Phuket Blockade Wins Tuk-Tuk Drivers Reprieve From Russian Operators

[noob7]

There are also russian go go bars in Bangla, Patong. I'm not sure, is hard rock, eh, rock hard american!

I meant with Russian dancers, go go girls. Certainly no American go go girls in Thailand to my knowledge.

Maybe American girls fear the competition?

No there would be bunches of them if they could get in. But it is only not illegal for Thai women and Russians. Many American women in Japan and other places but not Thailand. Remember the big thing with all the dead bodies years ago? After that the Russians came.

Afaik, the Russian dancer have 'all' wp as actress

not sure about that in Pattaya, but in Phuket, there was a official statement about:

http://www.phuketgazette.net/archives/issuesanswers/2012/article1261.html

Couldn't be too difficult, for American ladies, to fill in that form, too.

Maybe the (american) structure behind is not so strong, methinks.

And I remember the 'big thing'. Looks like, the Russians filled the empty spaces from western tourists.

Same was in Egypt, after the Luxor Massacre. The only flights, that flew from the 'west' to Egypt, for a while: Egypt Air and Airlines from Russia.

[chiangmaikelly]

I meant with Russian dancers, go go girls. Certainly no American go go girls in Thailand to my knowledge.

Maybe American girls fear the competition?

No there would be bunches of them if they could get in. But it is only not illegal for Thai women and Russians. Many American women in Japan and other places but not Thailand. Remember the big thing with all the dead bodies years ago? After that the Russians came.

Afaik, the Russian dancer have 'all' wp as actress

not sure about that in Pattaya, but in Phuket, there was a official statement about:

http://www.phuketgaz...rticle1261.html

Couldn't be too difficult, for American ladies, to fill in that form, too.

Maybe the (american) structure behind is not so strong, methinks.

And I remember the 'big thing'. Looks like, the Russians filled the empty spaces from western tourists.

Same was in Egypt, after the Luxor Massacre. The only flights, that flew from the 'west' to Egypt, for a while: Egypt Air and Airlines from Russia.

Nice to know. I had no idea Phuket Immigration was so reasonable.

[JetsetBkk]

Afaik, the Russian dancer have 'all' wp as actress

not sure about that in Pattaya, but in Phuket, there was a official statement about:

http://www.phuketgaz...rticle1261.html

Snip>

Good find!

[BookMan]

Afaik, the Russian dancer have 'all' wp as actress

not sure about that in Pattaya, but in Phuket, there was a official statement about:

http://www.phuketgaz...rticle1261.html

Couldn't be too difficult, for American ladies, to fill in that form, too.

Maybe the (american) structure behind is not so strong, methinks.

And I remember the 'big thing'. Looks like, the Russians filled the empty spaces from western tourists.

Same was in Egypt, after the Luxor Massacre. The only flights, that flew from the 'west' to Egypt, for a while: Egypt Air and Airlines from Russia.

Very interesting. A creative loophole indeed

[noob7]

Afaik, the Russian dancer have 'all' wp as actress

not sure about that in Pattaya, but in Phuket, there was a official statement about:

http://www.phuketgaz...rticle1261.html

Couldn't be too difficult, for American ladies, to fill in that form, too.

Maybe the (american) structure behind is not so strong, methinks.

And I remember the 'big thing'. Looks like, the Russians filled the empty spaces from western tourists.

Same was in Egypt, after the Luxor Massacre. The only flights, that flew from the 'west' to Egypt, for a while: Egypt Air and Airlines from Russia.

Very interesting. A creative loophole indeed

There is/was a multiple Non Imm B 'loophole' on 'being an actor/actress, in the last two or three years, too.

But looks a bit like, it got closed for people, not applying for work, with the multiple B

@Chiangmaikelly:

Nothing to do with immigration, wp is still Labour.(Phuket Provincial Employment Office )

And the girls doing visa runs, every 90 days, I think.

Maybe that has the reason, that the 3k for escorting, plus the 4k, they ask for additional services, aren't their income, alone.

The chain of protection needs to get paid, too! And 35k in the wp isn't enough for immigration, also the missing Thais in the companies....!

Edited January 4, 2013 by noob7

[spidermike007]

When these tuk tuk and taxi drivers say this the competition is greatly affecting peoples incomes, what they are saying is, "we do not like people having an alternative to our extortionate prices. We hate competition, who are not members of the local tuk tuk, and taxi mafia, and pricing council. We do not like fair play, or level playing fields. We like the entire universe titled in our favor. We want to continue buying new cars, and new homes on taxi driver salaries. Please do not cut into these enormous profits of ours. Good for the russians! Let them continue cutting down the tiny minded 13 year old girls, in the body of men. Let them continue giving these insects some competition. I would prefer to see them run all the local thai taxi men out of business. That would benefit everyone, except the little insects who complain, rather than offer a fair price. It is the same thing in samui, except the insects here have no competition. Hopefully, one day they will.

