Thais angry after Asian tourists seen posing with protected marine life - but the penalty can only be a fine

[webfact]

Thais angry after Asian tourists seen posing with protected marine life - but the penalty can only be a fine

 

Image: Thairath

 

KOH CHANG: -- Tourism officials national park officials are seeking action after two Asian tourist posed with protected marine species on a Facebook page.

 

The tourists - out on a dive boat tour from Koh Chang - were breaking the law in bringing a large "tiger hand" clam to the surface and posing for holiday snaps with urchins retrieved from the sea bed, reported Thairath.

 

They believe that the pictures were taken in the Koh Rang area off the southern coast of the holiday island.

 

But the officials noted  that even if the tourists are apprehended they can only be fined for their behavior.

 

Boat operators who allow such activity could have their licenses removed but intent would have to be proven in that case.

 

The clams are a protected species under Thai law. Furious tourism officials who saw the pictures on Facebook notified their counterparts at the Koh Chang national park office as well as other agencies to find the tourists and seek action over the matter.

 

Source: Thairath

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2016-08-24

[clockman]

More hypocrisy!

[Clamhua]

Thais seem to get angry over anything and everything these days...if the marine life is protected than why let tourists go there in the first place, rules are going to be broken

[Sphere]

Are the netizens upset again?

[daveAustin]

Get angry against your own citizens first when they exploit elephants and kill tigers etc etc etc.

[Dustdevil]

Are all the warm smiles and sparkling eyes of the young Thai beauties (I mean the legit ones I encounter, pharmacists, info booth girls, nurses) fake, hiding nothing but cold resentment and mean spirit? Sort of like the plastic veneer of required courtesy in Japan?

Edited August 24, 2016 by Dustdevil

[williamgeorgeallen]

should be more worried about loosing their freedom. at least they didnt loose that to naughty foreigners.

[SOTIRIOS]

.....sick....rampant.....racism......

 

....the tour operators take them there......yet you want to blame and charge the hapless foreigners....

[SOTIRIOS]

.....'we' can do no right....except relieve ourselves of all our money.......

 

...and 'they' can do no wrong.......

 

...this is insane and out of control.....

 

 

[little mary sunshine]

 I  Am so angry...tourist mess with

my dinner!!

[manhood]

Went for diving and snorkling to Koh Chang couple of times. And what we experianced was: hundreds of tourists (mostly asian and sure thais) are snorkling and stepping on the last excisting corals and nobody is looking after that.

Tour boats crew are diving and bringing up for us shells and animals that should remain where they are and we told them to get them imediatly back to the water as this is the ruin of the wildlife!

So far in the next years there wont be any corals around Koh Chang: what kind of protecting of the NP is that?

 

Not blame the foreigners: blame the thais working in the tourism industry all over the country: and yes  - fine them with hundred thousands of bath!!!!!! So thais only learn a lesson if you grap into their pocket and take money out of it!

[sweatalot]

what's wrong about showing some "marine life" while in the sea and let it go after having a photo?

[bark]

Tour operator is taking the picture.

[pogal]

Funny that! Police and army officers caught in Human Trafficking and moved to another or inactive posts......

and they want jail time for taking a selfie with a giant clam!? What a F*#ked up attitude! 

[oldlakey]

1 hour ago, williamgeorgeallen said:

should be more worried about loosing their freedom. at least they didnt loose that to naughty foreigners.

Correct that has been taken by their own

[innocenthai]

Are Thai more and more angry or it is just an idea of the journashit writing this ?

[KKr]

3 hours ago, sweatalot said:

what's wrong about showing some "marine life" while in the sea and let it go after having a photo?

The issue is usually that tourists displace the shell or other species from the protected area where it has grown for years, to a less protected area where the "marine life" then gets eaten or dies.
As for Coral, that takes decades to grow. So once it is broken off it is gone for the near future and as it is dead, it does not keep its color once outside of the Sea.

If someone catches a fish on a line, responsibly removes the hook and puts it back in the water there is usually no damage.

 

Why not simply take a Selfie under water with the "marine life" in its own habitat, much more fun in my experience.

[impulse]

On the plus side, the online reaction proves that there is recognition among at least some of the locals that natural resources are a valuable commodity, worthy of protection- and not just to be destroyed, sold or eaten.

