Phuket Island, A Paradise For Many, And Hell For Others

[webfact]

Phuket Island a paradise for many, and hell for others

Seven years after the tsunami, Australians are all too carefree on Phuket, writes south-east Asia correspondent Lindsay Murdoch.

PHUKET: -- A scantily clad Russian dancer clings to a pole behind a second-storey street-front window of a nightclub called L'Amour.

A large Australian flag flutters below her in a breeze coming off the Andaman Sea.

Across the street, the "Aussie Bar" is crowded with young Australian drinkers, many of them shirtless, who are shouting to be heard above music thumping from nearby girlie bars.

Away from the seedy red-light district of Patong Beach, it is boom time on Phuket seven years after the Boxing Day tsunami hit southern Thailand with awesome savagery, killing more than 5000 people and wiping out the region's tourism industry.

The island once known as the "Pearl of the Andaman Sea" is undergoing a building frenzy with 43,000 hotel rooms open and at least 7000 more in the pipeline.

But Larry Cunningham, Australia's honorary consul on the island, has spoken out about the rip-offs, scams, criminal activities and bad behaviour that are ruining the holidays of scores of Australians, including a new wave of "schoolies".

Up to 25,000 Australian tourists a month are visiting Phuket, most of them arriving on cheap direct flights from Australia's capital cities, lured by the benefits of the high Australian dollar and an exotic location. [more...]

Source: http://www.smh.com.a...1225-1p9ii.html

-- The Sydney Morning Herald 2012-12-27

[IrishIvan]

The usual scaremongering by the Australian media. SMH is probably in bed with the current Qantas CEOs. Just for those that dont know. Geoff Dixon the former CEO of Qantas is now running Tourism Australia and Virgin airlines has all ready been striking deals with him.

All the Australians stay at home and you will be safe safe safe..... very 1984 that country

[JetsetBkk]

Cunningham says there is an increasing number of cases in which Australians have gone to Thai police to make false claims of theft so they could claim insurance back home in Australia. "Thai police view the making of false declarations very seriously," he says.

Of course the police take a dim view of this. They don't want the tourists to muscle in on their own scams.

[JulianBroad]

Only bad news comes out of Phuket these days.

[simple1]

The usual scaremongering by the Australian media. SMH is probably in bed with the current Qantas CEOs. Just for those that dont know. Geoff Dixon the former CEO of Qantas is now running Tourism Australia and Virgin airlines has all ready been striking deals with him.

All the Australians stay at home and you will be safe safe safe..... very 1984 that country

Virgin flies to BKK, Phuket & Koh Samui. Flights daily to Phuket and some fully booked in January - so what's your point?

[IMA_FARANG]

Schoolies!

Haven't heard that term before.

And probably by pure co-incidence, when I read that post, the Google ad that was below the post talked of "Travel Girls" ... which seems to be a group you register and join that "connects" you with young women who want to "meet' young men to travel with as their "travel companions".

I'm old enough to remember the "ticket home" girls in Bangkok and Singapore in the swinging 1970's who would become your traveling companion for your rambles in S.E. Asia.

Cost was usually (to be direct about it), their Room and Board for a week or two and , most importantly, a airplane ticket home to Australia or somewhere in Europe.

They were mostly young females who were doing the overland tour of Asia and had run short of money to return home and often they were schoolgirls at university that had to get back to school.

I guess, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

[Songhua]

Schoolies!

Haven't heard that term before.

And probably by pure co-incidence, when I read that post, the Google ad that was below the post talked of "Travel Girls" ... which seems to be a group you register and join that "connects" you with young women who want to "meet' young men to travel with as their "travel companions".

I'm old enough to remember the "ticket home" girls in Bangkok and Singapore in the swinging 1970's who would become your traveling companion for your rambles in S.E. Asia.

Cost was usually (to be direct about it), their Room and Board for a week or two and , most importantly, a airplane ticket home to Australia or somewhere in Europe.

They were mostly young females who were doing the overland tour of Asia and had run short of money to return home and often they were schoolgirls at university that had to get back to school.

I guess, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Schoolies is the term given to those students who have just graduated high school in Australia. These kids are mostly 18yo and travel in groups to get drunk, have sex and celebrate (the celebration itself is also called 'schoolies', and events/concerts etc are set up for them in places like the Gold Coast). It happens in December and many of the schoolies do head to places like Bali and Phuket - for many it is most likely their first trip overseas.

Easiest thing to equate it to would be 'Spring Break'.

[simple1]

In Australia Schoolies events are heavily policed to prevent violence, sexual assaults etc they even have volunteers to assist those who are drunk and no longer able to function. Some places such as the Gold Coast now have legislation in place to fine parents who provide large quantities of alcohol for their little darlings, literally car loads.