[Tatsujin]

So the Thais demonstrate again that they are incapable to operate any business

efficiently and are to dumb to to compete. To fix this they force the efficient, smart

foreign operators to close ...

Sounds like business as usual in Thailand .....

You got it . . .

[pattayaorganic]

Easiest fix in the world. Introduce metered taxis to Phuket. I never understood why an area as large and well populated as Phuket doen't have taxis. Or why I had to pay 500Baht for a trip that should cost 60. I once had a business investment in Phuket. I thought it was heaven on earth. I divested a long time ago. Let the Russians have it, Phuket has long ago turned into another Pattaya snake pit.

Does Pattaya have a tuk tuk mafia? I think you are mistaken.

Pattaya has a song tiew mafia, same same.

[starkey_rich]

Strange, at 19.00 hours I was already stuck in Kata. So what happened earlier in the evening?

Just the usual Phuket gridlock.

[noob7]

When these tuk tuk and taxi drivers say this the competition is greatly affecting peoples incomes, what they are saying is, "we do not like people having an alternative to our extortionate prices. We hate competition, who are not members of the local tuk tuk, and taxi mafia, and pricing council. We do not like fair play, or level playing fields. We like the entire universe titled in our favor. We want to continue buying new cars, and new homes on taxi driver salaries.

They simple saying, there are to many people on the island, trying to make a living out of taxi driving.

With the ~3000 lately legalized taxidrivers

(seen a brand new, red plated illegal legal taxi with stickers, lately. How could this become part of the legalizing process?)

and more to be expected, to ask for legalizing this year

(why? You can't do that. Last year ~3000 became legal, so I found a spot at the illegal ranks, now you need to legalize me, my brother want the illegal spot)

Phuket will have soon 10.000 legal taxi's. Makes it about 20-30.000 drivers

(The Tuk Tuks get rented out, for the 2-3 shifts, and about 500-1000baht/day, daily. The owner drives a sedan'taxi', instead, many times)

rising prices, less customers wanna pay the prices!

Edited January 5, 2013 by noob7

[sprq]

Phuket, an island where suckers sustain scamsters. Nobody with any taste goes near it.

[Halion]

Bloody Tuk Tuk drivers in Phuket need to be taught a lesson. Looks like free enterprize and commercial compitition is somewaht beyond their highly limited intelect. Further more the local police chief does little about this other than offering them the olive branch of Thai rak Thai. These road are a public highway and not an arena for the the local taxi mafia . I would have used water cannon to wash this scum of the road.

[NomadJoe]

Here is a sample of experiences of our guests just in the past week.

2 girls go to Nai Harn beach from Kata. 300B. To return they are told 1000B. They inquire as to why it is over 3x the price and get yelled at by the driver. Girls are terrified.

Several guest reported that while trying to get back to Kata from Bangla road in Patong on New Years are told 1200B for 2-3 people. No negotiations.

Another guest...Airport taxi goes to 7-11 where the driver relaxes for a while with his mates, then goes and gets gas. Driver says he doesn't know where the hotel is and takes him to a tour counter saying he has to re-book elsewhere. Guest finds map and directions on smart phone.

Another guest gets kicked out of the taxi on the other side of the beach because the driver can't find us. "Your hotel here" he says to get the passenger out. Unloads luggage and drives off. Guest has to take a second taxi to get to us.

One guest that arrived last night couldn't get a metered taxi at the airport as they were all busy. Several people were standing in line for the metered taxi's and the grey "limo" taxi's start yelling at them that they will never get to their hotel, intimidating them. Finally the guest gets a metered taxi, telling the driver where he wants to go and they set off. The driver covers the meter and immediately tries to get him to go to a different hotel. Driver then goes to a tour booth near the airport where the driver and counter staff demand he gets out of the taxi, then the driver drives off with his bags meanwhile guest gets the hard sale to re-book somewhere else. Ten minutes later the driver returns. After a bunch more "I don't know where your hotel is" the driver finds us and demands 2000B from the guest. He pays the agreed 600B.

Taxi guys at the local rank have warned our Thai staff they need to use them more. Our staff explain they are too expensive.

I hear these stories every day. We have guests checking out and leaving Phuket never to come back because of this. These guys are seriously adding to the problem of the loss quality Eurozone, American, Aussie etc. travelers. What is left is the low budget, package travelers (i.e Russians, Chinese etc), They are destroying this island. I foresee our business leaving Phuket soon because of these problems.

F the taxi mafia. They will get what they deserve.

[BookMan]

Here is a sample of experiences of our guests just in the past week.