 

The more viral it gets, the more Thai people get the message.

 

It's a start.

Edited August 24, 2016 by impulse

[jak2002003]

That clam looks really angry and stressed out... poor clam.

 

Seriously, the government needs to make real marine protected zones where no boats or people are allowed in.... so that the sea life has a chance to recover.  All I have seen when diving in the shallow water is damaged coral, dead coral, ripped up coral by boats, rubbish and plastic bags floating about, and a decaying reef with less and less species. 

[natway09]

I am surprised that there are any left!!!

[RandolphGB]

They're wearing life jackets. No way they could they dive down to the sea bed and pull out a large clam. Somebody *cough* who knows what they're doing has done it for them. The tour guide should face punishment not the tourists. They're ignorant and don't know better.

[Alive]

They need to have the people on these tour boats read rules in their language prior to entering the water. Once they read the rules, the boat owner can shoot anyone who violates them.

[Alive]

Oh, by the way, the whole world is dying and no one cares.

[innocenthai]

2 hours ago, jak2002003 said:

That clam looks really angry and stressed out... poor clam.

 

Seriously, the government needs to make real marine protected zones where no boats or people are allowed in.... so that the sea life has a chance to recover.  All I have seen when diving in the shallow water is damaged coral, dead coral, ripped up coral by boats, rubbish and plastic bags floating about, and a decaying reef with less and less species. 

 

 

Actually I wonder why people still dive in Thailand when you know how ridiculous is the sea life here ?

 

 

 

[jak2002003]

1 hour ago, innocenthai said:

 

 

Actually I wonder why people still dive in Thailand when you know how ridiculous is the sea life here ?

 

 

 

What are you asking here?  I can't understand your sentence.  Is English your second language?

 

Do you mean you mean you wonder why I still dive here if the sea life is ridiculous?  How is it ridiculous? 

 

A lot of the coral reefs are damaged by boats, people and pollution, together with climate change to some degree.  I still like to see the beautiful fish and life that still exists... and I don't damage it, pollute the sea, or pick things up from the seabed to take selfies with. 

[williamgeorgeallen]

read the title again. says 'the penalty can only be a fine' what were they hoping for them to be locked up for years? cant even lock thieving monks or drink driving killers for a day so seems a bit stiff anything other than a warning should be given for touching a clam.

[innocenthai]

17 hours ago, jak2002003 said:

What are you asking here?  I can't understand your sentence.  Is English your second language?

 

Do you mean you mean you wonder why I still dive here if the sea life is ridiculous?  How is it ridiculous? 

 

A lot of the coral reefs are damaged by boats, people and pollution, together with climate change to some degree.  I still like to see the beautiful fish and life that still exists... and I don't damage it, pollute the sea, or pick things up from the seabed to take selfies with. 

 

 

Yes its my second language as intelligence is yours it seems.

 

There is nothing to see in Thailand sea, but keep diving if you like it.

 

 

[webfact]

Local tour guide fined 500 baht for catching scaly giant clam for tourists’ selfies

 

 

KOH CHANG: -- The Koh Chang national park has fined a local tour guide on Koh Chang for catching the scaly giant clam to tourists for selfies.

 

The action came after picture of Chinese tourists holding a giant clam was posted on the social media and was later widely shared.

 

The tourists were reported to dive in the sea off Koh Rang in the area of Koh Chang national park.

 

Many viewers questioned the behaviour of this group of tourists for catching the giant clam for selfies as giant clam is a protected specie, and they demanded punitive action for local guides who took them to dive and catch it for selfies.

 

Investigation by park officials layer found the Thai guide.

 

He was a guide of a local tour company on Koh Chang.

 

Upon interrogation, the local guide admitted of taking the tourist group for diving near Koh Rang, and said he was the person who caught the giant clam to the group for selfies.

 

He was later fined 500 baht for taking the clam out its place which is an offence.

 

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/177529-2/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2016-08-25

[Clamhua]

Now Thais can be outraged again at the park authorities for proving it was a Thai problem and not a tourist problem 

[Sphere]

Quote

He was later fined 500 baht for taking the clam out....

 

That's quite a good deal.

 

It's usually at least a thousand baht for taking the clam out....in the better establishments, of course.