Thai tourists blamed for messy behavior - not setting a good example to foreigners

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Thai tourists blamed for messy behavior - not setting a good example to foreigners

 

Image: Sanook

 

CHIANG MAI: -- Thai tourists have been blamed for not setting a good example at Doi Suthep temple in Chiang Mai.

 

The accusation comes after a video at the popular temple showed a young employee sweeping up a pile of shoes left all over the place.

 

The "dek wat" used a broom to clear a path and pile all the shoes into a heap, reported Sanook.

 

Poramet Ngamcheun, in charge of looking after the temple, said that the problem was cause by Thai tourists not following instructions, leaving their shoes in a mess and not setting a good example to other visitors.

 

Consequently, he said foreign tourists were just following suit.

 

But he did admit that there was not enough proper storage at the temple and that the kid in the vid had only just started work and was not fully trained yet.

 

He promised that the temple would ensure that a better system was in place and that the "dek wat" would get better training so that there would be no repetition of the shoe sweeping incident.

 

Source: Sanook

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2016-08-19

[55Jay]

Oh dear, a "shoe sweeping" incident.

 

When we get a load of family visitors up from BKK during holidays, they walk right out of their sandals up onto the patio.  I let them know to simply shift the shoes to the right or left a bit to leave a path.  It's like talking to a brick wall. 

 

By day 2, I just kick all the shoes out of way into a heap a few times a day. 

[Chicog]

So forget all the rubbish they throw around then, it's just them not putting their shoes away neatly that's the problem.

 

[nakhonandy]

Jomtien beach after the weekend Thais have gone home. A rubbish tip. 

[Oishii]

Being disabled with poor balance, I get extremely p*ssed off with people leaving their shoes right outside the entrance to anywhere you take your shoes off: temple, clinic, house, restaurant, etc, etc, etc.  I normally kick them out of the way to make a clear path for myself.  I've never had anyone complain.

[hocuspocus]

1 hour ago, Chicog said:

So forget all the rubbish they throw around then, it's just them not putting their shoes away neatly that's the problem.

 

Just an observation I have noticed that a lot of Thais are very messy (ok probably some tourists as well) and I think they believe that there is always someone of a lower class (in the multi level Thai society) to clean up after them.

[Borzandy]

" messy behaviour " Please, could you explain..... I see that everyday.

[ScotBkk]

Shoes

Great news is rare these days. Every glittering ounce of it should be cherished, hoarded, worshipped and fondled like a priceless diamond.

 

Jaw opening Scoop 

 

 

Edited August 19, 2016 by ScotBkk

[sandrabbit]

6 minutes ago, hocuspocus said:

Just an observation I have noticed that a lot of Thais are very messy (ok probably some tourists as well) and I think they believe that there is always someone of a lower class (in the multi level Thai society) to clean up after them.

My wife and her brother will sit outside in the garden and remove the seal from a water bottle and throw it on the ground, it just comes natural to them. The local beach looks like a disaster zone after a holiday although the council has provided rubbish bins all the way up the beach and collect the rubbish regularly.

[dictater]

The most understated story of all times. I have yet to see in 15 years foreigners wantonly throwing garbage into rivers and lakes. Rubbish on forest paths in the national parks. Food litter wherever they stop and snack, which is everywhere. I have never seen foreigners in Thailand throw bags of trash out the windows of cars and trains or discard thier 7/ll fat gulp over their shoulder as they ride a motorbike. All of this is normal common behavior among Thai people.  I live in the once beautiful Kanchanaburi river valley which now as one of the #1 weekend destinations for Bankokians is being covered in trash by the selfish, absurdly dressed, afraid of everything white skinned dossier who pack the province every Saturday and Sunday. The locals are no better for litter but they don't go to the nature spots to spread their refuse.  

[ALLSEEINGEYE]

I do love living here but honestly Thais are PIGS!!!

They take no pride in their countries cleanliness yet get so offended when others talk about it.

