British Couple Fights Bangkok Airport Extortionists

[bungy007]

(Mario2008 @ 2009-06-28 09:47:59)

Although it happened at a King Power store, there is no involvement of King Power itself. Let's not suggest it is or call for boycotts etc.

(dominique355 @ 2009-06-29 08:42:29)

What are you talking about? Of course King Power was involved. If some one is accused of stealing, only the owner of the stolen good can accuse or press charges and that was King Power.

And these lame excused "we cannot control what happens after" doesn't get them off the hook. They, King Power through it's employees started the whole thing. So clearly they are involved.

What it means is that there is a difference between individual employees operating a scam and the company itself operating a scam. Here the company itself is not scamming its costumers.

That is BS...In Thailand once the police arrive it is in their's and the courts hands...King Power cannot "drop the charges".The only thing they could have done was not called the police rather let them go free; but that would have been really stupid because they found the wallet in a trash can in the bathroom where the guy ran after the lady was apprehended.

AuusieJohn, this is Thailand - the whole thing is BS. That's why it is called a scam! No wallet was found on the two tourists. You talk of a wallet found in a rubbish bin in the toilets! OooH ooh! Really cast iron evidence that the couple stole a wallet in that little scenario - not

Abducted against their will and shaken down by a Sri-Lanken for 8000 English Pounds. That's truly BS!

Wake up man and smell the coffee! KP are up to their dirty necks in this and we should advocate a world wide boycott of their premises!

[Tigs]

The BBC are running it

BBC News Dont Shop At The Duty Free in Thailand

[verydumbubba]

Its from Jonathan Head - who else, where else, for his contribution to lese majeste malaise recently.

Even the National Enquirer passed. Bad form, Head.

Bubba

[aussiejohn]

(Mario2008 @ 2009-06-28 09:47:59)

Although it happened at a King Power store, there is no involvement of King Power itself. Let's not suggest it is or call for boycotts etc.

(dominique355 @ 2009-06-29 08:42:29)

What are you talking about? Of course King Power was involved. If some one is accused of stealing, only the owner of the stolen good can accuse or press charges and that was King Power.

And these lame excused "we cannot control what happens after" doesn't get them off the hook. They, King Power through it's employees started the whole thing. So clearly they are involved.

What it means is that there is a difference between individual employees operating a scam and the company itself operating a scam. Here the company itself is not scamming its costumers.

How are they involved? What is this scam everyone is talking about!? How is it a scam!? you can see clearly on all of the videos, people blatantly shoplifting items from these stores. The Malaysian guy takes the merchandise off the counter and puts it in his bag. Nobody puts it in his bag for him. The English couple were captured on video doing the shoplifters dance, then trailed and the woman was found separated from the man and they were both had different clothes. The man was trailed to a bathroom where the stolen item was found in a rubbish bin. The money these two paid is normal in Thailand. It is also normal for the amounts to vary greatly between incidents and individuals. You are always given a chance to pay your way out of ANY crime including murder and EXCEPTING HEROIN TRAFFICKING. I agree this practice by the police may be ultimately problematic, but to think that because of these peoples nationalities, jobs and stature in life that they are immune to addiction, imperfection, the disease of shoplifting, and the enabling of such pathological behavior, is ludicrous. Their crime is clear and any specialist in crime analysis will agree that the video shows an orchestrated effort to obtain merchandise without paying for it. One would be amazed at the social level and net worth of some shoplifting addicts; And it is not unusual to have a man and wife involved in a systemic shoplifting addiction, even being caught many times and never prosecuted because of their standing in society, or disbelief that they could have committed such a crime. I like to pay attention to the facts in a case like this and so far I have seen nothing that makes me think these people did not commit a crime or that there is any scam at all involving the police or King Power.

[jackspratt]

<snip>

KP are up to their dirty necks in this and we should advocate a world wide boycott of their premises!

Well come on man - don't just talk about it - do something!

You have the entire power of the internet at your fingertips.

[aussiejohn]

British couple fights Bangkok airport extortionists

Two tourists were held by an airport gang until they paid up £8,000

Stephen Ingram and Xi Lin were falsely accused

of stealing from a shop at Bangkok airport. Photo: Michael Sheridan

A British couple who were falsely accused of shoplifting in Bangkok airport and were forced to pay £8,000 in bribes to secure their release are to take legal action for compensation.

