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Crackdown was 'good in parts' - Phuket's Mr Big
Suthicha Sirirat


Prap Keesin: 'I wasn’t surprised that it happened. If it hadn’t happened now it would have happened sometime in the future.'

PHUKET: -- Preechawut “Prap” Keesin, one of Patong’s leading businessmen and a prime figure in the town’s hurly-burly transport structure, has spoken about the recent crackdown on taxis by police and the Royal Thai Army.

Mr Prap, who has on occasion been referred to as “Mr Big”, is the chairman of the Pisona group, which includes limo services and hotels, is President of the Patong Taxi Federation and a member of the Kathu Police Oversight Committee.

He is also a “person of interest” in the current police investigation masterminded by Pol Maj Gen Paween Poongsirin, Commander of the General Staff Division, Provincial Police Region 8.

In an exclusive interview with Phuket News correspondent Suthicha Sirirat, Mr Prap said that he had reservations about the way that the crackdown on mafia taxi activity had been carried out.

“I wasn’t surprised that it happened,” he said. “If it hadn’t happened now it would have happened sometime in the future.

“I agree with the arrests of taxi drivers who have been behaving badly and committing crimes against tourists. They should all be arrested, including groups that have always refused to cooperate with officials.”

But he said he felt the way it was carried out was possibly too strong. “The action was like the tsunami – there was no escape. This time should be a time for harmony.”

He pointed out that there are many good taxi drivers, and wondered what they would do now tto earn a living.

“The officials have to answer to local people – if taxi drivers do not have jobs, what are they going to do for a living? It’s not as if they can go back to the family farm; Phuket is a tourist province, not an agricultural one.”

He said that multiple solutions must be applied to the problem, and that even those drivers who were arrested should get a second chance.

“The drivers who were arrested have been told they may not go back to their place of work. So how do they make a living? Now that they have been arrested and their salas knocked down, they have no work.”

Equally, he agreed that standards must improve. “Those who have done something wrong must reform themselves and cooperate with the government. Drivers must be of high standard with taxi licenses, and must be trained in good behaviour, and taxi queues must be well managed.”

The key, he said, is cooperation and communication. “Everyone should help each other – this is the basis of society. And everyone must obey the rules. Phuket is a tourism province, and should keep improving its services.

“Communication is key, particularly with hotels to ensure that everyone is happy.”

He made a plea for hotels and the government to set aside areas for taxis. “Some people support the action [against the taxi drivers], while others do not. The taxis want to ask for humanity from the government and from hotels, to share the area where they can make a living. They have a right to do that.”

“If they are simply regarded as ‘mafia’, the problem will never be solved. Taxi drivers should be given the chance to improve themselves. If they don’t, then yes, the law should apply.”

He also made a plea for taxi services to be a local monopoly. “The taxi business should be for local people alone, and the income should go to local Phuket people.”

Asked whether the blitz against taxis had solved the problem of unlicensed “black plate” taxis, he said, “Impossible. But the numbers will gradually decrease over time.”

Government should try to “control the masses” rather than individuals, he said, but this will take time and can only be achieved though persuasion, not coercion.

But, he added, “The action of the police was not pointless. It was valuable. It will have useful outcomes for sure. It will lead to national solutions and will improve the country’s tourism image.”

Mr Prap’s relationship with the authorities has long been ambiguous.

In August last year he was named by the DSI as one of the “influential” people they proposed to investigate.

Yet he and his father, former Patong Mayor Pian Keesin (also fingered by the DSI), were instrumental in ensuring that the bus service from the airport was allowed to pick up passengers from the town without opposition from local taxi and tuk-tuk drivers.

He himself said, “I have cooperated with officials for 10 years to try to address the problem of black-plate taxis. This had had some positive results, with some problems solved.”

In March this year he visited the leaders of the tuk-tuk mob that blocked roads in Patong and declared that he thought it was a bad idea and tried – unsuccessfully – to persuade the leaders to back down.

