Bad vibes over Phuket Sydictive party shift to Patong

PHUKET: Leading Phuket tourism figure Sarayuth Mallam has voiced grave concerns about the Sydictive Element New Year’s Eve beach party being moved from Surin Beach to Patong, citing strong resistance from local businesses and Patong Mayor Pian Keesin.

“As far as I know, the party organizer wants to change the party venue from Surin Beach to Patong Beach since they have faced so much resistance from so many local residents [at Surin Beach],” Mr Sarayuth, a vice president with the Phuket Tourist Association, told the Phuket Gazette.

“Also, as Patong Mayor Pian Keesin pointed out, Patong Beach is a public area, and it is quite difficult to use a public area for holding a [commercial] ‘private’ party that will charge admission,” he added.

Mr Sarayuth said he failed to understand why organizers did not consult any local government officers or local people before planning the party.

“They planned everything and then just informed us that they are going to use Surin Beach for the party. Now it is too late to fix anything,” he said.

Though the organizers might be able to make a deal with some beach vendors, as they have agreed to compensate the vendors for some of the income expected to be lost during the party period, Mr Sarayuth was concerned about how the organizers would deal with those they were unable to strike a deal with.

“The organizers also said they will be responsible for the safety of partygoers and for maintaining the cleanliness of the area during three-day party, but when I spoke with Cherng Talay Police and other local officers, I learned that the organizer had never contacted the police to create a plan for providing security at and around the party.

“Given this, how can we be sure that they will be as concerned about this as they say?” Mr Sarayuth asked.

“In the past, we have seen fighting break out at concerts with audiences of only about 5,000 people. How can we be sure that this party will go smoothly with a crowd of about 50,000 people? What if something like an electrical short happens and causes damage to life and property? Who is going to responsible for this?”

Regardless, Mr Sarayuth was clear that he had no direct objections to holding the party if the above issues were addressed appropriately.

“I have nothing against the party, but I am concerned with the fact that we might be forced to clean up afterward.

“This is not an appropriate way to promote Phuket, even though the party organizers say it is. I believe the party will have more negative effects than positive ones for the province,” he added.

— Orawin Narabal