Security Measures For Tourists To Be Tightened

[Jai Dee]

TOURISM AND SPORTS MINISTRY TO LAY STRICT MEASURES FOR TOURISTS’ SECURITY

The Tourism and Sports Minister, Mr. PRACHA MALEENOND (ประชา มาลีนนท์) said that his ministry has cooperated with every provincial police station and Tourist Police Division of Thailand to impose strict measures and publicize in order to reduce the number of crimes and to provide security for tourists.

Concerned agencies have been assigned to station at various tourist spots and that the tourism related entrepreneurs and local people will be urged to help the authorities by providing useful information as a mean to prevent harmful incident.

Mr. PRACHA said that overall the harmful incident ratio is still low when compared to other countries in the Asian region. However, the poll conducted by the Royal Thai Police has indicated that 95 percent of the tourists are satisfied with the security level and Thailand is still one of the top tourist destinations.

He added that on the 17th of January, the ministry will hold a meeting with related agencies to discuss on the measures. The first meeting will take place at Samui Island, Surat Thani(สุราษฎร์ธานี) Province and is schedule to take place at major tourist destinations namely Chiang Mai(เชียงใหม่), Pattaya(พัทยา), Phuket ( ภูเก็ต) and Hat Yai (หาดใหญ่).

Source: thaisnews.com ประจำวันจันทร์ที่ 16 มกราคม 2549

[astral]

A knee jerk reaction to the murder of the girl in Koh Samui.

Wonder why it did not happen after the policeman murdered two tourists

in Kanchaburi?

[Darkling]

Wow!!!

All those tourists have taken part in a poll. When did this take place? 95% are happy with the protection offered by the Royal Thai police. Sorry, i have got it now. Tourists. They spoke to 9 Thai holiday makers and a child at Ch-am.

[sierra01]

Bolting, stable door and horse come to mind here. But will it actually happen, and continue to happen? Hot air, empty promises, big show of caring at the start then tapering off to nothing?

[Anon999]

More information about the size of the poll, when and where it was conducted, would be useful. Then we would all know whether it was a valid exercise or just a PR job.

However, the inane and cynical posts made by the usual people have no worth whatever.

Edited January 16, 2006 by Anon999

[george]

Tourism Minister orders stronger measures to protect tourists

BANGKOK: -- Thailand's Minister of Tourism and Sports has ordered stronger security measures to protect tourists following the rape-murder of a British tourist by two fishermen on the resort island of Samui in the south earlier this month.

On Sunday another British tourist -- a 29-year-old woman from Liverpool -- was allegedly raped in the beach resort of Pattaya.

Cabinet Minister Pracha Maleenont told a press conference that concerned agencies would step up security at tourist spots.

Mr. Pracha said that the number of tourist police will be increased and that more local volunteers will be recruited to ensure tourists' safety. Apart from that, he said, tourism entrepreneurs will be urged to build a network to cooperate with the police.

Pol Maj.Gen. Panya Mamen, tourist police commander, said that Sumui didn't have designated areas for fishing boats like Phuket.

Police will meet the local authorities tomorrow to discuss the registration of fishermen and the designation of the specific mooring place for fishing boats.

More police officers and volunteers will be dispatched to ensure the safety on Samui, Phangan, and Tao islands which have about one million visitors each year.

--TNA 2006-01-16

[CrazyFrog]

Hi Guys!

I don't know if it's concerning the Poll at the Immigration Bureau in Bkk about a week ago!

I went there for my extension of stay and during the time I was waiting to get back my passport, there was about 3 guys who was giving a Poll form to fill.

I filled one and there was the question about What We Think about the Security offered at the borders and at The Immigration Bureau!

I think it was an official Poll!

CrazyFrog

[Artisan]

A knee jerk reaction to the murder of the girl in Koh Samui.

Wonder why it did not happen after the policeman murdered two tourists

in Kanchaburi?

Don't forget about the British girl who was raped in Pattaya at the weekend (Friday night).

[thaivisitor]

Thai man detained for allegedly raping British tourist at beach resort

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - Police in the Thai beach resort of Pattaya said Monday they had detained a man suspected of raping a British tourist after offering her a ride on his motorcycle.

