Foreign Tourists Defecate Outside Thai Restaurant Due to Lack of Public Bathrooms

A disturbing trend of foreign tourists defecating outside a Thai restaurant in Phuket has prompted the owner to urge the government to provide more public bathrooms. Pananut Asawapitakchon, the owner of Salaloy Restaurant, shared two separate incidents on Facebook, where tourists defecated outside his business when it was closed. Despite his willingness to offer free bathroom access to visitors, the incidents occurred while the restaurant was closed, and staff had to clean up the waste. Pananut believes this highlights a broader problem, where a world-class tourist destination like Phuket fails to meet basic standards for visitors.

Key Takeaways:

• Pananut Asawapitakchon, owner of Salaloy Restaurant in Phuket, reported two incidents of foreign tourists defecating outside his business when it was closed.
• The incidents occurred despite the restaurant owner's willingness to offer free bathroom access to visitors.
• Pananut believes this is a symptom of a broader problem, where Phuket fails to meet basic standards for visitors.
• The lack of accessible public bathrooms contributes to such incidents, according to Thai netizens who have raised this issue before.
• Petch, a Thai translator and writer for The Thaiger, notes that this problem is not new and has been raised by the public before.
• The restaurant owner, Pananut, is willing to cover the costs of maintaining toilets to support tourism and the local economy.
• Pananut is concerned for his staff who had to clean up the waste and wonders if other restaurant owners in Phuket face similar issues.

Statistics:

• 2 incidents of foreign tourists defecating outside Salaloy Restaurant in Phuket have been reported.
• Both incidents occurred when the restaurant was closed.
• The restaurant owner, Pananut, is willing to cover the costs of maintaining toilets, including water, electricity, cleaning, toilet paper, and soap.
• The incidents highlight a broader problem of Phuket failing to meet basic standards for visitors.

Sources:

• [Petch Petpailin, "Phuket tourist complaints increase, tourists say they can't find vacant toilet", The Thaiger, date not specified]
• [Pananut Asawapitakchon, Facebook post, May 22, 2023]