Environmentalist praises tourist's arrest
Kongleaphy Keam

PHUKET: -- A marine expert and environmentalist is calling for help in keeping tourists from taking coral and other marine life out of the country.

Thon Thamrongnawasawat, a member of the National Reform Council (NRC, a marine expert and activist, expressed his concerns on social media after receiving a large number of reports by airport staff that tourists were taking coral and marine life out of the country.

“Please help us preserve our reefs,” Dr Thon said in a Facebook post. “If you find people doing this, please arrest them. If the airport staffers find [marine life], stop them and report them to the fishery office for legal processing. There will be no coral left for our next generation if they keep doing this.”

Full Story: http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket-news/Environmentalist-praises-tourists-arrest/63961?desktopversion

-- Phuket Gazette 2016-05-27

..sorry..i misread it as a tourist arrested someone...keep up the good work preserving the reefs...don't forget to protect your children too!

Perhaps arrest the shop keepers and stop the shops from selling the stuff which is where99.5% of people get it from in the first place.

Hum. Don't take dead coral or dead seashells that washed up on the beach? Why should the tourists bother coming? They are blamed for everything. Feeding the fish, taking dead coral and shells. I'm sure their Thai tour operators and "guides" told them they shouldn't collect shells or feed the fish... Right? The Thais are such great environmental stewards of Phuket, they actually blame the tourists whose money they milk/need to survive for what's happened to Phuket? Unbelievable!

I have seen the same prohibitions regarding sea shells and the like in other countries notably Saudi and it doesn't affect their tourist industry. Hold on they don't have a tourist industry, silly me.

If Thailand is genuinely concerned about the environment then they need to educate people not to drop litter everywhere, stop the dumping of rubbish (all varieties) into the sea and generally keep the country clean but we all know that is not going to happen.

Based on what has been said it a Thai drops litter will they be arrested or will it be ignored as is usually the case? Most tourists tend to look for places to put their litter, locals from what I have seen just drop it. Yes take strong action, it is commendable but take the action for everyone not just tourists.

White coral is dead and no amount of CPR will revive it. In the sea look but don't touch is the rule but coral that is found on the beach cannot be included as it is already dead.

littering by the stall owners by the beach and tourist causes more harm than picking up lifeless seashells

Authority's barking up the wrong tree

The situation of bleaching and death of the worlds reefs are the canary in the coalmine for our planet.

Acid and warming of the oceans -- from burning coal & oil has stooped coral from expanding altogether. Any more warming in the ocean and plankton may die which means no more oxygen will be produced for us and other animals to breath!

Thailand doesent appear to promote renewables (hardly any solar or wind evident here) or even try to prevent the millions of tons of plastic and rubbish dumped into the oceans around it. Smoke bellowing vehicles evident everywhere!

The amount and way it is packaged does not look like a tourist taking a few souvenirs home that he picked up on the beach. It looks like a professional collector taking a commercial quantity for sale. Coral and coral carvings are a lucrative business in countries like China. I think the article should have called him a coral trafficker or trader rather than a tourist.

If Thailand wants to have a sustainable coral harvest then it first needs to have good laws, a licensing system and strong enforcement. As we all know Thailand is not good at any of these conditions.

Without appropriate laws then there is a major and real threat to Thailand's reefs by unmanaged "mining". Prohibiting the amateur collector is just as important in establishing the principle as a commercial operator.

Perhaps they could start at JJ Market where there is an abundance of coral for sale in the face of authorities (as well as other illegal goods).

It is Thai's selling it, so if that is illegal put a stop to it. Tourists have to buy it for the most part. Most divers I know are reasonably responsible so I doubt that is a major cause.

If it's illegal put up signs at the airport and confiscate any found, but unless you stop the people selling it it's not going to stop.

Typical Thai response to everything, blame some foreigners.

I have seen the same prohibitions regarding sea shells and the like in other countries notably Saudi and it doesn't affect their tourist industry. Hold on they don't have a tourist industry, silly me.

If Thailand is genuinely concerned about the environment then they need to educate people not to drop litter everywhere, stop the dumping of rubbish (all varieties) into the sea and generally keep the country clean but we all know that is not going to happen.

Based on what has been said it a Thai drops litter will they be arrested or will it be ignored as is usually the case? Most tourists tend to look for places to put their litter, locals from what I have seen just drop it. Yes take strong action, it is commendable but take the action for everyone not just tourists.

White coral is dead and no amount of CPR will revive it. In the sea look but don't touch is the rule but coral that is found on the beach cannot be included as it is already dead.

There is no way to prove it was found on the beach or taken from the reef. You either ban it's sale and transportation or not. Never going to happen in Thailand, most Thai's I have met neither understand nor care about the environment in general. From my experience the higher you go (in society) the worse the ignorance, so little hope of any sensible decision making being done.