THE DEPARTMENT of Marine and Coastal Resources said in a Facebook post today (Sept. 1) that it is searching for a foreign couple who chased marine animals in the coral reefs while diving at Koh Phangan island and also used their selfie tripods to wake them up and quickly swim away, Sanook.com reported.
Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Mr. Warawut Silpa-Archa is extremely annoyed with the action of the male and female tourists and has ordered the department to look for them and proceed with legal action.
Mr. Sophon Thongdee, the department’s deputy director-general, has ordered officials on Koh Phangan and nearby Koh Tao to check whether this couple came with a tour group and whether they had hired a diving instructor to train them.
If they are part of a tour group then the tour company must be placed on probation while if a diving instructor is involved he would be told to be stricter with the students and not let them behave in this manner.
The department is in the process of proposing a “handbook on measures for diving tourism at coral reefs” to the Cabinet for consideration. The officials are waiting to hear for experts and tourism bodies about this matter after which the measures will be pushed through as a ministerial regulation.
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The foreign couple chasing and alarming marine animals. Thai headline says, “threatening marine animals.” Photos: Sanook.com
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