Another way to make money from tourists under the guise of fighting bad habits was launched on the beaches of the popular Thai resort of Hua Hin. The Smoke-Free Beach campaign, initiated by the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources Region 3 (DMCR3), according to a statement in the Thai press, aims to “draw attention to the dangers of smoking on the beach, both from a public health and environmental perspective.”. Attracting the attention of tourists is sensual – they face a huge fine or even prison… However, it seems that tourists have loopholes.
The official warning states that anyone caught smoking on the beach can be fined up to 100,000 baht (110,000 UAH) or jailed for up to one year.
“Officials” have reportedly already walked the beaches with warning signs in Thai and English. So far, it has been a warning – tourists have only been pointed to smoking areas, which are specially created on the beach, and also reminded about the prohibition of smoking and informed about the rules of smoking on the beach.
The Thai authorities are counting on the fact that the educational measures will have an impact. Foreign sources, commenting on this decision, added that it will most likely be a feeding ground for fraudsters, including those in uniform. But the most interesting thing is that such a requirement and the punishment for playing it… are illegal.
The tourist should remember that only the police can issue him a fine and based on current laws; the more to put in prison. They remind us that the ban on smoking in Bangkok 20 years ago primarily led to the fact that many scammers flourished, offering smoking tourists “to go to the branch or solve the problem on the spot.” As a result, annoying “agents” began to be openly “sent”, and the number of fraud complaints increased many times.
In this way, tourists are warned to be vigilant – “business people” who decide to make money from tourists will certainly be. However, it must be remembered that only the police have the right to collect fines. In addition, it is very difficult to prove the fact of smoking on the beach.