Phuket: No chairs. No eating. No smoking. 'Chairgate' becomes a fiasco (video)

[outboard]

Thai people do not like foreigners....you can see it everyday...on the news...in the streets....at work....they put up with foreigners to make money, but deep down, they do not like foreigners and would prefer that we all just be quiet and let them cheat us out of money as they wish. i'm sorry to say it...but so far, Thai people have not been so great to me. maybe your experience is better than mine...i hope so.

I have found Thai people to be among the friendliest and happiest in the world.

[chrisinth]

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These older European couples are not interested in go-go bars, lady boys or temples or any of the other things Thailand has to offer and most don't really like spicy Thai food much either. They just want to lie on the beach all day and be comfortable without harassment by uneducated police, mafia or other examples of Thainess.

These are the easiest tourists to please but also the easiest for competitors to please too. Soon they will be lying on beaches in Vietnam, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, the Caribbean etc during the European winter and will never return to Phuket.

You actually have a good point there, in that the main focus of the holiday for many is mellowing on the beach and getting a suntan to parade with back in their home countries. The video displayed a spectrum of mind like people IMHO.

There are amazing beaches all over SEA. Just wait until Myanmar opens their doors to tourism; it may not be as long as you think. Incredible coastline, and starting from the basics just as Thailand once did on the tourist side.....................

Something as simple as chairs on a beach, or lack of them, taking precedent over the multitude of other problems and serious crime?

Carry on.

[outboard]

No smoking on the beach? Great news for me. Anyone who has ever stepped on a burning cigarette when walking on the beach knows what I mean. It HURTS!

Except for a scant few, the vast majority of smokers have proven themselves unable to smoke and deal with their trash (butts) in a responsible manner. Thus they have to be managed like impolite selfish children.

more likely you burnt your foot on a hot coal from a fire the night before

the nature of a burning cigarette is such that stepping on one in sand is more likely to extinguish it then burn you, the sand will draw the heat away from your foot as silica is a far better conductor of heat then skin

and I always dispose of my cigarette butts in a responsible manner, I slip them in to the pockets and bags of idiots going on about how bad smoking is for non-smokers using illogical arguments to support their claims.

[robblok]

Is this 10 % area so small why cant those that want a chair go there ?

[Johnny S]

Good idea Mr. Governor.

No chairs No food No smoking ...... and No breathing

No swimming soon

better Health not swimming in Patong Waters ...

[Shurup]

No smoking on the beach? Great news for me. Anyone who has ever stepped on a burning cigarette when walking on the beach knows what I mean. It HURTS!

Except for a scant few, the vast majority of smokers have proven themselves unable to smoke and deal with their trash (butts) in a responsible manner. Thus they have to be managed like impolite selfish children.

more likely you burnt your foot on a hot coal from a fire the night before

the nature of a burning cigarette is such that stepping on one in sand is more likely to extinguish it then burn you, the sand will draw the heat away from your foot as silica is a far better conductor of heat then skin

and I always dispose of my cigarette butts in a responsible manner, I slip them in to the pockets and bags of idiots going on about how bad smoking is for non-smokers using illogical arguments to support their claims.

What a nonsense reply! Why don't you try to step barefoot on your freshly finished cigi and tell us how it feels?

Not to mention it's called littering and it's disgusting to see piles of butts everywhere.

[ROGER DUNN]

All I can say is they deserve what they get, [ or will be getting ] no tourists.

It is a ridiculous situation from a ridiculous Government.

Will be seeing you Cambodia or Laos.

[Oziex1]

I've been reading TV for some time now, the prediction of the end of Thai tourism is always on the agenda, but still they come.

The mismanagement and the scams have been around a long time, but still they come.

The Armies in town, but still they come.

Numbers may be down, but still they come.

[wabothai]

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F.. the chairs. they clutter the beach and ruin the beauty of the beach.

When i go to a beach i want to see the fricken beach not a field of chairs and umbrellas.

This is the best this to happen to phuket.

People, especially the older ones, would like to sit on a chair on the beach. It is too hot in the sun so they need an umbrella. And may be a few drinks.

Chairs and umbrellas can be regulated.

If you like a beach to your liking go look for them elsewhere, plenty of them.

Phuket is for tourists whether you like it or not.

[robanywhere]

I've been to beautiful beaches all over the world ... Hawaii, southern California, Philippines, Mexico, Florida, Greek isles, Southern Turkey, Portugal, South Africa, Nigeria, etc etc. None of them have plastic lounge chairs cluttering their beaches and the tourists do just fine. Natural beauty is why I go to the beach. Want to sit and watch the water then stay at the pool.

