On 20 popular beaches in Thailand, smoking is banned from next month. If you get one, you can get a fine of 100,000 baht (over 2280 pounds), or a custodial sentence of up to one year.

Smoking on the beach is the throat of the authorities: the beaches are filthy, and non-smokers adore it. One day on the island of Phuket, over a length of 2.5 kilometers of beach, more than 140,000 beans were caught.

The responsible public service does not mean that tourists stay away because there is a smoke ban at once. “People are going to the beach to relax, they are happier if they are not disturbed by smokers,” said a spokeswoman.

There are particular smoking areas for non-cigarette users. But there will no longer be any signs, the spokesman promises, of people who smoke while strolling over the beach.