Smoke on Thai beaches this high season and face jail or 100,000 baht fine

[sambum]

4 minutes ago, wealthychef said:

Are you saying we should butt out?  That we're just talking garbage?  Need to clean up our act?  What we're doing is not fine?  

 Don't try to drag me into it - as far as I'm concerned it'sand 

[thaibeachlovers]

4 hours ago, Happy enough said:

actually most thais don't throw their shit on the floor and i'm in no way a protectionist. i'm sorry for what happened to your hand.. if it's pissing you off then their are airports. the thais are nice people. sure theirs issues but perhaps a different country might suit you better. good luck

most thais don't throw their shit on the floor

You're right, inside their houses they are very clean.

They throw all their garbage outside their houses in the public area.

[thaianon]

5 hours ago, Kiteboy57 said:

This country is seriously Pixxing me off, their standards are unbelievable, wherever I go in the three plus years living here, I see Thai individuals throwing their trash on the ground wherever they may be, at home, on the road or in the city. How about educating their own dirty individuals who for sure don't give a flying F about their environment. As for the fine and or jail time, well yet another case of overkill and double standards, three months ago I was knocked off my motorbike into the air suffering multiple injuries as a consequence and a cripple hand for life, and the Thai guy in his Pick-up who decided to fly through a Red light at over 160kph causing said accident, gets what, Nothing! He walks and I live with the pain and inability to even open a ring pull can anymore. Well done  yet again Thai authorities, priorities bang on once more, Long live the King BTW.

I've been living and teaching in Thailand for the past eight years. When I first started teaching here, our school principal told me "Don't drive a motorbike in Bangkok; it's much too dangerous!" I've heeded his advice. Anyone who does choose to drive a motorbike here, should make sure they have accident insurance.

[soalbundy]

11 hours ago, Kieran00001 said:

 

Pretty much every large government building has a designated bin outside, some families!

maybe in BKK, not where I live, I asked at the amphor, a nice lady said bin them.

[Kieran00001]

27 minutes ago, soalbundy said:

maybe in BKK, not where I live, I asked at the amphor, a nice lady said bin them.

 

We have them at the Amphur, the hospital and the police station, and I am not talking about Bangkok but Kalasin, I presumed it was a national initiative but maybe it is a province thing.

[Eaglekott]

On 10/10/2017 at 12:34 PM, Pattaya28 said:

Impossible.

This calculates to 1 butt every 2 CM. 

More nonsense plucked from a monkeys bottom.

Yes, But the beach is not only 2cm wide. 

[Eaglekott]

I would guess this is like always in Thailand... No more than 100,000 Baht fine and or Prison.

 

Maybe first time.. 1000 Baht, next time you do it... 2000.- then 4000.- up to a maximum of 100,000, and if you continue, 100,000 and jail.

[balo]

Actually the sign says up to 100 000 baht or 1 year in prison  .

 

Which basically means they will ask money from you , whatever is in your wallet.  A Thai will get away with 500 baht .  A thick farang wallet , 10000 +++ 

 

[adammike]

15 hours ago, Peterw42 said:

Has anyone considered targeting people who have bowel movements, or people who eat/drink from plastic containers, the "actual" cause of Thailand's beach pollution.

A quick visit to any beach in Thailand will confirm that cig butts are a minor part of the problem.

Sit/lay on the sand instead of the chairs and you will see that cig butts are a major problem,it's only when you get down and close that you see it.of course the plastic is horrendous as is the broken glass.

[autanic]

I think we really need to give the Thais some credit here. 

It doesn't matter how many Tourists get fined or how much. How many get locked up and made destitute, the Tourists keep on coming. More and more every year. 

 

It doesn't matter how many Tourists get fines, everyone is happy. 

 

[AlphMichaels]

On 10/10/2017 at 9:11 PM, thaianon said:

Fifty years ago in Thailand, there weren't many tourists but there were fishermen. The beaches were then mostly pristine. Today there are many tourists and there are fishermen. The beaches are littered to a greater or lesser extent. Who's to blame? The Thais, the tourists, the fishermen or Obama?

My best reply would be "change of times".  The reality; fishermen use different methods and materials than they did 50+ years ago.  Tourists don't come to the beach and throw down oil filters, fish food bags, or M150 bottles.  I've lived on a beach 2+ years now and near pretty large artisanal fishing community.  There is a period of 6-8 months where tourism here is next to nil but the trash washes up.  You can sit on the beach and watch it float in on occasion.  I can see it floating in from my condo @ 23 floors.  I can point to nearly every trash item I see on my daily 5K beach walks and assure you it's coming  from the fishermen.  

 

I can also watch locals come and lay down on government areas of beach because they don't want to pay for chairs/tables.  A relatively high percentage pack up and leave trash as if someone will come pick it up. 

 

Guess who picks it up?  Farang because they care about Thai beaches more than the Thais care.  Styrofoam, plastic bags, soda bottles, Sangsom/Hong Tong bottles..., trust me..., in large measure, and too many to believe, don't practice any form of pick-up-after-yourself and be kind to the environment.  

 

Fine aggressively and regularly.  500-2,000THB per incident will spin the gossip wheel and change bad habits because it hits their wallets/purses.    