They were the victims of an extortion racket that has ensnared other foreign travellers at the airport, which handles most of the 800,000 British visitors to Thailand every year.

Stephen Ingram, 49, and Xi Lin, 45, both technology professionals from Cambridge, were detained by security guards as they went to board Qantas flight QF1 to London on the night of Saturday, April 25.

They were accused of taking a Givenchy wallet worth £121 from a King Power duty-free shop and were handed over to the police. An official release order from the local Thai prosecutor’s office subsequently conceded there was no evidence against them.

They were freed five days later after a frightening ordeal in which they said they were threatened and held against their will at a cheap motel on the airport perimeter until they had handed over the money.

The bribes were paid to an intermediary named Sunil “Tony” Rathnayaka, a Sri Lankan national in his fifties who works as a “volunteer” interpreter for Thailand’s tourist police (motto: “To serve and to protect”).

“Our main motivation is to protect other innocent British tourists from being caught up in this nightmare,” said Ingram last week. “We intend to take every legal means to recover our money and obtain justice.”

Last week Rathnayaka admitted in a telephone interview that he had received cash and money transfers amounting to more than £7,000 from the Britons. He said the money was for police bail and for a payment to a figure he called “Little Big Man” who could withdraw the case against them.

“In Thailand everyone knows it’s like that,” he said. “They can go to jail or they can just pay a fine and go home. It is corruption, you know?”

Rathnayaka also agreed that the “bail” — about £4,000 — was never returned to Ingram and Xi. Thai law says bail should be refunded.

In a detailed statement the couple said they were first detained at an airport office of the tourist police and later taken to cells at a police station in an isolated modern building on the fringes of the airport.

Rathnayaka confirmed that he met them in the cells on the morning of Sunday, April 26, and arranged the “bail”. The police kept the couple’s passports. Rathnayaka then escorted Ingram and Xi to the Valentine Resort, a lurid pink motel a few hundred yards from the runways. They were to remain there for four days.

During that time, Rathnayaka warned them not to tell anyone about their plight, especially the British embassy, lawyers, friends, family or the press.

However, on April 27 they sneaked out of the hotel and found their way to the embassy, where they met Kate Dufall, the pro-consul.

According to the couple, she told them the embassy could not interfere with the Thai legal system and put them in contact with Prachaya Vijitpokin, a lawyer.

Vijitpokin and a colleague, Kittamert Engchountada, of the Lawyers Association of Thailand, urged them to stay in the country to fight the case and have since assembled a dossier for potential prosecutions.

However, Ingram said the couple were so terrified by this stage that they decided to meet the demands for money, which they raised by bank transfers from Britain direct to Rathnayaka’s account. The Sunday Times has copies of the transactions.

Ingram and Xi were put on a British Airways flight to London early on Friday, May 1, having received their passports with official documents from prosecutors and police stating that no charges were to be brought against them.

They have said they are willing to return to Thailand and testify to try to stop the extortion if the government will guarantee their safety.

That could become a priority for Thailand, which has suffered a series of blows to its tourist industry through economic and political upheaval.

Inquiries last week established that Rathnayaka and his accomplices have continued preying on tourists who end up in police custody after being accused of theft from the airport duty-free shop. “I am just helping people,” he explained. “I don’t get paid to do this. All the embassies know me.”

Officials at the Danish embassy confirmed that a Danish woman fell into Rathnayaka’s hands about two weeks ago and was allowed to leave Thailand only after handing over more than £4,500.

When a Sunday Times journalist posing as a businessman in trouble contacted Rathnayaka last week, the first thing he said was: “If it’s a case, for example, of shoplifting at the airport duty-free then I can help. Bail is 100,000 baht (£1,800).” He later declined an interview, saying the Sri Lanka embassy — which employs him as an interpreter — had told him not to speak.

The Foreign Office said consular officials had offered to raise the case with the Thai authorities at the time but had been asked by the couple not to intervene.

A spokesman for King Power duty-free said the company had strict rules for evidence to be submitted to the police in shoplifting cases, but added: “We cannot control what happens after that.”

-- timesonline.co.uk 2009-06-28

OH MY GOD>>>I JUST REALISED WHO THAT IS>>>ITS TONY FROM CHANG MAI TOURIST POLICE he is a crook. but that still doesnt convince me that they did not steal the wallet. TONY is a legend in chang mai.

