Phuket Tourist Cheats Spark Foreign Diplomat Intervention

[monty1412]

There is a time and a place for snide comments and gutter press tabloid news....

Here and now would be a great time to pull in the likes of "The Sun" to have a good rant about the new costa del crime or Fuk-it as it has been called.

Burma will open...

Tourism will displace...

Phuket will become... what..? a sad retirement town... for who...?

What a shame the gutter press aren't here

Tiffer.. I think you are spot on.. Burma will in next few years take off and steal allot of Thailand and Malaysia's tourist trade... the exact reason why Phuket became so popular initially will drive Burma's resorts growth.. Phuket will become in time a seedy little place ( if not already) with scams galore proliferating and Thai officialdom still with heads in sand or other places.

If these diplomats are serious they should don t-shirts/ shorts and sandals and go for a late night tuk tuk ride.. in fact split up and get 5-10 experiences then rent a jetski or two and prove to the lunatics who run the place that it is indeed awash with graft and rip offs.

But alas diplomats don't like to get their tails actually involved rather will be whisked by convoy to the latest beach view restaurant dined and then return back to whence they came, claiming that they were impressed with measures and controls that the Phuket authorities are implementing. If asked what these measure and controls are they will claim that they are many and varied to suit the particular situations and indeed allot of the control programs are still in development phase and as such it would be precipitous to speculate on the final program make-ups.

This is just an holiday excuse for the diplomats

[queanbeyan]

Seems to be bash Phuket and Thailand day!!

Most holiday destinations have rip-offs and scams that are targeted at tourists. In Australia I heard that there were bus tours full of Japanese tourists that would result in prices being inflated. Most people don't care, only if it affects them will they do something.

I know that in some parts of Thailand these scams appear to be out of hand - but the Thais know that the cheap family holidays are on everyone's mind - and even after being ripped off, Phuket is still cheap for many people compared to a quality holiday in Europe.

For the single male traveler, especially those with fetishes for young Asian boys or girls - they will continue to come to Phuket and Thailand for their 'special adventures' - not many places in the world are cheaper and easier for these people, with no questions asked.

[EvolvingApe]

(look at True Corp for an excellent example of this phenomenon)

I need some more info here, I have looked at True corp. often enough and have used their phone service for years. I pay less than my friends using AIS or DTAC. I also used their satellite TV service in the past, it provided me with all the English language channels from around the world that I care for, and for a lower price than I would pay back 'home.'

[monty1412]

(look at True Corp for an excellent example of this phenomenon)

I need some more info here, I have looked at True corp. often enough and have used their phone service for years. I pay less than my friends using AIS or DTAC. I also used their satellite TV service in the past, it provided me with all the English language channels from around the world that I care for, and for a lower price than I would pay back 'home.'

Are you reporting Truecorp for Phuket based scam or seriously got into the wrong thread and decided to hijack ?

[BigJohnnyBKK]

Rather than post the names on a website why not just shut them down. Either they are doing something wrong and should be stopped or they aren't. Which is it?

Because the Ministry that is motivated to help the tourists doesn't have 1% of the power necessary to go up against the government officials that are the root of the problem, either the direct employers of or at least in partnership with all the well-entrenched criminals.

Last time law enforcement authorities from the central government travelled to Phuket to try to straighten some of the local problems out, there were shootouts in the street between the different mafia police factions.

The Dark Side has a lot more power than anyone with the public interest at heart - in fact I'd put the latter at less than 1% of all "public servants" here, and they would of course usually occupy the bottommost positions, and climbing your way up the ladder would require wholehearted participation in the corruption schemes.

That's why not.

[jackinbkk]

Maybe it's because the people in power who have the means to change this benefit the most from the way it is. Just like the people in power in all countries. When I lived in Phuket I truly felt sorry for the tourists I saw arriving at the airport. Lambs to the slaughter.

I must say I like the island. I have good memories from my time there but it houses scum. Where else could tuk tuks get away with openly overcharging, running a mafia racquet and causing such disruption when their vial ways are challenged.

Go to Thailand by all means but don't choose Phuket.

[osiboy]

i was looking at cambodian beach resorts today , ive been before but only a short trip and it was quiet , .....i noticed there are more hotels to choose from and many were fully booked or had 1-2 rooms left , .seems to be growing very fast ,as is burma , i would like to see both areas growing as fast as they seem to be , and can see alot of future investment leaving thailand for greener pastures, thailand will have nobody to blame except themselves, and i hope they get their '' just deserts '', they have" bitten the hand that feeds them" for far too long , and to the extent that i cant wave goodbye !, whatever the outcome from this diplomatic visit it will just be swept under the carpet by the thai powers that be,.....NOTHING WILL CHANGE !

[virtualtraveller]

Diplomats are usually quite diplomatic, if they are coming out and making an issue out of it and wanting to meet the minister (going above the head of the governor) you can be it's become a critical issue, mainly because they are sick and tired of all the complaints they get from their nationals to sort out scams.

It's such a pity people running this country fail to understand the importance of minimising reputation damage, as long as more and more visitors arrive each year they tend to think it doesn't matter.

Only when all the business (including those owned by the mafia) start noticing falling business, and can be shown it's a direct result of negative publicity will there be the will to do something, and even then the selfish individuals who depend on scamming for their income will be unwilling to yield, it's all a classic lapse of law enforcement, something this country is famous for.

For most Phuket is still a nice experience, it's important that all guide book writers and others try to warn visitors as much as possible. The police might not be able to go after the scammers for various reasons but someone can put up signs everywhere warning people about jetskis etc, the more aware tourists are the less likely they are to rent jetskis, take tuk tuks etc, and that is about the most realistic manner of reducing the problem. Educate the tourist, because the authorities certainly aren't able to do anything about it.

