Grissak vows to clean up Bangla
PATONG: In a bid to clean up the trash dumped on Soi Bangla every day, Kathu Police Superintendent Col Grissak Songmoonnak has launched a garbage-disposal campaign to ease some of Patong’s waste woes.
Col Grissak told the Gazette that he called on local vendors and municipal authorities to discuss the problem and develop a plan of action with the goal of ensuring that the air in Patong remains fresh for the many tourists who visit the resort town.
According to new guidelines, between 6 pm and 2 am there is to be no dumping of litter anywhere along Soi Bangla. Vendors are permitted to put their rubbish out on the soi at 2 am for refuse collectors to take away by the next morning.
Violators of the new scheme could be fined between 500 and 1,000 baht according to existing Thai law, added Col Grissak.
A transition period is needed so that vendors can adjust to the new schedule, said Col Grissak. Those involved in the scheme, many of whom have signed a memorandum of understanding, have been co-operative and there is now a community spirit on Soi Bangla with many vendors actively keeping the area clean, he added.
One Patong vendor told the Gazette that litter on the streets from fellow vendors had annoyed him for some time, so he understood the expectations of foreign tourists but was powerless to do anything until the police had taken action.
Less than two weeks into the scheme, tourists are already staying on Soi Bangla longer and in greater numbers than before, added the vendor, who asked to remain anonymous.
