Police inspectors will be sent to check on regulatory violations of raft-discotheque operators in Kanchanaburi and to ensure disturbance of environments and local communities is not repeated.
Police spokesman Pol Gen Dejnarong Suthicharnbancha said Wednesday the team would check to see if any floating disco is operating without a licence or has breached provincial regulations and existing laws governing their business.
The move came after Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha ordered administrative authorities to look into the party rafts following complaints by riverside residents of excessive noise and garbage dumped into the water.
Pol Gen Dejnarong said officials would take legal action against operators found guilty of violations and would seek Marine Department action to revoke their licences.
The province has issued regulations that include a ban on disco rafts in some areas, a prohibition against loud music after midnight, and a noise limit of 91 decibels.
On Wednesday, some operators were seen to be replacing large loudspeakers on their rafts with smaller ones in a bid to bring noise levels within the legal limit.
Deputy Kanchanaburi governor Boonyapat Chantornurai said agencies will meet on Monday at the provincial hall to work out problems with their enforcement of the law and why the same problems kept resurfacing.
He said the new complaints had been filed even though he had instructed officials to strictly enforce the law. Provincial authorities also met with operators of all types of rafts and riverside residents in July for talks on the regulation of the raft business.
Rafts on the Kwai Yai and Kwai Noi rivers are popular among tourists visiting the province. Muang district alone boasts 450 rafts, 200 of them rock and dance party spots, while the remainder are floating hotels and restaurants, according to the Raft Operators Association of Kanchanaburi.
Panuwat Sindanchan, who operates rafts and a resort on Kwai Noi river, said the noise problem caused by the disco rafts had been tackled in the past 30 years and the operators should work together to put a permanent end to it to avoid disturbing residents and tourists visiting the province to enjoy riverine nature.
He said only a few party raft operators breached regulations. The operators who break the law should have their licences revoked because they do a disservice to those who comply with the rules.
Mr Panuwat said areas along the rivers are currently divided into a red zone which prohibits loud noise and a green zone which allows the disco rafts to use loudspeakers. He suggested an extra yellow zone should be added where operators are directed to be quiet or be alerted to turn off music as they are nearing residential areas.
He said tourists must be made aware of the regulations as well and those who try to force the disco raft staff to violate the rules by bribing them should be punished together with the operators.
“This will get rid of sayings like ‘I give you tip for 1,000 baht, you give us one more hour [of music]', ‘Do you know who I am?’ and ‘Just do it. I can clear it’.”
Workers on a floating party raft remove big loudspeakers to meet the legal noise limits.(Photo by Piyarach Chongcharoen)
A disco raft is towed into the Kwai Noi river. (Photo by Piyarach Chongcharoen)