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A ''vendor vigilante'' points at the guilty sunbeds at Relax Bay

Phuket Beach Battles Continue: 62 Suspects Called to Patong Police Station

Wednesday, December 10, 2014
PHUKET: The first of 62 people who are to be charged over alleged illegal commerce on Phuket's Patong beach fronted the local police station yesterday to deny any wrongdoing.

It's understood that Prab Keesin, a prominent local businessman and son of the late mayor of Patong, Pian Keesin, is among those facing charges.

One of the beach vendors who responded to the summons to Kathu Police Station said yesterday, on condition that she not be named: ''We have done nothing wrong. I am surprised that the police are proceeding with these cases.

''Patong is not like Kata-Karon, where vendors negotiated large contracts with individual resorts.''

Coincidentally yesterday, one of the resorts named in the alleged extortions in Kata-Karon, Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort, became the target of a vigilante action when vendors noticed a row of sunbeds on the beach at Relax Bay, between Patong and Karon.

Photographs of the row of sunbeds were posted on Facebook. It was not immediately clear today whether the resort was claiming ownership of the sand on which the sunbeds were placed.

Guests at Le Meridien and other Phuket resorts are unhappy to not be able to lie on beach sunbeds this high season.

The clearances from the beaches were a key topic when Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong met informally at 7.45am yesterday with the island's mayors and district chiefs at the Breeze restaurant on Rang Hill in Phuket City, the second in a series of monthly gatherings aimed at inspiring consistency and cooperation.

Although the military ordered the clearing of Phuket beaches, which are public space, the council mayors oversee regulations and enforcement.

It is a task that has been poorly performed because many of the vendors are also council voters and their desire to maintain their incomes, either as wealthy sunbed owners or less wealthy vendors, has been frequently made plain since the mid-year purge.

Governor Nisit also met in private with the mayors, the district chiefs, the Royal Thai Navy and other interested authorities late yesterday afternoon, specifically about the beaches.

He is in the difficult position of not being able to please everybody, no matter what the outcome.

And jet-skis and parasailers are still operating at Patong and other beaches, legally and illegally, despite the absolute ban on other commercial activities, including the hiring of surfboards and even weddings on the sand.

Vendors have returned at some beaches and enforcement varies from beach to beach.

The governor appears to have been seriously misled in his belief that partial insurance has solved the constant and continuing problem of jet-ski scams.

Incomplete insurance has actually exacerbated the intimidation and demands for extra cash, as Phuket's honorary consuls would quickly tell the governor if the three-monthly meetings were still being held.

Fireworks are illegal on the beaches but some resorts actually encourage the noisy nightly habit. Time-share and sex show touts are another Patong problem.

The governor yesterday urged people to report any abuses of the small, cuddly slow lorises and gibbons that are misused by photo touts in Patong, Karon and some other tourist destinations

He admitted that the interpretation of the rules posed a problem for mayors but said he certainly did not want a repeat of the seizure of byo umbrellas from tourists on Surin beach last month that triggered a wave of bad publicity around the world.

Phuketwan believes that keeping the beaches clear of commerce is the right course for Phuket's long-term future, and that jet-skis and parasailers should also be banned.

The decision was made years ago to phase them out. Then came the compromises.

Keeping the beaches as natural as possible would bring Phuket into line with the neighboring Andaman provinces of Phang Nga and Krabi, where sunbeds, commercial activity and jet-skis are already banned.

Comments

Comments have been disabled for this article.

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Is it illegal if the resorts place the beds for guests and do not charge? Really is a minefield.

Posted by Davemc60 on December 10, 2014 09:16

Editor Comment:

Having been involved in a costly contractual arrangement with an alleged sunbed extortionist, the resort may have included provision of sunbeds in its packages for guests without realising the beach was not ''owned'' by locals, but by all Thais. What's OK and what's not is a matter for interpretation. There are no clear rules still, even though the perils of not having clarity are plain.

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It would be the best for tourists and local people that Tambon Karon make a public access to Relax Bay (Karon Noi - Le Meridien Karon).
A large path with stairs going from the main road passing above the bay would be the best option because Le Meridien's guards are all time blocking entry through Le Meridien property.

Posted by Whistle-Blower on December 10, 2014 09:37

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Keep up the good reporting and encouragement of real enforcement of keeping beaches cleared, sands belong to all of Thais, NOT corporations or vendors. Jet skis OUT!

Posted by RCM on December 10, 2014 09:37

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Who is the "vendor vigilante" doing Buddhas work? Facebook page?

