PLAN TO TACKLE LITTER BUGS IS A GOOD MOVE

       People who discard garbage in public places to face fines from next month; provinces should follow suit The city administration has revived a campaign against littering in public places. Since the beginning of this month, pedestrians, commuters and motorists have been warned against discarding garbage in public places. And starting on October 1, offenders will be fined Bt100 for each offence and the fine will be increased after three months, according to Deputy Bangkok Governor Thirachon Manomaipiboon.
       The Public Cleanliness and Orderliness Act of 1992 sets a maximum fine of Bt2,000 for littering on the road and Bt10,000 for throwing garbage into a waterway. There has been headlines at times when foreign tourists were fined for dropping cigarette butts on the street, but the law has rarely been enforced.
       Thirachon warned that city officials may use megaphones to humiliate litterbugs publicly. The tactic was employed when a city-wide campaign against littering was last carried out during the governorship of Bhichit Rattakul about a decade ago. Some Bt5 million in fines were collected from litterbugs at that time.
       Fining is done by officials from the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's City Law Enforcement Department, who are known in Thai as "tamruat tessakit", and not by police. The "municipal police" will get half of the fines.
       Strict enforcement of the anti-littering law will initially begin at major landmarks and main thoroughfare in all 50 districts of Bangkok.
       Bangkok streets are cleaner than they were a few decades ago. In many areas, most of what is strewn on pavements is dead leaves falling from roadside trees.
       Visitors from some neighbouring countries express amazement that Bangkok's pavements are mostly free of litter. Possible explanations are that city street sweepers are efficient and most local residents are less inclined to throw garbage out. The actual reason may be one of these or both of them.
       But there are still places badly strewn with litter, namely Sanam Luang and the Victory Monument, where several thousands of people travel by, wait for buses and sell things. They are among the most littered places in the city and will be among the locations where the anti-littering law will be strictly enforced.
       While pavements are generally clean of litter, pedestrian flyovers and canals are often strewn with discarded objects. Garbage is carelessly dumped on unused land in areas deeper into lanes. The city authorities should also focus on these areas in the next stage of strict law enforcement.
       It is really difficult, if not impossible, to make a city of more than 10 million inhabitants be perfectly clean of garbage. However, at least this new campaign is a good beginning towards a cleaner Bangkok. It is an efficient way to discourage people from throwing garbage carelessly.
       Strict enforcement of the public cleanliness law should not be limited just to the capital either. Authorities in the provinces must also make use of the law to keep their public places clean.
       Citizens should also be educated about public discipline and social responsibility, at which many Thai people are poor. Such education should start at a young age and schoolchildren should be instilled with the benefit of cleanliness and orderliness, both at home and in public places.