Phuket vendors want their beach back

[webfact]

Phuket vendors want their beach back
Tanyaluk Sakoot


Jakkarin Jareujit (left) and Head of the Patong Sunbed Club, Ampien Tientin (right).

PHUKET: -- A representative of the Patong Vendors Club is adamant that beach vendors should be allowed to make money for selling goods on the beach just as they use to.

The revelations came after the Department of Skill Development offered free training and accommdation to the vendors on Tuesday (February 17).

The Department of Skill Development met with a number of vendors who had come to listen to details of the training which included bartending, massage, cooking, food and beverage service, computer repairers, electricitian, air conditioning maintenance and sewing.

Some vendors redecided to take the paperwork to sign up for the training but appeared to be uninterested in actually signing up.

Head of the Patong Sunbed Club, Ampien Tientin, told The Phuket News, “We knew what they would offer but we want to return to the beach. We have been worked for 40 years on public spaces even though we knew about the law. But why did the municipality allow this before?”

Jakkarin Jareujit, a member of Patong Vendors Club, who is at the forefront of of leading the campaigners to return to the beach said, “We think the Department of Skill Development should join with us to deal with the sunbed issue. This has not been sloved yet.

“We want sunbeds back on the beaches.

“I have to wonder whether officials have listened to or know the comments from tourist.

“Some of them told me ʻThis is last time they will travel to Phuket̕, and this is because there is no chairs or sunbeds here,” he said.

Mr Ampien went on to say, “We have tired the three zones plan introduced by the Governor and local officials. But we were only allowed to work in a 10 per cent zone. It does not work because it is not enough for tourism.”

Mr Jakkarin added, “We have tried many times to figure it out. I hope they will understand that officials have taken chairs (sunbeds) out of tourism. It does not make sense.

“Some tourists cannot lay down because they are older or have come to recover from an operation. We want to reclaim the sunbed service.”

Mr Ampien claimed, “I guarantee that we are a real tourism service and we welcome tourist.”

The Department of Skill Development Officials camly offered the vendors the papers and politely advised the vendors that registration is open until April 2.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-vendors-want-their-beach-back-51062.php


-- Phuket News 2015-02-18

[LivinginKata]

'want their beach back' - I had no idea 'they' owned the beach.

'free training' - and work for someone else at most 300 baht/day and have to actually work for at least 8 hours a day. That's not so appealing after years of making big baht for sitting about doing not much other than collect money.

[DLock]

Terrific.

Tell you what.

You can get paid 300 baht per day as a salary to rent out the chairs at 100 baht per chair, and that money goes to a fund to clean and patrol the beach by professional people to make sure the beach is world standard, clean and safe...

Does that work for you?

[ColdSingha]

this "my beach" attitude is what got them kicked out in the first place

[Thian]

So what's the policy now, no beachbeds at all in Phuket? Everybody sits/lays on the sand?

Is it too hard to compromise and make everybody happy? Some want a beachbed and some don't.

Personally i would like to see lifeguards sitting in their watchtower all day (not sleeping), transport with a fixed price, vendors sitting at the entrance to the beaches and showing the prices (not hawking) , no more jetski's/parasailers, no agressive dirty dogs, bins, policemen patrolling (who can speak english) and Phuket will get popular.

[iReason]

"Their Beach"?

"We have been worked for 40 years on public spaces even though we knew about the law”

Good grounds for retroactive fines.

[hansgruber]

Patong sunbed club?

Hahaha. I love it.

[steelepulse]

Terrific.

Tell you what.

You can get paid 300 baht per day as a salary to rent out the chairs at 100 baht per chair, and that money goes to a fund to clean and patrol the beach by professional people to make sure the beach is world standard, clean and safe...

Does that work for you?

That's what needs to happen and indeed what happens most everywhere in the world to pay for such things as competent lifeguards, public facilities such as showers and bathrooms, trash bins every 50 metres, beach cleanings every morning etc.

However, the system here is to milk as much money as you can for doing as little as possible. The local gov't doesn't want to have to do paper work, prepare budgets, account for the money, hire competent staff, when it's far easier to just pocket the cash and let someone else deal with it.

