For "Amazing Thailand", look at Loei
I have just made my first visit to Loei Province for Phi Ta Khon (the Ghost Festival), which I thoroughly enjoyed. But what really struck me was the breathtaking beauty of this province. More amazing still was the pristine cleanliness.
I drove some 300 kilometres through Loei and not once did I see the usual trash of plastic bags, polystyrene packages, bottles and cans littering the sides of the roads. Even the villages and towns I passed through were picture-postcard perfect.
This care for the environment is a credit to the Loei provincial administration and to all the people of Loei. But why can’t the rest of Thailand follow this wonderful example?
In his address to the nation last Friday, General Prayuth said that Thailand should look for quality in tourism rather than quantity. If he is looking for quality tourists then Thailand must offer quality tourism, and tours of garbage dumps are not foreigners’ idea of a holiday.
Some years ago Singapore’s strongman Lee Kuan Yew cleaned up his country’s landscape with draconian penalties for littering. Today fines for littering are equivalent to between Bt7,500 and Bt25,000 – and that is for first offenders!
General Prayuth, you have the power to implement similar measures. How about it?
David Brown
Rayong
