Phuket Acts To Clean Up Jet-ski Woes

[grantbkk]

Jet ski video maker faces prosecution

Police admit extortion of tourists hard to stop

PHUKET: -- A Thai video production company involved in the filming of alleged extortion of foreigners by a Phuket jet ski operator is to be prosecuted for sending the recordings abroad for broadcasting without permission.

Wanasiri Morakul, director of the Thailand Film Office which comes under the Tourism and Sports Ministry, yesterday said police had traced the tapes to a company called Black Sheep Productions.

She said the managers of the company, which had produced the Big Trouble In Thailand series for Bravo All News station in England, admitted to holding the copyright for the recordings.

More here http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/2404...ces-prosecution

-- Bangkok Post 2009-09-18

[britmaveric]

Typical muppet response from the TAT. Let's not correct the problem, but blame the media for revealing it.

[steelepulse]

>>Tourist Police chief Adis Ngamjitsuksri has conceded the extortion of tourists was a problem which the police alone could not stamp out.

Of course not, why would the police want to cut off this big income source?

[robblok]

This is a typical Thai response.. blame the messenger. Try to hide the facts.

[Gonzo the Face]

Notice to all foreigners planning a Thailand Holiday.

Why take chances. Protect yourself...

come to Chiang Mai...... not a jet ski in sight...

[KevinBloodyWilson]

Yes, I agree completely. How on earth can Thailand hold its head up when it has a completely stupid law against making a film which shows Thailand in a critical light? Really, how ridiculous is that? The problem is that these influential people are so used to using strong-arm tactics in Thais they really believe they can use them against everyone.

Suppose for instance that the film company managers were fined or jailed. What would the international response be to that? Some of these people just don't think things through very well, and just have a knee-jerk response to everything. For them, to think is to say, to tonk is to do, no intervention at all from the rational mind.

Many Thais I know now remind me of what I have said to them "Kit korn put, kit korn tam" *sigh*. Uphill battle sometimes.

[mrsouza]

"There are truths on this side of the Pyranees, which are falsehoods on the other."

- Pascal

[TAWP]

If anyone had any doubt what kind of clowns that are in control at all levels throughout the nation, we got it confirmed today. Again.

And I like this:

Sasisupa Sungvaribud, president of the Film Production Services Association, said the recordings took the form of a reality show and the events depicted were obviously staged and scripts written for the film.

First of all, it is a false statement.

Secondly, if it was not, it would mean the show is a film/tv-series production like oh-so-many-others with guns in them and their film-makers never got arrested for 'tarnishing the image of the nation'.

It requires stupidity to use that law for this and even greater to try to cover up the issues with claiming they are staged at the same time...

[johnnort]

If the directors of this video making company are prosecuted, let us hope that the full proceedings, and outcome, are broadcast throughout the World. Adding, of course the comments made by the Chief of the Tourist Police.

Let prospective visitors, before they book their vacation, speculate on what other wrong doings are taking place and not allowed to be told outside of Thailand.

[sassienie]

These documentaries are just a hyped up mainly excauated load of nonsense.

Take a look on Utube at the uncut interviews and scenes. It`s obvious that most of it is semi staged, plus the bar fights and street yob sagas, you’ll find these in any British towns after the pub and club animal chunking out times. Also the story about the young girl facing drug charges and her loser boyfriend. I was hoping she would have gone down for a least a year as an example to those who think Thailand is a soft touch.

That JJ who during an interview admitted that he is not a full Thai, but half Dutch, is wallowing in all the fame and is always guaranteed to put on a good show in front of the cameras.

It`s all done for gaining high viewer ratings, profit and entertainment at the expense of the Thais, damaging the already badly hit tourist industries and Thailand’s image around the world.

I am sure that for the Thais and the ex-pats that helped create and produce this rubbish are looking at a very grim future career wise in Thailand and perhaps even deportation for the Farang police who participated in this without official approval.