Police arrested the 19-year-old after the woman, identified as a 29-year-old tourist from the city of Liverpool, told police she had been raped by a Thai man, said police Maj. Apimuk Amnartmankong. He faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

The arrest came just two weeks after another British tourist, 21-year-old Katherine Horton of Wales, was raped and murdered on New Year's Day in the southern beach resort of Koh Samui. Two Thai fisherman are on trial for that crime, which carries the death penalty. The pair is expected to be sentenced Wednesday.

Police said the alleged rape in Pattaya occurred Saturday evening, when the woman was waiting for a taxi and a man pulled up on his motorcycle and offered her a ride, which she accepted. Motorcycle taxis are common in Thailand.

The man allegedly stopped the motorcycle on a dark road, dragged the woman into an area of bushes and raped her, the woman told police, Apimuk said.

Pattaya, about 110 kilometers (70 miles) southeast of Bangkok, is known for its beaches, its thriving sex industry and high crime rate.

Source : Associated Press Newswires 16 January 2006

Guess they have to really start beefing up the security, not just talk about it.

[tracer0]

Bolting, stable door and horse come to mind here. But will it actually happen, and continue to happen? Hot air, empty promises, big show of caring at the start then tapering off to nothing?

I noticed the reaction as well but to be honest I 100% agree.

After 20 years in Thailand and many years in other countries, I am lets say a peron who isnt easy to believe crap produced by journalists and politicians. Almost all, anywhere in the world are mostly professional liers.... Be honest, its a job requirement...

[castelleone]

it is very simple. The father of the Samui girl is a ,,big shot,, in England with quite some political power. And Mr. T. cannot hide any more. So he had to do something. Bad enough and it does not help the girl from Samui.

[Virgil]

I believe that the root (pardon the pun) of this problem lies in the basic culture of Thai people.

More tourist police will do little toward solving the problem. At best, the culprits will go back to raping quiet little thai girls who won't even tell mom about it.

Virgil

[nikster]

More information about the size of the poll, when and where it was conducted, would be useful. Then we would all know whether it was a valid exercise or just a PR job.

However, the inane and cynical posts made by the usual people have no worth whatever.

You are right in that it would be easy to make fun of this PR exercise. Maybe because we have an attention span > 2 weeks which is how long it takes for the usual "War on X" or "Crackdown on Y" to ease out into the comfy status quo. Why should this be any different? Precedents set expectations.

That said, Thailand has much bigger problems than tourist police. There are parts of the country run by the mafia, for example Phangan and Tao. Drugs are freely available there on the beaches because.. there's no police! Wonder oh wonder. Of course the travellers don't mind, let's just hope the gangsters take care that no-one gets raped... which they probably do more efficiently than the police, come to think of it.

I know many Thais who wanted to start businesses on these islands... they quickly learned the rules: You pay the man, or you leave. Or, if you are stubborn, you might suddenly "disappear" or something might "happen" to you (they all left BTW). Or phi phi - a national park where building anything is prohibited to protect nature, only that there are large scale resorts there.

[peter991]

The ThaiVisa Travel Forum has 'gone on holidays' somehow - but I would like to advise that the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has today elevated its warning to Australians either intending to travel to Thailand or already in Thailand. I quote:

We advise you to exercise a high degree of caution in Thailand because of the high threat of terrorist attack. We continue to receive reports that terrorists may be planning attacks against a range of targets, including places frequented by foreigners.

In planning your activities, consider the kinds of places known to be terrorist targets. These include places frequented by foreigners such as embassies, shopping malls, clubs, hotels, restaurants, bars, schools, churches, outdoor recreation events and tourist areas. Public transport, airports, sea ports and public buildings are also potential terrorist targets.

The increase in violence in Southern Thailand (see below) may result in attacks elsewhere in Thailand, including Bangkok and other tourist areas. Thai authorities have taken additional security measures in other parts of the country, including tourist centres and Bangkok.

Due to security concerns, security at the Australian Embassy in Bangkok is at a high level.

Personally, I feel safer in Thailand than I do in Australia.

Peter

[Arkady]

It is interesting the see the contrast in the reaction of the police when the murderer/rapist is one of their own. This was explicit in the case of the British couple murdered in Kanchanaburi and is alleged to have the case in the murder of Kirsty Jones. The government appears to condone this behaviour through its failure to prevent the police from protecting criminals within its ranks even when they commit crimes that jeopardise an important part of the economy. (Forget about corruption and white collar crimes. The police, military, civil service and entire socio-economic system are built on acceptance of this.) They are clearly delighted that the two fisherman who raped murdered Katherine Horton are poor Isaan labourers with no connections to local godfathers or politicians, so that they can make examples of them in an indecently rapid pre-determined trial. No doubt the motorcyclist rapist in Pattaya will be dealt with in the same way.

