Phuket Opinion: Out with the bad

[Lite Beer]

Phuket Opinion: Out with the bad
Jody Houton

PHUKET: Working at a newspaper, and even as news consumers ourselves, we tend to be drawn to the bad.

Whether such interest is born from an intrinsic human want to understand and even help in such incidents or whether it’s just morbid fascination is one for the psychologists to debate.

Many hoteliers and politicians often bemoan the existence of so much coverage of cheating, skimming, scamming, murdering and robbing. Such writing is damaging to the image of Phuket they argue.

While it’s true that Phuket newspapers and news sites rarely run stories about holidaymakers simply coming to the island, having a great time and leaving, like perhaps the 99.9 per cent of the 8 million visitors who do so annually, this is largely because you, our reader, would not be interested in reading about it.

It is the remarkable or the negative that we report because this is what people want to read about and this is what might be changed or at least chronicled in the hope that those responsible will be held accountable.

While it’s worth remembering the statistical context of such negative stories, it’s also worth bearing in mind that there appears to be an increasing number of incidents of violence and criminality locally.

Just this week a South African family, including wife and daughter, were chased and beaten by a group of six men in Patong. On that same night a group of Chinese tourists had their rented vehicle’s tires deflated after they parked in a ‘specially reserved’ area.

The effectiveness of government meetings, of setting up of committees, of increased police patrols and public displays of significant drug and counterfeit hauls have been called into question of late, not only by newspapers, news sites and the general Phuket reader but – significantly – by national authorities.

While findings from last week’s Department of Special Investigation’s visit to the island are still being analysed, and plans are yet to be put into action, what is clear is that Bangkok authorities, in particular, the Ministry of Tourism who requested the DSI’s visit, are unsure of Phuket authorities’ abilities. Issues of corruption and crime need to be addressed urgently, and much needs to be done. The message is clear – if local authorities are unable to effect the changes, Bangkok definitely is.

The first of hopefully many positive initiatives to emerge from the capital is for Phuket, alongside Pattaya, to have a ‘Centre for Control of Organised Crime’, to tackle the worst criminality head on.

This for a change is ‘good news’ – and a story that we will be following closely in the months ahead.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-opinion-out-with-the-bad-41156.php?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

-- Phuket News 2013-08-02

[laurentbkk]

well its quite clear ....

[razer]

I've never been to Phuket and have no desire to go but what seems to be a common thread through the tourist areas is that the police are in league with the small time criminals (jet ski operators, motorbike rentals, taxi and tuk-tuk drivers, bars and karaoke bars) who extort excessive amounts of money from tourists and when there is an argument resulting in injury or death to the tourist the police are not interested unless the incident gets in the media. You say it is a small percentage, but if it was your father, or mother, sister or brother who was assaulted or murdered percentages are irrelevant. This is not civilized. This makes Thailand look bad in the eyes of the world. It is necessary to admit this problem exists and it is necessary to admit this is a Thai problem not something foreigners bring. I think better pay for the police and sincere prosecution and imprisonment for the corrupt cops would be a good start.

[Maggusoil]

Having been in the news business, there will always be plenty of bad, sensationalist news, each and every day, to keep people reading and buying newspapers. That's the way news works. Its a business to sell media.

A Centre for Control of Organised Crime?

The better the controls, the more the crims have to think. That's all. So we get criminals who think more, bribe more people and so it goes.

Good luck. I think its a bit late.

[Emdog]

If the bad is driven out, what would be left? "Nature abhors a vacuum", or so I have heard

[kimamey]

I've never been to Phuket and have no desire to go but what seems to be a common thread through the tourist areas is that the police are in league with the small time criminals (jet ski operators, motorbike rentals, taxi and tuk-tuk drivers, bars and karaoke bars) who extort excessive amounts of money from tourists and when there is an argument resulting in injury or death to the tourist the police are not interested unless the incident gets in the media. You say it is a small percentage, but if it was your father, or mother, sister or brother who was assaulted or murdered percentages are irrelevant. This is not civilized. This makes Thailand look bad in the eyes of the world. It is necessary to admit this problem exists and it is necessary to admit this is a Thai problem not something foreigners bring. I think better pay for the police and sincere prosecution and imprisonment for the corrupt cops would be a good start.

I've never been to Phuket or Pattaya although I'd like to just to see for myself what it's like. The chances are nothing bad will happen simply because the proportion of scamming and criminal incidents are small even in those places. If the government can make a difference then well done to them and at last something to praise them for but I have my doubts. It would probably require action against the powerful and well connected which doesn't seem to be happening yet in other areas so we'll have to wait and see.

I wonder if there will be any more reports on this initiative?

[Chupup]

I've never been to Phuket and have no desire to go but what seems to be a common thread through the tourist areas is that the police are in league with the small time criminals (jet ski operators, motorbike rentals, taxi and tuk-tuk drivers, bars and karaoke bars) who extort excessive amounts of money from tourists and when there is an argument resulting in injury or death to the tourist the police are not interested unless the incident gets in the media. You say it is a small percentage, but if it was your father, or mother, sister or brother who was assaulted or murdered percentages are irrelevant. This is not civilized. This makes Thailand look bad in the eyes of the world. It is necessary to admit this problem exists and it is necessary to admit this is a Thai problem not something foreigners bring. I think better pay for the police and sincere prosecution and imprisonment for the corrupt cops would be a good start.

I've never been to Phuket or Pattaya although I'd like to just to see for myself what it's like. The chances are nothing bad will happen simply because the proportion of scamming and criminal incidents are small even in those places. If the government can make a difference then well done to them and at last something to praise them for but I have my doubts. It would probably require action against the powerful and well connected which doesn't seem to be happening yet in other areas so we'll have to wait and see.

I wonder if there will be any more reports on this initiative?

Yes i wonder to, we always hear lots of talk about how things will get cleared up but never see any results or follow up news, this will probably follow the same course.

[IrishIvan]

What about focusing on things like the attempt to break the world record for underwater cleanup of Phuket in 4 days time?