[MaiChai]

(Mario2008 @ 2009-06-28 09:47:59)

Although it happened at a King Power store, there is no involvement of King Power itself. Let's not suggest it is or call for boycotts etc.

(dominique355 @ 2009-06-29 08:42:29)

What are you talking about? Of course King Power was involved. If some one is accused of stealing, only the owner of the stolen good can accuse or press charges and that was King Power.

And these lame excused "we cannot control what happens after" doesn't get them off the hook. They, King Power through it's employees started the whole thing. So clearly they are involved.

What it means is that there is a difference between individual employees operating a scam and the company itself operating a scam. Here the company itself is not scamming its costumers.

How are they involved? What is this scam everyone is talking about!? How is it a scam!? you can see clearly on all of the videos, people blatantly shoplifting items from these stores. The Malaysian guy takes the merchandise off the counter and puts it in his bag. Nobody puts it in his bag for him. The English couple were captured on video doing the shoplifters dance, then trailed and the woman was found separated from the man and they were both had different clothes. The man was trailed to a bathroom where the stolen item was found in a rubbish bin. The money these two paid is normal in Thailand. It is also normal for the amounts to vary greatly between incidents and individuals. You are always given a chance to pay your way out of ANY crime including murder and EXCEPTING HEROIN TRAFFICKING. I agree this practice by the police may be ultimately problematic, but to think that because of these peoples nationalities, jobs and stature in life that they are immune to addiction, imperfection, the disease of shoplifting, and the enabling of such pathological behavior, is ludicrous. Their crime is clear and any specialist in crime analysis will agree that the video shows an orchestrated effort to obtain merchandise without paying for it. One would be amazed at the social level and net worth of some shoplifting addicts; And it is not unusual to have a man and wife involved in a systemic shoplifting addiction, even being caught many times and never prosecuted because of their standing in society, or disbelief that they could have committed such a crime. I like to pay attention to the facts in a case like this and so far I have seen nothing that makes me think these people did not commit a crime or that there is any scam at all involving the police or King Power.

Assuming its them in the video (as discussed extensively earlier)? Closing the gate after the horse has bolted? If they commited the crime then there would be evidence and the procedure would be to prosecute, etc? No evidence, no crime, or do you believe in guilty until proven innocent? This is a scam, and if you support it then you support all types of corruption and fraud and you have lost your ethics? All Thais are not like this and alot of them hate the corrupt system. 8000 pounds is alot of money to disappear into various pockets. KP is involved somehow; to what extend is not clear. This is not right; its a scam.

I will be travelling Monday and will let you know how empty KP's shops are.

[sadman]

For what it's worth, I've watched the videos several times and am of the view that the female was shoplifting. I would imagine that the man was involved as well, but she seems bang to rights.

Yes, they probably were scammed - but they put themselves in that situation in the first place by stealing. Their protestations of innocence may have something to do with the fact that they would be sacked if convicted.

[jackr]

Not to excuse their behaviour, but shoplifting in a third world country is not a good idea. As other have said, they're very lucky they had the chance to pay their way out.

[draftvader]

They are using the classic "Pikey" misdirection method of shoplifting. I taught my partner about this one when she was working in a shop in Hampton Court. The speed with which they handle the wallets is too fast for decision making and discussion between a couple who are "supposed" to be shopping together, presumably relaxed at the end of their stay. Then she walks the wallet to the other side of the stand, puts it down, picks up another object (which I can't tell what it is and she does little to investigate) then the wallet is up and in her bag and they leave. Sadly they are not very good at it. She should have picked up and put down a further 2 objects and moved their locations. This makes it hard for anybody watching to be too sure what has happened and maybe they get lucky as the person can't see anything missing from the display until it is too late. It is the old jack and 3 cups trick that keeps kids entertained the world over.

It does scare me when I hear how they were treated from this point on, but I always remind my friends when they come to visit that this is another country and their laws may "seem" draconian by our standards and that is if you even GET to the laws past the shake-down. Then again, I have no idea of what the formal sentencing would bring them, but the £7,500 is probably worth it for his job security in the UK. I do feel sad that this little incident forced him to miss his mother's funeral, that is just too shi**y for words.

It is tiring as an expat here always keeping your nose clean, but I really don't want to get involved in ANY games with ANY officials in this country as I can imagine that my Thai business associates wouldn't help me if anything happened. Eventually this will wear me down and we will be off for other pastures to enjoy a different attitude.