What is totally missing from any of the commentaries in the British press is that rape is an extremely common crime in Thailand. Since it largely goes unreported, there are no accurate statistics on it. Thai women don't report rapes for many good reasons e.g.: they were raped by a father, brother, uncle, husband or close family friend; they were raped by a school friend; they were raped by local gangsters or influential figures who are well connected with the police and would take retribution against the woman or her family, if she reported them; there are only a handful of female police investigators in the entire country and the police are under no legal obligation to assign a female officer to deal with female rape victims; male police investigators usually start with the assumption that the girl was a slut and asked for it and frequently refuse to even file the complaint; they were non-person Burmese, Chinese, Lao or Khmer illegal immigrants raped in a police cell, so there was no one to report it too; and finally rape by a husband is not a crime under Thai law. This is what British journalists should perhaps be looking at to help British tourists assess their chances of getting raped in Thailand, not just paraphrasing the wire service reports of set piece investigations and show trials that the government hopes will make amends for its foot dragging over the rape and murder cases where policemen were involved.

[Backpack_thailand]

A knee jerk reaction to the murder of the girl in Koh Samui.

Wonder why it did not happen after the policeman murdered two tourists

in Kanchaburi?

Kanchanaburi is not as recognized worldwide as Pattaya, Phuket or Samui. Simple as that.

If the province was generating the kind of incomes as the south then the two tragic shootings would have been world headlines.

[khall64au]

The ThaiVisa Travel Forum has 'gone on holidays' somehow - but I would like to advise that the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has today elevated its warning to Australians either intending to travel to Thailand or already in Thailand. I quote:

We advise you to exercise a high degree of caution in Thailand because of the high threat of terrorist attack. We continue to receive reports that terrorists may be planning attacks against a range of targets, including places frequented by foreigners.

In planning your activities, consider the kinds of places known to be terrorist targets. These include places frequented by foreigners such as embassies, shopping malls, clubs, hotels, restaurants, bars, schools, churches, outdoor recreation events and tourist areas. Public transport, airports, sea ports and public buildings are also potential terrorist targets.

The increase in violence in Southern Thailand (see below) may result in attacks elsewhere in Thailand, including Bangkok and other tourist areas. Thai authorities have taken additional security measures in other parts of the country, including tourist centres and Bangkok.

Due to security concerns, security at the Australian Embassy in Bangkok is at a high level.

Personally, I feel safer in Thailand than I do in Australia.

Peter

That warning has been the same since 2002 - after the first Bali bombing. Australia is covering their tail. But having said that, I do NOT feel comfortable in Patong at night - Phuket's biggest tourist party town - and rarely ever go there. I was there last weekend and noticed ZERO security. I was relieved to leave and called into an open air late-night club owned by a local government official on the outskirts of Patong. The place was crawling with police and security guards. My handbag was examined with a torch on the way in and for once I did not mind at all. I felt SECURE! This was at 4am mind you....

[Jai Dee]

PATTAYA POLICE TO TIGHTEN UP MEASURES FOR TOURIST SAFETY

Pattaya has a high reputation in tourism throughout the world, and the city has effortlessly attracted millions of tourists each year. Unfortunately, there are a number of gangsters and syndicates that instigate social turbulence in various forms, and some travelers have become less confidence in visiting the city.

On this issue, Tourism and Sports Minister Pracha Maleenont said such unwelcome incidents have occurred in other tourist destinations such as Chiang Mai, Phuket, Samui Island as well as Pattaya. Recently, the minister has ordered concerned units to tighten up the security measures in order to restore tourists’ confidence.

Pattaya Police are responsible in ensuring public and property safeties, and they have cooperated with the tourism police, checkpoint officers, and volunteers to implement these measures more concretely and capably.

Police and volunteers have been continuously inspecting different tourist destinations and regulating many entertainment venues. They have also collaborated with tourist guides, with an aim to provide better security measures to tourists. Training courses have also been provided to tourism-related personnel, such as drivers and business operators, to ensure that tourists will not be exploited.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 17 January 2006

[astral]

A knee jerk reaction to the murder of the girl in Koh Samui.

Wonder why it did not happen after the policeman murdered two tourists

in Kanchaburi?

Kanchanaburi is not as recognized worldwide as Pattaya, Phuket or Samui. Simple as that.