[elpilotofrances]

If every smoking people can take their cigarettes buts back in garbage. If every people eating on the beach can take their garbage back in bin. Beach will be lovely....

[Mudcrab]

What a BS video from an idiot presenter

Anyone can hire a chair

All they have done is stop the vendors from taking over the beach with their chairs and forcing tourists to rent them.

Rent one from off the beach and place it where you want, easy

If you are staying there for a month and can't afford to buy a folding chair you shouldn't be visiting Thailand

What is the BS part? You clearly have not been keeping up with the news have you? The governor of Phuket has outlawed chairs and sunbeds except for the 10% part of the beach. A couple of days ago the police were enforcing these bye-laws and ejecting people who had brought their own sun chairs from the beach. It was all on video for everybody to see. A policeman telling tourists if the don't like it go home and complain from there. This is the law now (at least it was 2 days ago):

1. Sunbeds and parasols ONLY in the 10% area.

2. Towels are allowed on other parts of the beach but parasols are not, they can only be used in the 10% part of the beach

3. No food (except packed snacks such as crisps)

4. No smoking

This is how it is Gunna. It's a problem for a few reasons.

1. A lot of older people cannot get down or back up from the floor easily (or at all in some cases)

2. Laying on a towel is okay for some but no parasol means no shade. What are constantly being told these days about skin cancer being the fastest growing of all cancers?

I hope that clears it up for you?

I couldn't be bothered to read all the replies (I usually do!!) to the Op so my comment may have already been posted in a similar vein by some one else:

Stay off the beach AND out of the sun generally, if you are infirm or worried about skin cancer - It's not a hard decision!!

I hope that clears that up for you.

FWIW I'm a melanoma survivor -ten years so far this year and counting every single day..

[useronthenet]

Do you really think that the authorities really listen to tourists or expat papers/websites ?

Do you think they really care ?

I think we all know the answer that one !

[useronthenet]

I've been reading TV for some time now, the prediction of the end of Thai tourism is always on the agenda, but still they come.

The mismanagement and the scams have been around a long time, but still they come.

The Armies in town, but still they come.

Numbers may be down, but still they come.

This is true. It's a bumper year with tourists, and next year will be the same if not more.

[outboard]

No smoking on the beach? Great news for me. Anyone who has ever stepped on a burning cigarette when walking on the beach knows what I mean. It HURTS!

Except for a scant few, the vast majority of smokers have proven themselves unable to smoke and deal with their trash (butts) in a responsible manner. Thus they have to be managed like impolite selfish children.

more likely you burnt your foot on a hot coal from a fire the night before

the nature of a burning cigarette is such that stepping on one in sand is more likely to extinguish it then burn you, the sand will draw the heat away from your foot as silica is a far better conductor of heat then skin

and I always dispose of my cigarette butts in a responsible manner, I slip them in to the pockets and bags of idiots going on about how bad smoking is for non-smokers using illogical arguments to support their claims.

What a nonsense reply! Why don't you try to step barefoot on your freshly finished cigi and tell us how it feels?

Not to mention it's called littering and it's disgusting to see piles of butts everywhere.

i have several times stepped on a cig butt and can tell you not only from a scientific point of view but also from a practical test point of view that it is barely noticable

[LivinginKata]

4 off topic posts have been removed.

[LivinLOS]

Hearing jungle drums theres big news brewing in Surin..

Meeting later today..

[LivinLOS]

Now printed in PW.. Notices given yesterday to Surin bars and businesses over the road.. 30 days to demolish.. Meeting later today.

Includes Catch, Bimi, Zazada. Bpla, Taste, everything..

I am sure the rubble will be very appealing for tourists to cross before they sit on the bar sand while not eating food or using an umbrella.

[LivinLOS]

Good luck defining when a light snack becomes food or vice versa..

[DrTuner]

I'll be giving Phuket a complete pass then. For me going to the beach means sitting down on a chair next to a table under an umbrella and eating food bought from the vendors. I'm too old to sit on the sand trying to scorch myself while sipping boiling water from a plastic bottle.

I will also forward this to my friends who are contemplating a trip to Thailand. I suppose most will give Phuket a pass as well.

[steelepulse]

Had a nice BBQ on the beach yesterday and even carried it right in front of the Bib's, who didn't say a word. I really don't think there will be much enforcement of these so called rules.

[fforest1]

All you clean beach loving eco tourist are free to walk on hundreds of miles of beaches with nothing on them.