None of this is in place in places such as Phuket & Bali so if they run into trouble they will of course denigrate their host country and run to the Australian Consular Services & media saying poor little me "in Australia blah blah blah"

Edited December 28, 2012 by simple1

[chooka]

The usual scaremongering by the Australian media. SMH is probably in bed with the current Qantas CEOs. Just for those that dont know. Geoff Dixon the former CEO of Qantas is now running Tourism Australia and Virgin airlines has all ready been striking deals with him.

All the Australians stay at home and you will be safe safe safe..... very 1984 that country

Fair enough this is all propaganda by tourism Australia and Virgin Airlines to keep Australians home. Lies lies and more lies by Aussie CEO'S and Australians aren't being scammed mugged or murdered in Phuket. I'll accept your theory, now the tourists of other nations or is that a propaganda campaign by thier respective governments also.

[NamKangMan]

The usual scaremongering by the Australian media. SMH is probably in bed with the current Qantas CEOs. Just for those that dont know. Geoff Dixon the former CEO of Qantas is now running Tourism Australia and Virgin airlines has all ready been striking deals with him.

All the Australians stay at home and you will be safe safe safe..... very 1984 that country

Fair enough this is all propaganda by tourism Australia and Virgin Airlines to keep Australians home. Lies lies and more lies by Aussie CEO'S and Australians aren't being scammed mugged or murdered in Phuket. I'll accept your theory, now the tourists of other nations or is that a propaganda campaign by thier respective governments also.

You are correct. Criminals and death do not discriminate on Phuket.

[BookMan]

The usual scaremongering by the Australian media. SMH is probably in bed with the current Qantas CEOs. Just for those that dont know. Geoff Dixon the former CEO of Qantas is now running Tourism Australia and Virgin airlines has all ready been striking deals with him.

All the Australians stay at home and you will be safe safe safe..... very 1984 that country

Or maybe the SMH is running the story because so many Australians visit Phuket.

The SMH has run a number of positive reviews/stories of areas in Thailand this year.

[kjun12]

The usual scaremongering by the Australian media. SMH is probably in bed with the current Qantas CEOs. Just for those that dont know. Geoff Dixon the former CEO of Qantas is now running Tourism Australia and Virgin airlines has all ready been striking deals with him.

All the Australians stay at home and you will be safe safe safe..... very 1984 that country

You are 100% wrong. Phuket is a ridiculously dangerous place in addition to being the great rip-off of Thailand.

[Soupdragon]

You are 100% wrong. Phuket is a ridiculously dangerous place in addition to being the great rip-off of Thailand.

Perhaps you could tell us all about your experiences on Phuket that led you to making this statement ?

I live here quite happily with my family and assure you I do not feel in any danger.

[deecee10]

Am I right in assuming that Irishivan is not a real person, but a computer-generated character created to encourage participation in these discussions as a response to his bizarre comments?

Worked with me.

[eTiMaGo]

as someone who basically grew up in Phuket, I can only agree with this article... Used to love the place, and it's still mostly OK if you keep away from the tourist spots, but overall it's just not much fun and easygoing anymore

[kjun12]

[]Perhaps you could tell us all about your experiences on Phuket that led you to making this statement ?

Absolutely. I happened to be there when the two women were stabbed, one of them being killed. Also, I had experiences with being ripped off by taxi drivers and my wallet being stolen. This is not to mention the many printed stories of scams by motorbike concessions, rip-offs by jet ski operators, tuk-tuk drivers, and the list goes on. You may be one of the lucky ones who has never been taken advantage of in Phuket but I doubt that.

[Jayroo]

The usual scaremongering by the Australian media. SMH is probably in bed with the current Qantas CEOs. Just for those that dont know. Geoff Dixon the former CEO of Qantas is now running Tourism Australia and Virgin airlines has all ready been striking deals with him.

All the Australians stay at home and you will be safe safe safe..... very 1984 that country

yeah the problem is they are arriving direct on cheap deals, attracting the much lower Australian class. Last time I was in Phuket a couple of months ago, this was clearly evident.

[NamKangMan]

You are 100% wrong. Phuket is a ridiculously dangerous place in addition to being the great rip-off of Thailand.

Perhaps you could tell us all about your experiences on Phuket that led you to making this statement ?

I live here quite happily with my family and assure you I do not feel in any danger.

I suppose these people felt the same way as you, until it was their "turn" on the roads here.

http://www.phuketgaz...litz-19826.html

You may not feel in danger, but that doesn't mean Phuket is not a dangerous place.

Road deaths were pretty close to a daily occurence this year. The above article is dated today, 28th Dec, 2012.

