Phuket Authorities To Tackle Illegal Russian, Korean Tour Agents

[webfact]

Phuket authorities to tackle illegal Russian, Korean tour agents

Capt Siramate Thanapansiri of the Phuket Tourist Police said the

task force is ready to start work as soon as they get the green light.

PHUKET: -- Vice Governor Nivit Aroonrat yesterday ordered that a multi-agency provincial task force be set up to tackle the rising number of Russian and Korean tour agents operating illegally in Phuket.

V/Gov Nivit revealed the news at a joint meeting at the Tourist Police headquarters in Phuket Town.

“There are more than 100 Korean and about 20 to 30 Russian illegal tour operators in Phuket. They have been set up in Thailand with the use of Thai nominees,” said V/Gov Nivit.

“These companies are expanding to include restaurants, souvenir shops, karaoke businesses, massage parlors, internet cafes, real estate, hotels and tour counters,” he added.

V/Gov Niwit assigned the Phuket Tourist Police, the Tourism Business and Guide Registration Office, Phuket’s Tourism and Sports office, the Department of Business Development, the Phuket Guide Association and the Phuket Tourist Association to form a task force to tackle the issue.

“This is a serious problem. [First] We will setup a meeting and hold discussions with these foreign companies to try for resolution. If we are forced to play rough, we will not have much choice other than to arrest them,” V/Gov Nivit said.

“I do not want to take action against anyone unless they are breaking the law. Another meeting will be held next month to discuss the results,” he added.

Capt Siramate Thanapansiri of the Phuket Tourist Police said the task force would begin work on the issue as soon as it is authorized to do so.

-- Phuket Gazette 2011-07-22

[Udox]

Didn't I read a month or two ago a report from the Phuket Gazette where the chief of Phuket Immigration asked the newspaper to point out to the farang Tourist Police volunteers that they were working Illegally and they should have work permits?

Reading this report about Russian and Korean tour guides makes me chuckle, to hear that Tourist Police will arrest Illegal workers !

To be a tour guide for Russian and Korean tourists - should you not have to be fluent in Russian or Korean first ?

I remember the TAT stating last year that there were around 30 Russian speaking Thai guides in Thailand - ah well problem over then !!

One resort could swallow up all those guides - and then what?

There is a saying that farangs leave their brains at the airport - where do the TAT (and seemingly the Tourist Police) leave theirs ?

[hellodolly]

Didn't I read a month or two ago a report from the Phuket Gazette where the chief of Phuket Immigration asked the newspaper to point out to the farang Tourist Police volunteers that they were working Illegally and they should have work permits?

Reading this report about Russian and Korean tour guides makes me chuckle, to hear that Tourist Police will arrest Illegal workers !

To be a tour guide for Russian and Korean tourists - should you not have to be fluent in Russian or Korean first ?

I remember the TAT stating last year that there were around 30 Russian speaking Thai guides in Thailand - ah well problem over then !!

One resort could swallow up all those guides - and then what?

There is a saying that farangs leave their brains at the airport - where do the TAT (and seemingly the Tourist Police) leave theirs ?

Don't know did you read it? Why are you asking me?

Also are you saying you know for a fact that the volunteers on the Tourist Police did not get the legal papers needed. Also how many on the tourist police are not Thai. How many are Thai.

You sir sound like a typical Thai basher to me.

[Udox]

Don't know did you read it? Why are you asking me?

Also are you saying you know for a fact that the volunteers on the Tourist Police did not get the legal papers needed. Also how many on the tourist police are not Thai. How many are Thai.

You sir sound like a typical Thai basher to me.

No I am not saying I know for a fact that the volunteers on the Tourist Police did not get the legal papers needed - and i don't see anywhere I did say that. What I did say is that I read in the Phuket Gazette that the Phuket Immigration Head was complaining that the Phuket Tourist Police Foreign Volunteers did not have valid work permits and he asked the newspaper to make them aware that they needed them. perhaps you might like to ask the head of the Phuket Immigration if he knows for a fact that the volunteers on the Tourist Police did not get the legal papers needed - he was the one who said it - not me !

How does that in any way make me a 'Typical Thai Basher'

You sir sound like a typical farang basher to me.

One of the typical ones on here who nit-pic in peoples posts and try to make an issue out of nothing.

[hellodolly]

Don't know did you read it? Why are you asking me?