[monkeycountry]

"We have been worked for 40 years on public spaces even though we knew about the law. But why did the municipality allow this before?”

Thainess in a nutshell. We have been breaking the law for 40 years, but since noone stopped us before, we should now have the right to continue breaking the law.

[monkeycountry]

“I have to wonder whether officials have listened to or know the comments from tourist. Some of them told me ʻThis is last time they will travel to Phuket̕, and this is because there is no chairs or sunbeds here,” he said.

I am sure this is true, but before, when the entire beach was covered with sunbeds, alot of tourists also said that they would not come back because they could barely see the beach for sunbeds, and even if they found a small patch of sand to lie on, the sunbed owners would literally kick them away (video on youtube).

My point is, the sunbed owners clearly did not care about the wishes of tourists before, they cared only about themselves. Fortunately the officials listened and cared about tourist complaints, and kicked out the sunbed owners.

Som Nam Na.

A compromise would of course be ideal for everyone, especially the tourists, but the greedy and selfish sunbed owners will never respect a compromise. If they are given a small part of the beach to rent out sunbeds, they will take over the whole beach the second the officials look the other way.

[Suffinator]

They've got a club for everything ... pity they don't use it on one another.

The real issue here is money and having to work for it. They are lazy by nature and don't want to consider working for someone else at 300 baht a day. Me, me, me that's the Thai way and you can't really blame them. Each day they look up to some other lazy bugger with loads of money and then off to the temple to ask 'why not me'.

Ultimately they'll do whatever is necessary to work as little as possible and get paid as much as possible. It's a sick society.

[Xonax]

Those greedy bastards should do their business on private land, which they actually pay to rent!! Oh no - That would seriously affect their profit!!

[steveyinasia]

Parasites that were finally removed, please keep them off the beaches.

[Johnnie99]

It really is BS, isn't it.

[Johnnie99]

So what's the policy now, no beachbeds at all in Phuket? Everybody sits/lays on the sand?

Is it too hard to compromise and make everybody happy? Some want a beachbed and some don't.

Personally i would like to see lifeguards sitting in their watchtower all day (not sleeping), transport with a fixed price, vendors sitting at the entrance to the beaches and showing the prices (not hawking) , no more jetski's/parasailers, no agressive dirty dogs, bins, policemen patrolling (who can speak english) and Phuket will get popular.

The only compromise Thais accept is one in which they take all and give nothing.

[RigPig]

Why did they stop the tourists from bringing their own, which they could borrow from their hotel or rent from somewhere, not on the beach? They would be removed from the beach every day (or you would loose your deposit !!). I thought the whole thing was about stopping the illegal businesses being run on the beaches, not necessarily to stop the chairs and umbrellas.

It seems they have already tried to compromise with these scum by introducing the 10% areas. I think because they were whining that people were taking their chairs and stuff and they weren´t making any money from it

Don´t the beaches actually belong to the King anyway, that´s why this way done in the first place wasn´t it?

You have drawn the line in the sand, don´t cross it !! They admit they knew they were breaking the law for 30 years, they knew they were paying bribes and that is why it was allowed by the municipality...

[Pinot]

The OrBoTors are really to blame. They've allowed the encroachment. The people charged with protecting the beach, were selling it off. Money went up stream from the beach. That's how you get clubs and discos out on the sand. Phuket was a cesspool. There have been some changes, but it's all so tentative, shaky.

If the Military ever gives up, throws in the towel because of all the bitching, there will be wall to wall sunbed beaches the next day, clubs, restaurants, discos, elephants, 7/11...all that shit back...overnight.

These guys stole the beach fair and square and want it back. The idiot tourist want their sunbeds.

That's where we're at. Help us Buddha.