And get so excited when a farang goes and cleans up some beaches, which tends to get front page news attention.

If you threw some litter on the ground in Canada you would have everyone around you yelling at you to clean it up, everyone from schoolchildren to old people. 

It's about instilling a culture of cleanliness and pride in the citizens.

Would be nice to see that here. That is something that would REALLY help tourism. Forget Pokeman GO

[sandrabbit]

2 minutes ago, dictater said:

The most understated story of all times. I have yet to see in 15 years foreigners wantonly throwing garbage into rivers and lakes. Rubbish on forest paths in the national parks. Food litter wherever they stop and snack, which is everywhere. I have never seen foreigners in Thailand throw bags of trash out the windows of cars and trains or discard thier 7/ll fat gulp over their shoulder as they ride a motorbike. All of this is normal common behavior among Thai people.  I live in the once beautiful Kanchanaburi river valley which now as one of the #1 weekend destinations for Bankokians is being covered in trash by the selfish, absurdly dressed, afraid of everything white skinned dossier who pack the province every Saturday and Sunday. The locals are no better for litter but they don't go to the nature spots to spread their refuse.  

We live about 800m from the beach and the last 400m is an empty field on the side and it is strewn with rubbish from both locals & tourists throwing it away as they drive past. I will stand up and say I see the same behaviour when I go back to the UK and the young drinking crowd being unable to walk 2m to put their fast food packaging in a bin in the high street.

[Dukeleto]

There are so many people these days who seem completely oblivious to anything other than themselves. I don't know if it is stupidity, ignorance, cultural or just care-less attitudes, but it was not they way I grew up where you were taught consideration and politeness towards others. This seems to be futile these days as it is just a one way street, but I just can't do what they do.

Edited August 19, 2016 by Dukeleto

[bluebluewater]

I  just kick them as far down the walkway as I can.  The next time they might not do it.  The time after that they will return to what they had been doing and probably think it's funny as well.

[Bcgardener]

37 minutes ago, nakhonandy said:

Jomtien beach after the weekend Thais have gone home. A rubbish tip. 

As are all the beaches around Ban Chang, an absolute disgusting mess of plastic and food scraps everywhere.

[Patje55]

And you complain about shoes ???? 

Have a look at this, beautiful Hua Hin 

[NextStationBangkok]

33 minutes ago, sandrabbit said:

My wife and her brother will sit outside in the garden and remove the seal from a water bottle and throw it on the ground, it just comes natural to them. The local beach looks like a disaster zone after a holiday although the council has provided rubbish bins all the way up the beach and collect the rubbish regularly.

 

 My two cents. Count the cigarette butts on the popular tourist beaches, you can count an average 7-10 per sq. meter of sand. Whom to blame Thai's or Farangs ?  There is voice blaming too many 7-11's....

[Bung]

Just charge people to leave their shoes somewhere.  Wat Doi Suthep is just a money making machine anyway. 

[elgordo38]

38 minutes ago, Dukeleto said:

There are so many people these days who seem completely oblivious to anything other than themselves. I don't know if it is stupidity, ignorance, cultural or just care-less attitudes, but it was not they way I grew up where you were taught consideration and politeness towards others. This seems to be futile these days as it is just a one way street, but I just can't do what they do.

Please quit about the old days. Your taking me out my delusional state of mind I am in in the here and now and making me long for the good old days. How dare you. You have just gone and stirred up memories of happier times without computers, self driving cars and robots. Will someone please hurry and invent a time machine.

 

Signed Nostalgia 

[douglasspade]

I have to enter in dispute:

 

It is about your upbringing. I am African. And although I was brought up in a 3rd world country, European standards was the standard. Africa is dirty because this idealism has not fully taken hold there yet. They (We) are moving in the right direction, but the standard will only really be functional in future generations. Same with Thailand, foreigners come from countries who has had those ideals installed for decades. Do not expect Thai people to overnight change their way, it is up to us foreigners to install those ideals into them, and not just to turn face and shake head.

