Governor slams police for Phuket beach order enforcement tactics

[Always18]

When asked about the new rules, a senior Phuket police officer is quoted as saying:-

"It's quite simple really, as myself and my RTP colleagues have been paid a handsome retainer by the former beach-chair vendors, we will continue to harass tourists who try to bring their own beds until the vendors are once again allowed to treat the beach as their own property and we can all return to the traditional system of fleecing foreign tourists without any interference".

[maoro]

There was only one reason that the operators of the beach chairs/umbrellas were there, they were in demand from tourists.

I have personally taken opportunity to use these facilities many times, though not at Phuket.

I don't know what the thrust of this new rule is, but sure as hell it won't improve tourism to the area.

[abitmiffed]

How efin stupid can these be? Left hand has no idea what the right hand is doing....and they wonder why tourism is not good? Great job people great job.

Evolution clearly passed by this country without stopping. Why dont they just ask tourists what they want from this country and then DO IT. All these big shot bs so called mafia families that own these islands or think they do should be shot the thai way and move this country on to the 21st century.

[Gandtee]

“Today, I’ve sent all three Vice Governors to hotels to ask for cooperation to inform their guests about the rules.”

So, what are the rules?

On vice

[Larry001]

Unbelievable and mind staggering the intelligence levels of the people running this country. At least peanut sales will increase in order to feed these lawmakers and officials.

[LivinLOS]

Seems like there is some kind of Scam going on here, where the beach chair vendors are selling the tourists beach chairs from the back of a truck, or nearby shop, and telling them that now they own the chairs. They must carry their chairs accros the street themselves but can put them anywhere they want. When they are finished, the tourists can carry the cheairs back od sell them back to the vendor.

A new way to try to circumvent the new rules on beach chair vendors.

What kind of tourists own their own (rickety old wooden) beach chairs and will carry them ( or pay an overpriced TukTuk to transport them) to and from the beach?

This is just an out and out scam that is being waved in the face of the enforcement authorities.

Just completey ban the vendors. Any Thai seen with beach chairs within 20 meters of the beach should have them confiscated.

Same with Jet Skis. Nothing but trouble, no matter how you look at it.

Missing a point tho..

Theres nothing illegal about selling or even renting beach chairs.. As long as the sellers or renters are not occupying beach land to do so.. If they set up somewhere legal and rent chairs they are not breaking laws..

Of course you can point out that they are still doing so from public spaces, but then they can point to every beachside parking spot being occupied by vehicle renters and say "but what about them".. Who can point to every otherside parking spot occupied by tuktuks and say "but what about them"..

Etc etc..

[LivinLOS]

The solution is to make the beaches a single zone. A commerce free zone. Pepole can bring there own private umbrellas, mats chairs etc and set them up anywhere. Anyone that wants to rent mats, umbrellas, chairs etc can set up a legal business in a shop font on the esplanade founding the beach.

No jet skis, no banana boats or paraglider boats - no commerce on the beach period.

What's so hard about that.

Well then who pays the kickbacks ??

If a clear logical system was laid out with no law breaking that needed to be looked the other way from.. who will pay police salaries ??

I mean those german cars and mia nois dont pay for themselves..

[Whyamiandwhatamidoinghere]

We farang are always blamed for misunderstanding screaming Thai tourist police that speak Thainglish. "You! FARANG!! A-nee No good!!! PAI! PAI!! PAI!!!

[2fishin2]

There was only one reason that the operators of the beach chairs/umbrellas were there, they were in demand from tourists.

I have personally taken opportunity to use these facilities many times, though not at Phuket.

I don't know what the thrust of this new rule is, but sure as hell it won't improve tourism to the area.

You are sooooooo wrong. The only reason they were/are there is for them to make money and have you not heard about the corrupt government official involvement in the scam of renting out areas of the beach each year?

This is about selfish greed of business and has absolutely NOTHING to do with tourist wants!

[2fishin2]

There was only one reason that the operators of the beach chairs/umbrellas were there, they were in demand from tourists.

I have personally taken opportunity to use these facilities many times, though not at Phuket.

I don't know what the thrust of this new rule is, but sure as hell it won't improve tourism to the area.