2 girls go to Nai Harn beach from Kata. 300B. To return they are told 1000B. They inquire as to why it is over 3x the price and get yelled at by the driver. Girls are terrified.

Several guest reported that while trying to get back to Kata from Bangla road in Patong on New Years are told 1200B for 2-3 people. No negotiations.

Another guest...Airport taxi goes to 7-11 where the driver relaxes for a while with his mates, then goes and gets gas. Driver says he doesn't know where the hotel is and takes him to a tour counter saying he has to re-book elsewhere. Guest finds map and directions on smart phone.

Another guest gets kicked out of the taxi on the other side of the beach because the driver can't find us. "Your hotel here" he says to get the passenger out. Unloads luggage and drives off. Guest has to take a second taxi to get to us.

One guest that arrived last night couldn't get a metered taxi at the airport as they were all busy. Several people were standing in line for the metered taxi's and the grey "limo" taxi's start yelling at them that they will never get to their hotel, intimidating them. Finally the guest gets a metered taxi, telling the driver where he wants to go and they set off. The driver covers the meter and immediately tries to get him to go to a different hotel. Driver then goes to a tour booth near the airport where the driver and counter staff demand he gets out of the taxi, then the driver drives off with his bags meanwhile guest gets the hard sale to re-book somewhere else. Ten minutes later the driver returns. After a bunch more "I don't know where your hotel is" the driver finds us and demands 2000B from the guest. He pays the agreed 600B.

Taxi guys at the local rank have warned our Thai staff they need to use them more. Our staff explain they are too expensive.

I hear these stories every day. We have guests checking out and leaving Phuket never to come back because of this. These guys are seriously adding to the problem of the loss quality Eurozone, American, Aussie etc. travelers. What is left is the low budget, package travelers (i.e Russians, Chinese etc), They are destroying this island. I foresee our business leaving Phuket soon because of these problems.

F the taxi mafia. They will get what they deserve.

And that just n one week from one hotel. Multiply that by hundreds of accommodation places.

[noob7]

2 girls go to Nai Harn beach from Kata. 300B. To return they are told 1000B. They inquire as to why it is over 3x the price and get yelled at by the driver. Girls are terrified.

Several guest reported that while trying to get back to Kata from Bangla road in Patong on New Years are told 1200B for 2-3 people. No negotiations.

Another guest...Airport taxi goes to 7-11 where the driver relaxes for a while with his mates, then goes and gets gas. Driver says he doesn't know where the hotel is and takes him to a tour counter saying he has to re-book elsewhere. Guest finds map and directions on smart phone.

I really don't get it! In case, I travel to a 'new' location, I use this incredible thing, that's called internet, to find out, how to go, where I wanna go.

So I know, what I have to expect.

Most people have (minimum a kind of) a smartphone, these days. With video function.

Either use it hidden, or like Japanese and Chinese people, in the open.

Every time, you have to deal with transportation on Phuket!

A lot less harassment, I think.

Or a lot of prove.

Either for you tube or, in case you move in, for local authorities, after the consuls got it.

Edited January 5, 2013 by noob7

[Guest]

I really don't get it! In case, I travel to a 'new' location, I use this incredible thing, that's called internet, to find out, how to go, where I wanna go.

So I know, what I have to expect.

People travel in different ways. Long time ago when I used to do backpacking, I noted that I read less and less the guidebooks. It's often much more enjoyable to go to a new place and learn new things and places as those come.

Too much planing takes the fun out of travel.

Anyway, even if a person has read about the scams which are going on.. what they could actually do while they are on metered taxi?

These cases which NJ noted, the customers did come to the hotel. Those who did believe the taxi driver or the tour booth operators.. well they never got to the NJ's hotel and their stories are not included on his post.

It's really not an inviting place if a tourist need to think in advance 'The place is full of scams, I have to be careful'.

To record these events to be presented to the authorities is really not the tourists work while they are on vacation. Everybody here knows about the scams. It's the work of the authorities to solve this out. They have the power and they also have the responsibility. Tourists have neither.

[kjun12]

Phuket has long ago turned into another Pattaya snake pit.

Oh no. You're wrong. Pattaya has never been as low class and trashy as Phuket. Infested with lying thieves and murderers. I hope the Russians beat them flat.

[bdenner]

Here is a sample of experiences of our guests just in the past week.

<snip, no need to quote the whole post>

F the taxi mafia. They will get what they deserve.

Caring management. Sounds like the type of hotel I'd like to stay in when traveling. Please send me a PM AFTER you relocate out of Phuket.

[Kripe]

It is illegal to perform work in Thailand that can be performed by Thais - deport those Russians not complying with the law.

