Phuket officials to target ‘bad foreigners’ to enhance tourism

[webfact]

 

The island of Phuket, a popular tourist hotspot, was the stage for a significant meeting yesterday. The Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Police Immigration Bureau, Pol Lt Gen Itthiphon Ittisanronnachai, made a request to Phuket officials to assemble a task force to zero in on bad foreigners, thereby offering the Immigration Bureau the aid they require to tackle the situation.

The meeting, convened by Lt Gen Itthiphon after spending a night on the island, saw attendance from Phuket Governor Sophon Suwannarat, heads of government agencies, and prominent figures from the tourism and business sector. The aim was to devise strategies to fortify Phuket city, priming it for an impressive tourist reception.

 

A diverse group of participants, which included the President of the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organisation (PPAO), Rewat Areerob, Commander of the Royal Thai Navy Third Naval Area, Rear Admiral Suchat Thammapitakwet, Phuket Town Deputy Mayor Prasit Sinsaowaphak, and senior local Immigration officers, attended the meeting.

 

As per an official meeting report, Lt Gen Itthiphon stated that Phuket’s significance as a tourist hotspot has increased, especially with the Prime Minister’s policy to introduce ‘Free Visas’ to attract tourists from countries like China, Russia, India, Kazakhstan, and Taiwan.

The President of the Phuket Chamber of Commerce, Kongsak Koophongsakorn, made an appeal to the Immigration Bureau for facilitating long-stay tourists and clamping down on ‘bad elements’. He urged for swift visa extension procedures and strict safety measures, particularly for those who work in grey areas.

 

by Mitch Connor

Photo courtesy of PR Phuket

 

Full story: The Thaiger 2023-12-28

 

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[petermik]

The question will be....how many bad Ruskies can they round up and throw out...

[BritScot]

Would it not make more sence to round up bad Thai actors like taxi mafia, currupt police shake downs, club, pub doormen beating tourist to a pulp and of course restaurants, bars etc from padding bills etc, etc the list goes on and on...

[stupidfarang]

What about the bad Thais who treat tourists badly? In the news two days ago was the following in Phuket. A Thai taxi driver faced criticism for a viral video of him chasing away a foreign passenger by pulling her out of his cab. The driver defended himself saying the foreign woman kicked his car door over an air conditioning dispute.

https://thethaiger.com/news/national/phuket-taxi-driver-drives-away-foreign-woman-over-air-conditioning-dispute

[hellohello123]

Wth is a "grey area"

[StayinThailand2much]

3 hours ago, BritScot said:

Would it not make more sence to round up bad Thai actors like taxi mafia, currupt police shake downs, club, pub doormen beating tourist to a pulp and of course restaurants, bars etc from padding bills etc, etc the list goes on and on...

 

It would, but they like to go after easy targets and low-hanging fruit, not to mention that only 'foreigners are bad', but never Thai people. And if foreign tourists really were to stay away thanks to the valid points you mentioned, then they could always 'double the prices to make good for the shortfall'... TiT!

[cracker1]

Should read :_

Phuket officials to target ‘bad Thais’ to enhance tourism

[Jenkins9039]

20 minutes ago, hellohello123 said:

Wth is a "grey area"

The bit between black and grey.

 

Usually not 'illegal' but 'questionable'. 

[soalbundy]

What is a 'bad foreigner', presumably someone involved in illegal activities, in which case that would involve normal police work so why the need for a grand meeting? 

[wensiensheng]

What has policing thai laws, primarily related to illegal employment, have to do with enhancing the tourist experience?

 

all this meeting achieved is a bad headline, but I bet they are feeling good about it

[HuaHinNew]

3 hours ago, BritScot said:

Would it not make more sence to round up bad Thai actors like taxi mafia, currupt police shake downs, club, pub doormen beating tourist to a pulp and of course restaurants, bars etc from padding bills etc, etc the list goes on and on...

Don't forget the old Jet ski scams......and you know the officialism involved with them that I don't need to name here!

[proton]

6 minutes ago, soalbundy said:

What is a 'bad foreigner', presumably someone involved in illegal activities, in which case that would involve normal police work so why the need for a grand meeting? 

 

Anyone wearing cargo shorts, flip flops and having tattoos, talking too loudly or swaggering around with a prostitute young enough to be their granddaughter 

[Lopburikid]

3 hours ago, BritScot said:

Would it not make more sence to round up bad Thai actors like taxi mafia, currupt police shake downs, club, pub doormen beating tourist to a pulp and of course restaurants, bars etc from padding bills etc, etc the list goes on and on...

With you on that! Police always take the side of the Taxi mafia, and Thai bar owners. The incident where the tourist was dragged out of the taxi, If it hadn't been videoed and shown on social media, nothing would have happened to the taxi driver. They put big joke in charge of anti-corruption and he's the most corrupt amongst them. He was moved to an INACTIVE POST because of what he and his gang were getting up to in Bangkok's Go-Go Bars areas.

[spidermike007]

Obviously just another example of them not doing what they need to do to attract more tourism and higher quality tourism. Going after foreign criminals is not the answer, perhaps addressing a dozen or so of the issues that existed long before covid might be a good place to start, and then lowering luxury taxes and wine taxes so that they can attract the much coveted wealthy tourists that they've drone on and on about, who want a reasonable price for a great bottle of wine at dinner and have a wife who wants to spend $5,000 for a handbag, but won't buy that same handbag that's $13,000 in Thailand but $5,000 everywhere else in the world.