[dageurreotype]

58 minutes ago, dictater said:

The most understated story of all times. I have yet to see in 15 years foreigners wantonly throwing garbage into rivers and lakes. Rubbish on forest paths in the national parks. Food litter wherever they stop and snack, which is everywhere. I have never seen foreigners in Thailand throw bags of trash out the windows of cars and trains or discard thier 7/ll fat gulp over their shoulder as they ride a motorbike. All of this is normal common behavior among Thai people.  I live in the once beautiful Kanchanaburi river valley which now as one of the #1 weekend destinations for Bankokians is being covered in trash by the selfish, absurdly dressed, afraid of everything white skinned dossier who pack the province every Saturday and Sunday. The locals are no better for litter but they don't go to the nature spots to spread their refuse.  

 

I watched an episode of the US set Mad Men where a family, having just finished a picnic, simply shook all the trash off of the blanket and piled into their car. This was obviously a statement on behalf of the producers that people had to be educated to take care of their environment back then. I remember the government 'crying Indian' ads. That's all it takes, some will on behalf of the authorities to get people to dispose of their trash properly. And for sure some bloody trash bins in parks and on beaches would go a long way towards a cleaner environment. The old 'well the ones that were there were taken away for fear of bombs being planted' didn't work out so well, did it. 

Edited August 19, 2016 by dageurreotype

[phycokiller]

Thais never do that sort of thing according to an angry bottle wielding ladyboy who saw a farang drop a peanut shell on the ground. her female companians backed her up but I think maybe they were scared of the bottle themselves

[Bantex]

1 hour ago, ALLSEEINGEYE said:

 

If you threw some litter on the ground in Canada you would have everyone around you yelling at you to clean it up, everyone from schoolchildren to old people. 

 

Back home people get an £80 fine for littering.

I keep a plastic bag in the car for our litter and place it in a bin at the end of the journey. Still have problems with some of her family who think it's OK to drop their rubbish on the floor inside my house even though the bin is two feet away.

[waldroj]

If they're so worried about this (shoes) then they should just get a bigger carpet!

 

[manfredtillmann]

it is a matter of education. and time!

usa, oz and europe were just as bad as thais are today in the 50' and 60'. lead by example and things will improve.

have you noticed the change in shopping bag provisions? how lotus now offers cardboard boxes? it will get there, one day.

 

[Pepper1959]

Go to a major temple in India and there is always a guy who is responsible for the shoes. You will pay him say, in Thai, a baht and he maintains the shoes in order, and of course stops them being stolen. The great thing about these guys is that with the huge population he never forgets the person and which shoes go together, a fantastic skill. 

[spidermike007]

The temple is at fault, for not offering any kind of solution to the shoe mess. And the people are at fault, for just putting their shoes anywhere. People are always putting shoes right in front of my door. What is up with that? I always just brush them to the side. Silly, ignorant, selfish behavior, that betrays an extraordinary lack of awareness of the world around them. 

 

As far as the wat den goes, he was the only one who did the right thing here. He deserves an award. Just sweep the crap aside!

Edited August 19, 2016 by spidermike007

[SOTIRIOS]

...duhh...

[Stoker58]

When I find a pile of shoes in front of the door I take great pleasure in sweeping them aside with my foot. A more irritating habit is when I try to get out the gate and find it blocked by motorbikes because the only place worth parking is right tight up against the entrance.

[Bangkok Barry]

19 minutes ago, manfredtillmann said:

it is a matter of education. and time!

usa, oz and europe were just as bad as thais are today in the 50' and 60'. lead by example and things will improve.

have you noticed the change in shopping bag provisions? how lotus now offers cardboard boxes? it will get there, one day.

 

 

Nothing to do with education, but everything to do with being unselfish, respectful of others, having pride in yourself and your environment and a sense of responsibility. All sadly lacking in Thailand. Look in many homes or especially their garden or yards, and you'll invariably find the place a mess even in places owned by apparently educated people. They simply have different standards.