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Put Phuket's Beaches Back Among World's Best, Governor Tells Council Mayors
By Chutima Sidasathian and Prasit Tarnsirisin Thursday, December 18, 2014
PHUKET: Phuket's councils must each create a new department that will care for and control beach maintenance and safety, the holiday island's Governor, Nisit Jansomwong, said today.
''The aim is to put Phuket's beaches back among the world's top beaches,'' he said. The governor was speaking at a beach summit designed to create a better future for Phuket and its tourism industry.
''Each council with beaches under its control must set up a new department which will be responsible for enforcing beach regulations, beach maintenance and beach safety,'' Governor Nisit said.
''These new departments will be responsible for putting Phuket's beaches back among the top beaches of the world again.
''There was a time when Phuket beaches rated among the best in the world. But people wanted to make money from them instead.
''I want to put Phuket's beaches back among the best in the world. That is the aim.
''If officers in the new council departments worry that your skin is going to be sunburnt, don't worry. I will buy sunburn prevention cream for you.''
About 100 leaders from all segments of Phuket's administrative arms were at today's meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall in Phuket City.
THE BEST beaches in the world control what people can and cannot do and fine tourists for leaving even a cigarette butt on the sand. The governor has made an excellent suggestion that takes the Phuketwan idea of establishing a new Phuket Beach Authority and divides responsibility among the existing councils. We hope the councils can adapt to make the idea work. Without the illegal restaurants and beach clubs, sunbeds and umbrellas, Phuket beaches certainly have a chance of being among the world's best again. One big tick for Governor Nisit . . . we hope the councils get the message.
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Comments
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Tellme..how is the Mayor of Patong supposed to put Patong Beach among the worlds best?....Jet skis and para sailors aren't going anywhere...mute point
Posted by
sky
on
December 18, 2014 18:10
Always slowly, the world's best beaches. But let's start with what simple, end this jet - ski and parasailing madness, then the next step to a clean beach.
Posted by
steve
on
December 18, 2014 18:21
I have agreed all along with PhuketWan's opinion on forming a centralized 'Beach Authority'. Placing this task in the hands of the local councils, in my opinion, is a big mistake.
It is these same local councils who have failed to take care of the beaches all along.
It is these same councils that have allowed shabby, illegal, tourist fleecing businesses to literally cover the sand all the way to the tide line, leaving no room for recreation or walking.
It is these same councils that have ignored rubbish collection, failed to make even rudimentary refuse bins available, and allow foul sewage and grey water to be routinely dumped directly in the ocean, often right in front of bathing areas where families bring their children into the water.
It is these same councils who have turned a blind eye towards marine safety, and allowed unlicensed, uninsured, and unsafe jet ski and parasail operators to run rampant, and terrorize, injure, and kill innocent swimmers and sun bathers. The higher 'Marine Authorities' repeatedly make absurd excuses for incredibly high accident and injury statistics, all the while imposing little or no punishment on unsafe operators who maim and kill.
At present, Phuket's beaches are a nightmare of drownings, accidents, needless injuries, and tourists returning home bereaved.
At most 'World Class' beaches, Marine Safety Officers, including Lifeguards, are part of an enforcement system that protects life and preserves the beach. These personnel have the training and authority to effectively keep the beaches safe and beautiful.
Phuket is, far, far, away from the goal of safe, clean beaches.
Posted by
Phuket Beachgoer
on
December 18, 2014 19:29
We don't want to see Phuket turned into a nanny state like Australia where you cannot even enjoy a cold beer at the beach anymore. Where you have council officers riding quad bikes armed with their little fine machines stalking the beaches looking for revenue.
The last time I went to the beach in Australia there were 4 large signs with and endless list of things you weren't allowed to do. I just went home as the parking was $4 for 2 hours as well.
Posted by
Arun Muruga
on
December 18, 2014 19:38
Yeah right... a local council to oversee things. Well, as most people that live here know, this lip service will just buy the existing illegal operators and their local benefactor to do nothing through this high season, and provide them with an excuse of "yeah...we're working on it". At the end of high season... nobody will care, and nothing will change. Simply put, another broken local government council will not change anything.
Posted by
Ed Sanders
on
December 19, 2014 00:22
@phuketgreed
that's a good slogan to put on beach umbrellas and T-shirt of beach goers to the beaches infected by JetSki and Parasailing bacteria!
Posted by
Sue
on
December 19, 2014 01:10
same old same old-- spout the same old rubbish. one croney to another the years go by the snouts are in the pig trough the gravy train if u will
can i get on too?:
Posted by
ayjay
on
December 19, 2014 07:54
Editor Comment:
Hardly same old same old with a new governor determined to change the island for the better. The only same old same old is the approach of the doomsayers. Change is inevitable. Doomsayers just can't see beyond their noses.
Itlooks like tourists from Europe will take some convincing the visit Phuket with the beaches as they are compared with what they were. That is if the cancellation or rearranging of holidays by Europe's biggest Tour Group, Tui, is anything to go by. That is because their brochures featured pictures of beaches with sun loungers and umbrellas which, rightly or wrongly, many tourists have come to expect. Faced with claims of litigation due misrepresentation the Group has had to offer cancellation without penalty or rearrangement to other non-Thailand destinations. This has also had consequences on the viability of the only non-stop UK to Phuket service with Thomson Airlines and also them offering more resorts on an All_inclusive basis, which is not good for the local economy. An example of the Law of Unintended Consequences. As I and others have suggested before it will be bookings for the 2015 Low Season for the Australian market predominantly and the 2015/16 High Season together with new advertising and promotion images that will give a truer indication of the future.
Posted by
Alan
on
December 19, 2014 10:05
Editor Comment:
Cancellations are only coming from the lotus-eating layabouts. Most European tourists are not obsessed by sunbeds.
Dear editor, sorry to say but somehow it is very ignorant to put all theguys that renting chairs and umbrellas on a beach in the lotus eating hedonistic corner. Most of them were Europeans (such as I am) spending a lot of money in their holidays and creating good revenue for Thai People. In future Thailand will have less of them and believe me, backpackers, russians and chinese won't fill this financial gap no matter how evasive they come for holidays to Thailand. I am no doomsayer but able to calculate 1 + 1 together and long enough in business to know that shitting on the hand which is feeding me is no clever thing at all
Posted by
fred
on
December 19, 2014 20:18
Editor Comment:
The explosion in the number of lotus-eating layabouts over the past few years meant that the beaches were being taken over by private entrepreneurs bent on milking as much cash as they could from public space to build mansions and send their children to Europe, all at the expense of their fellow citizens. Your comfort and your money are, fortunately, not the prime concern. If it happened in your country, you'd be unhappy, too.
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Tellme..how is the Mayor of Patong supposed to put Patong Beach among the worlds best?....Jet skis and para sailors aren't going anywhere...mute point
Posted by sky on December 18, 2014 18:10
Editor Comment:
moot.