Smoking ban planned at 20 popular beaches

From next month it is forbidden to smoke on one of the twenty selected popular beaches in Thailand. If you smoke, you can get a fine of 100,000 baht (€ 2500) or you will be in prison for a year.

According to the authorities, the big problem is that smokers also throw away their bulbs on the coast. For example, a day-to-day nature organization found nearly 140,000 cigarette remnants on a stretch of 2.5 kilometers of beach in Phuket. The responsible public service does not mean that tourists stay away because there is a smoke ban at once. “People go to the beach to relax. They are happier if they are not disturbed by smokers”, said a spokesman.

There are special smoking areas for non-cigarette users.