British couple’s dream Thailand trip turns into a nightmare filled with rubbish and half-finished buildings

[bbbbooboo]

Hmmmm.......this will certainly increase tourist numbers

[performance]

I must say this. I know all you older falang supporting the Thais. 

They are lazy and dirty. They do not give a F::K about conservation or others. Koh Larn off PATTAYA. A tranquil lovely spot. Although what a dirty mess a decade of shit massed the operators and CITY HALL are a disgrace. Killing the environment.

Do these people not understand. Stupid officials should be even jailed.

[JustNo]

3 hours ago, kannot said:

u  need to  look a  little harder down to Khao Kalok the rubbish is  left everywhere especially weekends when the Thais  come for a vacation, sit  under the trees eat some food  then leave all the plastic  bags and crap under the trees...............I LIVe  THERE I see it, and just behind the beach the wind  blows al those bags onto the wire fences and it stays there forever............Ill try to get some photos  later today if  I get the chance to go out.

That wasn't really the point though, the point I was illustrating is that you do not need to take a boat and search high and low for really clean and quiet beaches, they are all over the country. But yes of course the rubbish situation is a problem but it is not everywhere.  Intrigued by the photos though if you can take some :) Good to get a realistic image of what places are like aside form holiday brochure style company photos lol
Other places from Hua Hin to Chumphon that I know of to be clean and quiet are:

> Suan Son Beach
> Soi Noi
> Prachuap Town Beach
> Sam Roi Yot is literally covered with beaches that are practically empty and beautiful at the same time.. it is a nation park I guess so yeah 

[JustNo]

1 hour ago, FredNL said:

Better to visit islands outside Thailand rather than visiting Koh Trash, Koh Garbage, Koh Mafia or Koh Corruption.

What's the name of world's largest dumping ground?  Anyone? It starts with Th...

These 20 countries are way worse off than Thailand, but their problem is a little different to here. Thailand DOES have a problem but this is on a different level. They take on the trash and electrical / chemical waste of other countries, and apart from a few that handle it well, it seems like a real issue! 
Some of these should be crowned the world's largest dumping ground because that is literally what they are!!
http://whenonearth.net/20-countries-that-are-used-as-dumping-grounds-for-your-waste/

Edited September 30, 2016 by JustNo

[theguyfromanotherforum]

2 hours ago, Moonmoon said:

Go to the airport n u see foreigners farangs clearing their own trays in fast food joints burger king, go to macdonalds in bkk or burger king in mega bangna n see if any locals knows to clear their own trays. Its an attitude lacking in an otherwise beautiful culture.

 

To be honest, I think it's part of the "service" here.

 

For those few times I eat at McD, even when I try to bring my own tray, MdDo woman is quick enough to take it off my hands.

[Kwasaki]

Another Thai bashing Thread.

 

[Time Traveller]

13 hours ago, Anthony5 said:

 

So a clean environment is a luxury in your book?

 

13 hours ago, Anthony5 said:

 

So a clean environment is a luxury in your book?

No a clean environment is a sign of development. Which is why I said it's strange that if they wanted a luxury holiday why did they travel to an undeveloped country. 

Try to keep up with adults please.

[Anthony5]

4 minutes ago, Time Traveller said:

 

No a clean environment is a sign of development. Which is why I said it's strange that if they wanted a luxury holiday why did they travel to an undeveloped country. 

Try to keep up with adults please.

 

Oh I would love being able share your superior knowledge so I can keep up with adults, so could you please provide me with source that proofs that clean environment and development are even remotely related?

 

Like for example Maldives, where the environment is really clean, but where I fail to see much development .

 

Yours sincerely, Anthony the uneducated.

[anotheruser]

3 minutes ago, Time Traveller said:

 

No a clean environment is a sign of development. Which is why I said it's strange that if they wanted a luxury holiday why did they travel to an undeveloped country. 

Try to keep up with adults please.

 

Because it was probably sold as an unspoiled paradise where time stands still? Sometimes undeveloped is understood as untouched. Anyway they can speak their minds and post what they want to about their experience. 

 

No amount of rationalization by the board members here can stop people from giving their observations and the pictures do look bad. Thailand tourism promoters are world famous for using deceiving pictures of Thailand and sometimes even using pictures that weren't even taken in Thailand. 

 

If they were shown pristine beaches and arrived to these environmental conditions they have a legitimate complaint. Now if they were shown the reality and still went that would be a different story. 