Also are you saying you know for a fact that the volunteers on the Tourist Police did not get the legal papers needed. Also how many on the tourist police are not Thai. How many are Thai.

You sir sound like a typical Thai basher to me.

No I am not saying I know for a fact that the volunteers on the Tourist Police did not get the legal papers needed - and i don't see anywhere I did say that. What I did say is that I read in the Phuket Gazette that the Phuket Immigration Head was complaining that the Phuket Tourist Police Foreign Volunteers did not have valid work permits and he asked the newspaper to make them aware that they needed them. perhaps you might like to ask the head of the Phuket Immigration if he knows for a fact that the volunteers on the Tourist Police did not get the legal papers needed - he was the one who said it - not me !

How does that in any way make me a 'Typical Thai Basher'

You sir sound like a typical farang basher to me.

One of the typical ones on here who nit-pic in peoples posts and try to make an issue out of nothing.

Reread your post you did not say you read it. If you have no knowledge of the status of the volunteers Tourist Police why did you bring it up. Your reply had nothing to do with the article.

As I said you are a typical Thai basher. Imply every thing and then say I did not say that.

Or you are perhaps a illegal tour operator. That being the case I completely understand your attitude to the article. I hope they get all the illegal tour operators. People like that are a part of the reason some Thais do not like farong's.

Yes I am a typical farong basher if the farong is nothing but a Thai basher.

[rfukata]

I wouldn't call these illegal tour agents, more likely saviors to the specific group of nationalities.

If Thailand had more qualified Korean, Russian + foreign interpreters they could better manage these problems.

There is a great need to educate the upcoming Thai tour agents with specific foreign language needs.

[stevenl]

Don't know did you read it? Why are you asking me?

Also are you saying you know for a fact that the volunteers on the Tourist Police did not get the legal papers needed. Also how many on the tourist police are not Thai. How many are Thai.

You sir sound like a typical Thai basher to me.

No I am not saying I know for a fact that the volunteers on the Tourist Police did not get the legal papers needed - and i don't see anywhere I did say that. What I did say is that I read in the Phuket Gazette that the Phuket Immigration Head was complaining that the Phuket Tourist Police Foreign Volunteers did not have valid work permits and he asked the newspaper to make them aware that they needed them. perhaps you might like to ask the head of the Phuket Immigration if he knows for a fact that the volunteers on the Tourist Police did not get the legal papers needed - he was the one who said it - not me !

How does that in any way make me a 'Typical Thai Basher'

You sir sound like a typical farang basher to me.

One of the typical ones on here who nit-pic in peoples posts and try to make an issue out of nothing.

Please give us a link to the article where you read that.

[ROMANOBA]

How much money Thailand can make thanks to those ' illegal' korean and russian tour agenalts?...How much ' added value' Thailand can get thanks to all those ' illegal' english teachers?...Take away all this ' illegal' know-how and skills and Thailand will go back to reality, the hard way...

Didn't I read a month or two ago a report from the Phuket Gazette where the chief of Phuket Immigration asked the newspaper to point out to the farang Tourist Police volunteers that they were working Illegally and they should have work permits?

Reading this report about Russian and Korean tour guides makes me chuckle, to hear that Tourist Police will arrest Illegal workers !

To be a tour guide for Russian and Korean tourists - should you not have to be fluent in Russian or Korean first ?

I remember the TAT stating last year that there were around 30 Russian speaking Thai guides in Thailand - ah well problem over then !!

One resort could swallow up all those guides - and then what?

There is a saying that farangs leave their brains at the airport - where do the TAT (and seemingly the Tourist Police) leave theirs ?

[exbelg]

i do not mind korean tourists or businesses, but i really to mind all those russians

[pschef]

Oh no now a Russian Basher

[PlastikbinLina]

Don't know did you read it? Why are you asking me?

Also are you saying you know for a fact that the volunteers on the Tourist Police did not get the legal papers needed. Also how many on the tourist police are not Thai. How many are Thai.

You sir sound like a typical Thai basher to me.

No I am not saying I know for a fact that the volunteers on the Tourist Police did not get the legal papers needed - and i don't see anywhere I did say that. What I did say is that I read in the Phuket Gazette that the Phuket Immigration Head was complaining that the Phuket Tourist Police Foreign Volunteers did not have valid work permits and he asked the newspaper to make them aware that they needed them. perhaps you might like to ask the head of the Phuket Immigration if he knows for a fact that the volunteers on the Tourist Police did not get the legal papers needed - he was the one who said it - not me !