Edited February 18, 2015 by Pinot

[Alwyn]

I don't get it. Sunbeds work in other countries, far nicer countries with far nicer beaches if the truth be told yet it can't be made to work in Thailand which everybody knows is the centre of the universe. It goes from one extreme to the other. As it stands at the moment in Phuket is that unless a tourist (or anybody I guess) wants to use the beach they have to go into a 10% restricted area. If a person chooses not to go into one of these areas the option is to go elsewhere and lay on a towel and risk skin cancer as parasols are only permitted in the 10% part. I just don't get it? Thailand is going through a rough enough period right now, tourism is way down prior to the coup's numbers and it seems the country is being led into some kind of weird self-destruction.

[NamKangMan]

So what's the policy now, no beachbeds at all in Phuket? Everybody sits/lays on the sand?

Is it too hard to compromise and make everybody happy? Some want a beachbed and some don't.

Personally i would like to see lifeguards sitting in their watchtower all day (not sleeping), transport with a fixed price, vendors sitting at the entrance to the beaches and showing the prices (not hawking) , no more jetski's/parasailers, no agressive dirty dogs, bins, policemen patrolling (who can speak english) and Phuket will get popular.

The only compromise Thais accept is one in which they take all and give nothing.

"The only compromise Thais accept is one in which they take all and give nothing." - which will be a great way to do business with their ASEAN neighbours in the future.

[NamKangMan]

The OrBoTors are really to blame. They've allowed the encroachment. The people charged with protecting the beach, were selling it off. Money went up stream from the beach. That's how you get clubs and discos out on the sand. Phuket was a cesspool. There have been some changes, but it's all so tentative, shaky.

If the Military ever gives up, throws in the towel because of all the bitching, there will wall to wall sunbed beaches the next day, clubs, restaurants, discos, elephants, 7/11...all that shit back...overnight.

These guys stole the beach fair and square and want it back. The idiot tourist want their sunbeds.

That's where we're at. Help us Buddha.

"There have been some changes" - what else has changed here, other than beach encroachment?

[NamKangMan]

So what's the policy now, no beachbeds at all in Phuket? Everybody sits/lays on the sand?

Is it too hard to compromise and make everybody happy? Some want a beachbed and some don't.

Personally i would like to see lifeguards sitting in their watchtower all day (not sleeping), transport with a fixed price, vendors sitting at the entrance to the beaches and showing the prices (not hawking) , no more jetski's/parasailers, no agressive dirty dogs, bins, policemen patrolling (who can speak english) and Phuket will get popular.

What you have described sounds like "a World Class Tourist Destination."

"and Phuket will get popular" - not with the western tourists.

Until the issues you have mentioned are addressed, and properly, I can't see them coming back here, in big numbers, anytime soon.

[razer]

It's not their beaches.

[Graemej100]

I actually have some sympathy for these people. (Note the underline). Yes, they have been doing it illegally for 40 years - but they were allowed to. 40 years is about three generations. Maybe more, but, whatever, its a bloody long time to have been able to get away with it and then to have your 'family business' have the rug pulled out from under.

It seemed to me, from the outset and in line with usual reaction from Thai authorites, that they over-reacted. Not in controlling the beaches but with the heavy hand with which they did so. There is no doubt that some, probably many, tourists would like beach beds etc. and don't, nessesarily, want to supply them themselves. I believe that there should be the ability to hire such equipment - at the beach. Maybe, and just thoughts here, there could be franchises controlled by the authorities, with a 'hirer' every 50 meters. Maybe these guys should be able to set-up, as before, but only being allowed a 25 meter length space and leaving 25 meters between each vendor. I don't know but I do know that a few families will be suffering from lack of income. That some of these vendors, no matter what you think of them, have invested some capitol in their business. That not all of them are 'tared with the same brush' and that compromise, really, has to be the answer in this.

We've seen the same 'over-reaction' in Pattaya and Jomtien where they have this strange ruling that every Wednesday the beaches are completely free from sun beds and vendors. The other six days are 'trading as usual'. That doesn't even seem logical. The same type of 'over-reaction' was critisized roundly on this forum when the drunk Thai cleaner raped and killed the young girl on a train. The reaction was to ban all alcohol, for anyone, on trains. It's these sort of heavy handedness that seems to polarize. It doesn't seem to be thought out, at all.

They're my thoughts today. Maybe tomorrow they might be different.

P.S. Where's the bloody 'spell check' on this site?

