PHUKET: A footpath outside Patong's Muslim cemetery on the beach road has been destroyed to make way for tour bus parking.
A Patong municipal council spokesman said today the council was ''improving the footpath to a space where tour buses can park because there is not sufficient space to park tour buses by the beach.''
It is not known whether Muslim authorities have been consulted about the new use for the footpath.
The footpath is popular with Phuket guests to walk from the resorts at the northern end of Patong's beach road to the nightlife hub of Soi Bangla.
Without the footpath on the cemetery side of the road, tourists will be forced to cross to the beach footpath - and run the risk of being hit by the motorcycles that make the walkers-only pathway dangerous.
The President of the Thai Hotels Association (Southern Division), Suchart Hirankanokkul, who owns the Phuket Graceland Resort and Spa on Patong's beach road, was surprised to hear about demolition of the footpath.
Graceland is next door to the cemetery.
''How are my guests going to walk to central Patong,'' he said. ''We need a footpath.''
Khun Suchart, who heard about the destruction of the footpath from Phuketwan, said he would look into the issue.
The Patong council officer, who preferred not to be named, said 400 square meters of space was being cleared outside the cemetery.
''This will also get rid of the vendors who set up their shops here,'' he said. The local food stalls outside the cemetery are generally regarded as the cheapest and best food in Patong.
Passengers on buses pulling up alongside the cemetery will be able to see over the outer wall.
Chinese are generally superstitious and reluctant to be close to anything associated with death. It is not known whether the feng shui for the new bus parking is positive or negative.
For years, expat and Thai residents have complained that beachfront parking intended for tourists has been taken over by motorcycle and car hire companies.
The council appears to have chosen the footpath outside the cemetery as a non-controversial patch of beach road, used only by a few pedestrians.
Once the footpath has been replaced by bus parking, tourists used to walking may be forced to catch tuk-tuks.
Elsewhere in Patong, tourists are constantly complaining that their movement along the footpath is being obstructed more and more by tailor shop salesmen and timeshare touts.
A Patong municipal council spokesman said today the council was ''improving the footpath to a space where tour buses can park because there is not sufficient space to park tour buses by the beach.''
It is not known whether Muslim authorities have been consulted about the new use for the footpath.
The footpath is popular with Phuket guests to walk from the resorts at the northern end of Patong's beach road to the nightlife hub of Soi Bangla.
Without the footpath on the cemetery side of the road, tourists will be forced to cross to the beach footpath - and run the risk of being hit by the motorcycles that make the walkers-only pathway dangerous.
The President of the Thai Hotels Association (Southern Division), Suchart Hirankanokkul, who owns the Phuket Graceland Resort and Spa on Patong's beach road, was surprised to hear about demolition of the footpath.
Graceland is next door to the cemetery.
''How are my guests going to walk to central Patong,'' he said. ''We need a footpath.''
Khun Suchart, who heard about the destruction of the footpath from Phuketwan, said he would look into the issue.
The Patong council officer, who preferred not to be named, said 400 square meters of space was being cleared outside the cemetery.
''This will also get rid of the vendors who set up their shops here,'' he said. The local food stalls outside the cemetery are generally regarded as the cheapest and best food in Patong.
Passengers on buses pulling up alongside the cemetery will be able to see over the outer wall.
Chinese are generally superstitious and reluctant to be close to anything associated with death. It is not known whether the feng shui for the new bus parking is positive or negative.
For years, expat and Thai residents have complained that beachfront parking intended for tourists has been taken over by motorcycle and car hire companies.
The council appears to have chosen the footpath outside the cemetery as a non-controversial patch of beach road, used only by a few pedestrians.
Once the footpath has been replaced by bus parking, tourists used to walking may be forced to catch tuk-tuks.
Elsewhere in Patong, tourists are constantly complaining that their movement along the footpath is being obstructed more and more by tailor shop salesmen and timeshare touts.
Not a bad idea with a place for busses, if Graceland can cater to Chineese visitors then Fengshui will probably be fine for the parking as well. I am sure that this is a well planned improvement from the Patong municipality , give them some slack and see how they sort out the access in the area for pedestrians. The food vendors sqautting there will find other places where they can do their business for free, don't worry about that. Hopefully this will make the beach road safer in the long run.
Posted by Sailor on October 11, 2013 13:20