Some splash-happy vacationers, and doubtless a number of locals, in Phuket clearly didn’t get all of the “dry Songkran” memos. Reports of foreign tourists splashing water in and round some of Thailand’s vacationer hotspots these previous two days has drawn the ire of Thailand’s PM Prayut Chan-o-cha.
In the case of Phuket, and specifically Bangla Road, the local walking avenue, the PM called on the governor of Phuket to verify tourists there are conversant in the principles — i.e. a nationwide ban on water splashing this year.
On Wednesday, provincial authorities directed native Covid command models in three districts to implement the nation’s water splashing ban, in accordance with Phuket deputy governor Anupab Yodrabam, who expressed confidence that what happened at the seashore in Bangla Road won’t occurred again.
On Deadline (Songkran Eve), both overseas and Thai vacationers had been spotted tossing water on each other at Patong Beach on Bangla Road. There are hundreds of YouTube and social media posts of the water fights and general Songkran ‘revelry’. Also a lot displaying the state of affairs in Chaweng, Koh Samui and KhaoSan Road in Bangkok.
Last night, local police set up checkpoints on Patong’s Bangla Road to implement the splashing ban, ensuring that no water fights broke out on the popular nightlife strolling street. The transfer follows reports that “vigorous water play” was held there on late Tuesday night, continuing into the early hours of Wednesday morning, The Phuket News reported.
According to spokesperson Thanakorn, the PM has “expressed concern” and instructed the governor to personally visit locations with a high risk of unregulated water splashing — i.e. tourist areas — to inform international vacationers concerning the ban, so as to keep away from the government’s worst moist nightmare.
After the incident, local authorities deployed fast-acting response teams to tell foreign revellers in Kathu district of the water splashing ban (Bangla Road is in the Kathu District of Phuket province).
Anyone who breaks the current public health security guidelines underneath the anti-Covid emergency decree might be fined a maximum of forty,000 baht, withstand 2 years in jail — or both. That’s based on Pol Maj Gen Yingyot, who warned that those that dared to splash water in unregulated situations would face swift retribution. He noted that lawbreakers might also face an additional fantastic of up to 20,000 baht, as stipulated by the Communicable Disease Control Act..