Since the Army took power, the leaders of the mob have been arrested.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/crackdown-was-good-in-parts-phukets-mr-big-46850.php


-- Phuket News 2014-06-13

[HeavyDrinker]

Crackdown was 'good in parts' - Phuket's Mr Big

Does he mean namely the 'parts' which left me alone?

[terryp]

he and his father should be in prison......corrupt parasites

[Guest]

Ah, one of these Friday satirical stories.

He might now be the chairman of the Pisona gruop, but maybe in the future he'll be a sharelady of Prison group.

[CiaranO]

he and his father should be in prison......corrupt parasites

agreed - he keeps going on about local people - but the general already said these people were not from Phuket.

They have had plenty of time to get legal and put things right. The time is over.

[KarenBravo]

No mention of the extortionate prices.

[iReason]

“If they are simply regarded as ‘mafia’, the problem will never be solved. Taxi drivers should be given the chance to improve themselves."

Uh huh...

He himself said, “I have cooperated with officials for 10 years to try to address the problem of black-plate taxis."

10 years ain't cuttin' it "Mr. Big"...

[tx22cb]

His main complaint seems to be "The action was like the tsunami – there was no escape".

Translated = "The people I lubricated should have warned me 30 minutes in advance, like usual"

[keestha]

Quoting K. Prap: . “The taxi business should be for local people alone, and the income should go to local Phuket people.” But what makes somebody a local Phuket person? Being a Phuket native, or being on a Phuket house registration book (tabbian ban)?

[KarenBravo]

This guy is a big part of the problem, not the solution. A sock-puppet for his father.

They should not even talk to him.

[LivinginKata]

Quoting K. Prap: . The taxi business should be for local people alone, and the income should go to local Phuket people. But what makes somebody a local Phuket person? Being a Phuket native, or being on a Phuket house registration book (tabbian ban)?

Exactly, and I wonder how many of them are actually registered with an adress here in Phuket and thus elible to vote. I suspect not so many of them. Just a lot of justification to form a monoply and high taxi prices. Let;s hope this is not agreed on.

[LivinginKata]

This guy is a big part of the problem, not the solution. A sock-puppet for his father.

They should not even talk to him.

Exactly. He has no interest in letting this monopoly (as in excessive prices) slipping from his grip.

[DaveHKT]

".... and a member of the Kathu Police Oversight Committee" ?

[NamKangMan]

This guy is Phuket public enemy number one.

I find many of his comments an insult and offensive.

[balo]

So what is the going rate now if you want a taxi to drive you 2 kms ?

Sent from my SM-P601 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[NamKangMan]

So what is the going rate now if you want a taxi to drive you 2 kms ?

Sent from my SM-P601 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

I don't know, but it's 10 baht in Pattaya.

We can only hope for a similar pricing structure and method of transport on Phuket, particularly between the beaches, in the future, but this guy will be doing his best to make sure that never happens.

Edited June 13, 2014 by NamKangMan

[simon43]

Why does any newspaper waste time interviewing this guy - he is the source of many of the island's problems

[NamKangMan]

Why does any newspaper waste time interviewing this guy - he is the source of many of the island's problems

"he is the source of many of the island's problems" - not to mention the many deaths and injuries, though road accidents, he has indirectly caused whilst creating his transport monopoly empire on Phuket.

[HM52]

I think it is very good for Thailand if this clean up mission continues for at least 1 year.

/HM52

[madmitch]

Quoting K. Prap: . The taxi business should be for local people alone, and the income should go to local Phuket people. But what makes somebody a local Phuket person? Being a Phuket native, or being on a Phuket house registration book (tabbian ban)?

Exactly, and I wonder how many of them are actually registered with an adress here in Phuket and thus elible to vote. I suspect not so many of them. Just a lot of justification to form a monoply and high taxi prices. Let;s hope this is not agreed on.

To get a legal taxi licence (green plates, yellow sticker) in Phuket you have to be on a tabien baan with a Phuket address.

I have no idea about tuktuks and of course there are hundreds of illegal drivers still operating.