[Gillespie]

For the single male traveler, especially those with fetishes for young Asian boys or girls - they will continue to come to Phuket and Thailand for their 'special adventures' - not many places in the world are cheaper and easier for these people, with no questions asked.

Yes, I can see the TAT campaign for that one. Amazing/Miracle Thailand, Land of Fat Sweaty Paedo Lowlifes, Cheap Whores and Bent Cops. Of yeah, and Smiles.

[moonbarman]

There is a time and a place for snide comments and gutter press tabloid news....

Here and now would be a great time to pull in the likes of "The Sun" to have a good rant about the new costa del crime or Fuk-it as it has been called.

Burma will open...

Tourism will displace...

Phuket will become... what..? a sad retirement town... for who...?

What a shame the gutter press aren't here

Tiffer.. I think you are spot on.. Burma will in next few years take off and steal allot of Thailand and Malaysia's tourist trade... the exact reason why Phuket became so popular initially will drive Burma's resorts growth.. Phuket will become in time a seedy little place ( if not already) with scams galore proliferating and Thai officialdom still with heads in sand or other places.

If these diplomats are serious they should don t-shirts/ shorts and sandals and go for a late night tuk tuk ride.. in fact split up and get 5-10 experiences then rent a jetski or two and prove to the lunatics who run the place that it is indeed awash with graft and rip offs.

But alas diplomats don't like to get their tails actually involved rather will be whisked by convoy to the latest beach view restaurant dined and then return back to whence they came, claiming that they were impressed with measures and controls that the Phuket authorities are implementing. If asked what these measure and controls are they will claim that they are many and varied to suit the particular situations and indeed allot of the control programs are still in development phase and as such it would be precipitous to speculate on the final program make-ups.

This is just an holiday excuse for the diplomats

Looks like you wrote their speeches already for them then,555.

[spidermike007]

The first three issues mentioned below ('overpriced...services') are so fundamental to protecting utterly uncompetitive Thai business (look at True Corp for an excellent example of this phenomenon) and ripping of Thai AND foreign consumers for the benefit of a tiny minority, that I can't see how quaint meetings between foreign diplomats and Thai government officials could even begin to solve anything. If Thailand were capable of solving any of its problems and enforcing its own laws, it would have done so already. The scams and other pitfalls that act as parasitic infections on Thailand's reputation and image are so often perpetrated by the very people who are supposed to be stopping them, that I can't help but just break up laughing when I read these. This is just another opportunity for Thailand to 'explain' to foreigners and 'restore confidence' in how everything in Thailand is fine and the tourism industry is doing great.

"The most common rip-off schemes that tourists face include overpriced products and services, low-quality products, low-standard services and exaggerated damage claims on broken items, said the report."

It's not that they aren't capable of solving their problems - they don't want to.

If I was the police chief in Phuket then jet ski's would be illegal, taxis and tuk tuks would have to use meters and any scum that's misbehaving would receive a public flogging with a cat o nine tails!

Well, it might be time to elect a fareng, as mayor of Phuket, and Samui. Someone who speaks fluent Thai. Someone who cannot be bought and sold. Someone who has a concept of what ethics, and morality is, and who has a sense of what would benefit the travelers, and ex-pats living in Thailand. I know this is a pipe dream. For a fareng to ever assume a position of power here, the local Thais would have to admit that a problem exists, and that they were incapable of fixing it. Hell would freeze over before that happens. But, it is pleasant to dream sometimes. Did you want to run for mayor?

[spidermike007]

There is a time and a place for snide comments and gutter press tabloid news....

Here and now would be a great time to pull in the likes of "The Sun" to have a good rant about the new costa del crime or Fuk-it as it has been called.

Burma will open...

Tourism will displace...

Phuket will become... what..? a sad retirement town... for who...?

What a shame the gutter press aren't here

Thailand has had a good run of luck with foreign investment and tourism, and like all runs of luck it won't last forever. Myanmar will pull the rug right from under them and the Thais will have nobody to blame for this but themselves - after all the proof will be in the pudding, i.e. visible visitor/investment feedback in thousands of online websites and blogs. No denying the voices of millions. And the general message will be 'Myanmar is better because the Burmese don't steal and lie like the Thais, they genuinely like foreigners, the beaches and islands are cleaner, it's cheaper, you can own a business without having being forced to give 51% of your business to a slimy local and the place isn't run by the mafia'. My point being that the all the scams of Phuket, Samui etc that are being left to run unattended because the powers to be secretly <deleted>*kng hate farang and are making a cut out of our misery will destroy the country in a few years.

When is the last time you spent time in Burma (I refuse to call it myanmar, as that is a tribute to the junta)? What makes you think the government has any intention on following through on it's promises. Burma is better than Thailand? The people are more honest? So far, no control has been given to the people. The generals are the biggest drug dealers in the region. They have little or no press freedoms. Thousands are still in prison, because they protested in the streets during the saffron revolt in 2007. Elections have been voided left and right. Where do you get your information from? What kind of mushrooms are you taking? Yes, Thailand has many serious issues, but it will be a long time till the junta who claim they are now a civilian government demonstrates they are serious about giving up power. They are making billions off the country, and I suspect they do not want to walk away from that, anytime soon.

[Johnnie99]

I would have thought any tourist coming here by now should be aware - or made themsleves aware - of the situation in a 3rd World Country. For that is what it is; it does not mean it's bad, or 'less-than-the 'West'', just not yet ready to join the first world countries. (I use the terms based on economic criteria.) If visitors don't understand that splashing around their saved holiday money gives the impression that all foreigners are wealthy, then they need to open their eyes.