 

There comes a time when Thailand will no longer be able to hide the awful truth about what present conditions are really like. They are becoming like that creepy guy on the dating site that uses a 20 year old pic and then shows up at the door...

 

For the most part Thailand is trying to sell third rate crap for first world prices these days.  This isn't even Thai bashing because it is becoming common knowledge these days and will continue to do so.

[teacherpaul]

23 hours ago, HoboKay said:

 

More often than not the pains of getting a proper work permit without additional fees or hoop jumping puts any decent person off the endeavour.

 

If you do succeed, one would have already benefitted from the experience of dealing with and surviving the local bureaucratic nightmare, now you're one step closer to volunteering and being a better person and bettering others. 

 

I wish you the best.

Who in their right mind would apply for a work permit for unpaid litter collection, or any unpaid work, for that matter?

[JustNo]

1 minute ago, teacherpaul said:

Who in their right mind would apply for a work permit for unpaid litter collection, or any unpaid work, for that matter?

People who have time on their hands and a bit of money, and who want to help make a positive difference and or travel at the same time whilst doing it.. 

Edited September 30, 2016 by JustNo

[Dah fahrang]

4 hours ago, bbbbooboo said:

Hmmmm.......this will certainly increase tourist numbers

 

My thoughts exactly.

Another report in an English newspaper - the mass circulation 'Sun' Heaven forbid.

Add recent articles in other papers - beatings, bombings - and TAT will need another session of fantasizing to conjure up yet another ludicrous campaign to "lure" foreign tourists.

[teacherpaul]

2 hours ago, Kwasaki said:

Another Thai bashing Thread.

 

Sorry, how is it Thai bashing? Another "Thailand can do no wrong" comment.

 

 

Edited September 30, 2016 by teacherpaul

[teacherpaul]

3 minutes ago, JustNo said:

People who have time on their hands and a bit of money, and who want to help make a positive difference and or travel at the same time whilst doing it.. 

Sure. However, getting one would be impossible. You would have to get a company to back the permit.

[natway09]

They are hellbent on commercializing everything until the eco system breaks down.

All the Madam Minister of Tourism cares about is her numbers (bums in beds.

Very short sighted & non sustainable

[cornishcarlos]

20 hours ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

 

You need a work permit for any volunteer or charity work period.

 

It is that simple. 

 

Then link us to the applicable law !!

Some one else already quoted a section, which classed work as "paid or gaining something from"..

If you know better, then enlighten us all :)

[cornishcarlos]

12 hours ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

 

You need a work permit for all work, voluntary or charity, paid or unpaid.

If you are picking up trash on a Thai beach that is an organised activity you need a work permit.

If you are out on your own on the beach picking up rubbish you can please yourself as it is not considered work. You will probably just labelled as a ban-ya-on and ignored.

Really don't know why people cannot get their heads round this.

 

 

So now you say picking up litter on a beach is not considered work !!!

Make up your mind pal :)

[oldlakey]

4 hours ago, Kwasaki said:

Another Thai bashing Thread.

 

Yes for sure but dont they make it so easy for the bashers

[nausea]

1 hour ago, teacherpaul said:

Who in their right mind would apply for a work permit for unpaid litter collection, or any unpaid work, for that matter?

Someone getting paid on the side. Thais aren't stupid. Genuine volunteers are collateral damage.

[BlindMagician]

On 9/29/2016 at 2:24 PM, kannot said:

welcome to the joy  of Thailand, watched a guy take a leak once at a  PTT station within 50 feet of the urinals

He was filling up the station fuel tanks. Extra m150 to give your pickup some fizz at the traffic lights.

[Nurseynutcase]

I regularly clean the part of the beach that I visit most days.  

I do it because I hate the thought of all the plastic being washed back into the sea.

Never been asked for a work permit - helped in my efforts only once - by a Thai girl who also thanked me for my efforts.

Will continue to do my 'bit' even though no work permit.

[cardinalblue]

Are you saying I can't use the weed eater in my rice fields? I am doing this activity instead of playing tennis or gardening at home...

[BlindMagician]

On 9/30/2016 at 6:15 AM, anotheruser said:

They should make it mandatory that hotel and resort guests spend 2 or 3 hours a day early in the morning cleaning their garbage up. There should also be a tax levied hidden in ticket prices to pay for this effort. 

 

Stop blaming the Thais they only build resorts and have garbage because of the reckless tourists that come here. They could also sell low carbon footprint eco packages where you pay the money for the package and simply stay at home. 

