UPDATING All Day, Every Day
PATONG vendors were waiting from 7am on Boxing Day at the Nam Khem memorial north of Phuket to confront the Interior Minister on the most solemn day of mourning for the Andaman coast tsunami victims from all over the world.
Original Report
PHUKET: A group of about 30 unhappy beach vendors aim to meet Thailand's Interior Minister north of Phuket tomorrow - at a sacred tsunami memorial in a village where about 850 people died 10 years ago to the day.
The opportunistic vendors from the holiday hub of Patong on Phuket's west coast hope to make their case for returning to the beaches to the minister at the tsunami memorial in the village of Nam Khem.
Although the vendors intend to meet Interior Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan - who also happens to be Deputy Prime Minister - at a time that does not disrupt the solemn memorial services, their choice of a date and meeting place is questionable.
Sunbeds, umbrellas and vendors were cleared from all of Phuket's popular beaches after the military took charge in Thailand on May 22.
Since then, the vendors, many of whom had been profiting from use of Thailand's public beaches for years, have been lobbying to restore their illicit businesses and income.
According to police investigators, the richest among them can afford large houses, expensive cars and holidays in Europe.
At the same time as vendors and sunbed hirers were banned from beaches including Patong, Kamala, Surin, Karon, Kata, Nai Yang and Nai Harn, the more dangerous jet-skis and parasailers were allowed to continue.
On Patong, Phuket's best-known tourists beach, the jet-skis and parasailers - a constant danger to swimmers - have even been granted more space and given priority over swimmers with the creation of special zones for the machines.
Meanwhile, many tourists say they enjoy the beaches without the sunbeds, and with vendors forced to keep constantly moving.
The plan by about 30 vendors to meet the Interior Minister on a day of national and international mourning may turn public opinion against them even further.
Unfortunately the Patong Council and its Mayor rely on the votes of local residents and the vendors are mostly resident voters. As a result, the views of tourists and Phuket's honorary consuls, who represent the visitors, have been largely ignored.
It's ironic that the Patong vendors should choose to try to meet with a senior government administrator on a tsunami-related occasion.
It was the big wave in 2004 that first cleared all businesses from the sands on Phuket's west coast. Authorities in 2005 ignored suggestions that it was time to create a ''New Phuket'' and instead let commerce return.
Although much of the identification of the 5400 bodies was done on Phuket by international teams, there were people in the tourism industry on the holiday island who wanted the tsunami forgotten as soon as possible.
Months after the identification process began, several hundred remaining bodies were trucked off Phuket in the dead of night, accompanied by a Tourist Police escort, because resort owners thought having the bodies there was a bad image for the island.
Sadly, the tsunami of 2004 was followed on Phuket by a wave of greed and self-interest. That wave has yet to recede.
AND - do these vendors actually expect sympathy, understanding, consideration when - they clearly show that they have TOTALLY NO - ZERO - respect for others as shown in "attempting" to push a Minister for their cause at such a sad memorial event.
These Vendors are a severe disgrace for Thailand - shame and- shame- on ANYONE who support or - who is willing to accept and condone such a behavior by these vendors !!
SHAME ON ANY SUCH PERSON !
John
Posted by John on December 25, 2014 21:56