PHUKET: Poor vendors displaced by the ongoing beach cleanup in Phuket will receive training so that they can find new jobs, says the southern army chief.
The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) will not waver in its commitment to return the beaches to the public, Lt Gen Walit Rojanapakdi, commander of the 4th Army, said on Saturday.
The removal of encroachers and illegal businesses is being applauded by visitors and a new zoning system will ensure that vendors can make a living under proper rules, he said at a meeting with local authorities.
Tourists get a suntan on Patong beach, Phuket. (Bangkok Post file photo)
"Order on the beaches satisfies people and tourists as they can see the beauty of tourist destinations. Zoning will be open to the genuinely poor," he said.
Lt Gen Walit said that genuinely poor vendors could continue to work at some sections of local beaches that would be developed into designated tourist service areas. Local authorities would play an important role in maintaining order and corrupt officials would be punished, he added.
Attempts to protect public assets would also extend to the forests of Phuket, Lt Gen Walit said. Encroachment by resort developments on public forest land has long been a problem at many tourist destinations in the country.
Phuket governor Maitree Inthusut said the NCPO's campaign to restore order in Phuket over the past three months had helped create peace on the island as illicit businesses and influences were being wiped out.
Mr Maitree also said that some beach vendors would receive vocational training so that they could change their careers and leave the beaches.
About 500 vendors in Phuket have been affected, including beach chair operators, masseurs and beverage vendors, he said.
Tourists have long complained about overcharging and abuse at the hands of taxi and jet-ski mafia groups on the island. Several people were arrested recently in the first serious crackdown on influential figures after years of inaction by elected governments.
As well, beaches at most Thai seaside resorts are overrun by illegal businesses encroaching on public land. Tourists frequently complain about having to negotiate obstacle courses consisting of hundreds of umbrellas and deckchairs, all the while being hounded by vendors, some of them quite aggressive.
Such operations can only exist if public officials agree to look the other way. The NCPO has warned that it will no longer tolerate such behaviour.
A similar cleanup is now under way in Hua Hin, another popular beach resort.