‘No ban, but bikinis are just not Thai’

The navy reports it is not explicitly barring women from putting on bikinis on the beaches in Chon Buri but is asking visitors for their cooperation in not doing so, out of respect intended for Thai culture, a spokesman said the other day.

VAdm Pokkrong Monthatpalin said the navy is usually asking that guests not wear bikinis on its seashores for the sake of “order and accordance with Thai culture and tradition”.

This individual was responding to a July 27 Fb post on the “Quotidien de Thailande” accounts of a photo displaying a “No Bikini” sign on Koh Samae San, off Chon Buri’s Sattahip district. The island can be navy territory.

VAdm Pokkrong said such indicators were aimed only at persuading visitors not to wear sexy bikinis and did not imply or reflect the navy ban of any kind.

The signs are now being replaced with advertisements that more obviously explain the navy’s endorsement of conservative seaside fashion, the particular spokesman said.

Koh Samae San is a tourist attraction but it remains under the jurisdiction of the navy, he stated.

The number of visitors to the isle is limited and they are not allowed to stay overnight, consume alcohol or gather within noisy groups.