If the province was generating the kind of incomes as the south then the two tragic shootings would have been world headlines.

Does "Bridge in the River Kwai" or the Death Railway ring any bells?

[Ajarn]

The only thing missing from the report are the start/stop dates of the 'crackdown'

[Artisan]

A knee jerk reaction to the murder of the girl in Koh Samui.

Wonder why it did not happen after the policeman murdered two tourists

in Kanchaburi?

Kanchanaburi is not as recognized worldwide as Pattaya, Phuket or Samui. Simple as that.

If the province was generating the kind of incomes as the south then the two tragic shootings would have been world headlines.

Does "Bridge in the River Kwai" or the Death Railway ring any bells?

Of course these two 'tourist attractions' in Kanchanaburi are recognised worldwide......but they would hardly rate tightening of security measures. It's all about numbers and Pattaya, Phuket and Samui are the places where most of the tourists go.

[Malice in Wonderland]

TOURISM AND SPORTS MINISTRY TO LAY STRICT MEASURES FOR TOURISTS’ SECURITY

The Tourism and Sports Minister, Mr. PRACHA MALEENOND (ประชา มาลีนนท์) said that his ministry has cooperated with every provincial police station and Tourist Police Division of Thailand to impose strict measures and publicize in order to reduce the number of crimes and to provide security for tourists.

He added that on the 17th of January, the ministry will hold a meeting with related agencies to discuss on the measures. The first meeting will take place at Samui Island, Surat Thani(สุราษฎร์ธานี) Province and is schedule to take place at major tourist destinations namely Chiang Mai(เชียงใหม่), Pattaya(พัทยา), Phuket ( ภูเก็ต) and Hat Yai (หาดใหญ่).

Source: thaisnews.com ประจำวันจันทร์ที่ 16 มกราคม 2549

Does this meeting mean all the roads will be fixed by the 17th???

[silk123]

95%. Blatant lie.

Likely about 10% of tourists Don't get robbed or screwed on first holiday in thailand. If it's not the tuk tuk tailor scam it's the gem scams or the getting stuff robbd from bags thing.

I know i got my suitcase nicked first time and the police just said "never mind" because the suitcase didn't belong to them. I had to pay them to do a report which was just a waste of time.

Outside the grand palace you still get told its closed and to go with the friendly thieves to another tourist attraction. One would thing that would be very disrepectful to rob tourists there but "never mind".

It's funny in a way just how much the police here don't care. Most tourists avoid police anyway as best they can in case they get shot and driven over a few times. If i was a thai policeman i wouldn't care either because all the status games here make hard working people like them feel down.

Anyway it's still good to stay in thailand on a fixed foreign income as the money spreads better than it would in europe.

[Backpack_thailand]

A knee jerk reaction to the murder of the girl in Koh Samui.

Wonder why it did not happen after the policeman murdered two tourists

in Kanchaburi?

Kanchanaburi is not as recognized worldwide as Pattaya, Phuket or Samui. Simple as that.

If the province was generating the kind of incomes as the south then the two tragic shootings would have been world headlines.

Does "Bridge in the River Kwai" or the Death Railway ring any bells?

Of course these two 'tourist attractions' in Kanchanaburi are recognised worldwide......but they would hardly rate tightening of security measures. It's all about numbers and Pattaya, Phuket and Samui are the places where most of the tourists go.

Exactly! People who come here for the Bridge and Death Railway stuff are usually gone in 2 or 3 days. Whatever the attractions of Kan, it's just not seen as a "traditional" tourist hotspot. You're not going to book a 2 week family holiday here!

Personally I like it that way as it keeps a large % of the dikcheads away due to us not having a beach!

[astral]

95%. Blatant lie.

Likely about 10% of tourists Don't get robbed or screwed on first holiday in thailand. If it's not the tuk tuk tailor scam it's the gem scams or the getting stuff robbd from bags thing.

I know i got my suitcase nicked first time and the police just said "never mind" because the suitcase didn't belong to them. I had to pay them to do a report which was just a waste of time.

Outside the grand palace you still get told its closed and to go with the friendly thieves to another tourist attraction. One would thing that would be very disrepectful to rob tourists there but "never mind".

It's funny in a way just how much the police here don't care. Most tourists avoid police anyway as best they can in case they get shot and driven over a few times. If i was a thai policeman i wouldn't care either because all the status games here make hard working people like them feel down.

