Police crackdown on taxi and tuk-tuk drivers around Emerald Buddha Temple

[webfact]

Police crackdown on taxi and tuk-tuk drivers around Emerald Buddha Temple

By Thai PBS

 

 

More than 80 taxi and tuk-tuk drivers were arrested by police for allegedly taking advantage of foreign tourists around the Temple of the Emerald Buddha on Sunday.

 

The crackdown on taxi and tuk-tuk drivers by police from Chanasongkram and Phra Ratchawang police was led by Pol Maj-Gen Surachet Hakparn, deputy commissioner of the Tourist Police, in response to numerous complaints from tourists for being taken advantage of by the drivers in different forms, such as refusal to use taxi meters, taxi drivers posing as illegal guides, fare overcharging, intimidation and demanding commissions from jewelry and tailor’s shops.

 

Pol Maj-Gen Surachet said that all the taxi and tuk-tuk drivers catering to tourists around the famous temple would have their photos taken and their personal history recorded and their driving licenses suspended for up to three months if there were complaints against any of them by the tourists.

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/police-crackdown-taxi-tuk-tuk-drivers-around-emerald-buddha-temple/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2018-06-18

[webfact]

Police suppress illegal activities against tourists

 

 

BANGKOK, 18th June 2018 (NNT) - Police officers have arrested Tuk Tuk and taxi drivers who have been taking advantage of tourists. Legal charges will also be pressed against illegal tour guides and shops that sell substandard products to tourists. 

Deputy Commander of the Tourist Police Bureau Pol.Maj.Gen.Surachet Hakphan on Sunday led officers from the bureau, 191 police division and Chana Songkhram Police Station to inspect Sanam Luang, one of the most famous tourist sites in Bangkok.

 

The operation was launched after police were notified that Tuk Tuk and taxi drivers were taking advantage of tourists by taking them to buy low quality products. 140 of them were arrested. 

Pol.Maj.Gen.Surachet said these Tuk Tuk and taxi drivers damaged the country’s reputation and confirmed that police will strictly prevent similar cases. 

Police are also preparing to take legal action against four tour guides and 3-5 jewelry and suit shops alleged to have engaged in fraudulent conduct.

 

-- nnt 2018-06-18

[ezzra]

This is like applying a band-aid to a gushing wound, unless the mindset of ' let's rip off these clueless and rich tourist for all we can' will change from it's core, like sewer infested cockroaches they will come back...

[lamyai3]

This particular scam harks back decades. 

[mok199]

taxi drivers are like cockroaches ,turn the lights on they scatter ,leave the room and they all return...it will never ever end.

[CelticBhoy]

The same faces have been around Wat Pho and Pak Klong Dalat for years.

I'll bet they are still there today despite the "crackdown"  . . . . . ?

[Darcula]

This scam must have started affecting the foreigner 500 baht collection going on inside.

[AhFarangJa]

Ah, The ubiquitous Thai Police Crackdown..........One afternoon, a photo op. then ......carry on boys.......

[Lungstib]

57 minutes ago, lamyai3 said:

This particular scam harks back decades.

I came here to work in the tourist business 32 years ago. We warned our customers about this at that time. I asked a top class hotel manager, who also had a sign about the problem in reception, why he couldn't do anything more about it. Way above my level, was his answer. 

[DoctorG]

Even a mini-crackdown is better than not doing anything.

[gjoo888]

29 minutes ago, Lungstib said:

I came here to work in the tourist business 32 years ago. We warned our customers about this at that time. I asked a top class hotel manager, who also had a sign about the problem in reception, why he couldn't do anything more about it. Way above my level, was his answer. 

They were there 30 years ago when I first went to the Grand Palace. The first thing I tell people that visit the palace is to ignore the touts who tell you it's closed. A friend of mine who visited recently, told me he accepted an offer from one of the tuk-tuk drivers who said the palace was closed, and had a nice half-day tour for 150 Baht and didn't buy anything at the gem shops or tailors that the tuk-tuk driver took him to.

[zaZa9]

How many million tourists never got to look inside The Grand Palace or Wat Po because of these a..holes lies ??

[bluesofa]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Police crackdown on taxi and tuk-tuk drivers around Emerald Buddha Temple

 

[sahibji]

is this a joke. you can tame the taxi and tuk tuk drivers. i wish I wish you will succeed.

 

[sahibji]

28 minutes ago, gjoo888 said:

They were there 30 years ago when I first went to the Grand Palace. The first thing I tell people that visit the palace is to ignore the touts who tell you it's closed. A friend of mine who visited recently, told me he accepted an offer from one of the tuk-tuk drivers who said the palace was closed, and had a nice half-day tour for 150 Baht and didn't buy anything at the gem shops or tailors that the tuk-tuk driver took him to.

he is lucky. this is a situation for getting abused and assaulted as 150Baht cannot even cover the fuel.

[sahibji]

54 minutes ago, DoctorG said:

Even a mini-crackdown is better than not doing anything.

sorry i disagree. either you sweep the floor or you do not.

[connda]

2 hours ago, lamyai3 said:

This particular scam harks back decades. 

That was the first thing I encountered the first day I was in  BKK.  By the end of the day I had noted a number of variations on the scam and was amused enough to 'play dumb' with one of the scammers until he got tired, went on a swearing tirade and left to find an easier mark.  "We go!  You go see Laying Buddha, Big Swing, Emerald Buddha!!!  You want boom-boom.  We go there too.  Get in tuk tuk.  Why you no get in tuk tuk.  You stupid?"  So nothing much has changed 'eh?

[Cadbury]

Is that the same Emerald Buddha the Thais stole from the Laos people back in 1779? 