 

Make some sacrifices you fools, and if you are going to blame anyone, blame yourselves for a change. 

[BigStar]

3 hours ago, petermik said:

The question will be....how many bad Ruskies can they round up and throw out...

 

No, the Brits, actually.

[sandrew33]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

 

The island of Phuket, a popular tourist hotspot, was the stage for a significant meeting yesterday. The Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Police Immigration Bureau, Pol Lt Gen Itthiphon Ittisanronnachai, made a request to Phuket officials to assemble a task force to zero in on bad foreigners, thereby offering the Immigration Bureau the aid they require to tackle the situation.

The meeting, convened by Lt Gen Itthiphon after spending a night on the island, saw attendance from Phuket Governor Sophon Suwannarat, heads of government agencies, and prominent figures from the tourism and business sector. The aim was to devise strategies to fortify Phuket city, priming it for an impressive tourist reception.

 

A diverse group of participants, which included the President of the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organisation (PPAO), Rewat Areerob, Commander of the Royal Thai Navy Third Naval Area, Rear Admiral Suchat Thammapitakwet, Phuket Town Deputy Mayor Prasit Sinsaowaphak, and senior local Immigration officers, attended the meeting.

 

As per an official meeting report, Lt Gen Itthiphon stated that Phuket’s significance as a tourist hotspot has increased, especially with the Prime Minister’s policy to introduce ‘Free Visas’ to attract tourists from countries like China, Russia, India, Kazakhstan, and Taiwan.

The President of the Phuket Chamber of Commerce, Kongsak Koophongsakorn, made an appeal to the Immigration Bureau for facilitating long-stay tourists and clamping down on ‘bad elements’. He urged for swift visa extension procedures and strict safety measures, particularly for those who work in grey areas.

 

by Mitch Connor

Photo courtesy of PR Phuket

 

Full story: The Thaiger 2023-12-28

 

- 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

 

So with the south of the island currently a province of Russia made up of those avoiding military service and organised crime and basically all of them in breach of “tourist” rules, I assume that’s where they will start? 
 

😂😂😂😂😂😂

[BigStar]

10 minutes ago, proton said:

 

Anyone wearing cargo shorts, flip flops and having tattoos, talking too loudly or swaggering around with a prostitute young enough to be their granddaughter 

 

Don't forget that collared, checked shirt from the East End Thrift Shop. Maybe just swaggering around with Chang, too skint to afford a prostitute.

[Lopburikid]

9 minutes ago, proton said:

 

Anyone wearing cargo shorts, flip flops and having tattoos, talking too loudly or swaggering around with a prostitute young enough to be their granddaughter 

except the ones who go around chopping up bodies, or kidnaping as those foreigner's have already paid into the police Songkran fund.

[outsider]

'Bad foreigners', to borrow Thai authorities' favourite term as well as scapegoat, may cause some problems for some tourists (and locals!) but they are not the single cause of low tourist arrivals and everything that's wrong with the tourism industry. They need to be removed, of course, but stop blaming them for everything. Start by looking at the mirror first, useless brainless muppets.

[TruthinThailand]

18 minutes ago, HuaHinNew said:

Don't forget the old Jet ski scams......and you know the officialism involved with them that I don't need to name here!

Related to Fat Bastard the renowned scammer?

[Classic Ray]

Would like to know how many Bikie gangsters, romance scammers, call centre/gambling operators, dodgy real estate developers and foreign fugitives and long overstayers have actually been arrested and deported in the last five years?

 

Seems that most of them are living under protection having paid the requisite fees. 
 

The ones not bunging it up the chain are the ones being moved to inactive posts whilst their protectees, low in status, are the ones being deported.

[Zack61]

This is simply a resurrection of the Good Guys In, Bad Guys Out program. Looks like the meeting of minds was unable to come up with any constructive new ideas so they’ve simply repackaged this old chestnut to justify their love-in. 

[drgoon]

To admit that the issues are actually themselves would be a loss of face. The 'problems' will never be themselves, always someone else unless there is damning evidence to the contrary.

[David evans]

37 minutes ago, BigStar said:

 

No, the Brits, actually.

ENGLISH AND PROUD! 

[PETERTHEEATER]

Creating a 'Task Force' will require a Command Post from which to operate. That will require a Committee to recomment a location and appropriate budgets.

[beautifulthailand99]

3 minutes ago, PETERTHEEATER said:

Creating a 'Task Force' will require a Command Post from which to operate. That will require a Committee to recomment a location and appropriate budgets.

Need a media team and an army of finger pointers to be photographed pointing at things.

[Peterphuket]

4 hours ago, BritScot said:

Would it not make more sence to round up bad Thai actors like taxi mafia, currupt police shake downs, club, pub doormen beating tourist to a pulp and of course restaurants, bars etc from padding bills etc, etc the list goes on and on...

In other words they better hold a mirror up to themselves.

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, BritScot said:

Would it not make more sence to round up bad Thai actors like taxi mafia, currupt police shake downs, club, pub doormen beating tourist to a pulp and of course restaurants, bars etc from padding bills etc, etc the list goes on and on...

It would, but we're in the land of nothing makes any sense.

[shackleton]

If they all did their jobs properly in the first place confronting the criminal element of the foreign tourists plus the Thais themselves things would be better

Instead of every so often coming up with new ideas 💡 

Which rarely work 🤔 

 

[BigStar]

4 minutes ago, David evans said:

ENGLISH AND PROUD! 

 

Is this your proud self lying in Soi Yamato?