Phuket Naiharn beach survey 'not done properly'

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Phuket Naiharn beach survey 'not done properly'
Nattha Thepbamrung


Two beachgoers sit on the wall at Naiharn Beach next to one of the boards detailing what is, and what is not allowed on the various zones of the beach.

PHUKET: -- Beach business operators from Naiharn have complained that a team of students from Prince of Songkhla University Phuket Campus (PSU) – given the task of conducting a survey of tourists’ views on the new beach regulations – have not done a proper job.

As a result, they said, any survey results will be far from accurate.

Their leader, Muttaleb Salee, 47, a Naiharn umbrella renter and a member of the provincial beach guard, monitoring the beach under the new beach management regulations, told The Phuket News yesterday (March 12) that a group of PSU student had gone to the beach the previous day.

“They came here around 2pm with a big stack of survey papers. They went on the beach and got just one or two comments from tourists and then, because it was very hot, they walked only in the shade of the pine trees, handing out survey forms to a few people sitting there,” said Mr Muttaleb.

“I don’t think they used all the forms they brought with them and the few comments they got were mostly from people sitting in the shade, who were not the real target [of the survey] – the target was the people sitting out in the sun.

“I don’t know what they did with the rest of the survey papers that were not filled out.”

He said he understood that the survey was important because the regulations are now in a trial period and the poll is to get tourists’ views. These will be part of the data by which the effectiveness of the regulations will be judged, and which will therefore affect the operators’ future.

Earlier in the day, a meeting chaired by Governor Nisit Jansomwong received updates of beach management progress in the three districts of Phuket.

“Today I want to see the progress each tambon or municipality has made,” the Governor said.

“So far, I have 50,000 printed flyers on the zoning and regulation to distribute to hotels and the airport.”

He said that the best-managed beach is Naiharn Beach, where signs detailing regulations and zoning, along with a tourist centre are all in place. In contract, progress on Karon Beach has been slow, and Kamala Beach still has many beach umbrella, chairs and tables for rent that are blocking the sand.

However, he added, “Progress is quite satisfactory as many beaches have put up signs and flags to comply with the zoning and regulationa. But the tourism centres that are still made from temporary tents and the signs made from vinyl must be replaced with permanent material soon.”

Patong Mayor, Chalermluck Kebsab presented a proposal to allow beach chairs on the sand and to ban fireworks.

Gov Nisit, however, said he could agree only with proposals that support the existing plan.

“I insist that beach chairs remain prohibited because business operators can use them to occupy areas of the beach. I will not change my mind.

“However, I agree with the idea of banning fireworks – sky lanterns too – from the beach.”

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-naiharn-beach-survey-not-done-properly-51377.php

-- Phuket News 2015-03-13

[steelepulse]

Don't know about the survey, but I do know that the chairs/mats/umbrella people are controlling about 50% of the beach, not 10%. Nor are they packing up their stuff and removing it from the beach on a nightly basis. They are blatantly breaking the law and I'm sure the local municipality knows this. Then there is of course the "transport" people setting up orange cones and blocking off the prime parking for themselves, glaring at anyone that even thinks about parking in "their spots".

[hansgruber]

I'm just tired of this ongoing topic of rules of the beach.

Thais would concrete the beach over if they had the chance.

[billrose]

Surely a more accurate survey would also have included the views of all the tourists who weren't on the beach, but would have been if they'd been able to rent a chair and an umbrella.

[Bignose]

To me the very fact that these people are complaining means that the measures are working, for years they have extorted, intimidated and manipulated a living from a docile and unaware foreign customer base while paying practically no tax whatsoever. Now there is an administration that will do something about it and they are carping, the very thought of actually working for a living is a disaster for them.

I for one will look forward to reading reports like this every day of the week, and twice on a Sunday