Jet Ski Scam Video, An Attempt To Help Clean Up Thailand Or Not?

[thailandlover]

Given the response of the Thai authorities found here Jet Ski Scam Hits The World Press, Filmmakers Get The Blame

Do you think that this is an honest attempt at reporting a serious issue that needs cleaning up or is it, as the Thai authorities seem to think, merely an attempt to smear the country? Or is it just another media attack and when this dies down they will move on to the next big scam or scandal?

Edited September 18, 2009 by thailandlover

[LivinLOS]

I dont know about 'trying to help clean things up' part..

But thats the exact way Patong beach has become.. A zone where Thais can act up in any way they want and they will not be punished by the police.

Even now since this ho ha the police have 'licensed' the thieving gogo touts.. Basically as long as they pay the police they can steal every night.

[Jingthing]

Its just ENTERTAINMENT, media product to sell dish soap or whatever. There is nothing deep about it and there is no conspiracy plot.

Edited September 18, 2009 by Jingthing

[givenall]

Given the response of the Thai authorities found here Jet Ski Scam Hits The World Press, Filmmakers Get The Blame

Do you think that this is an honest attempt at reporting a serious issue that needs cleaning up or is it, as the Thai authorities seem to think, merely an attempt to smear the country? Or is it just another media attack and when this dies down they will move on to the next big scam or scandal?

After 3 years living in Bkk, the only think have learned about police is that they are for sale to the highest better. So the tourist police is worried that their income will be reduced if tourist learn about these scams

[Gary A]

I have been here for many years and I have never seen such obvious blatant corruption by the Thai police. They don't even try to hide it anymore. The worst part is that the politicians make no attempt to clean it up.

[aussiebebe]

I voted for 'media tactics'.

I have watched the first two episode of 'Big Trouble in Tourist Thailand' on YouTube and found it highly enjoyable. As I work in Bangkok, I think it makes fascinating viewing, I have been scammed in various ways (usually overcharging) and it's right that people are warned: however I'm quite familiar with the tactics employed by producers to make their programs exciting. I find amusement in watching the situations foolish people get into, but most documentaries are 'jazzed up' through media tactics, and there are genuine victims who were misled, duped and exploited when they got draw into having their five minutes of fame.

I plan to watch the rest of the Big Trouble series, and while I see the significance of mis-representing Thailand in an overtly negative light, whether the jet-ski incident was misleading, staged or simply false, aren't people missing the point?

Weren't the funniest things about the documentary seeing that poor Marine nearly piss himself with fright? seeing the 'big-boss' hopelessly failing to out-haggle JJ only to find that his guy had already offered 35k and tried to run away? how about when he hypocritically shouted at JJ "DON'T SHOUT AT ME!'? now thats what I will remember for the jet-ski incident!

[TheWalkingMan]

I found it a slice of life of the scams being run against tourists and I found it a slice of life that the local officials need to put up with from crappy tourists.

TheWalkingMan

[Patsycat]

The Green Shirted "bottler" lying guy was amusing too - the way he very rapidly scurried off into the crowd......

I did feel sorry for the young lady who took the rap for her boyfriend's drugs. Good she got home.

[britmaveric]

Don't think their was an intention to clean anything up, just report an incident that was filmed.. could have easily been an incident with a motorbike or another scam.

[Garry9999]

You need another option in your poll,

Actual events, blown out of all proportion.

[Garry9999]

Its just ENTERTAINMENT, media product to sell dish soap or whatever. There is nothing deep about it and there is no conspiracy plot.

Same could be said about climate change.

[jazvisa]

The Green Shirted "bottler" lying guy was amusing too - the way he very rapidly scurried off into the crowd......

I did feel sorry for the young lady who took the rap for her boyfriend's drugs. Good she got home.

Was it his weed?

I thought she was missing and around some other people at the time, maybe missed something

[ScubaBuddha]

The Green Shirted "bottler" lying guy was amusing too - the way he very rapidly scurried off into the crowd......

I did feel sorry for the young lady who took the rap for her boyfriend's drugs. Good she got home.

Was it his weed?

I thought she was missing and around some other people at the time, maybe missed something

She was missing because she had been arrested.

[jazvisa]

The Green Shirted "bottler" lying guy was amusing too - the way he very rapidly scurried off into the crowd......

I did feel sorry for the young lady who took the rap for her boyfriend's drugs. Good she got home.

Was it his weed?

I thought she was missing and around some other people at the time, maybe missed something

She was missing because she had been arrested.

Oh okay, now I realise why they were asking the mum if she blames him

[Travel2003]

The program is pure entertainment.

A bit sensationalism.

Dont think they will be able to sell it to National Geographic.

Of course, when the shit hit the fan, the authorities came up the the conspiracy theory that someone wants to smear Thailand.

Funny though, because most of the bad stuff in rest of the clips are about the visitors to the country.

And now the authorities are looking for the local film company/producers, since it was not approved first.

As in Burma, all movies/productions must be approved before they leave the country.

[britmaveric]

^producer claims they have all the approvals/authorizations. So I think the authorities are speaking with forked tongue.

[harleyclarkey]

I'd have gone for "Honest/accurate reporting of actual events"

[harleyclarkey]

Was it his weed?

I thought she was missing and around some other people at the time, maybe missed something

Yes it was his weed ..about half an ounce...and he admitted this on camera.

He went to get drinks and she held it for him. She had already been arrested when he came back to look for her.

Edited September 18, 2009 by harleyclarkey

[yabaaaa]

Was it his weed?

I thought she was missing and around some other people at the time, maybe missed something

Yes it was his weed ..about half an ounce...and he admitted this on camera.