[JacChang]

What a bunch of crap. Talking about second chances and how people should think about each other. Then when they had the chance to drive their taxis legally and thoughtfully, why didn't they? Always so self-righteous and still dare to blame others when apparently they are at fault. Oh, so now, it's our problem they don't have a job? The job in which they abuse and broke the law? HAHA How about I work in a bank, and I steal customer's money? Then when I get caught, I blame others I don't have a job, give me a second chance. I'm human too!! HAHAHAHAH Put this guy in jail too. It's people like these who claim to be leaders of organizations that corruption exist in Thailand. If the head is so dumb and dirty already, what can we expect of the followers.

[ronthai]

I read the artical up to:

"But he said he felt the way it was carried out was possibly too strong. “The action was like the tsunami – there was no escape. This time should be a time for harmony.”

All the previous years of news reports and tourists complaining did not help, guess you did not know it was happening, MR. BIG

Junta, General P., confiscate a lot of money from MR. BIG's bank account and pay the young soldier boys with it.
See it as charity from the farangs who always got ripped of, which MR. BIG of course did not know about.

[IsaanUSA]

Taxi drivers should be given the chance to improve themselves. If they don’t, then yes, the law should apply.

A chance to improve themselves? At any normal job, you would just be fired. Drivers should have been trained during their first week on the job.

[sandrabbit]

I love Rayong, able to go 20kms for 20baht in songthaew although a little bit smelly near IRPC and Maptaphut.

[realenglish1]

Good the the Current Regime cracked down on Taxt Drivers. Now take it a step futhre PLEASE crack down on the Taxi drivers that refuse to use meters at shopping and high traffic areas such as Paragon other similar venues. After the stores close there are literely hundreds of drivers trolling for non meters fairs

Illegal and totally unfair to Thais and Tourists This is corruption and corruption that people visiting Thailand see Not good for tourists or Thais. You may say its only a few hundred baht So when is any corruption Good Never

They have a license and a meter they should live by it

[FireMedic]

Mr Prap, who has on occasion been referred to as “Mr Big”, is the chairman of the Pisona group, which includes limo services and hotels, is President of the Patong Taxi Federation and a member of the Kathu Police Oversight Committee.

How about we don't have shady local business owners in on "police oversight" committees.

[wilcopops]

The veritable parson's egg?

[IamNoone88]

The Mr Bigger they are....the harder they will fall. Don't delay.....take them down and restore some law and order in a rampantly out of control town. Put the confidence back to decent people that no longer will Patong belong just to the criminal elements.

[Sirbergan]

All I see in these threads is a lot of "Poor me, some times I have to pay half of what I pay back home whenever I get a taxi". What I really want to see, is a serious crackdown on important things that are actually making people's lives hard in this country. And no, it's not related to you self-serving pricks - it's the every-day loans to poor people, who can't provide for their families, having no choice but to lend money, being bullied to pieces by daily rents they can not pay. Or how about the Rohinya, who are being sold as slaves, children being abducted and set to beg (often after having an arm or leg surgically removed) or Laotian people being exploited for sex, or some of the other numerous problems that rarely happens in our countries.

But hey, let's keep complaining about being overcharged by a few taxis or shops shall we?

I normally don't agree with the "If you're not happy here, go home" attitude, but seriously. There are lots of people who needs to get off their asses, look around and smell the coffee.

Edited June 13, 2014 by Sirbergan

[pomchop]

IF the junta is serious about cleaning up the taxi mafia a good start would be to prosecute the men who enable the taxi mafia. They know who they are and they know they have made massive amounts of money for their pockets while damaging the tourist numbers to Phuket...not to mention terrorizing both locals and tourists who dare to question them.

Throw the bunch of them in jail. Allow a songtaew system in place at fares comparable to other Thai cities.

Have a/c point to point taxi service available at the same METER rates as Bangkok. Have the military PROTECT the baht buses and the metered taxis from any remaining mafia types.

Turn Phuket into a PLEASANT place where one doesn't have to fear for his safety to get from point a to point b or be charged an exhoribitant fee most of which goes to some Mr. Big who sits in his house and counts the money.

It's really not rocket science...and perhaps the junta who certainly likes to claim the prior govts were corrupt

and did nothing have an excellent chance to show with actions that they are different.