Bloody shame really, I do quite enjoy the Thai people and country on the whole.

[hhgz]

"Looking at the video does make it look like these guys are actually shoplifting.."

Well, actually they are. The woman took the wallet, and her husband looked on. One posted claimed that since he didn't touch the wallet, he's not guilty. Baloney. The couple are guilty, and it's too bad so many TVers refuse to accept the truth. I'm reminded of the herd of Australian friends who stole an item from an Australian pub, and then claimed it was a mistake, it wasn't done on purpose, it was only a joke, and boo hoo hoo.

[caf]

Eleven posts in one day from the Aussie.

At this rate he'll soon be in Bedlam

But as he says "so far I have seen nothing that makes me think these people did not commit a crime or that there is any scam at all involving the police or King Power". Given his current posting record he must be right, and all of us guys who have lived here and know the score have obviously been wrong all along.

And for his next post - the moon is made of cheese.

[simon43]

Hi Aussiejohn - your statement is interesting! Is it true that Stephen Ingram works for the Chiang Mai tourist police?? Please provide further and validating proof.

Simon

[TBWG]

Hi

See latest being reported on BBC website ~~~ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8154497.stm

TBWG

[GungaDin]

Hi Aussiejohn - your statement is interesting! Is it true that Stephen Ingram works for the Chiang Mai tourist police?? Please provide further and validating proof.

Simon

I think you mean Tony, Simon.

[sadman]

Just out of interest, the BBC website is showing this story as the most widely-read in Australasia at present.

[jackspratt]

Eleven posts in one day from the Aussie.

At this rate he'll soon be in Bedlam

But as he says "so far I have seen nothing that makes me think these people did not commit a crime or that there is any scam at all involving the police or King Power". Given his current posting record he must be right, and all of us guys who have lived here and know the score have obviously been wrong all along.

And for his next post - the moon is made of cheese.

Despite what the Aussie may or may not think caf, it is certainly obvious to the intelligent section of those of us who live here, and know the score, that there is no evidence of King Power's involvement in this "scam" - despite what you were promoting so strongly when this story first hit the airwaves.

Should one go back and look at your posting history to see if you have reached the magical 11 posts in one day? But of course, you are different

[george]

Breaking News:

Danish Embassy Warns Against King Power Dutyfree

Full story:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Danish-Embas...ml#entry2883435

[britmaveric]

Does anyone shop King Power? Every time I pass through the airport all the shops are empty well apart from being overstaffed by 10 to 1 customer. King Power is expensive and a waste of time.

Edited July 20, 2009 by britmaveric

[Stuart8]

If King Power's employees are involved then King Power is involved. They are responsible for their employees and they are responsible for what they do under their employment. They may not have been aware of what was going on but they are responsible for people under their employ while working in their shops.

Edited July 20, 2009 by Stuart8

[wrecker]

I am not sure if these claims are real. They are surfacing every few months. They range from King Power shoplifting when leaving Thailand to Cigarette smuggling when arriving. Fact is that the Thai government would be incredible incompetent if this were true. [snip]

Fighting a case in Thailand is an absurd assumption. People do neither have the means, nor the money and on top of that they will probably lose their job as happened when the standup guys from PAD blocked the airports.

These same PAD boys have accused this very government from accepting money from King Power. Maybe that is the reason why it stays very silent.

It is also another example why the entire police department should be overhauled. Fire the entire police force, you have more police than mosquitoes in the Land of Smiles, and the police are bitting worse than their flying equals. Thailand is a de facto police state, by sending home half of the upstanding boys in brown the other half will get a better salary and there is less need to shame the country.

Bottom line is that Suthep has a cozy relationship with both the Police and King Power, so nothing will happen. A typical case of bad luck for the tourists the statistics were against them.

[caf]

Eleven posts in one day from the Aussie.

At this rate he'll soon be in Bedlam

But as he says "so far I have seen nothing that makes me think these people did not commit a crime or that there is any scam at all involving the police or King Power". Given his current posting record he must be right, and all of us guys who have lived here and know the score have obviously been wrong all along.

And for his next post - the moon is made of cheese.

Despite what the Aussie may or may not think caf, it is certainly obvious to the intelligent section of those of us who live here, and know the score, that there is no evidence of King Power's involvement in this "scam" - despite what you were promoting so strongly when this story first hit the airwaves.

