PHUKET: There is no ban on people wishing to wed on Phuket's Karon beach, the local chief officer, Weerasak Anekwongsawat, said yesterday.
''Our interpretation of the regulations is that couples who wish to marry on the beach only need to let the municipal council know in advance,'' he said.
His comment came after an Australian couple's wedding on a small beach further north caused a furore when officials in Cherng Talay reportedly fined a resort 2000 baht for holding the beach wedding without permission.
A staffer at the five-star Surin Resort confirmed to Phuketwan that the wedding had taken place on Saturday on Pansea beach.
Pansea beach is one of several secluded coves on Phuket where council officers would only find out what was happening by making frequent trips there by boat.
Phuket has a thriving wedding and honeymoon industry that could be seriously affected if beach marriages were totally banned the way that beach chairs have been.
All of Phuket's west coast beaches were supposed to have signs up from yesterday advertising the long list of regulations that administrators are applying in an attempt to allow small pockets of commercial activity to return to beaches.
All beaches were cleared of illegal businesses by the military last year.
But Khun Weerasak said there were no signs on Karon or Kata or the other beaches in the district because there had been no means of meeting the budget of 900,000 baht for the signs.
The billboards with Dos and Don'ts for tourists have been erected at some beaches around Phuket, but not others.
The decision that has brought the most concern from tourists so far is the ban on beach chairs. Some visitors say the ban means they won't be back to Phuket.
Others cannot understand why Phuket does not join the neighboring provinces of Phang Nga and Krabi in banning jet-skis, which are often the cause of injuries, deaths and regular rip-offs.
Still more are puzzled that umbrellas and beach mats have been permitted to return, yet the comfortable sunbeds that made a beach visit more pleasant remain banned.
Clean Beach Zone 90%
Beach Mattress
Water & Light snack
No beach bed
No Umbrella
No Massage
No Littering
No Smoking
No Food Vendors
Special Zone 10%
Umbrella
Beach Mattress
Water & Light Snacks
Massage
No Beach Bed
No Littering
No Smoking
No Food Vendors
''Our interpretation of the regulations is that couples who wish to marry on the beach only need to let the municipal council know in advance,'' he said.
His comment came after an Australian couple's wedding on a small beach further north caused a furore when officials in Cherng Talay reportedly fined a resort 2000 baht for holding the beach wedding without permission.
A staffer at the five-star Surin Resort confirmed to Phuketwan that the wedding had taken place on Saturday on Pansea beach.
Pansea beach is one of several secluded coves on Phuket where council officers would only find out what was happening by making frequent trips there by boat.
Phuket has a thriving wedding and honeymoon industry that could be seriously affected if beach marriages were totally banned the way that beach chairs have been.
All of Phuket's west coast beaches were supposed to have signs up from yesterday advertising the long list of regulations that administrators are applying in an attempt to allow small pockets of commercial activity to return to beaches.
All beaches were cleared of illegal businesses by the military last year.
But Khun Weerasak said there were no signs on Karon or Kata or the other beaches in the district because there had been no means of meeting the budget of 900,000 baht for the signs.
The billboards with Dos and Don'ts for tourists have been erected at some beaches around Phuket, but not others.
The decision that has brought the most concern from tourists so far is the ban on beach chairs. Some visitors say the ban means they won't be back to Phuket.
Others cannot understand why Phuket does not join the neighboring provinces of Phang Nga and Krabi in banning jet-skis, which are often the cause of injuries, deaths and regular rip-offs.
Still more are puzzled that umbrellas and beach mats have been permitted to return, yet the comfortable sunbeds that made a beach visit more pleasant remain banned.
Phuket's Public Beach Regulations
Clean Beach Zone 90%
Beach Mattress
Water & Light snack
No beach bed
No Umbrella
No Massage
No Littering
No Smoking
No Food Vendors
Special Zone 10%
Umbrella
Beach Mattress
Water & Light Snacks
Massage
No Beach Bed
No Littering
No Smoking
No Food Vendors
It almost seems like each beach is now in competition with other beaches on what is allowed and what isn't.
Posted by Sir Burr on March 10, 2015 11:41