[steelepulse]

It is illegal to perform work in Thailand that can be performed by Thais - deport those Russians not complying with the law.

Not if you have a work permit. Read the story again and you'll see that the local kamnan says the tour counters are using a "loophole" to be legal.

[Guest]

We have heard yadayada promises from local officials for years.. and probably will hear for years to come. Practical improvements are rare, the pink buses are one.

Enjoyment of the vacation is collection of the experiences and people met during the visit. If local transportation mafia does the negative and others try to compensate it with helpfulness, the result is kind of an ok vacation. Nobody needs to change anything as visitors are still coming here. Tuk-tuk mafia can still do whatever it wishes.

Why not to change tactics when trying to affect to the situation. Instead of trying to help and educate the visitors, just do just the opposite.

Get to the front of a local 7/11 and just laugh to the stupidity of the newcomers. Make them loose face in a big way. Create blogs to laugh ignorance of the tourists who have been scammed by the transportation mafia.

After some time, the island would be filled with so much negativity so someone with power might wake up and start solving the real issues on the island.

Well.. that's never going to happen..

[noob7]

It is illegal to perform work in Thailand that can be performed by Thais - deport those Russians not complying with the law.

It's also illegal, in thailand, to perform work in a field, where Thais aren't competitive.

So why anyone is getting a wp, here?

Deport everyone, and only let money in the country, but nor foreigners!

[noob7]

Practical improvements are rare, the pink buses are one.

Not to take your illusions, but:

The pink buses have been the small yellow aircon buses, before. Only change color and design!

They aren't meant for tourists, they are meant for locals, to get to school, to work, to university, to the big shopping markets.

It's a side effect, that they are useful for some foreigners, too.

And they are only in Phuket town! Where you still can find Tuk Tuks, that are not in line at the touristic places, are driving you from Town to Chalong, for about 200 baht!

Edited January 5, 2013 by noob7

[Guest]

Practical improvements are rare, the pink buses are one.

Not to take your illusions, but:

The pink buses have been the small yellow aircon buses, before. Only change color and design!

They aren't meant for tourists, they are meant for locals, to get to school, to work, to university, to the big shopping markets.

It's a side effect, that they are useful for some foreigners, too.

And they are only in Phuket town! Where you still can find Tuk Tuks, that are not in line at the touristic places, are driving you from Town to Chalong, for about 200 baht!

I am aware of that. I don't really care about the tourists in particular.

[noob7]

Practical improvements are rare, the pink buses are one.

Not to take your illusions, but:

The pink buses have been the small yellow aircon buses, before. Only change color and design!

They aren't meant for tourists, they are meant for locals, to get to school, to work, to university, to the big shopping markets.

It's a side effect, that they are useful for some foreigners, too.

And they are only in Phuket town! Where you still can find Tuk Tuks, that are not in line at the touristic places, are driving you from Town to Chalong, for about 200 baht!

I am aware of that. I don't really care about the tourists in particular.

So what kind of improvement do you see in the pink buses?

The yellow ones have been there before, for years, the improvement seems to be the 'no air', then?

Edited January 5, 2013 by noob7

[Guest]

So what kind of improvement do you see in the pink buses?

The yellow ones have been there before, for years, the improvement seems to be the 'no air', then?

The routes are well defined and documented. Bus stops are clearly marked, like in developed world. Those little changes make it official.

http://panphuket.com/pink-buses

There are some small buses going from north to the south of the island, but I guess less people who knows when and where.

[Soi Dog]

Wow. Hard to choose which side to root for: Russian mafia or yuk-tuk mafia? I hope this is not the beginning of an ugly turf war.

[noob7]

So what kind of improvement do you see in the pink buses?

The yellow ones have been there before, for years, the improvement seems to be the 'no air', then?

The routes are well defined and documented. Bus stops are clearly marked, like in developed world. Those little changes make it official.

http://panphuket.com/pink-buses

There are some small buses going from north to the south of the island, but I guess less people who knows when and where.

That was the micro bus before, too:

(http://phuket.thaivisa.com/getting-around-phuket/)

Micro Bus

These are small yellow and green buses commonly found in and around Phuket Town operating between 06.00 and 20.00, with very cheap fares between 10 and 20 baht. There are clearly marked stops on many of the roads and outside the Tesco Lotus and Big C superstores. They don’t operate anywhere else around the island, however

And since "I don't really care about the tourists in particular.": I think, the locals are knowing that, without any website in English!

So the improvement for them is....?

[chiangmaikelly]

Wow. Hard to choose which side to root for: Russian mafia or yuk-tuk mafia? I hope this is not the beginning of an ugly turf war.

Thai Visa could make Tee Shirts and sell them on line.

[Hedghog]

I love tuk tuks

not sure about a Russian tuk tuk though