[bristolgeoff]

how  long has this scam gone on.take a tuk tuk and see the sights of bkk.along with a silk shop or suit shop even a gold shop.they get a petrol voucher and you may buy something.just don,t accept the offer they give you in the first place

[bluesofa]

Just now, Cadbury said:

Is that the same Emerald Buddha the Thais stole from the Laos people back in 1779? 

Yes, the very same one.

 

[RBOP]

39 minutes ago, sahibji said:

he is lucky. this is a situation for getting abused and assaulted as 150Baht cannot even cover the fuel.

I did the same thing but 24 yeara ago. 150 baht 30 years ago was a lot.

[bristolgeoff]

first time for me in bkk was a week and i got caught like everyone else will do.never happened again and when in bkk i take a taxi scooter or get close by the skytrain.then look for the taxi scooter or make sure a meter is used in a taxi.

[bluesofa]

43 minutes ago, sahibji said:

he is lucky. this is a situation for getting abused and assaulted as 150Baht cannot even cover the fuel.

Perhaps a lot of people might think, "Where's the harm in that - scamming the scammer." A proactive approach.

 

[Arkady]

Recently met an Australian couple who regard themselves as savvy world travellers and who told me how grateful they were to a knowledgeable English speaking tuk tuk driver they met outside the Royal Palace. He warned them that Wat Pho was closed that day and took them to the “Lucky Buddha” temple (open only 2 or 3 days a month) instead which they really liked. Then he took them shopping, helping them get bargains. At the end of the day they were so happy with his service that they gave him an extra 1,000 baht.

 

Some tourists obviously enjoy being ripped off so much that it is not worth the effort of protecting them. The problem with this case will be all their friends coming to Bangkok looking for the “Lucky Buddha Temple”.

[Docno]

Wow - that only took a few decades! But better late than never. My earliest bad experiences in BKK were with those vermin. One guy trying to tell me the temple was closed for "Buddha Day" (which was <deleted>, of course) and other drivers refusing to use meters etc.  

[NextStationBangkok]

20 years ago, they used to offer Baht.5 ride, and scam the tourist for 50,000 baht in a jewelry  store they take on the ride.

 

I know the guys around there there were three still there standing near entry until 2-3 years ago, but they don't ride tuk-tuk, but they are scam agents. They walk on the side walk with a map in hand.

 

The lie they tell to the tourist is, they are professors in Tamasat University and they can explain the history of the temple, and now  temple is closed for 3 hours, let us go to marble Buddha temple.

 

Still the same people same lie ? I fell, they are a great nexus with the guard outside temple and probably the police too. They will come back next week, until and unless Thailand deport them somewhere.

[Catoni]

14 minutes ago, Cadbury said:

Is that the same Emerald Buddha the Thais stole from the Laos people back in 1779? 

   Stole from Laos ? ?   Are you serious ? ?    You mean recovered from Laos don't you? ? 

          ....  an insurection was put down. And the "Emerald" Buddha (in reality it's actually Jasper or Jade)  returned to Siam.  The design of the Buddha strongly suggests it is of Chiang Saen style...  meaning it would be originally Thai Lanna made.  It was originally discovered in Chiang Rai at Wat Phra Kaew in 1434. Ended up in Chiang Mai...  

           Don't forget it was in Chiang Mai until 1552 before it was in Laos. 

[scorecard]

2 hours ago, mok199 said:

taxi drivers are like cockroaches ,turn the lights on they scatter ,leave the room and they all return...it will never ever end.

... until there is serious punishment.

 

Singapore can do it, first complaint seriously investigated and if guilty very serious punishment, any second complaint drivers license (for any vehicle) cancelled for life, jail and public shaming.

 

It can be controlled in Thailand if any government gets serious about enforcement and serious punishment, and not only in regard to taxis and tuk tuks. 

 

I recall the first time I visited Thailand 40+ years ago, hailed taxi outside my hotel to go somewhere (way before taxis with meters), 4 or 5 minutes later we were inside a compound with a big jewelry shop and big gates closed and noticeably locked with a thug standing at the gate.. Within minutes there was aggressive and threatening push to buy gold chains and rings etc., and buy big. I refused, in fact I have never had any interest whatever in jewelry but not really the point.

 

I continued to refuse to buy then the taxi driver approached (he spoke some English), with this obvious heart rending act claiming that if we didn't buy say 100,000B (I forget the actual amount but it was big) the shop thugs (and there were obvious thugs milling around us) they would destroy his taxi and beat him up.

 

Then a guy in what looked like police uniform appeared and said 'pay 1,000Baht and you can go'.

 

We paid but when we got outside the taxi driver asked for the initial negotiated fare plus 500Baht because we had caused trouble.

 

We got into a conversation with the hotel manager a little later, he just laughed and said 'there's 20? more places like that, what you experienced happens dozens of imes every day and the police are part of the act, nobody can control it'.

 

 

[Hayduke]

 

‘Crackdowns’ are not necessarily to stop wrongdoing. More often the police use crackdowns to serve notice that the price for wrongdoing is being increased.

 

 

[bluesofa]

5 minutes ago, Catoni said:

   Stole from Laos ? ?   Are you serious ? ?    You mean recovered from Laos don't you? ? 

          ....  an insurection was put down. And the "Emerald" Buddha (in reality it's actually Jasper or Jade)  returned to Siam.  The design of the Buddha strongly suggests it is of Chiang Saen style...  meaning it would be originally Thai Lanna made.  It was originally discovered in Chiang Rai at Wat Phra Kaew in 1434. Ended up in Chiang Mai...  

           Don't forget it was in Chiang Mai until 1552 before it was in Laos. 

Very true, it originated there and was stolen and taken to Vientiane, then stolen again by the Siamese.

The Lanna Kingdom was not part of Siam at that point, so I'd think it's debatable to say "recovered".