Us regular tourist dont need you...

We in the vast majority are on vacation and we plan to enjoy our vacation with sunbeds umbrellas massages

with food and drinks served to us on the beach..

Its the regular tourist like us who put Phuket on the tourist map...

This madness will not last..

People will not fly to Phuket from all over the world to be treated like dirt...

[NamKangMan]

Please, somebody post the dress code for the beach. Judging from the video, they should do something more sane and pass a dress code law for the beach and stop this chair nonsense.

Silly Thailand. Phuket is in its deathnell now. A few more years it will be a lazy fishing town. Good riddance.

Don't worry Thailand will survive, with or without you. Tourism only contribute 10% of GDP in Thailand. .

The tourism industry could change with more Asian tourists coming and less EU and US tourists. Thais don't care as long as they survive.

"Tourism only contribute 10% of GDP in Thailand." - ONLY 10%?

How about you tell us the percent of employment the tourism industry creates for Thai's.

[madmitch]

No beds, according to the sign, but nothing about chairs.

Water and light snacks? So no beer? No Coke or Sprite?

I went to Kata Noi Beach yesterday and there was one sunbed on the beach and of course it belonged to the jet-ski rental guys! Four jet skis were in use most of the time I was there, including one with a Chinese couple who kept bringing it close to shore near through the swimmers, albeit at a slow speed but still very annoying. Don't you just love the noise of an engine and the waft of diesel fumes when you'r having a relaxing float in the sea-lice infested waters!

[Larsarus]

I wonder how the corrupt politicians, officials and police will be able to retrieve their money if tourists are gone.

[Sonhia]

In my opinion, a good move, re, no sunbeds, eating, smoking.

Are individuals that lazy. Can people not walk to an area where they can eat plus smoke!?

Are sun beds such a big deal?

I recall when I lived in Patong, and what a mess the foreshore was back then. Litter, sunbeds the lot. It looked like a bad dream in Blackpool!

What do tourists want? A clean safe environment or to lay in crap!

[jocko]

"The Game of Musical Chairs" - and when the music stops, there will be no tourists left to even worry about finding a chair to sit on.

I used to love Phuket before the hoardes of tourists came and messed it up. Maybe I will start going there again

So when you're visiting Phuket do you not consider yourself a tourist? Not one of the very same who messed it up? Tourism doesn't apply to you as you see yourself as something different? People like you make me laugh "we don't like going on holiday there, too many tourists" as if they're not tourists themselves... and I heard this once - which is perfect for you. "we stopped going on holiday there, it's been spoiled by tourism"

Reminds me of a conversation I overheard between 2 women in Manchester one of them had just come back from her Spanish holiday and she was complaining to her friend that there were to many foreigners there.

This was back in the 70s

[jocko]

No smoking on the beach? Great news for me. Anyone who has ever stepped on a burning cigarette when walking on the beach knows what I mean. It HURTS!

Except for a scant few, the vast majority of smokers have proven themselves unable to smoke and deal with their trash (butts) in a responsible manner. Thus they have to be managed like impolite selfish children.

more likely you burnt your foot on a hot coal from a fire the night before

the nature of a burning cigarette is such that stepping on one in sand is more likely to extinguish it then burn you, the sand will draw the heat away from your foot as silica is a far better conductor of heat then skin

and I always dispose of my cigarette butts in a responsible manner, I slip them in to the pockets and bags of idiots going on about how bad smoking is for non-smokers using illogical arguments to support their claims.

Aussie's can stand on a hot cig butt with no effect to there skin toughest feet in the world.

[Oziex1]

All you clean beach loving eco tourist are free to walk on hundreds of miles of beaches with nothing on them.

Us regular tourist dont need you...

We in the vast majority are on vacation and we plan to enjoy our vacation with sunbeds umbrellas massages

with food and drinks served to us on the beach..

Its the regular tourist like us who put Phuket on the tourist map...

This madness will not last..

People will not fly to Phuket from all over the world to be treated like dirt...

Did any tourists ask for this?

Why attack those who would like a clean beach, it's about the arrogance and rudeness of the former vendors and their criminal keepers and officials gaining from them.

Sense and balance on this issue is possible, however unlikely in Thailand and the poor management is alienating regular tourists like yourself and the potential to attract the clean beach eco set.

[laolover88]

Charabanc of nice Lao/Issan people arrive in Patong. They rush fully clothed into the sea. After a while, having failed to dig up any molluscs for tea, they all clamber back on the bus and sit saltily for 24 hours back to Ubon. Why cannot foreigners do the same?