Anyway it's still good to stay in thailand on a fixed foreign income as the money spreads better than it would in europe.

Now that is reasoned view.

There are bigger issues on the tourist front, but they have been around for years, sad to say,

but it would not get news time for politicians, sell newspapers or get viewers on the telly.

It is sad to see the way Thailand is declining with an increase in rape, murder etc.

Fast heading down to the levels of the US and European cities we left behind.

[plachon]

95%. Blatant lie.

Likely about 10% of tourists Don't get robbed or screwed on first holiday in thailand. If it's not the tuk tuk tailor scam it's the gem scams or the getting stuff robbd from bags thing.

I know i got my suitcase nicked first time and the police just said "never mind" because the suitcase didn't belong to them. I had to pay them to do a report which was just a waste of time.

Outside the grand palace you still get told its closed and to go with the friendly thieves to another tourist attraction. One would thing that would be very disrepectful to rob tourists there but "never mind".

It's funny in a way just how much the police here don't care. Most tourists avoid police anyway as best they can in case they get shot and driven over a few times. If i was a thai policeman i wouldn't care either because all the status games here make hard working people like them feel down.

Anyway it's still good to stay in thailand on a fixed foreign income as the money spreads better than it would in europe.

Now that is reasoned view.

There are bigger issues on the tourist front, but they have been around for years, sad to say,

but it would not get news time for politicians, sell newspapers or get viewers on the telly.

It is sad to see the way Thailand is declining with an increase in rape, murder etc.

Fast heading down to the levels of the US and European cities we left behind.

Astral, I don't know which European city you're from, but if you are from UK as I guess, then Thailand leaves it in the shade for murder rates and I would guess, rape rates, although as someone else has pointed out, most rapes in LOS go unreported so the figs mean little.

I don't think in reality rapes or murders are on the increase in Thailand, but maybe the reporting of them is getting a bit better. Having said that, after the "War on Drugs" was declared and 2,500 "drug dealers" were removed from play, then I guess that led to a spike in deaths, but they wouldn't have been reported as "murders". Infuriating definitions are the salvation of LOS, when it comes to stats.........like the literacy rate (but that's another thread).

[thailien8]

I'm still waiting, as I have been for years and years here already, for any kind of Thai police to do anything about providing security at popular tourist nightspots. As khall64au mentioned, zero security in Patong makes him "relieved to leave." I've often felt the same way about leaving all the soft targets in Bkk. and Pattaya. I get very nervous about spending time in Nana Plaza, the perfect target. I will start to believe Khun Pracha Maleenont's hot air when I see real security efforts at the entrance to Nana--none now; I will kiss his exalted feet when Soi Cowboy is securely blocked off from traffic and made into a walking street every evening; I will even __________ (fill in your own epithet) when Patpong 2 blocks off motor vehicles. Walking streets are a very good idea. They encourage tourists (as in Pattaya) and discourage vehicle bombers. If Mr. Pracha could possibly manage to focus some of the Thai cops' attention on matters of real importance to security and promotion of the all-important tourist trade; and reduce the cops' eternal vigilance regarding whether or not the gogo dancers are wearing the requisite clothing while dancing, Mr. Pracha will go down in history as one of the great Thai ministers ever.

[Boon Mee]

UK's Foreign Office thanks Thailand but opposes death for Horton's killers

[silk123]

Death would be a nice easy escape for them if they really really did it.

If they did not do it and they are just a fixed cover for tourist news then death would be a release for them.

Thai Jails are not like western jails. If they didn't really do I feel for them but if they did they are going to suffer and suffer and suffer and .....

[george]

Police in Phuket join force with tourist police to operate air patrols around islands to assure the highest safety for tourists.

PHUKET: -- Following the scandalous murder case of a British tourist in Samui Island, stricter preventive measures have been adopted to assure the highest tourist safety on Phuket Island. The national Tourist Police commander Pol. Maj. General Panya Mamen said his unit will work in cooperation with the provincial police force to operate more check points on beaches, with bicycle patrol police while also working with marine police on overseeing fishing crew.

Meanwhile in Phuket the provincial police chief Pol. Maj. Gen. Decha Butnampet said he has prepared aerial inspection plans by having police helicopters fly out around Phuket island and its outlying ones twice a week during this high season. The police is seeking 1.4 million baht from provincial authorities to enhance efficiency of the safety measures.

--thaisnews.com 2006-01-19