ALARMING video footage has surfaced on the Internet showing large numbers of bags of rubbish being buried by a backhoe on a once pristine Phuket beach.
The backhoe dumped about 40 or 50 bags of rubbish into three large holes then covered them over with sand at Layan beach, the man who took the disturbing footage said today.
'Rob' prefers to remain anonymous out of concern for his safety but posted the link on the influential tripadvisor.com site because he ''loves Phuket''.
''I was just hoping it [the video] would eventually reach the right people,'' he told Phuketwan.
Concerns are mounting about lack of protection for beaches on Phuket as tourist numbers increase. Privatisation of the beaches by local officials who charge fees for commercial activities is accelerating the deterioration.
Layan beach is one of the more remote beaches on Phuket's west coast and it has yet to be overwhelmed by beach lounges, vendors and restaurants and beach clubs.
However, Rob's video is a disturbing indication that even in more natural parts of Phuket, locals are only concerned about maintaining appearances and lack any real commitment to long-term preservation of Phuket's most valuable natural treasures.
On January 9, Rob was able to see what happened to the rubbish on Layan beach.
As the backhoe worked digging three holes on the beach and among the bordering trees, two men collected black bags from other parts of the beach and carried them back to the mounting pile of rubbish.
''I started filming the digging of one complete hole from start to finish and I was shocked,'' he said. ''While I was filming the men kept looking over, so I tried not to be too obvious, I didn't want a beating or my camera taken.
''I often go to Layan beach,'' Rob said. ''I have been a few times to Phuket and this is my favorite beach. I always seem to go to for lots of reasons . . . central location from wherever I'm staying, few tourists, local feel with nice friendly locals, clean, gentle waters, powdery sand, little lagoon at one end, an island to swim out to, cheap and quiet, it's lovely there.''
Idyllic Layan . . . until the rubbish starts poking through the sand and the toxic sludge creates a stench.
Here's Rob's account of what he saw and filmed: ''I was holidaying in Phuket in January for two weeks after being in Malaysia for two weeks over Christmas. On previous days leading up to filming day, I'd seen lots of black bags filled up next to the treeline at the edge of the beach.
''They smelled and I noticed lots of bottles, plates, bbq stuff, wrappers and assorted junk hanging out. My wife commented how it was bad they'd been apparently dumped, but we decided that they had cleaned the beaches probably recently, and that the bags would be gathered over coming days.
''On January 9, I think, three pickup vehicles parked past the 'Do not cross or be fined' signs at the end of the road/Layan beach. They'd been there for a few hours. One of them hitched a jet-ski up and did a u-turn on the beach.
''As he did, a black pickup flew down the road, beeping wildly. I knew he wasn't supposed to be on the beach and said to my wife 'Uh oh, this guy's in trouble and is going to be fined.' The two guys in the black pickup jumped out, approached the jet-ski vehicle and had strong words, then let him leave after a few minutes.
''They didn't fine him as far as I could see for driving on beach or being past 'do not cross' signs. Their actions suggested they where officials from some organisation, probably to do with conservation of the beach.
''They stayed there for about 10 minutes in their black pickup, then got out when a jcb digger started approaching. They then walked as the digger drove alongside them towards the black plastic bags, dug three holes - two on the beach, one in the trees - and buried the bags full of rubbish.
''There were about 40 or 50 bags I guess, and I'm sure they have done it before as they clearly had a well-tested plan. There was no debating or discussions what they where going to do, they just did it fast and efficiently. You can hear glass etc falling in the hole as the jcb sweeps up the mess.''
Phuket's only trash centre, at Saphan Hin in Phuket City, is about 45 kilometres to the south of Layan beach.
The video can be found at: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g1224250-i13094-k4179224-l30736011-Thai_officials_destroying_beaches_layan_beach_nr_bang_tao-Cherngtalay_Phuket.html#30736011
The Rape of Phuket That Everyone Gets to WatchThe backhoe dumped about 40 or 50 bags of rubbish into three large holes then covered them over with sand at Layan beach, the man who took the disturbing footage said today.
