PHUKET: Tourists who bring their own chairs and umbrellas to Phuket's beaches will be ''invited'' into the 10 percent zones, a vice governor told a meeting today.
Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat was speaking at a meeting at Karon Municipal Offices in response to a question from Phuketwan:
''If tourists bring their own equipment and sit outside the 10 percent zones, will they be arrested?''
The vice governor responded: ''Nobody will be arrested but the beach workers will invite the tourists into the 10 percent zone.''
The vice governor said this could be interpreted as a ''local rule,'' a kind of newly-minted tradition.
Being new to Phuket and new to beach management, the vice governor may not be fully aware of the intimidation of tourists that has sometimes occurred on Phuket's beaches.
At least he appears to understand that there are no laws that can be applied to make tourists place their beach chairs and other equipment within the 10 percent zones.
Officials have so far been reluctant to accept that tourists are entitled to bring their own chairs and umbrellas and sit wherever they wish on any Phuket beach.
Phuketwan had to directly approach the Phuket Police Commander, Major General Teerapon Tipjalern, to clarify that point in no uncertain terms on Monday.
''Can you imagine?'' the commander said. ''If you come to enjoy the public beach with your family and friends, which law is going to be used to stop you?
''You bring your equipment, you take it away with you when you leave . . . nothing wrong with that.
''If you come and make the beach dirty, if you leave garbage behind, you may contravene the rules.''
The key question about the ''10 percent rule'' remains whether it is for the good of tourists and the future of Phuket tourism or whether it is purely a commercial sop to the illegal beach vendors.
The military's clearances of all commerce from Phuket's beaches and the removal of illegal beach clubs and restaurants last year could have been turned into a huge positive for the ''new, natural Phuket.''
Instead, authorities have dithered over a foolish compromise with illegal vendors - and allowed the jet-ski operators and parasail operators to take control of Patong beach, once the island's most popular swimming beach.
Months of indecision have cost Phuket millions of dollars in tourism spending as regular beachgoers turned away. Why?
Because the tourists were never consulted.
Every dithering move still being made to try to embrace a bad idea makes it obvious that Phuket authorities have forgotten the first rule of business: the customer is always right.
Phuket quickly needs a fresh start with the holiday island committed to a natural approach that allows tourists to do what they do at all of the world's best beaches - bring their own equipment.
A few onlookers may be offended by beaches dappled in colorful umbrellas rather than locked into corners. Too bad.
Those people don't get what beaches are about - not making money, but a carefree holiday atmosphere.
Let freedom ring on Phuket's beaches. The ''new rules'' are all impossible to enforce. We even saw officials stubbing their cigarette butts into the sand at Patong last week.
We hope the vice governor and other authorities see sense quickly, because the concept of tourists being ''invited'' to a 10 percent zone and then intimidation leading to faceoffs is as awful as the prospect once was of police or city officials pulling chairs from under tourists and arresting them.
Phuket still has beautiful beaches but without the freedom to sit wherever you wish, the holiday island might as well kiss goodbye to thousands of sun and sea loving visitors.
The cavalcade of officials who marked out 10 percent zones at Patong last week was continuing at Kata today, with little hope of the plan working. It's Surin's turn tomorrow.
Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat was speaking at a meeting at Karon Municipal Offices in response to a question from Phuketwan:
''If tourists bring their own equipment and sit outside the 10 percent zones, will they be arrested?''
The vice governor responded: ''Nobody will be arrested but the beach workers will invite the tourists into the 10 percent zone.''
The vice governor said this could be interpreted as a ''local rule,'' a kind of newly-minted tradition.
Being new to Phuket and new to beach management, the vice governor may not be fully aware of the intimidation of tourists that has sometimes occurred on Phuket's beaches.
At least he appears to understand that there are no laws that can be applied to make tourists place their beach chairs and other equipment within the 10 percent zones.
Officials have so far been reluctant to accept that tourists are entitled to bring their own chairs and umbrellas and sit wherever they wish on any Phuket beach.
Phuketwan had to directly approach the Phuket Police Commander, Major General Teerapon Tipjalern, to clarify that point in no uncertain terms on Monday.
''Can you imagine?'' the commander said. ''If you come to enjoy the public beach with your family and friends, which law is going to be used to stop you?
''You bring your equipment, you take it away with you when you leave . . . nothing wrong with that.
''If you come and make the beach dirty, if you leave garbage behind, you may contravene the rules.''
The key question about the ''10 percent rule'' remains whether it is for the good of tourists and the future of Phuket tourism or whether it is purely a commercial sop to the illegal beach vendors.
The military's clearances of all commerce from Phuket's beaches and the removal of illegal beach clubs and restaurants last year could have been turned into a huge positive for the ''new, natural Phuket.''
Instead, authorities have dithered over a foolish compromise with illegal vendors - and allowed the jet-ski operators and parasail operators to take control of Patong beach, once the island's most popular swimming beach.
Months of indecision have cost Phuket millions of dollars in tourism spending as regular beachgoers turned away. Why?
Because the tourists were never consulted.
Every dithering move still being made to try to embrace a bad idea makes it obvious that Phuket authorities have forgotten the first rule of business: the customer is always right.
Phuket quickly needs a fresh start with the holiday island committed to a natural approach that allows tourists to do what they do at all of the world's best beaches - bring their own equipment.
A few onlookers may be offended by beaches dappled in colorful umbrellas rather than locked into corners. Too bad.
Those people don't get what beaches are about - not making money, but a carefree holiday atmosphere.
Let freedom ring on Phuket's beaches. The ''new rules'' are all impossible to enforce. We even saw officials stubbing their cigarette butts into the sand at Patong last week.
We hope the vice governor and other authorities see sense quickly, because the concept of tourists being ''invited'' to a 10 percent zone and then intimidation leading to faceoffs is as awful as the prospect once was of police or city officials pulling chairs from under tourists and arresting them.
Phuket still has beautiful beaches but without the freedom to sit wherever you wish, the holiday island might as well kiss goodbye to thousands of sun and sea loving visitors.
The cavalcade of officials who marked out 10 percent zones at Patong last week was continuing at Kata today, with little hope of the plan working. It's Surin's turn tomorrow.
Isn't that the same vice-governor who declared last week that no loungers would be allowed, after the governor and police commander made a completely different statement?
Posted by stevenl on November 11, 2015 15:39
Editor Comment:
This is the vice governor whose comments were misreported and misused to become a veiled attack on Phuketwan, yes.