How does that in any way make me a 'Typical Thai Basher'

You sir sound like a typical farang basher to me.

One of the typical ones on here who nit-pic in peoples posts and try to make an issue out of nothing.

Reread your post you did not say you read it. If you have no knowledge of the status of the volunteers Tourist Police why did you bring it up. Your reply had nothing to do with the article.

As I said you are a typical Thai basher. Imply every thing and then say I did not say that.

Or you are perhaps a illegal tour operator. That being the case I completely understand your attitude to the article. I hope they get all the illegal tour operators. People like that are a part of the reason some Thais do not like farong's.

Yes I am a typical farong basher if the farong is nothing but a Thai basher.

As an observer only, I don't want to get mixed up in this trivia but Udox said the following;

Didn't I read a month or two ago a report from the Phuket Gazette where the chief of Phuket Immigration asked the newspaper to point out to the farang Tourist Police volunteers that they were working Illegally and they should have work permits?

Yep he said he read it.

[moe666]

Do any of you guys live in Phukett.

[pogal]

Do any of you guys live in Phukett.

Oh!... now we have a "Farang that live anywhere else in Thailand, other than Phuket" basher 5555555555555555555

And my comment makes me a "person that makes comments about anyone else that does not live in Phuket" basher...

and anyone who comments about me is a ......... oh I give up! 5555555 yawn .......

[pogal]

Tourist police should be spending their time helping tourists not to get ripped off, or killed. I think this loophole in the law for setting up businesses is a judicial one that needs to be resolved by parliament, not the police. The fact that they are ABLE to set up these companies means that there is a loophole in the law that needs to be changed! If they have legal papers and companies set up, what are the arresting them for?

Excuse me for Governor and Tourist Police bashing! 555

[brianb1944]

Don't know did you read it? Why are you asking me?

Also are you saying you know for a fact that the volunteers on the Tourist Police did not get the legal papers needed. Also how many on the tourist police are not Thai. How many are Thai.

You sir sound like a typical Thai basher to me.

No I am not saying I know for a fact that the volunteers on the Tourist Police did not get the legal papers needed - and i don't see anywhere I did say that. What I did say is that I read in the Phuket Gazette that the Phuket Immigration Head was complaining that the Phuket Tourist Police Foreign Volunteers did not have valid work permits and he asked the newspaper to make them aware that they needed them. perhaps you might like to ask the head of the Phuket Immigration if he knows for a fact that the volunteers on the Tourist Police did not get the legal papers needed - he was the one who said it - not me !

How does that in any way make me a 'Typical Thai Basher'

You sir sound like a typical farang basher to me.

One of the typical ones on here who nit-pic in peoples posts and try to make an issue out of nothing.

Nice riposte, he is a bit querulous in his posts.

[khaowong1]

I wouldn't call these illegal tour agents, more likely saviors to the specific group of nationalities.

If Thailand had more qualified Korean, Russian + foreign interpreters they could better manage these problems.

There is a great need to educate the upcoming Thai tour agents with specific foreign language needs.

Right, I can really see this happening.

[robertson468]

Don't know did you read it? Why are you asking me?

Also are you saying you know for a fact that the volunteers on the Tourist Police did not get the legal papers needed. Also how many on the tourist police are not Thai. How many are Thai.

You sir sound like a typical Thai basher to me.

No I am not saying I know for a fact that the volunteers on the Tourist Police did not get the legal papers needed - and i don't see anywhere I did say that. What I did say is that I read in the Phuket Gazette that the Phuket Immigration Head was complaining that the Phuket Tourist Police Foreign Volunteers did not have valid work permits and he asked the newspaper to make them aware that they needed them. perhaps you might like to ask the head of the Phuket Immigration if he knows for a fact that the volunteers on the Tourist Police did not get the legal papers needed - he was the one who said it - not me !

How does that in any way make me a 'Typical Thai Basher'

You sir sound like a typical farang basher to me.

One of the typical ones on here who nit-pic in peoples posts and try to make an issue out of nothing.

Here, here, well said and he sounds so angry too!! Maybe time for a couple of cool Chang Beers and a visit to the psychiatrist.