See What Happened at Surin?

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PHUKET: Tourists had their personal beach umbrellas seized at Surin beach today - despite even the Royal Thai Navy Commander on Phuket acknowledging that it's legal and there's no problem with them.At least three couples had brollies confiscated. One woman objected, and stormed off when told she had to surrender her umbrella, saying: ''I'm never coming back here again.''The seizure of personal umbrellas is the final farcical step to Phuket's shambolic approach to clearing the beaches - and now proposing at Patong and Kamala to restore all the clutter and chaos as soon as possible.Cherng Talay Mayor M-Ann Samran, who oversees Surin beach, said today he ordered the seizure of tourists' personal umbrellas because he was concerned too many of them could soon become a problem.Buthas carefully researched the newly imposed regulations governing the beaches and found nothing that prohibits tourists from bringing their personal umbrellas.Until today, the personal beach umbrellas that dotted many of Phuket's popular west coast beaches were a sign of sanity prevailing among the confused local councils that look after Phuket's beaches - yet permitted the public sands to be covered in rows and rows of sunbeds that were against the law.At Surin today, apparently there was a move by Mayor Ma-Ann's council against vendors who had been renting out the smaller umbrellas.But having allowed the problem to grow without taking action, the council officers in their eventual crackdown also confiscated umbrellas from tourists who had brought their own brollies.This afternoon, it became obvious ashas been proposing for years that Phuket needs a Phuket Beach Authority to oversee all of the beaches and remove them from the control of the blundering councils.Earlier in the afternoon, vendors from the beach had met with council officers, seeking answers to some of their questions about their futures.The Commander of Royal Thai Navy 3, Vice Admiral Saiyan Prasongsomret, who met with mayors, district chiefs and other administrators just yesterday, said this afternoon: ''The issue of beach chairs, umbrellas, masseuses and vendors: a solution is coming from the Phuket Provincial Administration and local councils.''They have to make sure the same standards apply at all beaches. I have pushed this issue before the governor and the mayors already.''The governor is on a visit to China and no vice governors were available to attend yesterday's meeting.