that the chair ban is policy and police must carry out their duties in accordance with it, she said that she has spoken to Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong about the issue.

“I have spoken to Governor Nisit several times about this. I requested that we allow elderly tourists to use their loungers in the 10-per-cent sections of the beach where vendors are allowed. This would satisfy both tourists and the public,” she explained.

Ohh so its not a law ??? Its only a law for some ?? Define 'elderly'.. Who can who cant who gets exceptions..

I mean is it possible to make it any more confused or unenforceable.. This grey haired 58 year old can.. But this fit looking 65 year old maybe cant ?? Ohh why wont these pesky tourists carry their identity papers to the beach ?

As has been pointed out by Phuketwan last night (and I was saying on here) The jetski touts have their chairs and those are left totally alone.. Theres no drive to clear Thais from sitting on chairs, while conducting business on the beach, in full view of the tourists being told to surrender theirs. "why wont these terrible foreigners not just stick to the rules" ??

Excellent post and I agree on all the points you made and especially those concerning older people.

The young ones can jump up and down from their beach mats with ease, but it's not so easy when you've got arthritis and need to sit in a chair which you can get up from a lot easier.

Thailand will become the laughing stock of the world for being the only country on the planet which doesn't allow you to bring your own beach chair to sit on. How ridiculous can you get?