'Rob' prefers to remain anonymous out of concern for his safety but posted the link on the influential tripadvisor.com site because he ''loves Phuket''.
''I was just hoping it [the video] would eventually reach the right people,'' he told Phuketwan.
Concerns are mounting about lack of protection for beaches on Phuket as tourist numbers increase. Privatisation of the beaches by local officials who charge fees for commercial activities is accelerating the deterioration.
Layan beach is one of the more remote beaches on Phuket's west coast and it has yet to be overwhelmed by beach lounges, vendors and restaurants and beach clubs.
However, Rob's video is a disturbing indication that even in more natural parts of Phuket, locals are only concerned about maintaining appearances and lack any real commitment to long-term preservation of Phuket's most valuable natural treasures.
On January 9, Rob was able to see what happened to the rubbish on Layan beach.
As the backhoe worked digging three holes on the beach and among the bordering trees, two men collected black bags from other parts of the beach and carried them back to the mounting pile of rubbish.
''I started filming the digging of one complete hole from start to finish and I was shocked,'' he said. ''While I was filming the men kept looking over, so I tried not to be too obvious, I didn't want a beating or my camera taken.
''I often go to Layan beach,'' Rob said. ''I have been a few times to Phuket and this is my favorite beach. I always seem to go to for lots of reasons . . . central location from wherever I'm staying, few tourists, local feel with nice friendly locals, clean, gentle waters, powdery sand, little lagoon at one end, an island to swim out to, cheap and quiet, it's lovely there.''
Idyllic Layan . . . until the rubbish starts poking through the sand and the toxic sludge creates a stench.
Here's Rob's account of what he saw and filmed: ''I was holidaying in Phuket in January for two weeks after being in Malaysia for two weeks over Christmas. On previous days leading up to filming day, I'd seen lots of black bags filled up next to the treeline at the edge of the beach.
''They smelled and I noticed lots of bottles, plates, bbq stuff, wrappers and assorted junk hanging out. My wife commented how it was bad they'd been apparently dumped, but we decided that they had cleaned the beaches probably recently, and that the bags would be gathered over coming days.
''On January 9, I think, three pickup vehicles parked past the 'Do not cross or be fined' signs at the end of the road/Layan beach. They'd been there for a few hours. One of them hitched a jet-ski up and did a u-turn on the beach.
''As he did, a black pickup flew down the road, beeping wildly. I knew he wasn't supposed to be on the beach and said to my wife 'Uh oh, this guy's in trouble and is going to be fined.' The two guys in the black pickup jumped out, approached the jet-ski vehicle and had strong words, then let him leave after a few minutes.
''They didn't fine him as far as I could see for driving on beach or being past 'do not cross' signs. Their actions suggested they where officials from some organisation, probably to do with conservation of the beach.
''They stayed there for about 10 minutes in their black pickup, then got out when a jcb digger started approaching. They then walked as the digger drove alongside them towards the black plastic bags, dug three holes - two on the beach, one in the trees - and buried the bags full of rubbish.
''There were about 40 or 50 bags I guess, and I'm sure they have done it before as they clearly had a well-tested plan. There was no debating or discussions what they where going to do, they just did it fast and efficiently. You can hear glass etc falling in the hole as the jcb sweeps up the mess.''
Phuket's only trash centre, at Saphan Hin in Phuket City, is about 45 kilometres to the south of Layan beach.
The video can be found at: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g1224250-i13094-k4179224-l30736011-Thai_officials_destroying_beaches_layan_beach_nr_bang_tao-Cherngtalay_Phuket.html#30736011
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I to was going to comment, but let's take videos and post them, then let's see the sh%$ fly?
Good on you, Rob.
Posted by Robin on January 22, 2011 10:49