Thailand’s tourism ministry to compensate shooting victims amid regulatory gap

[webfact]

 

The aftermath of the recent Siam Paragon shooting has unveiled an apparent regulatory gap in Thailand’s support mechanism for distressed tourists.

 

A previous government disbanded the Foreign Tourists Assistance Fund – a safety net providing financial aid for tourists in times of adversity, and a replacement source of funding had not been set in place.

 

The Tourism and Sports Ministry, in response to the incident, declared on Wednesday that it would compensate the victims of the shooting, resorting to either the ministry’s budget or central resources.

 

Under the old system, any foreign tourist’s family had access to approximately 1 million baht in case of their demise, courtesy of the Foreign Tourists Assistance Fund.

However, this fund ceased to exist last year, deemed unsuitable for performance evaluation, and plans were underway to substitute it with an insurance scheme for tourists, financed by a new 300-baht tourism fee.

 

The implementation of this fee was stalled during the government transition, leaving a void in tourist insurance.

 

by Alex Morgan

TOP: People being evacuated from Siam Paragon during the shooting. Photo courtesy of Bangkok Post

 

Full story: The Thaiger 2023-10-05

 

- Cigna 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.

 

Get our Daily Newsletter - Click HERE to subscribe

[ezzra]

I wonder though, what price they will put on a life that was taken? knowing how compensations works in Thailand, Not much..

Quote

 

 

Edited October 5, 2023 by ezzra

[bobbin]

49 minutes ago, ezzra said:

I wonder though, what price they will put on a life that was taken? knowing how compensations works in Thailand, Not much..

 

Under the old system, any foreign tourist’s family had access to approximately 1 million baht in case of their demise, courtesy of the Foreign Tourists Assistance Fund.

[Bangkok Barry]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

plans were underway to substitute it with an insurance scheme for tourists, financed by a new 300-baht tourism fee.

 

The implementation of this fee was stalled during the government transition

The tourist insurance plan didn't happen. What a surprise.

[mark131v]

A couple of thousand baht a bowl of fruit and a wai!!

 

That's the standard for when Thailand drops the ball and wants to make a meaningless gesture....

[Sydebolle]

The Tourism and Sports Ministry declared that it would compensate resorting to government funds.

In simpler terms, the Thai taxpayer foots a bill, which cannot compensate for a loss of life. It is not the government's fault and hence reaching out in assistance of any kind in the bureaucratic maze of Thailand is more than welcome - but that's where matters should end.