With 9000 new registered vehicles on Phuket roads, to take advantage of the tax rebate, I can only see more carnage in the coming year. I certainly don't see the roads as safe, or getting safer.

Edited December 28, 2012 by NamKangMan

[IrishIvan]

In Australia Schoolies events are heavily policed to prevent violence, sexual assaults etc they even have volunteers to assist those who are drunk and no longer able to function. Some places such as the Gold Coast now have legislation in place to fine parents who provide large quantities of alcohol for their little darlings, literally car loads.

None of this is in place in places such as Phuket & Bali so if they run into trouble they will of course denigrate their host country and run to the Australian Consular Services & media saying poor little me "in Australia blah blah blah"

I actually would encourage school leavers to go to Phuket or Bali over the Gold Coast or Byron Bay. Have you seen the mayhem that goes on there? Its extremely dangerous, the alcohol rules are too strict so people cant get drunk, they get angry and start fights. Its a much more chilled atmosphere in Asia and they wil enjoy it more, less rules, less cops breathing down their neck.

[simple1]

In Australia Schoolies events are heavily policed to prevent violence, sexual assaults etc they even have volunteers to assist those who are drunk and no longer able to function. Some places such as the Gold Coast now have legislation in place to fine parents who provide large quantities of alcohol for their little darlings, literally car loads.

None of this is in place in places such as Phuket & Bali so if they run into trouble they will of course denigrate their host country and run to the Australian Consular Services & media saying poor little me "in Australia blah blah blah"

I actually would encourage school leavers to go to Phuket or Bali over the Gold Coast or Byron Bay. Have you seen the mayhem that goes on there? Its extremely dangerous, the alcohol rules are too strict so people cant get drunk, they get angry and start fights. Its a much more chilled atmosphere in Asia and they wil enjoy it more, less rules, less cops breathing down their neck.

Yes I have on the Sunshine Coast, used to live there & the kids drink in their hotel rooms/rental apartments, get drunk & then go out to the bars/clubs. That's when the violence and stupidity starts. Nothing to do with the rules being to strict, unless they are drunk and barred from entering a venue. Cops are their for a reason & that being so many drunk school leavers starting fights, yelling abuse and so on. There is the other element being guys in their twenties/thirties trying to pick up the drunk girls for sex that the police also monitor as also a cause of fights and sexual assaults.

[IrishIvan]

In Australia Schoolies events are heavily policed to prevent violence, sexual assaults etc they even have volunteers to assist those who are drunk and no longer able to function. Some places such as the Gold Coast now have legislation in place to fine parents who provide large quantities of alcohol for their little darlings, literally car loads.

None of this is in place in places such as Phuket & Bali so if they run into trouble they will of course denigrate their host country and run to the Australian Consular Services & media saying poor little me "in Australia blah blah blah"

I actually would encourage school leavers to go to Phuket or Bali over the Gold Coast or Byron Bay. Have you seen the mayhem that goes on there? Its extremely dangerous, the alcohol rules are too strict so people cant get drunk, they get angry and start fights. Its a much more chilled atmosphere in Asia and they wil enjoy it more, less rules, less cops breathing down their neck.

Yes I have on the Sunshine Coast, used to live there & the kids drink in their hotel rooms/rental apartments, get drunk & then go out to the bars/clubs. That's when the violence and stupidity starts. Nothing to do with the rules being to strict, unless they are drunk and barred from entering a venue. Cops are their for a reason & that being so many drunk school leavers starting fights, yelling abuse and so on. There is the other element being guys in their twenties/thirties trying to pick up the drunk girls for sex that the police also monitor as also a cause of fights and sexual assaults.

Imagine the women in Phuket when a team of 17 and 18 year old schoolies from Australia come walking down Bangla road, the blokes wouldnt know what hit them, the women would be sexually assaulting them

[Soupdragon]

[]Perhaps you could tell us all about your experiences on Phuket that led you to making this statement ?

Absolutely. I happened to be there when the two women were stabbed, one of them being killed. Also, I had experiences with being ripped off by taxi drivers and my wallet being stolen. This is not to mention the many printed stories of scams by motorbike concessions, rip-offs by jet ski operators, tuk-tuk drivers, and the list goes on. You may be one of the lucky ones who has never been taken advantage of in Phuket but I doubt that.

OK so you read a lot in the newspapers then. Yes the transport system is a mess and there are people here who will take advantage of you if you let them but all in all that hardly qualifies the statement "Phuket is a ridiculously dangerous place"

[F4UCorsair]

The usual scaremongering by the Australian media. SMH is probably in bed with the current Qantas CEOs. Just for those that dont know. Geoff Dixon the former CEO of Qantas is now running Tourism Australia and Virgin airlines has all ready been striking deals with him.