Should one go back and look at your posting history to see if you have reached the magical 11 posts in one day? But of course, you are different

I have never made a comment about kp being involved in this particular scam.

Though there appears to be a lot of comment about them over the years.

From your posts I am not sure you do "know the score" actually. I think you are quite naive.

[aussiejohn]

Eleven posts in one day from the Aussie.

At this rate he'll soon be in Bedlam

But as he says "so far I have seen nothing that makes me think these people did not commit a crime or that there is any scam at all involving the police or King Power". Given his current posting record he must be right, and all of us guys who have lived here and know the score have obviously been wrong all along.

And for his next post - the moon is made of cheese.

Dont be agro...I am simply stating that the King Power surveillance video is clear. What most posters are referring to as a a scam on the part of King Power is very unlikely and baseless. However it is true that one could view the situation with the police interpreter Tony as a "scam" but actually it was a way for the couple to avoid a trial and get home faster. Tony put a price on it and they took the offer. I personally dont view this as a scam as much as simple corruption in the form of bribery resulting in a favorable situation for both parties involved. I have lived in Thailand for 14 years on 14 non-o's, dont think for a second I dont know what goes on in Thailand. I usually refrain from getting involved with this forum precisely because of replies like your own. This time I could not resist. Good luck and thanks for the welcome.

[Baboonboy22]

I haven't read all the way through this thread, so I apologise if it has already been said. But has this ever happened to a Thai national? or are they targetting anyone?

I'm going back to thailand in September, and I always pay a little visit to king power. If they are only after falang, then I will send my wife (thai) in to get the duty free

[Johpa]

Does anyone shop King Power? Every time I pass through the airport all the shops are empty well apart from being overstaffed by 10 to 1 customer. King Power is expensive and a waste of time.

Yea, I always thought the scam of King Power was their merchandising and pricing and total monopoly status and not anything to do with the police. They exist solely for the business class travelers who need one last souvenir or trinket to bring back to their spouses to assuage their own guilt for having spent so much money on sexual pleasures.

And as one who has worked retail of decades, this couple could not be more guilty.

[AnaisNin]

King Power is a disgrace to Thailand. Thailand should sack King Power, and allow DFS of Singapore to run Bangkok Duty Free.

While doing that, they should also sack AOT, and allow Changi to run Bangkok airport as well. How about that.

[Sisaketmike]

British couple fights Bangkok airport extortionists

Two tourists were held by an airport gang until they paid up £8,000

Stephen Ingram and Xi Lin were falsely accused

of stealing from a shop at Bangkok airport. Photo: Michael Sheridan

A British couple who were falsely accused of shoplifting in Bangkok airport and were forced to pay £8,000 in bribes to secure their release are to take legal action for compensation.

They were the victims of an extortion racket that has ensnared other foreign travellers at the airport, which handles most of the 800,000 British visitors to Thailand every year.

Stephen Ingram, 49, and Xi Lin, 45, both technology professionals from Cambridge, were detained by security guards as they went to board Qantas flight QF1 to London on the night of Saturday, April 25.

They were accused of taking a Givenchy wallet worth £121 from a King Power duty-free shop and were handed over to the police. An official release order from the local Thai prosecutor's office subsequently conceded there was no evidence against them.

They were freed five days later after a frightening ordeal in which they said they were threatened and held against their will at a cheap motel on the airport perimeter until they had handed over the money.

The bribes were paid to an intermediary named Sunil "Tony" Rathnayaka, a Sri Lankan national in his fifties who works as a "volunteer" interpreter for Thailand's tourist police (motto: "To serve and to protect").

"Our main motivation is to protect other innocent British tourists from being caught up in this nightmare," said Ingram last week. "We intend to take every legal means to recover our money and obtain justice."

Last week Rathnayaka admitted in a telephone interview that he had received cash and money transfers amounting to more than £7,000 from the Britons. He said the money was for police bail and for a payment to a figure he called "Little Big Man" who could withdraw the case against them.

"In Thailand everyone knows it's like that," he said. "They can go to jail or they can just pay a fine and go home. It is corruption, you know?"

Rathnayaka also agreed that the "bail" — about £4,000 — was never returned to Ingram and Xi. Thai law says bail should be refunded.

In a detailed statement the couple said they were first detained at an airport office of the tourist police and later taken to cells at a police station in an isolated modern building on the fringes of the airport.