You are sooooooo wrong. The only reason they were/are there is for them to make money and have you not heard about the corrupt government official involvement in the scam of renting out areas of the beach each year?

This is about selfish greed of business and has absolutely NOTHING to do with tourist wants!

[Khun Paul]

So lets get this right, as a tourist you cannot buy a beach bed for personal use and put it on the beach, umbrellas are ano no as well, ok, I am off to another country where the rules on beaches are quite sooooooo stupid. MY friend down south has just cut short his holiday and going to other SE Asian country . for some peace and NO harassment from the POLICE.

[Blindside]

Many valid points made here and in other places. I don't want to argue against any of them, but I am also very interested to know...

Who printed that sign for the man - the Thai part I mean...Also; in one of the videos posted on Facebook one of the Thai guys in and around the tourist interaction with the police is / was one of the major beach vendors around.

Reckon these guys are figuring out that town hall meetings have not worked to put pressure on the govt. so lets harness the ham-fisted dealing of it and the unhappiness around it to our benefit.....

Well played....

[Chao Lao Beach]

What is a summer dream ? I suprised they didn't write wet dream !!!!

[stevenl]

Many valid points made here and in other places. I don't want to argue against any of them, but I am also very interested to know...

Who printed that sign for the man - the Thai part I mean...Also; in one of the videos posted on Facebook one of the Thai guys in and around the tourist interaction with the police is / was one of the major beach vendors around.

Reckon these guys are figuring out that town hall meetings have not worked to put pressure on the govt. so lets harness the ham-fisted dealing of it and the unhappiness around it to our benefit.....

Well played....

I think the main problem is the local police or orbortor can not enforce it. No way a police officer will tell his brother in law, with whom he has a bar together, that he can't sell his chairs/drinks/icecreams etc.on the beach anymore. The only ones who could enforce it are outsiders, like the navy.

[xylophone]

Dont you also love the way that.. While emphaticly clarifying the permitted use of sunbeds on the beach..

"Tourists can bring mats, cloths or cushions [and place them] outside the 10 per cent zoning area where umbrellas are allowed"

He doesnt actually mention sunbeds.. Or what happens with an umbrellas and a bed..

Also.. We just had a piece posted on PW that cant be linked.. Quoting Kamala and Patong police officers that as of tomorrow chairs are banned..

You put your left leg in.. Your left leg out..

Quote LOS; "You put your left leg in.. Your left leg out.".

With all this madness and mayhem going on in Phuket at the moment, it's worth reflecting on the death of a very important person, which almost went unnoticed last week.

Larry LaPrise, the man who wrote "The Hokey Pokey", died peacefully at the age of 83.

The most traumatic part for his family was getting him into the coffin. They put his left leg in

……………and it all went downhill from there!!.

[Dogmatix]

I guess the cops are applying the same successful business model they use for the dope trade. Confiscate the illicit deck chairs and recycle them to vendors to re-sell to more suckers again and again.

I video of the irate Scandinavian tourists having their deck chairs confiscated is appalling. The police are insulting them but can't understand even the simple English the Scandinavians are using with them. So, rather than lose face by admitting they can't understand, they are just spouting meaningless inanities like, "You stay far from here" etc.

Brilliant strategy to damage tourism and take the bread from the mouths of ordinary Thais (and migrant workers) for years to come, just when the Thai economy is already on its knees. The cops don't care because they can always come up with new money making schemes and people to shake down.

[Dogmatix]

is it ok to walk along the beach with an umbrella or are there police waiting to arrest you if you walk into a Zone

what about a very large hat - is that allowed in the Zone

what happens if there's a huge downpour and you are in a Zone

Is the whole beach public land or not

This is why I go to places like this - 25km from Pattaya

Great suggestion but most tourists don't have their own transport.

[FangFerang]

I was perfectly sane before I read this article. Now, being Napoleon, I intend on invading Phuket because Phuket in Swahili means "Waterloo" and I want a second chance.

I look forward to my standard giraffe cavalry stomping these tin plated policemen into the sands.....

Join the French Foreign Legion, lads. Into the breech! Carpe diem!

Bonzai!

Edited February 17, 2015 by FangFerang

[Felt 35]

Asean around the corner and here they can not even manage how tourists shall sit on a beach

[wowfactor10]

The presence of chairs around a beach does not bother me.

