Minister, diplomats discuss tourist security


Minister of Tourism & Sports Somsak Phureesrisak.

BANGKOK: -- Minister of Tourism & Sports Somsak Phureesrisak yesterday (July 1) met with representatives of 14 European embassies to discuss threats faced by their respective nationals when visiting Thailand, with the aim of boosting confidence in tourist safety in the country.

The minister told reporters after the meeting that frequent threats to tourists reported by the diplomats included, among others, snatch-and-run thefts, overcharging for jetski and motorcycle rentals, and getting mugged or physically assaulted by illegal taxi drivers.

The minister said that the meeting placed emphasis on practical preventive measures by assigning provincial transport offices to deal with extortion by rental companies and illegal taxi operators.

Mr Somsak said that the ministry would also seek to amend some laws to tighten legal loopholes and prevent business operators from taking advantage of tourists.

He added that he would also set up a tourist assistance centre to help visitors affected by natural disasters and man-made threats such as bodily assaults, accidents, extortion and cheating.

However, he added that this must be be accompanies with measures to educate tourists about local laws.

He also touched on the establishment of a Tourism Court, saying the court would initially be opened in Bangkok, and would later be extended to top tourist provinces such as Pattaya, Phuket, Koh Samui and Chiang Mai.

The Tourism Court is aimed at speeding legal proceedings related to tourists by operating at night and deploying such method as video conferencing to interview witnesses.

National News Bureau of Thailand

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/minister-diplomats-discuss-tourist-security-40563.php


-- Phuket News 2013-07-02

anything on the so called tourist and expat mandatory insurance scheme and impact study?

The minister said that the meeting placed emphasis on practical preventive measures by assigning provincial transport offices to deal with extortion by rental companies and illegal taxi operators.

Good luck with that...they can't even control the legal taxi operators

Wasn't there some scheme to educate inbound tourists about Thailand's traffic laws, and how they are completely ignored? The explanation of traffic police having the right to extort money from road users (double from tourists) must have been a real eye-opener.

This is a just lip service from the TAT

Nothing will change

As long as full planes keep landing in Thailand

they will see no need to change anything

He added that he would also set up a tourist assistance centre to help visitors affected by natural disasters and man-made threats such as bodily assaults, accidents, extortion and cheating.

Maybe they should do something about stopping the "man-made threats" then they won't need the "tourist assistance centre".

"However, he added that this must be be accompaniesd with measures to educate tourists about local laws."

How about educating the politicians first about local laws as they seem to ignore them at their convenience, before trying to turn the whole exercise on it head and suggest that those who take up the numerous TAT campaigns to encourage them to visit Thailand are in some way culpable because they don't know the law.

Perhaps TAT should include Thai law as part of it overseas marketing strategy.

How about getting the police to actually do their job and enforce the law impartially and to stop shaking down tourists.

Got shook down at a roll both yesterday for some made up driving office. The BIB really are a despicable bunch of crooks.

Sadly, the reputation is worldwide now and the continuing cover ups and extortion is well known. Time for the PTP to do the cleaning up at home first.

Well at least his job will be made easier after Chalerm eradicated the mafia in the tourist areas and all the police there are bi lingual now.

Well at least his job will be made easier after Chalerm eradicated the mafia in the tourist areas and all the police there are bi lingual now.

Didn't he also make Isaan drug free and solve the problems in the South in 90 days as well?

Well at least his job will be made easier after Chalerm eradicated the mafia in the tourist areas and all the police there are bi lingual now.

They can now say " ...baht and no need monkey house " in all major tourist languages.

This is a just lip service from the TAT

Nothing will change

As long as full planes keep landing in Thailand

they will see no need to change anything

On the nose. Money talks and if tourists go elsewhere they will realise but much too late irrespective of TAT's creative accounting over arrivals.

In the 1990's after a Cathay Pacific cabin crew strike I heard a market analyst explain the loss of revenue was one thing but the loss of customers even more serious as those having to use alternative carriers might like what they see and Cathay would no longer be an automatic first choice.

He explained in the service industry when you lose customers it can be quite a job to win them back.

The only good thing is that the foreign diplomats will know BS when they hear and smell it and the cables back to their respective Foreign Ministries will reflect that.

The travel advisory warnings will continue until the Thais get out of the idea " if we say nothing is wrong, nothing is wrong crazy farang ".

Now the ball is back in Thailand's court and to think amazing Thailand the Land of Smiles has a dark side, they now have been told what they didn't want to hear , what we've all been saying for years.

sometimes i just dream ..... imagine that the planes start to get empty , and then government start to treat expats with respect and dignity. i hope one day that dream will come truer for all us expats

Discussed and summarily dismissed; as usual -

Many Tourists Die in Thailand Every Year Because they DO NOT Wear a Helmet While Riding a Motorbike

Got shook down at a roll both yesterday for some made up driving office. The BIB really are a despicable bunch of crooks.

Sadly, the reputation is worldwide now and the continuing cover ups and extortion is well known. Time for the PTP to do the cleaning up at home first.

Should have been wearing a helmet. I noticed you did not state the "made up driving offense, whoops, office".

Let's pretend to care to appease these pesky farangs so the baht keeps keeps rolling in and arrival numbers up.

Meeting over.

Got shook down at a roll both yesterday for some made up driving office. The BIB really are a despicable bunch of crooks.

Sadly, the reputation is worldwide now and the continuing cover ups and extortion is well known. Time for the PTP to do the cleaning up at home first.

Should have been wearing a helmet. I noticed you did not state the "made up driving offense, whoops, office".

Do you need a helmet to drive a car?

If tourists are forced to buy insurance at the airport, they will get an eye opening education on Thailand at the very beginning of their holiday.

Got shook down at a roll both yesterday for some made up driving office. The BIB really are a despicable bunch of crooks.

Sadly, the reputation is worldwide now and the continuing cover ups and extortion is well known. Time for the PTP to do the cleaning up at home first.

good reason to have your phone in the record mode. more incidents put on you tube may shame the gov. into doing something.

nothing... will.... change.

Overcharging for jetski and motorcycle rentals? What is this guy smoking?

The jet ski complaints stem around police assisted extortion, assault, kidnapping, fraud & intimidation.

Getting mugged or physically assaulted by illegal taxi drivers?

What? It is the legal taxies that pay police to lease prime scam turf in front of hotels.

Professional scammers/criminals using taxies to defraud tourists.

This guy is out to lunch.

Soon, Thailand will be put on a no-go list by the Ambassadors.

Good.

"Minister, diplomats discuss..."

Oh yes of course. Another discussion. Problem solved.

Government discussions of "public safety" always worry me... The answer always seems to entail some expense of everyone's freedom, money & privacy in the name of security from a lawless few. Instead of having paid law enforcement chase down & the judicial system appropriately punish the bad guys, we ever more tightly restrict the good guys in the name of "prevention". So we pay more & more to law enforcement & the lawyers, take more & more from the taxpayers, worry more & more about the rights of criminals, give more & more power to government, and often don't manage to prevent anything... 'Want to talk about law? There's a law of diminishing returns when it comes to empowering government and giving up freedom to it.

The heat's on. They're meeting, they're discussing, they're boosting, they're adding, they're educating, they're touching and they're aiming. Boy oh boy these Thais. They are something else. Over inflated sense of self importance these Thais. An illustration of NPD on steroids.

It's illegal to scam a farang. The fine is 1,000Bt.

Most of the scammers prepay the fine to police monthly.