Thailand: Government officials Start Reclaiming Footpaths in Pattaya
Thailand: Government officials Start Reclaiming Footpaths in Pattaya
Pattaya authorities recently began reclaiming footpaths on the famous Jomtien Beach from encroaching (illegal) vendors and took strong action against a rental deckchair operator in particular for intimidating travellers.
Pattaya Authorities visited sois between soi 2 and 5 on Jomtien Beach Road as a consequence of complaints from tourists and residents that many a beachfront stall was blocking walkways and forcing people who would otherwise prefer to walk on footpaths to walk on the road. Following this, the vendors have been warned to remove their stalls from the footpaths.
Pattaya municipality legal team chairman, Mr Setthapol Boonsawat, has stated that footpaths along the coast must be reclaimed by the government for the benefit of tourists and residents and that the municipality wouldn’t let individuals use public spaces for personal benefits.
Furthermore, municipal officials have also suspended the license of an umbrella and deckchair rental stall on Jomtien beach for fifteen days on grounds of intimidating tourists.
Beach visitors had also on one occasion, complained about women staff chasing them away from areas where visitor’s set up their own mats in front of the deckchair rentals.
Mr Setthapol Boonsawat also mentioned that such instances had adversely affected Pattaya’s reputation as a popular beach resort and therefore action must be carried out against these unlawful operators. In instances where these incidents recur, the municipality plans to suspend the license of such law breakers for two months or even revoke it entirely in some cases.
The operator told Pattaya authorities that she wasn’t at her stall at the time when this incident took place as she had taken her husband to a doctor, leaving just her immigrant workers at the helm of operations.
She blamed a communication problem for the totally avoidable altercation. She believed that her workers would never intentionally expel tourists. They had just warned tourists about the dust that may contaminate their food if they had placed their mats near the food stall.
Beach cleanup attempts at popular tourist hotspots like Pattaya, Phuket and Hua Hin have gained momentum ever since the 2014 military coup. Having said that, the cleanup drive has fortunately and unfortunately achieved more success in Phuket and Hua Hin than in Pattaya respectively.
Many Thailand beaches are now void of encroaching vendors, with other abuses having being curbed as well. However authorities are still remaining vigilant of any attempts made by violators to resume their unlawful activities.
Keywords/phrases – Pattaya Authorities, Thailand and Mr Setthapol Boonsawat
