Since November 2017, Thailand has entered into force a strict ban on smoking on the country’s twenty largest beaches. All violators of the ban will be subjected to very strict punishment, which can be in the form of a fine or imprisonment for a period of one year. The second type of punishment is provided in cases when the violator is unable to pay a very impressive fine – 100 thousand baht (to date it is about 3000 USD). It is also indicated the possibility of applying both of punishment, and therefore it is necessary to take the new ban seriously. Detailed information on the reasons for the tightening of smoking rules on the beaches of Thailand and special places for smoking can be found below on the page.
It may seem strange, but the ban on smoking on the beaches of Thailand has nothing to do with the tightening of anti-tobacco legislation in the country. The main declared goal of the ban is to improve the ecological situation on the beaches of resorts by significantly reducing cigarette butts in sea water and directly in the coastal zone. A recent study on the beaches of Phuket revealed a large specific weight of cigarette butts in the general composition of garbage. So, according to this study, 55,000 cigarette butts were found for every kilometer of the beach. Agree, the figure is very impressive, and cigarette butts containing modern filters, decompose slowly and cause damage to the environment, highlighting elements that are hazardous to human health, such as lead and cadmium.
By the way, the tightening of smoking rules on the beaches of Thailand, which comes into effect with the official start of the high tourist season) did not require the introduction of new laws. The corresponding decision (on damaging the environment) was adopted in the country in 2015 and provides for the punishment in question – a fine of 100 thousand baht or one year in prison (in some cases both penalties can be applied at once). Smoking is prohibited not only during rest on sunbeds or on the sand, but also during walks on the beaches. And for those who can not refuse from tobacco smoke, special places for smoking will be equipped. Local authorities are sure that they can control compliance with the new ban, because the amount of fines will compensate for all the funds spent for this.
A new ban will help Thai beaches not turn into this
Currently, a complete list of beaches in Thailand, where smoking is prohibited, has not yet been made public. But it is already known that it will be all beaches in Pattaya (including Jomtien), the main beaches on the island of Phuket, beaches in Hua Hin, Cha-Am and Bang Saen. A full list of beaches will be made public later, but in any case, all smokers should be more careful and generally give up smoking on the beaches of Thailand, because justice in the country is very specific, and in any case, giving up smoking will not damage to health of the smoker.
It is also known that the ban will apply to all passenger boats, ferries and pleasure boats in Thai territorial waters, because cigarette cigarette butts thrown overboard are a very serious problem for Thailand, being a dangerous contaminant of coastal waters. By the way, at the end of October 2017 in Thailand (Phuket island) is planned to hold a major ASEAN conference (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), the main theme of which will be just a discussion of the problem of sea and beach debris in the region. And local authorities were obliged to demonstrate their efforts in solving this serious problem, as recently Thailand was ranked sixth in the ranking of the world’s largest polluters of ocean.
And how do you feel about the new ban and the total ban on the use of electronic cigarettes in Thailand? Leave your thoughts in the comments to this page!
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