 

In all seriousness I can't believe anybody is even suggesting the tourists do the clean up and that the people on this holiday don't have any right to their opinions. Maybe they should have done their research sure. Then again maybe Thailand should start cleaning it's act up. If they don't these stories will get out more often. The country is honestly turning into a cess pit right in front of our eyes.

Stop blaming the Thais? Open your eyes. The national attitude to littering is awful. Yesterday I saw a plastic water bottle thrown out of the car in front of me on a highway. Not only littering, but dangerous. Just one data point out of a many.

[nemrut]

3 hours ago, BlindMagician said:

Stop blaming the Thais? Open your eyes. The national attitude to littering is awful. Yesterday I saw a plastic water bottle thrown out of the car in front of me on a highway. Not only littering, but dangerous. Just one data point out of a many.

 

 

 

Saw this all the time traveling around the US.  It's a problem everywhere even in developed countries, but less so in smaller Euro countries like DK, CH, etc.

 

The main difference being, Thailand is still a developing country lacking sufficient infrastructure to deal with the increasing tourism and consumption.  That combined with lack of awareness and public education exacerbates the problem.  The Thai attitude toward garbage is similar to Americans during the 70s when openly littering was rampant and acceptable.

 

Also, the Thai litter problem pales in comparison to other countries like Vietnam where they not only openly litter in public, but frequently burn their garbage including plastic/styrofoam resulting in a haze of toxic fumes.

Edited October 1, 2016 by nemrut

[Wilsonandson]

Whilst browsing tripadvisor.com on the interweb for clues to another more recent article on koh Lipe. I came across these photos.

The rubbish collection was behind the hotel and infront was this beautiful picture of the beach and a boat.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

[sambum]

6 hours ago, BlindMagician said:

Stop blaming the Thais? Open your eyes. The national attitude to littering is awful. Yesterday I saw a plastic water bottle thrown out of the car in front of me on a highway. Not only littering, but dangerous. Just one data point out of a many.

I think the poster was being a tad sarcastic if you read it right through!

[sambum]

On 9/30/2016 at 6:15 AM, anotheruser said:

They should make it mandatory that hotel and resort guests spend 2 or 3 hours a day early in the morning cleaning their garbage up. There should also be a tax levied hidden in ticket prices to pay for this effort. 

 

Stop blaming the Thais they only build resorts and have garbage because of the reckless tourists that come here. They could also sell low carbon footprint eco packages where you pay the money for the package and simply stay at home. 

 

In all seriousness I can't believe anybody is even suggesting the tourists do the clean up and that the people on this holiday don't have any right to their opinions. Maybe they should have done their research sure. Then again maybe Thailand should start cleaning it's act up. If they don't these stories will get out more often. The country is honestly turning into a cess pit right in front of our eyes.

 

It seems that a lot of people don't appreciate sarcasm, and in some later posts you are being taken seriously in your first 2 paragraphs!  Or maybe you are being serious? 

[Rorri]

On 29/09/2016 at 3:00 PM, Father Fintan Stack said:

Even if you volunteer for a single day for a charity or organisation you MUST have a work permit.

 

Even if you are not getting paid or renumerated in any way from the charity or organisation you MUST have a work permit.

 

The law is the law in Thailand.

 

I know of two recent cases of Westerners on holiday that were picked up, arrested and deported for unpaid charity work up in Chiang Mai. 

 

With the current nationalist and anti-foreigner sentiment in Thailand it isn't worth the risk IMO.

 

As I said I totally agree with the sentiment but I don't make the laws.

Let's  also remember the overseas rescue organisations that, without a few very quick calls, were almost sent away when they arrived to help search for bodies, after the tsunami, the reason, yep, no work permit, how utterly stupid was that.

[evadgib]

17 minutes ago, Rorri said:

Let's  also remember the overseas rescue organisations that, without a few very quick calls, were almost sent away when they arrived to help search for bodies, after the tsunami, the reason, yep, no work permit, how utterly stupid was that.

I remember these reports at the time but dismissed them as 'Bloke-in-a-pub' nonsence that only served to hinder the multinational effort that was underway.

[anotheruser]

15 hours ago, BlindMagician said:

Stop blaming the Thais? Open your eyes. The national attitude to littering is awful. Yesterday I saw a plastic water bottle thrown out of the car in front of me on a highway. Not only littering, but dangerous. Just one data point out of a many.

 

Please take your sarcasm meter into the shop for fine tuning.