Beatiful Sea

Last Update : Tuesday 23 January, 2001 0:27 AM

General People

          Do not keep marine animals as pets. Some of those animals may import from other countries, but be sure that many of them are from Thai sea. After keeping them not so long, they will sick to dead…ill to dead…or hurt to dead. It harms marine animals straightforwardly. The beauty of blue world cannot be definitely admired from the hell of fish tank.

          Do not build your house by hurting nature. The decoration of Giant clams’ shells, corals, or sea fans in your house does not show that you would like to live with nature. On the contrary, it shows that you have never thought of your descendants in the future because you have destroyed the sea this present day.

          Do not throw garbage into the water, beach, or sea directly. Tourism bring a lot of incomes into the country, we, Thais, gain advantages from it. However, millions of tourists each year do not want to travel across the world to see piles of garbage on beaches of Thailand.

          Do not hesitate to use your right to protect the sea. If you see anybody ruining his own property, that is his personal right. But Thai sea is our descendants’ sea, and ours. Do not let other people ruin our property. Do not despair. Many Thai people do not have any hope left. Many say, “Who cares, Thai sea!” There are no any foreigners who take care of Thai sea better than Thai people do. Take care of our sea in every way that you can do. It is not the duty or rule, but it is the common sense of those who realize the value of the expanse of land and water called “Thailand”.

Tourists

          Do not make your trip to release yourself. A trip today can lead to other trips in the future. Although you may not come, but your friends, your children, your grandchildren have the right to come. Stop littering, throwing away your wastes, oppressing nature, or bothering others.

          Give up buying or collecting souvenirs from the sea. They are not souvenirs that receivers should be glad, but they are the things that spread the sin all over. Corals, shells, porcupine fish lamps, seahorse key holders, etc. used to be alive, have their families in the blue water territory, but people catch them to kill and bring their corpses to sell to you. Do not support buying corpses of marine animals and misunderstand that they are souvenirs.

          Do not intentionally touch all kinds of living things in the sea. You may step on a Ghost crab by accident without seeing. But catching Ghost crabs to fight each other because it is fun…that is intention. Catching marine animals to let your friends see…that is intention. Standing on corals and say that you are tired…that is very intention.

          Follow the rules and regulations, and act accordingly to the manners of tourism places. When you reach any place, the first thing you should do is to know the rules that are not for giving you more convenience, but for not making those sentient beings, the owners, be in trouble too much because of your visiting.

          A pity hermit crab: He is living in Mu Ko Similan, the most offshore marine national park of Thailand. Unfortunately, one day he found that shells that used to be his home were gone. The remains are broken glasses that tourists kindly leave them out after collecting shells for souvenirs. The hermit crab has no choice. He has to stay in the new house then, until…one day, when Thai people realize the value of the sea.

Rules and Regulations in National Parks (Only those related to marine tourism)

Do not enter to occupy, clear forests or collect ores, soils, rocks, and plants including all kinds of forest things.

Do not hunt animals or catch insects.

Do not bring all kinds of pets or other riding animals into the areas.

Do not shoot guns, light firework, or burst any explosions.

Do not make loud noise or use amplifiers to bother tourists or wild animals.

Do not write or install any signs

Do not bring vehicles, like boats, in and out; or ride vehicles, like scooters, in unprepared areas.

Do not conduct anything that brings in moral decline and ruins righteous culture.

Litter in reserved places and do not leave any fuse that may cause forest fire.

When using bathrooms and toilets, please keep clean and save water.

When doing recreation activities no matter sporting, swimming, trekking, camping, diving, or building a campfire, do only in the areas that the parks has prepared.

Do not cut branches of perennial trees to build a campfire. However, dropping dried branches can be used under the permission of the parks’ officers. A fire controller is needed all the time and the fire has to be put out properly after used.

Do not go out of the arranged trails.

Those who do camping by using tents or staying in the parks’ lodgings, please keep everything clean after done.

Play sports at the reserved areas only.

Do not cook in the lodgings and keep every material in proper condition.

The parks will not be responsible for your own valuable things. Be responsible by yourselves.

Do You Know?

Some of Regulations of the National Park Act

Collecting rock, sand, plants, corals, etc.Fine 500-20,000 bahtImprison 5-20 years

Bringing in weapons or explosionsFine 500 baht

Hunting animals or catching insectsFine 500-20,000 baht

Making loud noise or using amplifiersFine 500 baht

Disobeying the officersFine 1,000 baht

LitteringFine 500 baht

Fishermen

           Have professional behavior. Fishermen are not those who hurt the sea. Everybody has the right to help the sea…a lot. Only understand and think. Do not only use amusement to decide things. When you have fished too small fishes, rare fishes, or fishes that cannot cook to eat, you should free them back to the sea.

           Do not fish in the national park areas, protected areas, or any forms of preservation areas. You are breaking the laws and hurting nature.

Divers

          Do not misunderstand. Diving brings you to the underwater world, but not for finding something to eat or being excited. These diving equipment were invented because the inventors want human beings to have opportunity to study and save the blue world.

          Do not haste to go into the water if you are not skillful yet. Otherwise, you will fall on corals, kick out sea fans and feather stars, and sweep up the sand fill on marine animals. Be patient and gradually practice in order that your visit to the sea does not abuse the owners.

          Do not stubborn. Sometimes, there are strong currents and waves. You may be safe from the sea, but several living things under the sea are dead because of your grasping, pulling, and kicking. Please choose the right time and the right place.

          Do not be too adventurous. Crevices under the sea are exciting wonderful world. Many of you like to dive under caves or duck under narrowest space for fun. However, please be careful of your tanks that may hit tiny animals away. Air bubbles may accumulate on the ceiling of the caves and become air hollow and all animals sticking in those areas are dead. Keep your adventurous mind in appropriated level not only for your life, but also for numerous lives underwater.

          Do not desire to be smart. Hanging or riding other animals like Whale sharks, turtles, and rays because of thinking that it’s fun, you are pitiful in other people’s views. Friends under the sea are not playthings in amusement parks or jet skis.

          Do not be quiet when you see the wrong things. Even he is a captain, if he shoot a fish, it is not right. The good visitors do not depend on experiences or familiarities with the sea, but it depends on your heart. New divers may disturb animals less than ten-year-experience divers may.

          Be proud and act right. We are the minority who see by eyes and know by feelings that how great the underwater world is. If you hurt the sea, do not hope others to preserve. Thus, each of your diving has the meanings. Your words have meanings. And your actions have more meanings. You are the vanguard to save the Thai sea. Act, as you are the real people of the blue world. Repay a kindness of the sea when it needs.