Similan Islands Fraud: Tourists Falsely Registered as Thais

[webfact]

Picture courtesy of Daily News

Authorities have unveiled a scheme at the Similan Islands where foreign tourists were falsely recorded as Thai to exploit ticket price differences, profiting by 400%.

 

In a surprise inspection, Yutthana Wimolmuang, head of Trang Province's Anti-Corruption Division, and his team discovered irregularities at the Similan Islands National Park.

 

Despite only ten Thai visitors being registered via the E-ticket system, 50 foreign tourists were counted on-site, revealing a fraudulent operation of reselling tickets.

 

This has led to the relocation of the park's chief, Lai-Gen Rittikorn Noonloy, pending further investigation.

 

On 27 March, further inquiries exposed significant discrepancies in park revenues. Although foreign visitors increased, the E-ticket system inaccurately recorded them as Thais.

 

 

 

This allowed the culprits to pocket the price difference, as Thai tickets are cheaper than those for foreigners.

 

The ticket prices are as follows: Thais pay 50 baht for children and 100 baht for adults, whereas foreigners are charged 250 baht for children and 500 baht for adults.

 

This discrepancy permits perpetrators to gain a 400% profit by registering foreign tourists as Thais. For instance, if 1,000 foreign tourists pay the Thai rate, the illegal profit could total 400,000 baht daily.

 

The operation highlights severe exploitation of national park revenues. Authorities are urged to expedite a thorough investigation and enforce legal action.

 

Based on a story by Daily News.

 

-- 2025-03-27

 

 

[flyingtlger]

LOL, the operators/culprits only did what the national park services always do. RIP OFF FOREIGN VISITORS!

 

[blaze master]

I'm gutted such a thing could actually happen in Thailand.

 

I need to rethink my worldview. 

[watchcat]

35 minutes ago, blaze master said:

I'm gutted such a thing could actually happen in Thailand.

 

I need to rethink my worldview. 

 

I have already done that and never ever visit those places.

[ChipButty]

I was told 10,000 visitors per day in High season, how come it took so long to latch on to that? 

[KireB]

The price of being park chief of the Similan is quite significant, I"ve heard.

[Skunkfarben]

So much mafia in this islands. Koh Ta Chai close now maybe ten years. Thailand cannot control the company so close 100%. That is only way Thailand fix anything

[Skunkfarben]

8 minutes ago, KireB said:

The price of being park chief of the Similan is quite significant, I"ve heard.

 

There is no price just need to pass the money up to Bangkok. I know past rangers on many beautiful island including similar. I am sure the bank account is big but they live very simple life. It hard and some time dangerous working

[ChaiyaTH]

Ah so you are telling us you uncovered some corruption that normally is considered a perfect legally fine operation where you still scam us of 400% increased pricing? Why you think the tech here is build so poorly and never implemented; corruption.

[bendejo]

They need to visit with the guys who collect the dosh for visitors to Angor Wat in Cambodia for some lessons in Advanced Kleptocracy.

 

[KireB]

1 hour ago, ChaiyaTH said:

Ah so you are telling us you uncovered some corruption that normally is considered a perfect legally fine operation where you still scam us of 400% increased pricing? Why you think the tech here is build so poorly and never implemented; corruption.

I don't think you understand the article. Foreigners pay a higher fee, but are counted as Thai. The difference is netted by the staff.

What generates even more kickbacks, so I've heard, are the 'informal' docking rights the speedboat operators need to hand over.

 

[ignore it]

Wow

 

Dual pricing corruption.

 

 

[Snackbar]

$ making scam since forever 

[MalcolmB]

8 hours ago, watchcat said:

 

I have already done that and never ever visit those places.

You are missing out. 
Stunning part of the world and really good value.

[les1]

Best of it is Thai Govt are adding 300 baht for Border entry fees to cover Tourism upgrades, it's a joke!!!
😁 😉 🥲

[PETERTHEEATER]

8 hours ago, ChipButty said:

I was told 10,000 visitors per day in High season, how come it took so long to latch on to that? 

I suspect it has been long know but shares passed upward. The snap visit by Trang ACD implies there has been a shortfall in upward revenue.

 

[LukKrueng]

10 hours ago, webfact said:

For instance, if 1,000 foreign tourists pay the Thai rate, the illegal profit could total 400,000 baht daily.

If the foreigners actually paid the Thai rate nobody profits, only the park lost revenue...

[LivingNThailand]

42 minutes ago, LukKrueng said:

If the foreigners actually paid the Thai rate nobody profits, only the park lost revenue...

The dive / tour operators collect the park fees in advance from the foreigners / Thai people on the trip.   I've been on many dive trips up there and you pay the park fees in advance.   I haven't been up there in a while, but back in the old days, once you got up to the Similans the liveaboard tour director would go onshore to the National Park headquarters and pay the fees.  Therefore, there is some what "wiggle room" in the transaction.

[Homburg]

10 hours ago, ChipButty said:

I was told 10,000 visitors per day in High season, how come it took so long to latch on to that? 

 

Probably this was monitored only by comparison against historical Thai/non-Thai visitor ratios.  Someone overdid the usual scam percentage and the resulting anomaly raised suspicions?  

 

These things happen all over the World.

 

I remember years ago truck drivers working for a haulage company in the UK would assign a "standard" fuel consumption to all new trucks and each driver was told the "standard" for every truck.  This was always worse than the actual fuel consumption of the trucks but the fuel bills always matched this assigned consumption and the drivers and fuel outlet cashiers split the difference.  

 

 

[Colabamumbai]

14 hours ago, webfact said:

Picture courtesy of Daily News

Authorities have unveiled a scheme at the Similan Islands where foreign tourists were falsely recorded as Thai to exploit ticket price differences, profiting by 400%.

 

In a surprise inspection, Yutthana Wimolmuang, head of Trang Province's Anti-Corruption Division, and his team discovered irregularities at the Similan Islands National Park.

 

Despite only ten Thai visitors being registered via the E-ticket system, 50 foreign tourists were counted on-site, revealing a fraudulent operation of reselling tickets.

 

This has led to the relocation of the park's chief, Lai-Gen Rittikorn Noonloy, pending further investigation.

 

On 27 March, further inquiries exposed significant discrepancies in park revenues. Although foreign visitors increased, the E-ticket system inaccurately recorded them as Thais.

 

 

 

This allowed the culprits to pocket the price difference, as Thai tickets are cheaper than those for foreigners.

 

The ticket prices are as follows: Thais pay 50 baht for children and 100 baht for adults, whereas foreigners are charged 250 baht for children and 500 baht for adults.

 

This discrepancy permits perpetrators to gain a 400% profit by registering foreign tourists as Thais. For instance, if 1,000 foreign tourists pay the Thai rate, the illegal profit could total 400,000 baht daily.

 

The operation highlights severe exploitation of national park revenues. Authorities are urged to expedite a thorough investigation and enforce legal action.

 

Based on a story by Daily News.

 

-- 2025-03-27

 

 

Not in the Kingdom. Slime, corruption, prostitution, daily killings, I'm over Opiated.