[george]

Company faces prosecution for Phuket jet-ski show

Winai 'JJ' Naiman on film at Patong Beach, Phuket,

in the first episode of 'Big Trouble in Tourist Thailand'.

PHUKET CITY: -- The Thai television company responsible for producing the Big Trouble in Tourist Thailand series, which featured footage of an alleged jet-ski scam on Phuket, is to be prosecuted, the Bangkok Post reported today.

The managers of Black Sheep Productions, which produced the show, could face 12 months in jail and fines of up to a million baht, the report said.

The first episode of the series showed a Patong jet-ski operator, Winai ‘JJ’ Naiman, extracting 35,000 baht from a group of British Royal Navy Marines in compensation for ‘damage’ to one of his vehicles.

At one point, Mr Winai was shown holding an air rifle as he argued aggressively with the men, who denied damaging the jet-ski.

For our previous report, click here.

As well as being broadcast on British TV, the show has been uploaded to YouTube, causing uproar among those who say jet-ski scamming is rife on Phuket’s beaches.

In today’s Bangkok Post report, Wanasiri Morakul, director of the Thailand Film Office, is quoted as saying those responsible for the show had violated Article 34 of the motion picture law by failing to submit the footage to the Tourism and Sports Ministry for approval before its broadcast abroad.

Director-general of the Office of Tourism Development, Seksan Nakawong, reportedly said the film-makers had violated Article 23 of the same law for making a film damaging to Thailand’s reputation.

Meanwhile, Region 8 police chief Lt Gen Santhan Chayanont has suggested the TV show was a deliberate attempt to tarnish the image of Thai tourism and the police force.

Lt Gen Santhan said many of the scenes, including those showing Mr Winai arguing with the British marines, looked like a set-up.

Gavin Hill, the British producer of the series, denies the allegations, saying the show was neither fake nor stage-managed.

A crucial meeting at Patong Municipality offices this afternoon will aim to hammer out details of a compulsory insurance scheme for the island’s jet-ski industry.

It is hoped such a scheme will put a stop to rip-offs and disputes on the island’s beaches.

Critics say it will be impossible to find an insurance company willing to insure unlicensed, potentially intoxicated tourists on the vehicles.

-- Phuket Gazette 2009-09-18

[chalongchopper]

Does anyone actually know of a tourist coming to Phuket just so they can rent a jet-ski?.....no

Do you really think anyone will return home saying "I'm never go to Phuket again...They don't rent jet-skis"!!!

Simple solution...Ban them from swimming beaches like has been done in Australia (for safety reasons, not rip-off related).

I doubt they wll be missed

[TAWP]

These documentaries are just a hyped up mainly excauated load of nonsense.

Take a look on Utube at the uncut interviews and scenes. It`s obvious that most of it is semi staged, plus the bar fights and street yob sagas, you’ll find these in any British towns after the pub and club animal chunking out times. Also the story about the young girl facing drug charges and her loser boyfriend. I was hoping she would have gone down for a least a year as an example to those who think Thailand is a soft touch.

That JJ who during an interview admitted that he is not a full Thai, but half Dutch, is wallowing in all the fame and is always guaranteed to put on a good show in front of the cameras.

It`s all done for gaining high viewer ratings, profit and entertainment at the expense of the Thais, damaging the already badly hit tourist industries and Thailand’s image around the world.

I am sure that for the Thais and the ex-pats that helped create and produce this rubbish are looking at a very grim future career wise in Thailand and perhaps even deportation for the Farang police who participated in this without official approval.

Apart from the jet-ski incident (lets leave it to the side for now), what in the episode did you not truly agree with was shown as correct as any other episode of cops etc?

I saw nothing wrong with the farang police voluntary. And the girl with the drugs etc...overall the show portrayed the tourists in a bad light, kinda like how cops portray the poor in a bad light, since they do most of the bad things.

[ChiangMaiThai]

Never ever actually address the problem. Always shoot the messenger. Amazing...

