BANGKOK — See a neighbor dumping a washing machine or mattress into the waterways of the Venice of the East? Call the city authorities and get paid half the fine, officials said Wednesday evening.
Bangkok Metropolitan spokesman Pongsakorn Kwanmuang wrote on Facebook Wednesday that those reporting on khlong litterers can get paid as much as 5,000 baht, or half the maximum fine of 10,000 baht. People can report littering misdemeanors at the 24 hour hotline 1555. English language is available.
A woman answering the hotline Thursday said that in order for the person reporting to get payment, they must document photographic or video footage as evidence in order to present it to city workers, who will investigate the case.
“The case will be sent to the local district office which will contact the person reporting it later to see if they will get the reward,” she said. “We haven’t gotten any calls yet since it was just announced yesterday.”
That doesn’t mean you’ll be making five grand off of every sloppy neighbor – the person reporting will get half the fine, which may be much less than the 10,000 baht maximum.
Pongsakorn’s post was accompanied by a photoshopped movie poster of “Ghost House” (2017), but the spirit house is replaced with a machine picking up trash.
The authorities have often relied on rewarding people reporting public misdeeds to police – such as riding motorcycles on sidewalks or even posting photos of booze on social media.
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