Capt Theera Chanthong and fellow officers from Cherng Talay Police arrived at Ley Phang Beach at about 6pm after being informed that many tourists were back enjoying the beach, ignoring the order issued by Phuket Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana last Sunday (Mar 28).
Under the order, all beaches in Phuket were closed. The order is to remain in effect until at least Apr 10, but may be extended further. (See story here.)
“Some of the people were walking along the beach, others were playing in the water. There were about 70 people in total,” said Capt Theera.
“None of them were wearing masks,” he added.
Not wanting to place anyone under arrest, Capt Janthong and his fellow officers decided to try something different to get the message through: they sounded the siren on their police car.
“All of a sudden all of the tourists ran back up from the beach and quickly returned to their hotels nearby,” Capt Janthiong explained.
Only one person was taken into custody at the scene. Capt Janthong did not explain why.
The order banning all persons from the beaches was issued under Section 52 of the Communicable Disease Act 2015, which can incur a penalty of up to one year ni jail or a fine of up to B100,000, or both.