Thai restaurant owner calls for more public toilets after defecation issues
Thai restaurant owner has urged local authorities to provide more public toilets for tourists after finding foreign visitors defecating on his property.
Pannatat Asawapitakchon, owner of a floating restaurant in Phuket in southern Thailand, said he witnessed a female tourist defecating behind the Buddha statues outside the restaurant during closing hours on May 22 when he was sitting inside, according to Thai daily newspaper Khaosod. He then went out to ask her to clean up the area.
'At first she didn't accept responsibility, but after talking for a while, she went to clean the spot where she had defecated,' he said.
'But it wasn't clean enough, so I had to clean it again myself. That's why I want to ask the relevant agencies about public restrooms – I'd like them to build restrooms in the Rawai Beach area.'
Thai restaurant owner Pannatat Asawapitakchon posted a photo of the tourist he claimed had defecated on his property to urge local authorities to provide more public toilets. Photo: Facebook / Pannatat Asawapitakchon
Such incidents had occurred twice on his restaurant premises, he added. A week before the incident, the owner said he had seen another foreign tourist defecating in front of the restaurant.
In a Facebook post last week, Pannatat said tourists and passers-by were welcome to use the restroom in his restaurant during opening hours. While staff had previously suggested charging a restroom fee, the restaurant had decided it could afford costs such as labour, water, electricity, tissue paper and cleaning supplies.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
11 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Chinese TV host widely praised for helping tourist with altitude sickness in scenic spot
A renowned Chinese television host has been praised for helping a tourist suffering with altitude sickness. Advertisement The plaudits came after curious online observers dug into her past life and discovered her legendary history. On May 28, television personality Zhu Xun and her colleagues came across a group of tourists after attending an environmental protection event in Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan province, southwestern China. Zhu Xun gives the stricken woman oxygen from a bottle after she collapsed. Photo: One woman from the group was suffering from altitude sickness and had fainted. Symptoms of the condition include headaches and vomiting. In extreme cases it can be fatal. Zhu offered her bottled oxygen and gave her acupressure. The tourist recovered after several minutes, then asked Zhu for a hug and a photo together. The tourist said she was 'so lucky' to have been looked after by Zhu. Advertisement Garze is a famous tourist county with beautiful scenery. Its highest elevation is 5,688 metres and its lowest is 3,325 metres. Zhu's generosity has been widely praised on social media.
South China Morning Post
11 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Would you travel for food? In Thailand, these regional chefs believe so
What makes a place worth visiting? For some, it might be a tick list of sights; others may favour a sandy beach or a pool by which to sit back and relax. But for a large and growing number of travelling gourmets, it's the number of Michelin stars a region racks up. Advertisement For these epicureans, Tokyo holds the global first place, with a whopping 220 Michelin stars. Paris comes second with 160, followed by Kyoto with 119. Hong Kong ranks fifth in the 2025 edition, with a rather respectable 101 stars. But what about the other end of the spectrum, like, say, Phuket , where Pru, a 36-seat restaurant inside the luxurious Trisara resort, has been the Thai island's sole recipient of a Michelin star since 2018, making its tweezered tasting menu the foremost ambassador for fine dining in a place better known for cheap and cheerful street food served from unpretentious open-air markets. Executive chef Jimmy Ophorst works the open-fire grill at Pru Phuket in Thailand. Photo: Gavin Yeung 'Being the only Michelin-starred restaurant on the island brings a lot of privileges, but because we're in Phuket, it also brings a lot of challenges,' says Pru's executive chef, Jimmy Ophorst. 'The sourcing of ingredients is a lot harder than when you are in Bangkok, for example, where suppliers have their headquarters and you have direct connections.' The Dutch native believes Phuket's unique conditions for fine dining were vital to shaping Pru into its current incarnation. Perched atop a hill in a dedicated villa, the restaurant invites diners to ascend a flight of stairs to its welcome lounge, where a trio of amuse-bouches is served, cluing diners into the locavore cuisine. The main dining room is dominated by a Japanese kappo-style dining bar, where up to 10 diners can peer into the generously spaced, state-of-the-art open kitchen, and out to the Andaman Sea beyond. Durian mousse on a bed of Hua Hin caviar and topped with shiso leaf oil at Pru in Phuket. Photo: courtesy Pru
South China Morning Post
13 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
In Koh Samui, spa resort Kamalaya's new Cognitive Wellness Program offers an array of targeted treatments for a healthy mind – but the magic's in giving guests a chance to truly unwind
One of the first people I meet at Kamalaya is a twenty-something banker from New York who's just ended a call with her high-achieving fiancé. 'He asked what I was doing with my time here,' she says with a bemused shrug. 'He thought this was all cocktails and jet skis. I told him, 'Uh, I'm reflecting. That's the point of this place.'' I mull over her words as I make my way to the newly constructed Cognitive House, perched halfway up Kamalaya's forested hillside. With its teakwood railings, terracotta-tiled roof and soft sage walls, it feels more like a meditation pavilion than a space dedicated to neuroscience. Inside, therapies typically found in clinical settings – infrared helmets, neuropeptide drips, electrical stimulation – are administered in tranquil, warmly lit rooms that overlook a canopy of swaying palms. Advertisement In April, the long-revered wellness sanctuary on the southern coast of Thailand's Koh Samui launched its Cognitive Wellness Program – a full-spectrum initiative aimed at sharpening focus, easing mental fatigue and clearing brain fog. Spearheaded by general manager Gopal Kumar and a team of neuroscientists, the programme marks a natural evolution of Kamalaya's whole-body philosophy. A treatment room at Kamalay's Cognitive House. Photo: Handout 'Our policy has always been: 'what's next in wellness?'' Kumar told me. 'We've long worked to detox the body, improve circulation and restore balance. The brain was a natural next step.' My eight-day programme included 19 targeted treatments. Among them: Transcranial Photobiomodulation Therapy, which uses near-infrared light to stimulate blood flow and reduce inflammation in the brain; Brain Stimulation Therapy, delivered via ear-clip electrodes that brought on a surprising level of calm; and Neuro-Sync Sound Therapy, in which gamma waves triggered a cascade – for me, anyway – of vivid, long-forgotten memories. An IV of neuropeptides, often used in stroke recovery, left me sharper than I'd felt in weeks. During Neuroactive Fitness Training, I pounded on blinking lights with my hands and feet in a full-body concentration drill – far more engaging than zoning out on a treadmill. At checkout, I leave with a list of recommendations to keep the stimulation going: daily Sudoku, free-form drawing, even walking backwards to activate less-used brain pathways. Something shifted during my stay. A writing project that had stalled for months began flowing again. Maybe it was the peace and solitude, the lack of distraction, the early morning shots of turmeric, kale and gotu kola (centella asiatica), and yes, the chance to reflect. But I suspect the attention put on my mental state had a lot to do with it. Though its focus on brain health is new, Kamalaya's roots run deep – both spiritually and architecturally. The retreat was founded two decades ago around a sacred meditation cave once used by Buddhist monks. From here, Kamalaya cascades down the hillside in artful terraces, ending at a pebbly, secluded beach.
