Thread: Phuket: Tourists Cannot Bring Own Umbrellas to Beach

Officials scramble to resolve ban on tourists bringing own beach umbrellas


[snippet]

Banned

Swedish tourist Thomas Tagheim brought his family to Phuket on holiday, but last week was refused permission to bring his own umbrella to provide shade for his infant grandson’s delicate skin.

As of Wednesday, the popular Accuweather website reported a UV Index of 8 (very high) for Patong Beach. The US Environmental Protection Agency defines a UV Index reading of 8 to 10 as “very high risk of harm from unprotected sun exposure.”

The key environmental agency advises: “Take extra precautions because unprotected skin and eyes will be damaged and can burn quickly… If outdoors, seek shade and wear protective clothing, a wide-brimmed hat, and UV-blocking sunglasses” (click here).

Regardless, the Tagheim family was forced to leave Patong Beach on November 5 – after days of ignoring warnings from local officials to remove their umbrella – after Tourist Police officers confirmed that it was not allowed.

“We bought our own umbrellas in Phuket Town because no umbrellas were provided at the beach,” Mr Tagheim told the Gazette.

“On November 1, two police officers told us to move our umbrella from the beach back to the tree line, and so we did. The next day a man in government uniform told us to remove our umbrella from there.

“My daughter told him we needed shade for her child, who is one-and-a-half years old. The man did not care at all. He then went away and we stayed under our umbrella.”

On November 5, the official returned, this time accompanied by two police officers.

“After that we went to the Tourist Police office, and they told us that we cannot use our umbrella on the beach or at the tree line. We did not get any explanation as to why we had to remove our umbrella except that it was the new law from the government,” Mr Tagheim said.

“We have been coming here twice a year, in October and January, for seven years. If we cannot use our own umbrellas on the beach, we will not come back to the island – even though we love it so much. And I know that many of my friends and other tourists feel the same.

“What will Phuket be without family tourists? How can the government allow jet-skis on a public beach but not allow parents and grandparents to protect their children from overheating and sunburn?”

Tentative moves

V/Gov Chamroen on Tuesday confirmed to the Gazette that he was aware of the incident.

“We would like to apologize for any inconvenience. We are working on this problem, but until we have found a solution I would like to ask all people not to bring their own umbrellas to the beach. It will only cause arguments and misunderstandings. We must uniformly enforce the laws for everyone,” he said.

“We are trying make as many people as happy as we can. We need to find a way for locals to earn a living, but we must make sure that no one occupies the beach like they have done in the past.” - See more at: Officials scramble to resolve ban on tourists bringing own beach umbrellas

Feck me when I was small my parents used to take windbreaks to the beach.

You can't take your own umbrella? Now I knew there was a stupid element in society as a whole but...

Problem? Locals cannot think of an answer but cannot ask the islanders as a whole for a solution. Maybe Phuketwan could have a quiz to get suggestions for the answer?

Until they have found a solution? There is a solution. Umbrellas can be erected, if a customer requests an umbrella. If there are no customers there should be no umbrellas. OK it is the best I could come up with given the current silly season.

Upshot? No none can use the beaches in Phuket you can only sit in your air conditioned car and look at them.

Don't be so obtuse.

The Mafias are smarting from the prohibition of "Commercial " umbrella franchises which flooded the beaches and destroyed the notion that tourists had found a tropical beach unpolluted by greed.

By preventing families from doing what families do on a beach the world over, take their own modest shade, they are acting like the vindictive, cynical, selfish, puerile, swine they truly are. That the so-called authorities are colluding in this nonsense is typical of Thai nastiness as they desperately try to re- assert their criminal grip upon Thailand in order to exploit their greed.

It beggars belief that any tourist destination could possible act in such a stupid manner but then, we know just how stupid and nasty Thai can be.
Everyone with a functioning brain knew damn well no one imagined for one moment personal beach umbrellas would be banned from a tourist beach. This nonsense is simply the Mafias giving it the needle and the Thai authorities, being the gormless idiots they are, are doltish enough to be manipulated into cooperating with them.

Umbrellas are a well-known 'gateway' accessory and clearly pose a great risk.

Easy access to umbrellas is a slippery slope that leads to abuse of other items such as parasols, fans and those weird base-ball hat like things without the hat part, like Phil Mickelson wears.

If this lurking social pandemic is not nipped in the bud it is only a matter of time until the streets are filled with junkies looking for their next fix of Nivea Après-soleil or sharing dirty sunglasses and prices for backstreet sunscreen with SPFs over 0.5 will rival those of printer ink.

I, for one, hope that the authorities will act decisively and take the logical step of declaring Thailand to be a hub of clouds and therefore sun-free. When this is done only outlaws will have access to any sort of UV protection and so will be easily identified as they will be all the ones who are not actively hacking malignant melanomas off their skin after holidaying in the Land of Smiles.