snoop1130 Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 The Thai Supreme Court acquitted 3 people today (Thursday), who were among 13 accused of involvement in the zero-dollar tourism scam exposed in Thailand almost six years ago, due to a lack of evidence that their activities caused damage to the tourism industry and were criminal. Zero-dollar tourism refers to cheap package tours, which were popular among Chinese tourists visiting Thailand. They were placed in cheap hotels, ate in restaurants and were taken on many shopping trips to souvenir or jewellery shops and often required to buy overpriced products. The network of hotels, restaurants, shops and bus services were operated by the same group of businessmen, mostly Chinese, in cooperation with their Thai partners. In 2016, the Thai government decided to crackdown on zero-dollar tourism, arresting more than a dozen people allegedly involved in this kind of tourism. The crackdown resulted in a substantial drop in Chinese arrivals in Thailand that year. Police also seized about 2,000 buses, which were used to service Chinese tourists using these package tours. Full Story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/final-three-defendants-in-thailands-zero-dollar-tourism-case-acquitted/ -- © Copyright Thai PBS 2022-03-03 - Aetna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here. - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post ozzydon Posted March 3, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted March 3, 2022 No surprises there it is thailand don't forget enough money and walk free 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post RafPinto Posted March 3, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted March 3, 2022 Order from the big boss in Scheina 3 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post NanaSomchai Posted March 3, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted March 3, 2022 Did you really expect any different? Welcome to Chailand. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Puccini Posted March 3, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted March 3, 2022 Thailand has good laws and a good judicial system. I see nothing nothing wrong with the court decisions in this case. 1 1 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post pegman Posted March 3, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted March 3, 2022 These cases seemed strange from the get go. All inclusive vacation packages are on offer the world over. Likely the courts were being used to hammer the competition of friends of the junta. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oxx Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 13 minutes ago, pegman said: All inclusive vacation packages are on offer the world over. Not for free they're not. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andycoops Posted March 4, 2022 Share Posted March 4, 2022 Another whitewash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topt Posted March 4, 2022 Share Posted March 4, 2022 Not surprised by the result but pleasantly surprised that there is even a press report on it. Too often we never hear any follow up following the original arrest/investigation. Based on this I am guessing it went all the way to the Supreme Court on appeal for all the defendants to be finally acquitted. Quote The Criminal Court acquitted all the defendants, citing insufficient evidence to prove wrongdoing. The Appeals Court then also acquitted all but 3 of the defendants, who were each fined 500,000 Baht. In acquitting the last 3 defendants, the Supreme Court said that the claim that the group had covered up the true nature of their package tours, that they were, in fact, shopping trips and tourists were overcharged for the products they bought, and that such tours had caused damage to local tourism businesses, was mere conjecture and unsubstantiated. Do they get all the buses back.............. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post mtls2005 Posted March 4, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted March 4, 2022 Shrimp for EVERYONE!! 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cake Monster Posted March 4, 2022 Share Posted March 4, 2022 Who would have believed this to be possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokey and the Bandit Posted March 4, 2022 Share Posted March 4, 2022 6 hours ago, Puccini said: Thailand has good laws and a good judicial system. I see nothing nothing wrong with the court decisions in this case. Great, just love the sarcasm!! 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will B Good Posted March 4, 2022 Share Posted March 4, 2022 Presumably not a zero dollar investigation! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newnative Posted March 4, 2022 Share Posted March 4, 2022 What a totally ridiculous lawsuit in the first place. Rightly acquitted. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayBird Posted March 4, 2022 Share Posted March 4, 2022 7 hours ago, pegman said: These cases seemed strange from the get go. All inclusive vacation packages are on offer the world over. Likely the courts were being used to hammer the competition of friends of the junta. I think the issue here was that payment was also made in China, so no money was put into the Thai economy. Instead of giving the restaurant 1000 THB per person, they gave 0 THB. Then transferred money from Chinese account to Chinese account in China. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puccini Posted March 4, 2022 Share Posted March 4, 2022 16 hours ago, Smokey and the Bandit said: Great, just love the sarcasm!! Let's get this all out into the open. 1. What sections of what laws did the plaintiffs accuse the defendants of having contravened? 2. What evidence did the plaintiffs provide in support of their accusations? If someone will kindly post copies of the corresponding documents, we shall have a basis on which to start a discussion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puccini Posted March 4, 2022 Share Posted March 4, 2022 14 hours ago, JayBird said: I think the issue here was that payment was also made in China, so no money was put into the Thai economy. Instead of giving the restaurant 1000 THB per person, they gave 0 THB. Then transferred money from Chinese account to Chinese account in China. If this was the case – and judging from the news article cited in the OP it may well have been – what sections of what laws did the plaintiffs accuse the defendants of having contravened and what evidence did the plaintiffs present? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pegman Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 On 3/3/2022 at 4:45 PM, Oxx said: Not for free they're not. Cheap doesn't mean free Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pegman Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 19 hours ago, JayBird said: I think the issue here was that payment was also made in China, so no money was put into the Thai economy. Instead of giving the restaurant 1000 THB per person, they gave 0 THB. Then transferred money from Chinese account to Chinese account in China. So the restaurant was giving away free food? Not likely. Like tour packages all over the world you pay the tour operator who then pays the restaurants, hotels, attraction operators..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oxx Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 (edited) 1 hour ago, pegman said: Cheap doesn't mean free In this case it does. They're called zero-dollar tours precisely because they are free, they cost the tourists nothing. The operators' profits come from the money spent in very over-priced souvenir shops and other places of that ilk. Edited March 5, 2022 by Oxx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pegman Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 On 3/4/2022 at 9:19 PM, Oxx said: In this case it does. They're called zero-dollar tours precisely because they are free, they cost the tourists nothing. The operators' profits come from the money spent in very over-priced souvenir shops and other places of that ilk. So are you saying money was spent in Thailand by the Chinese tourists? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post eisfeld Posted March 6, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted March 6, 2022 (edited) On 3/5/2022 at 4:19 AM, Oxx said: In this case it does. They're called zero-dollar tours precisely because they are free, they cost the tourists nothing. The operators' profits come from the money spent in very over-priced souvenir shops and other places of that ilk. They are called zero-dollar because the local Thai industry makes close to zero dollars from these tourists because all establishments and transportation are owned by chinese and the money flows back to China. The tours are not free. The article starts by explaining this... Edited March 6, 2022 by eisfeld 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
it is what it is Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 On 3/5/2022 at 3:19 AM, Oxx said: In this case it does. They're called zero-dollar tours precisely because they are free, they cost the tourists nothing. The operators' profits come from the money spent in very over-priced souvenir shops and other places of that ilk. haha, no the tours are not free. the business model is that there is very little financial benefit for thailand companies, the revenue is retained by chinese companies. the tourists still have to pay for their holiday! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubascuba3 Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 Golf trips to Turkey work the same way, everything is paid for in advance in euros, never need to spend any lira 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arithai12 Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 On 3/5/2022 at 10:19 AM, Oxx said: In this case it does. They're called zero-dollar tours precisely because they are free, they cost the tourists nothing. The operators' profits come from the money spent in very over-priced souvenir shops and other places of that ilk. I don't know if this is literally true. But it reminds me of Las Vegas, where you could get a fabulous hotel room and gorgeous buffets at a very low price. Their money came from the gambling anyway, and they sure were not losing. This case is slightly different, and cleverer, because the scheme is operated in a foreign country. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puccini Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 3 hours ago, pegman said: So are you saying money was spent in Thailand by the Chinese tourists? What purpose does your question serve? 1. If the Chinese tourists spent money in Thailand, who contravened what law? 2. If the Chinese tourists did not spend any money in Thailand, who contravened what law? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danderman123 Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 On 3/5/2022 at 12:19 AM, Oxx said: In this case it does. They're called zero-dollar tours precisely because they are free, they cost the tourists nothing. The operators' profits come from the money spent in very over-priced souvenir shops and other places of that ilk. I have taken a Chinese zero dollar tour in Thailand, actually a tour of Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand. I will write about the Thailand portion. The tour was booked by a Chinese national via a Chinese travel agent. The price was a few hundred dollars. We flew into BKK from Cambodia, don’t remember the airline. We did a few days in Bangkok, i don’t remember much about Bangkok, we probably visited the Grand Palace, we went up the Siam tower and had lunch there. The hotel was near Suvarnaphumi, a truly crappy hotel. Then we bussed down to Pattaya. We stayed in a small hotel on North Pattaya Road. During the day, we visited minor attractions mostly out of Pattaya, like the elephant show at Nong Noch, a tiger farm, a snake farm, and lots of shopping. We also took a boat out to a parasailing barge. I guess all of these were Chinese owned. All of the restaurants served Chinese food, with a little Thai flavoring. The days were pretty long, but one night, I managed to get down to Soi 6 for a drink. Not too many songthaews on Pattaya Road North. On the way back to Bangkok, we stopped at a minor temple on Sukhumvit Road. And that was it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puccini Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 38 minutes ago, Danderman123 said: ...And that was it. Thank you. It is good to know that you did not get accused and prosecuted for not spending enough money in Thailand. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayBird Posted March 17, 2022 Share Posted March 17, 2022 On 3/4/2022 at 9:06 PM, pegman said: So the restaurant was giving away free food? Not likely. Like tour packages all over the world you pay the tour operator who then pays the restaurants, hotels, attraction operators..... The restaurant's owner is Chinese and the money changes hand in China. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pegman Posted March 17, 2022 Share Posted March 17, 2022 6 hours ago, JayBird said: The restaurant's owner is Chinese and the money changes hand in China. If everything was Chinese controlled it's kind of strange that Thais were charged criminally Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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