[wildoates]

I agree, it did not show Thailand bad, apart for the Jetski, and thing like that happen in other countries, but when they get busted by the media, the government fixed it, not cencorship of the media to hide it. The media can not be forbidden to show corruption, either at jetske rental or government houses. this is how things get fixed.

[MyphuketLife]

wow, and do they think it will do them more good for tourism than harm by sending the production company to jail? How about using that energy and the courts to I don't know maybe arrest the scammers, put a stop to the tuk-tuk crap, arrest any cop on the take....

WOW is all I can really say.

[marsteele]

Typical muppet response from the TAT. Let's not correct the problem, but blame the media for revealing it.

Can't correct the problem because the police are involved just prosecute the media company for exposing them to the world

[Insight]

Could Black Sheep Productions do a documentary on the authorities handling of the first documentary?

Great comedy value!

[sunray69]

So we might all be prohibited from taking any picture in Thailand without the prior authorization of TAT, is that what it means ??? Are the advices given to the tourists by the authorities simply to come here, get scammed and shut up? Are all the embassadors from foreign countries complaining about multiple repeated scams liars ?

What is sad is that I have the impression Thailand is running into a SELF DESTRUCTION mode. A smart authority would be aware of the dammages caused by the video, would acknowledge the problems, would convinced the media they would do their best to resolve the problem, would SURELY NOT try to prosecute the producers since such action would just give more publicity to the video. Yes I know, I said a smart authority...

Edited September 18, 2009 by sunray69

[wolf5370]

I agree, it did not show Thailand bad, apart for the Jetski, and thing like that happen in other countries, but when they get busted by the media, the government fixed it, not cencorship of the media to hide it. The media can not be forbidden to show corruption, either at jetske rental or government houses. this is how things get fixed.

hear, hear - this is how things get fix IN OTHER COUNTRIES, but then in those countries the JetSki money would be stopping at the bad guys with the odd bad cop/councillor in on it - here, well, how high can you jump?

[marsteele]

Notice to all foreigners planning a Thailand Holiday.

Why take chances. Protect yourself...

come to Chiang Mai...... not a jet ski in sight...

No don't come to chiangmai we don't want all you tourists up here spoiling our beatiful part of Thailand. Don't have the problems that they have in all the major tourist areas can live peacefully here. If all the tourists pour in then it will ruin the place and become another shit hole like Pattaya full of bars and prostitutes and scammers.

[rossetti]

I thought the show was quite entertaining albeit another platform for some, like the Tourist Volunteers to get some publicity. The show besides exposing some Thailand realities that could be found anywhere else in the world, also showed the ridiculous nature of these wanna be cops who tend to also where a hat when it suits them as legal negotiator. Although I believe the concept of having someone who can help with language challenges is a good one, there will be a time when these "Volunteers" piss off the wrong local creating more of a challenge then they bargained for.

[sedeflonga]

The REAL BIG TROUBLE started already looooong time ago when

-yellow produced a turmoil at Suvanabhumi airport

-the red shirt threatened to blow up a gas tanker

-PM Abhisit getting attacked without having any valid security detail

-foreigners get ripped of by at airport to extort money

...

the list could go on much longer if I just wanted to waste more time on this topic. In fact the only problem is that

nobody seems to be interested in things which are not really covered internationally. That movie doesnt help thailand

at all but shows how aggressive the government can get if they loose face internationally.

Very good that this video went out, or is there another way to expose those low life practices? Since when

do I HAVE TO GO IN JAIL WHEN OTHER COMMIT THE CRIME AND I EXPOSE IT???

The only way to change is to expose it.