Rathnayaka confirmed that he met them in the cells on the morning of Sunday, April 26, and arranged the "bail". The police kept the couple's passports. Rathnayaka then escorted Ingram and Xi to the Valentine Resort, a lurid pink motel a few hundred yards from the runways. They were to remain there for four days.

During that time, Rathnayaka warned them not to tell anyone about their plight, especially the British embassy, lawyers, friends, family or the press.

However, on April 27 they sneaked out of the hotel and found their way to the embassy, where they met Kate Dufall, the pro-consul.

According to the couple, she told them the embassy could not interfere with the Thai legal system and put them in contact with Prachaya Vijitpokin, a lawyer.

Vijitpokin and a colleague, Kittamert Engchountada, of the Lawyers Association of Thailand, urged them to stay in the country to fight the case and have since assembled a dossier for potential prosecutions.

However, Ingram said the couple were so terrified by this stage that they decided to meet the demands for money, which they raised by bank transfers from Britain direct to Rathnayaka's account. The Sunday Times has copies of the transactions.

Ingram and Xi were put on a British Airways flight to London early on Friday, May 1, having received their passports with official documents from prosecutors and police stating that no charges were to be brought against them.

They have said they are willing to return to Thailand and testify to try to stop the extortion if the government will guarantee their safety.

That could become a priority for Thailand, which has suffered a series of blows to its tourist industry through economic and political upheaval.

Inquiries last week established that Rathnayaka and his accomplices have continued preying on tourists who end up in police custody after being accused of theft from the airport duty-free shop. "I am just helping people," he explained. "I don't get paid to do this. All the embassies know me."

Officials at the Danish embassy confirmed that a Danish woman fell into Rathnayaka's hands about two weeks ago and was allowed to leave Thailand only after handing over more than £4,500.

When a Sunday Times journalist posing as a businessman in trouble contacted Rathnayaka last week, the first thing he said was: "If it's a case, for example, of shoplifting at the airport duty-free then I can help. Bail is 100,000 baht (£1,800)." He later declined an interview, saying the Sri Lanka embassy — which employs him as an interpreter — had told him not to speak.

The Foreign Office said consular officials had offered to raise the case with the Thai authorities at the time but had been asked by the couple not to intervene.

A spokesman for King Power duty-free said the company had strict rules for evidence to be submitted to the police in shoplifting cases, but added: "We cannot control what happens after that."

-- timesonline.co.uk 2009-06-28

This story gave me such a bad feeling in my stomach, that I'd like to puke. I settled down in this country a long time ago and i do know a lot about Thailand's history. Burma's economic status is about 40 years behind Thailand, but why? There's only one reason: The tourism. Red shirts, yellow shirts, problems in the South.....inflation...and a lot more. Lose the tourism and it's time to live like people in Myanmar. I think it's pretty easy to understand. They like the English pound a lot.......is there an Investigation going on now? And what the heck is a Sri Lankan doing there to solve 'problems'. Of course it's not his real name and we'll hopefully see some people arrested. But those who created this shit.

[snakehips]

another interesting scam that was told by a client of mine was when he bought about 10 cartons of cigerettes at a middle east stop over(he was allowed to and i am not 100% sure the exact amount) His intention was to take them back to the UK after his short holiday in thailand probally buying more on the way back. when he arrived at swampy a airport official approached him and ask him what was in the clearly visable duty free bags...he said cigerettes is that ok he asked? the friendly guy said sure no problem and waved him through nothing to declare. As soon as he went through he was pounced on by customs and to cut a long story shory he was held for 5 hours with a trip to an external detention centre with seven other people in a similiar position and was forced to pay 70,000b and had the cigerettes confiscated.

It was obvious that the guys at the conveyor belt were working with customs as in hindsight he said they were all looking at him smiling and talking into walky talkies.....

mind you it did not stop him, next time he covered them with a suit jacket and walked straight through....

[sunsamourai]

King Power is a disgrace to Thailand. Thailand should sack King Power, and allow DFS of Singapore to run Bangkok Duty Free.

While doing that, they should also sack AOT, and allow Changi to run Bangkok airport as well. How about that.

OMG, you are SO right !

This is why I came here in the first place !

They should also change their government in a protocratie like in europe, change the citizens to farang citizens, and change the name of the country to Ameriland.

[Navalator]

The solution to this scamming and extortion is to stay the hel_l out of Kind Power Duty Free. The owner is one of the "influential people" of Thailand and could end this crap with a phone call.