[Pinot]

Patong sunbed club?

Hahaha. I love it.

Yea, me too. There is a mountain of sunbeds rotting in the sun, somewhere. If anyone spots the graveyard, take a pic.

I walk the beach everyday and this has been a tremendous change. All of Phuket beach are so much better for it.

There are no sun beds allowed on the beach in the West. (Not exactly true, but few and far between.) This is a ballsy move by Thailand. The General made it happen.

He's got my vote. (yea...I know)

[phanangpete]

They just took over the beaches in all popular resort areas, set up camp illegally, knowing full well what they were doing and sat back and raked it in.

If they had of been better organised as a association registered and maybe paid some tax, cleaned the beach, controlled the dogs etc etc , maybe , just maybe, then again no, they don't deserve it ,thainess at it best , greed !

[eezergood]

Patong sunbed club?

Hahaha. I love it.

They are sheep and are unable to do anything alone, just watch staff in a canteen. They would rather go hungry than eat alone! Look at all these morons with devil driver club etc... In their cars- Kwai for sure

Im stating a farang only club

[watcharacters]

'want their beach back' - I had no idea 'they' owned the beach.

'free training' - and work for someone else at most 300 baht/day and have to actually work for at least 8 hours a day. That's not so appealing after years of making big baht for sitting about doing not much other than collect money.

I've seen a few beach vendors get surprisingly aggressive with a few tourists over the years.

I wonder what would happen if a tourist or expat simply brought his own sunbed and umbrella to the beach and set it up away from the sea of chairs the vendors have set up?

I'm not a fan of these vendors.

[Graham8888]

this "my beach" attitude is what got them kicked out in the first place

Isn't this " lesse majeste" ? The Phuket illegal sun bed " club" funny that the mafia in America also operate out of members clubs !!!!

[Graham8888]

I actually have some sympathy for these people. (Note the underline). Yes, they have been doing it illegally for 40 years - but they were allowed to. 40 years is about three generations. Maybe more, but, whatever, its a bloody long time to have been able to get away with it and then to have your 'family business' have the rug pulled out from under.

It seemed to me, from the outset and in line with usual reaction from Thai authorites, that they over-reacted. Not in controlling the beaches but with the heavy hand with which they did so. There is no doubt that some, probably many, tourists would like beach beds etc. and don't, nessesarily, want to supply them themselves. I believe that there should be the ability to hire such equipment - at the beach. Maybe, and just thoughts here, there could be franchises controlled by the authorities, with a 'hirer' every 50 meters. Maybe these guys should be able to set-up, as before, but only being allowed a 25 meter length space and leaving 25 meters between each vendor. I don't know but I do know that a few families will be suffering from lack of income. That some of these vendors, no matter what you think of them, have invested some capitol in their business. That not all of them are 'tared with the same brush' and that compromise, really, has to be the answer in this.

We've seen the same 'over-reaction' in Pattaya and Jomtien where they have this strange ruling that every Wednesday the beaches are completely free from sun beds and vendors. The other six days are 'trading as usual'. That doesn't even seem logical. The same type of 'over-reaction' was critisized roundly on this forum when the drunk Thai cleaner raped and killed the young girl on a train. The reaction was to ban all alcohol, for anyone, on trains. It's these sort of heavy handedness that seems to polarize. It doesn't seem to be thought out, at all.

They're my thoughts today. Maybe tomorrow they might be different.

P.S. Where's the bloody 'spell check' on this site?

So if you don't pay tax for 40 years it's ok ?!! " it's what I ve always done ? You seem to be forgetting the huge amounts of money they've been earning in the last 40 years.( illegally ) sympathetic ? Are you joking?

[steelepulse]

Corruption at it's finest. Local gov't gets paid to hand out concessions and walk away from responsibility, then when a local vendor that didn't pay the local gov't and isn't in the " beach chair union" tries to set up a shop and make easy money, he gets beat by the locals that paid the bribes..........And so it goes and so it goes. Same with the tuk tuks and the 129 "illegal drivers" that aren't in a "union". Corruption rearing it's Thainess.