Tourist security: Safety zones on Phuket
BY ANDERS HOLM NIELSEN

PHUKET: -- Thailand’s biggest holiday island is creating safety zones so that the millions of foreign tourists can feel more secure.

The safety zones are planned after number of high profile tourist deaths in foreign media.

The tourists are placed in new safety zones as part of a new campaign on crime by local police. The police have also requested the government for an additional 5,000 officers to strike harder against local criminals.

The safety zones are based on research on local information such as vulnerable areas, tourist operators and information on past criminals. There are now more available CCTV cameras with the integration of the government and private sector systems.

The number of attacks and robberies has increased on the holiday island. Several travel agencies advice against renting jet skis at the beaches as there are countless examples of customers being charged large amounts as payment for alleged damages to the skis.

It is not just countless numbers of scams that plagues Phuket – robberies and attacks are also becoming an increasing problem.

“In most cases tourists are taken advantage of and conned, but some are also involved in fights or attacked by robbers and purse snatchers,” said Deputy Commander of police on Phuket, Peerayut Karajedee to ABC News.

Some six million tourists visit Phuket every year. In 2012 Denmark sent 167.118 tourists to Thailand and 359.144 Swedish tourists travelled to the Land of Smiles making it the country’s fifth largest visitor. The majority of these tourists have Phuket as their destination.

Source: http://scandasia.com/tourist-security-safety-zones-on-phuket/

-- ScandAsia 2013-04-03

Nice of "ScandAsia.com" to catch up with the (old) news.

Maybe they should subscribe to the Phuket Gazette's email service, and keep up.

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A tourist country that needs to build up security areas would be suspicious for me as common traveller.

The safety zone is already in force and it doesn't work. The police are also supposed be arresting all the illegal touts with endangered or protected wildlife and that doesn't happen either.

Until you disband the police force and current administration you have little hope of seeing any progress with regard to crime reduction.

smoke and mirrors...

Nice of "ScandAsia.com" to catch up with the (old) news.

Maybe they should subscribe to the Phuket Gazette's email service, and keep up.

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only just made the Australian news also (last night)

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-04-01/phuket-safety-zones-introduced-to-protect-tourists/4603562?section=australianetworknews

Until you disband the police force and current administration you have little hope of seeing any progress with regard to crime reduction.

Or anything else for that matter - which basically means, Phuket is going backwards.

Nice of "ScandAsia.com" to catch up with the (old) news.

Maybe they should subscribe to the Phuket Gazette's email service, and keep up.

.

only just made the Australian news also (last night)

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-04-01/phuket-safety-zones-introduced-to-protect-tourists/4603562?section=australianetworknews

Very direct comments by Larry and Steve.

Now doesn't this sound like a war zone?

Tourists are more vulnerable to scams and robbery because they are generally unfamiliar with the area they are visiting. Large numbers of tourists attract large numbers of people, who are not all criminals, that are anxious to seperate them from their money.

If you want to limit crimes against tourists the best method is to eliminate the tourists. No tourists, the criminals will go elsewhere. Simple.

Or you could herd the tourists into restricted "Safety Zones" where only approved methods of seperating tourists from their cash are allowed.

They don't need safety zones to save tourists...they need NO GO ZONES.

Seal Bangla off at both ends at sundown each day and the crime rate here on Phuket will drop 90 percent.

Simple...

Bring your cattle prod and battle gear.

If they had 100 existing officers that did their jobs well, there would be no need for the extra 5,000 being requested.

Bring your cattle prod and battle gear.

Handy for controlling the buffalos

Until you disband the police force and current administration you have little hope of seeing any progress with regard to crime reduction.

And this is the crux of the whole matter. It just isn't going to happen. But I still choose to live here (in Chiang Mai I hasten to add).

Nice of "ScandAsia.com" to catch up with the (old) news.

Maybe they should subscribe to the Phuket Gazette's email service, and keep up.

.

only just made the Australian news also (last night)

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-04-01/phuket-safety-zones-introduced-to-protect-tourists/4603562?section=australianetworknews

With 2 news services we know of picking it up, perhaps a new media release was distributed.

How about tourists start taking responsibility for many of their own actions.

You know, like the things people are in full control of eg: amount of alcohol consumed.

Of course you're going to be targeted if you get yourself legless and appear vulnerable.

This is precisely the scenario the crims and scammers are waiting for.

Let your guard down, it's your fault.