What bothers me is the presence of jet skies and most of the tuk tuks standing besides the beach.

[Dogmatix]

In this video police are telling tourists who have been coming to Phuket for 20 years to go home, if they don't like the new policy. The tourists say they will and probably won't ever come back but will write letters to let everyone at home know what happens to tourists in Phuket these days.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=460653970752355

[Biloger]

It is time for intelegent tourists to abandon the Phuket bullshit and move on. Maybe to Sihanoukville, Cambodia???

In Sihanoukville the chairs are free if you order a drink or food. Nice chairs too.

[Biloger]

And I forgot...free Wi-Fi at every one of these places.

[smedly]

In this video police are telling tourists who have been coming to Phuket for 20 years to go home, if they don't like the new policy. The tourists say they will and probably won't ever come back but will write letters to let everyone at home know what happens to tourists in Phuket these days.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=460653970752355

first how do you know it is police they are talking too - I very much doubt it

Phuket beaches are quite large and even though the vendors had their plots it wasn't near as bad as places like Pattaya Jomtien and Koh Larn where the umbrellas chairs and tables occupy about 90% of the available space with about 20% of forced usage - the reason for this is simple - vendor (forced usage) if you want to use this beach you will pay me for chair table and umbrella and at a time in the not too distant past if you just wanted to use a towel on an empty space (which was/is very hard to find) you would have been harassed by the vendors and forced to leave or rent something

It is a simple solution to leave the beach free of vendors, tourists can occupy anywhere they like - bring their own equipment or rent it from somewhere off the beach - that is it - simple uncomplicated and easy for all to understand

The positive of this is that the Thais renting the equipment (from off beach) will have to up their game and provide decent loungers to attract customers the choice being given to the tourist where to sit and what equipment they use and what price rather than being told

what on earth is so difficult about this

[Biloger]

It is time for intelegent tourists to abandon the Phuket bullshit and move on. Maybe to Sihanoukville, Cambodia???

In Sihanoukville the chairs are free if you order a drink or food. Nice chairs too.

Before sunset every place is set up for dinner on the beach. What a cool place... enjoying the beach day and nite.

[LivinLOS]

It is time for intelegent tourists to abandon the Phuket bullshit and move on. Maybe to Sihanoukville, Cambodia???

In Sihanoukville the chairs are free if you order a drink or food. Nice chairs too.

Before sunset every place is set up for dinner on the beach. What a cool place... enjoying the beach day and nite.

Yeah Otres is a pretty sweet setup for beach loves.. Ochy a bit more messy with the khmer style food shacks but still has some charm..

No wonder they are on the up and up last few years.. If they could just get reliable power generation they could pick up a lot of these less adventurous tourist types.

[gigman]

What will be next in the rules ????

maybe age, race, how much suntan can you have ....good idea with timer ...maybe?

They are doing everything to collapse this industry..

[KarenBravo]

At the moment in Patong, both umbrellas and chairs.

Lots of businesses set-up where the beach meets the foot-path, but, they are still on the beach.

I think the police are getting tired of enforcing the law.

Let's face it. They're not used to enforcing the same law for more than two days at a time.....

[laocowboy2]

The Thais are spreading this real fast on Facebook. I've seen 3 different videos of tourist being told to remove their own personal chairs they have bought and carried from their hotel. This is going to hurt. It's spreading on social media like wildfire.

It is indeed. Friends from the UK who were planning to go to Phuket for Easter have heard about this and asked me whether they should go. I told them to thgink about somewhere else, perhaps Langkawi in Malaysia.

[Suffinator]

All this fuss over a few chairs and umbrellas but NO law enforcement on the illegal activities / scams of the Jet Skis - someone is contributing heavily to the pockets of the corrupt.

I've had six friends visit me this year; each of them intended to stop over in Phuket for a week but after I had a chat they flew straight into Malaysia.

With the videos getting a fair amount of attention on YouTube one can only assume this latest madness won't do tourism any favours. Right now the authorities should be bending over backwards to accommodate foreigners and yet the simple task of asking their opinions and taking them on-board is just beyond them and the face-saving values.

I for one will never set foot again in the Land of Scumbags.