He went to get drinks and she held it for him. She had already been arrested when he came back to look for her.

Whose more stupid then the Thais or the English parents who didnt blame any of it on Mingers b/f ?

[smokie36]

Whose more stupid then the Thais or the English parents who didnt blame any of it on Mingers b/f ?

Whoever filled in the mingers passport application is to blame.

[endure]

It was made for the Bravo channel - "Entertaining men since 1985"

Typical Bravo offerings:

Knight Rider

Dog the Bounty Hunter

Deadliest Warrior

World's Toughest Towns

The BBC they aren't

[on-on]

Its just ENTERTAINMENT, media product to sell dish soap or whatever. There is nothing deep about it and there is no conspiracy plot.

Same could be said about climate change.

And speciation! Gravity and plate tectonics too. The media is unstoppable, I swear. Just last week some channel ran a program where they claimed The Earth was more than 6,000 years old. What a crock!

[geriatrickid]

Its just ENTERTAINMENT, media product to sell dish soap or whatever. There is nothing deep about it and there is no conspiracy plot.

Same could be said about climate change.

And speciation! Gravity and plate tectonics too. The media is unstoppable, I swear. Just last week some channel ran a program where they claimed The Earth was more than 6,000 years old. What a crock!

Quite right. Before you know it, these same buggers will be claiming that life forms share a common origin or that smoking damages human cells in turn giving rising to uncontrolled cellular growth (cancer). These horrid TV producers had no business filming these poor distressed folks. It really wasn't martin's fault that he bought weed in Thailand. I think he is intellectually challenged and cannot be blamed. As for the inebriated people, it's the heat that does it, not the alcohol. Back in Manchester, they really are reputable folk in between breaking into cars and vandalizing public toilets.

[loong]

Strange that anyone would think that this series is an honest attempt to clean things up, although it does seem that the authorities are doing something about the problems highlighted.

No, the makers saw an opportunity to make an entertaining series and they were successful.

[bdenner]

I went for honest reporting but it won't change a bloody thing!

Glad I live out in the rice paddies where the occasional bit of 'Tea Money' works and hasn't changed in the time I've been here. No surprises YET!

[Dakhar]

I went with honest reporting.... but trying to clean things up.... not really. Things will never change here, and that is sound you hear is not tinnitus, it is the toilet flushing

[seri thai]

The program is pure entertainment.

A bit sensationalism.

Dont think they will be able to sell it to National Geographic.

Of course, when the shit hit the fan, the authorities came up the the conspiracy theory that someone wants to smear Thailand.

Funny though, because most of the bad stuff in rest of the clips are about the visitors to the country.

And now the authorities are looking for the local film company/producers, since it was not approved first.

As in Burma, all movies/productions must be approved before they leave the country.

and don't forget the "No photography allowed" signs either

Move along please, there's nothing to see here.........

Best to keep all the tourists inside the Grand Palace-That's if it's not closed for repairs this week

Actually that must be one of the most shockingly obvious and long standing scams and a disgrace to the nation. If the Royal Thai Police can't stop the scammers outside the number 1 tourist destination in Bangkok what can they do. Whats the cost of 5 beat cops? (and therein lies the answer)

[bendejo]

I never did the full moon party myself, and don't plan to. Seeing it on the screen like that, I had to wonder why, with all that going on, they pull this one girl aside and say "let's see what's in your bag." Pretty obvious what was going on there. All sorts of Thai deadbeats are about obviously not there to party, picking pockets etc but the police have more pressing concerns.

Where I think Thailand is blowing it is they should let the monthly party happen and turn a blind to it, like the cops in Ft. Lauderdale and the other infamous spring break towns. As those of us who have been in the country a while know, Thai cops have a talent for the blind eye thing.

But to the question at hand, this is reality TV: produced, yes, but not manufactured like Survivor. The camera was there to witness, and that is what sets it apart from, say, Baywatch Thailand. The camera makes no judgements, but then comes editing and production.

Tarnish the image? No, some thieving Brit destroyed JJ's pristine equipment and the righteous fellow was going to extract his justice! Let the Thais rally behind their brother. They have their way of doing things, and God love 'em for it. Who said it was bad? We're Thai, this is our country; you farang, you have to play by our rules when you're here or we'll kick your ass.

But maybe they don't want the tourists to be aware of that before they arrive.

Y'know, there's this other crap being sold on those islands that is supposed to be weed but isn't. They have it in Vietnam too. I wondered if the girl was actually holding that trash. But then again, if the cops say it's cannabis, then that's what it is.

[d1andonly]

True or not true, it looks very very likely that this could be reality. I have seen so many cases of similar incidents where some smart thai "businessmen" are trying to rip off foreign tourists in the last 7 years being in the kingdom.

what is really a bit disturbing is that western media always love to make good quotas in trying to find the worst side of thailand. How would a "reality report" of the oktoberfest look like when filmed and shown here? hundreds of crawling drunken germans and everyone in thailand would suddenly believe that they are all alcoholics.

[caf]

True or not true, it looks very very likely that this could be reality. I have seen so many cases of similar incidents where some smart thai "businessmen" are trying to rip off foreign tourists in the last 7 years being in the kingdom.

what is really a bit disturbing is that western media always love to make good quotas in trying to find the worst side of thailand. How would a "reality report" of the oktoberfest look like when filmed and shown here? hundreds of crawling drunken germans and everyone in thailand would suddenly believe that they are all alcoholics.

If you go to the Drummond blog you will see Gavin has admitted the films are not meant to show Thailand in a bad light and he frankly admitsb to not showing what he calls the unspoken facts of the real Thailand. Apart from the Marines and the Jetskis all the other scams have been edited out. Look at the blog