All the Australians stay at home and you will be safe safe safe..... very 1984 that country

Perhaps you could tell us what other issues make Australia 'very 1984' IrishIvan. It's no more than consuls and ambassadors are required to do, warn their countrymen of potential dangers. That's their job!

You've no doubt spent some time there, so can you please enlighten us on the myriad factors that make Australia 'very 1984'.

[Old Croc]

The usual scaremongering by the Australian media. SMH is probably in bed with the current Qantas CEOs. Just for those that dont know. Geoff Dixon the former CEO of Qantas is now running Tourism Australia and Virgin airlines has all ready been striking deals with him.

All the Australians stay at home and you will be safe safe safe..... very 1984 that country

Or maybe the SMH is running the story because so many Australians visit Phuket.

The SMH has run a number of positive reviews/stories of areas in Thailand this year.

These stories crop up every year after some journo feels the need to justify his/her free trip to cover the tsunami commemorations.

After the candle burning and praying they wander up Bangla road and invent a story about how sleazy everything is. In this case they also have last week's article about the downside of Thailand to plagerise.

[saroq]

I'm all for letting teens experience life's realities so that they learn to become responsible adults, sometimes these lessons will only be learned after a few hard knocks. But I don't think I'd be supportive enough of that philosophy to allow my recent high school graduated son or daughter to attend schoolies in a foreign country. Maybe I'm too old or maybe I've just seen the way things can go pear shaped here very quickly.

[raybal5]

This article says more about the travelers than the destination. It never ceases to amaze me that regardless of which country people come from, they seem to expect that the acceptable behaviors and laws will mirror those of their home country. Too many people just don't seem to care about their own safety and well-being but think that if they scream and whinge a lot that somebody will come and get them out of whatever troubles they have brought upon themselves. I have traveled extensively through Europe, UK, USA, and Thailand and have never managed to get into trouble. I use common sense, a little bit of research, and a healthy topping of wariness and respect for the host country.

[IrishIvan]

The usual scaremongering by the Australian media. SMH is probably in bed with the current Qantas CEOs. Just for those that dont know. Geoff Dixon the former CEO of Qantas is now running Tourism Australia and Virgin airlines has all ready been striking deals with him.

All the Australians stay at home and you will be safe safe safe..... very 1984 that country

Perhaps you could tell us what other issues make Australia 'very 1984' IrishIvan. It's no more than consuls and ambassadors are required to do, warn their countrymen of potential dangers. That's their job!

You've no doubt spent some time there, so can you please enlighten us on the myriad factors that make Australia 'very 1984'.

If you havent relised what a nanny / control state Australia has become then you have been conned already and its too late for you. The consuls also have a lot of other duties than adding to the western media hysteria, when was the last time you felt scared in Thailand?

[IrishIvan]

I'm all for letting teens experience life's realities so that they learn to become responsible adults, sometimes these lessons will only be learned after a few hard knocks. But I don't think I'd be supportive enough of that philosophy to allow my recent high school graduated son or daughter to attend schoolies in a foreign country. Maybe I'm too old or maybe I've just seen the way things can go pear shaped here very quickly.

Yeah keep them at home, that will help. My first overseas holiday was with my younger brother and a friend to the Philippines. I was 25, my brother 20 and the youngest just turned 18. No harm came of us. The same as millions, if not tens of millions of young travellers trying to broaden their horizons. I will actually insist my kids go overseas for their graduation

[ozziebloke]

The usual scaremongering by the Australian media. SMH is probably in bed with the current Qantas CEOs. Just for those that dont know. Geoff Dixon the former CEO of Qantas is now running Tourism Australia and Virgin airlines has all ready been striking deals with him.

All the Australians stay at home and you will be safe safe safe..... very 1984 that country

yeah the problem is they are arriving direct on cheap deals, attracting the much lower Australian class. Last time I was in Phuket a couple of months ago, this was clearly evident.

And what class do you put yourself in ? Someone goes on a holiday on a cheap flight makes them lower class does it ? Travelling to other countries is reserved for those who pay only for 1st class or business class tickets does it ?

[mylk]

You are 100% wrong. Phuket is a ridiculously dangerous place in addition to being the great rip-off of Thailand.

Perhaps you could tell us all about your experiences on Phuket that led you to making this statement ?

I live here quite happily with my family and assure you I do not feel in any danger.

I guess the difference being as an expat we are only to aware of what to avoid as well as not looking like a naive tourist. Phuket has quite a larger aspect of beaches and area's where you can avoid all the majority of scammers and crap that tends to show its face in the popular area's of Patong ,Kata and Karon Personally i don't understand how someone as a tourist doesn't at least research the place, culture ,customs and in this case things to avoid before they book their destinations.