 

Blaming Obama is a clear reflection of I.Q. and so off topic I'm surprised I'm hitting send.  Outstanding.  I shall.   

[Lokie]

On 10/10/2017 at 4:04 AM, z42 said:

Just when you think the authorities can't get any more illogical, and look any more stupid.... I should really drink more before reading the news here ?

Your first mistake is thinking the authorities are actually bothered what you (or any other outsider) think they look like?

[Retiredandhappyhere]

So, if someone is caught smoking on the beach but putting the stub in a bin, he/she would still be liable to a 100,000 baht fine or a year in jail, according to this ridiculous law?  The offence should be that of littering on the beach, or anywhere else for that matter, presumably according to existing laws, and not that of just smoking on the beach.

 

Although a non-smoker myself, I can imagine that this news might put off a few more tourists from coming to Thailand, particularly should any unfortunate person ever be jailed for a year for this new offence.  Sometimes it seems that it is cheaper to kill someone in Thailand than to commit a comparatively minor offence. 

[sambum]

12 minutes ago, dairy queen said:

It makes sense to stop people from antisocial behavior, like littering, but the punishment should fit the crime. 1 years imprisonment and/or a THB 100,000 fine just isn't reasonable. [Especially when compared with the potential sentencing for far worse crimes].

Like others have suggested people littering should be made to clean up sections of the beach; if this was done Thailand could have the cleanest beaches, at no/low cost to the tax payer.
 

I recently did a YouTube video summarizing the current situation, and this bizarre proposed legislation.
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrKKByEKuQ8

Can't see what's not to like about your punishment for "litterers".

 

The only problem is, there's no money in it for the .............  Well, I'll let you work out the "who" for yourself!

[albertalaska]

I remember counting 10-15 butts per square foot on Lonely Beach about 15 years ago. It felt disturbing and absurd. Butts were never cleaned up, only other trash.

[TheMacMan]

On 10/10/2017 at 4:52 PM, joecoolfrog said:

Enjoy the 10 seconds of pleasure you got for penning that little anti smoking rant. Shame this measure will accomplish absolutely nothing other than to line the pockets of a few policeman and antagonise tourists who for the most part will have no idea why they are being fleeced.

yeah, yeah, yeah.... I'm guessing you are an anti-smoker?

 

Listen, rant aside, you are right, many people don't like smoking.... however, the little ash that drops from a cigarette is next-to-nothing in the scene of pollution! In most countries smokers are told not to smoke in crowded or enclosed spaces, or general pub;ic areas.... however the great outdoors/beaches is not often one of them....

 

BUT, that aside, smoking outdoors on a beach or field in the open should not be an issue -THOSE DROPPING BUTTS IS! Therefore the issue here is NOT a smoking one, it is an issue of LITTERING!

 

banning smoking on the grounds of littering is fair, bit not allowing smoking when all rubbish is taken away with the person is wrong....

I would rather see up too 100,000 bht fines and up to a year in prison for violent crime, threatening with a machete or gun, drunk and crazy drivers, poorly maintained public buses and lorries while breaks fail on hills or can't stop because of crazy driving resulting in death when the vehicle lows into another car/bike/person (faulty breaks/slippery road syndrome!)

 

The thais burn rubbish and rubber and plastic all ay long, smelly smoke swirls across the roads and houses.... they picnic when and where they like and simp,y leave... all the plastic and polystyrene simply left on the wrong by the tree/beach.... but hey! None of that I have just mentioned is a fraction as important as banning non-littering smokers is it! {sigh}

If a smoker drops butts - sure! fine them!

If not, then it is nothing compared to more important problems that are ignored daily!

 

[autanic]

On 11/11/2017 at 3:33 AM, TheMacMan said:

yeah, yeah, yeah.... I'm guessing you are an anti-smoker?

 

Listen, rant aside, you are right, many people don't like smoking.... however, the little ash that drops from a cigarette is next-to-nothing in the scene of pollution! In most countries smokers are told not to smoke in crowded or enclosed spaces, or general pub;ic areas.... however the great outdoors/beaches is not often one of them....

 

BUT, that aside, smoking outdoors on a beach or field in the open should not be an issue -THOSE DROPPING BUTTS IS! Therefore the issue here is NOT a smoking one, it is an issue of LITTERING!

 

banning smoking on the grounds of littering is fair, bit not allowing smoking when all rubbish is taken away with the person is wrong....

I would rather see up too 100,000 bht fines and up to a year in prison for violent crime, threatening with a machete or gun, drunk and crazy drivers, poorly maintained public buses and lorries while breaks fail on hills or can't stop because of crazy driving resulting in death when the vehicle lows into another car/bike/person (faulty breaks/slippery road syndrome!)

 

The thais burn rubbish and rubber and plastic all ay long, smelly smoke swirls across the roads and houses.... they picnic when and where they like and simp,y leave... all the plastic and polystyrene simply left on the wrong by the tree/beach.... but hey! None of that I have just mentioned is a fraction as important as banning non-littering smokers is it! {sigh}

If a smoker drops butts - sure! fine them!

If not, then it is nothing compared to more important problems that are ignored daily!

 

TheMacMan has just nailed it.  Enough said. Topic closed.