Edited September 18, 2009 by sedeflonga

[draftvader]

Having had "discussions" with a number of business owners from Thailand about their marketing and PR functions this does not surprise me. They believe that they have it right and what applies in Thailand will work just as well overseas. Take, for example, a food manufacturer that asked me how to promote to English speaking countries. My business in England was asked to provide them with a Press Release for international consumption. We produced a 1 page company profile intended to "focus" the business offering and place their P&L in a favourable light (clever English engineering). Upon delivery they expressed their delight, but wanted to add all their "important" Thai business relationships to "influential" people. When we explained that nobody outside Thailand would understand the significance they agreed. Company profile delivered we accepted payment. They have, since delivery, added in all these "former politician" influences to the Company Profile in a ham-fisted manner that has considerably downgraded the value of the statements and then they wonder why they are struggling to penetrate English language markets.

They have paid us, but it does gall us as we worked hard to create a favourable image considering Thailand's present political image.

Does this surprise us? No, of course not.

Why, though, go to the trouble of seeking 3rd party consulting, pay for it and then entirely ignore it? We can't be bothered to work it out. They want to contract us again, we will deliver, take the money and shut up.

[Rainmon]

wow, and do they think it will do them more good for tourism than harm by sending the production company to jail? How about using that energy and the courts to I don't know maybe arrest the scammers, put a stop to the tuk-tuk crap, arrest any cop on the take....

WOW is all I can really say.

and just last week there was an article about how they were going to make the Jet Ski guys carry insurance to solve this problem, I guess they want that news out and not the video showing what really happened. Or they wanted the insurance news included in the video and maybe thats why they did this. Next they will ban YouTube again, I hope not...

[Hermanus]

This is a typical Thai reaction again. Shoot the messenger instead of fixing the problem. Putting their heads in the sand. Is this not the world upside down?

[astral]

If the police cannot stop the extortion, then who will????????????

[Arkady]

The Phuket governor (he who personally paid the 1,000 baht fine of the idiotic Ozzie shiela that stole the bar mat) seemed to have the best idea. Throw JJ in the police lock-up without bail, try to clean up the local jet-ski business and not comment on the rest of it. That way the Thai authorities would be seen as trying to fix problems brought to light, even though JJ would probably be quietly released "for lack of evidence" and the jet-ski scam would resurface later on.

It was inevitable that the authorities weren't going to be satisfied with this efficient minimalist approach and would want to run around like decapitated chicken's pointing fingers at every one except their own criminals and corrupt government officials. It was also inevitable that they would play the nationalist card to gain sympathy in the domestic media and start charging foreigners with their archaic censorship and anti-foreigner laws (work permit, immigration and tax charges will no doubt follow shortly). It is funny that the police were so happy to co-operate with the production team without checking their production licence and insisting that the films should be submitted to the Tourism and Sport Ministry for inspection. Perhaps these officers should be charged with derilection of duty and aiding and abetting crimes.

The more fuss they make about the programmes of the shoot the messenger type, the more attention they will gather, guaranteeing a negative impact on mainstream tourists who never watch Bravo TV.

[z21rhd]

IF YOU ARE PLANNING A HOLIDAY IN THAILAND - DO NOT BRING A CAMERA OF ANY DESCRIPTION.

IF YOU BUY ONE IN THAILAND, DO NOT TAKE ANY PICTURES OR VIDEO - EVEN HOLIDAY SNAPS !!

IF YOU DO YOU ARE IN DANGER OF BEING ARRESTED AND CHARGED WITH BEING ANTI-TOURIST.

THE TERM "ANTI-TOURIST" is RESERVED for THE THAILAND TOURIST BOARD and the Police.

[melbat]

>>Tourist Police chief Adis Ngamjitsuksri has conceded the extortion of tourists was a problem which the police alone could not stamp out.

Of course not, why would the police want to cut off this big income source?

If they really wanted to stamp out this scam why not give all tourists a leaflet on arrival at Phuket Samui etc airports informing them of a scam with jet skis? Any tourist with half a brain would not touch a jet ski with a barge pole. In a couple of months, no business, problem disappears! Why are the easiest solutions the hardest to understand???

Edited September 18, 2009 by melbat