There really needs to be enforcement of the rules or the great work the NCPO has done will go down the drain and Phuket will return to being the corrupt cesspool it was six months ago.

Posted by Kamala Pete on December 10, 2014 11:30

Editor Comment:

She's a local village chief, doing her job.

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Personally, i like the look of a row of sunbeds, and umbrella's. And it would be great if this could continue, in a controlled manner. But we all know that the word "control", is not always easy to find in the dictionary here.My question is: We are always focused on the beach umbrella's and chairs in Phuket, and then being confronted by the fact there are no chairs and umbrella's in Krabi, or Khaolak. But what about Koh Samui? Or Pattaya?
Don't say that these places, (especially Pattaya ) are not comparable with Phuket, because the last time i checked, those places are also located in Thailand. Will the law be enforced over there as well, or not? If not, this will make the Phuket vendors angry and jealous. If the law will be enforced, then my question is: when?

Posted by Carl on December 10, 2014 11:32

Editor Comment:

The ''Phuket model'' has to be achieved before it can be exported.

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Somchai ransommenmak, One of the 62 summoned jet ski operators from patong feels left alone. "We have done nothing wrong. We support the idea of natural beaches - in zones."

Posted by FakeNews on December 10, 2014 11:46

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I walked Patong beach yesterday for just over an hour and saw two instances of jet ski riders being extorted for non-existent damages. The first involved three very intimidated young Chinese and the second had the beach 'boys' actually physically assaulting two less intimidated Aussie men. The Aussies were saying, "we did nothing wrong" and were trying to get back out to their cruise ship, but a gang of Thais would not let them onto the ramp out to the shuttle. An ugly scene and why such things are tolerated is beyond me. Are the beach crews allowed police powers? It certainly looked like it yesterday.

Posted by Day on December 10, 2014 11:47

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Why anybody with a working brain would hire a jet ski is beyond my understanding. These guys have made an art form of standing over people on a daily basis. Why they are allowed to continue to cheat people without sanction is another one of those Phuket mysteries no official can explain.

Posted by Arun Muruga on December 10, 2014 15:20

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While Thailand is one of the most popular holiday destinations for Australians, it's also one of the most deadly, with one Australian dying every four days; a higher statistic than Bali and Vietnam.
ummmm,,,,,errrrr 1 every 4 days?.......

Posted by surf starved katoey on December 10, 2014 16:05

Editor Comment:

Eighty or so people a year? Hardly surprising, given the age of the expat population. Not many among hundreds of thousands of visitors.

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Follow the money!

Posted by Evilbaz on December 10, 2014 16:12

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"The ''Phuket model'' has to be achieved before it can be exported." Perhaps Phuket could import the model from other provinces! Why should the most popular and visited beach destination in Thailand be a model for other destinations that bear no resemblance to it?

Posted by Alan on December 10, 2014 18:08

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Agree Alan, if you use the average age of life of say 70 years and an average visit of 10 days for each person, you would expect 39 people per 100,000 to die every year.
At the same time you would expect 1,389 people per 100,000 to die back home who have visited Thailand in that same year.
Such a danger going back home!

Posted by Manowar on December 10, 2014 18:38

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Having been against the removal of our creature comforts on our lovely surin beach I am now coming to terms with the beach being restored back to its original beauty and purchasing my own travel umbrella mats etc but keep getting conflicting info of the rules in Surin beach. One minuite you can bring your own the next you can't and have to hire brollys from the stores on the roadside. Please please can someone clarify the correct ruling for Surin beach. Thank you

Posted by Pinny on December 10, 2014 22:04

Editor Comment:

You mean, the rules now or for tomorrow?

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the jet skiers are pleased with the mayor and will vote accordingly.

Posted by slickmelb on December 11, 2014 08:59

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Patong beach behind the Impania hotel there is a mound of rubbish.Adjacent to the alley with the tourist police station there is one rubbish bin, at the beach there is a sign 2000 bhat fie for leaving rubbish. The massage vendors and ski promotes have set up in the trees making it difficult to find shade. Who is going to clean the beach, loads of tourists leave cigarette ends, the beach is now dirty.

Posted by john on December 11, 2014 09:38

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Beach parties, beach dining, vendors, sun beds, jet skis, drug dealers, you name it. We have it all in Koh Samui. (But no double standards.)

Posted by DC on December 11, 2014 11:03

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hotels don't do anything 'free'.. they include services in the room price..

Posted by another steve on December 12, 2014 05:50


Thursday December 5, 2024
Horizon Karon Beach Resort & Spa

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