PM wants action against rogue jet-ski operators

[DaamNaam]

Good news, they have been scamming and ripping off punters for years,

[fab4]

I wonder what the General's evening speech will contain once all of the issues reported here by Thai Visa members are already addressed?

You do understand there is a difference between addressing (by that I presume you mean actually do something about a "problem") and talking about it on a weekly TV show. You may notice that prayuth "urged the relevant authorities to deal with the problem" so expect business as usual.

I wonder what next weeks "Returning happiness to the people's" populist investigation/crackdown is going to be?

[upena]

Ban them. You don't see them in Krabi

[SOTIRIOS]

.........please get on the Thai Wife Scams as well.......

[slygeeza]

the police have security cameras in the areas where these scams happen, but they arent aimed at where the scams take place, and tourist police arent allowed to get involved, its obvious why, but we can no longer post the reason on this site

[klauskunkel]

"Pattaya police have set guidelines relating to the issue including establishing a settlement room"

just wondering if they encroached on public land to establish said room

[Sparkles]

You are flat out finding "beautiful beaches in Thailand" most are covered in trash, especially during the wet season.Education ,education education

[phuketlive]

They took out the chairs from patong beach but they should have left them for tourist who don't want to get skin cancer with the strong sun and take out the jet ski mafia instead!

[Cent]

"Pattaya police have set guidelines relating to the issue including establishing a settlement room"

"He urged relevant authorities to deal with the problem at seaside resorts such as Pattaya and Phuket."

Relevant authorities (dirty cops) are the ones in cahoots with the mafia jet ski dirtbag scammers, and in large part are running the scams.

[jacko45k]

Emerged, suggests it is a recent phenomena, uncovered similarly recently.

Yawn........

[seabass69]

Ban jet-ski's altogether and let all the retards involved in the business (I include customers in this probably short lived post) go and find other means of income/entertainment.

Ban jet-ski's what altogether?

[NeilSA1]

I wonder what the General's evening speech will contain once all of the issues reported here by Thai Visa members are already addressed?

You do understand there is a difference between addressing (by that I presume you mean actually do something about a "problem") and talking about it on a weekly TV show. You may notice that prayuth "urged the relevant authorities to deal with the problem" so expect business as usual.

I wonder what next weeks "Returning happiness to the people's" populist investigation/crackdown is going to be?

It does seem that General Prayuth has had a positive influence. Posted Today, 06:30 Fearing military, Pattaya rushes to eradicate sin.

PATTAYA: Officials are racing to clean up Pattaya’s beaches and vice spots to try to shake off the “sin city” tag and prevent the military stepping in as they have done in Phuket and Hua Hin.

[Brian Corrigan]

Already the General is looking very tired. I don't know of any country whose Prime Minister would have the time or inclination to get involved with the task of controlling all the crooks and scams. Or is it a case of any publicity is good publicity? I would suggest a management course in the art of delegation might be appropriate. Trying to control every thing on his own is going to leave the General a little tired and frustrated to say the least, even if, as he stated "He is ready to be tired" The solution is to delegate and not abdicate. Unless of course you have no faith or trust in the people who work for you.Then you really have a problem.

[chooka]

My apologies. I responded to your post in my 1st line and then added some for myself instead of starting a new post.

No offence intended and will edit my post.

Why the obsequious kowtowing to Lom?

Just manners and trying to be friendly. This is a forum and people should try and be nice to each other. We all have differences of opinion and I was always taught if you offend someone then say sorry.

Lom is probably a very nice person.

[sanuk711]

In reality he (PM) cannot win with certain Thai Visa propagandist, can he ?

They arrest the Taxi mafia in Phuket, something no government has been able to do….that’s ongoing

Yer well that will all go back to the same---& they have left BKK & Pattaya alone---must be bribes.

They hit the BKK Taxi mafia & arrest the Pattaya motor bike mafia who are extorting from the riders—that’s ongoing

Yer well they haven’t done that much in Phuket….must be bribes

They clear the beaches of buildings that have been illegally there - some more then 30 years

& give it back to the people….that’s ongoing.

Yer but what about the rest of the country….there not to touching that…must be bribes

They start burning houses (some worth more than 10 million) & chopping down illegal rubber plantations

In all national parks to give back to the people….that’s ongoing

Yer but what about the people who have been taking money for years—they won’t touch them, their to rich.

They are in the process of arresting the former Phuket mayor & his wife, in an operation that has taken 3 months to obtain enough evidence--& by all accounts (some blogs are saying) was slowed down at every step by BIB info leaks --wonder why, “Past” corruption cases in Phuket are ongoing.

Yer but there not doing anything about walking street…must be bribes

The largest most expensive building @ Top of walking street has been halted why they study the contracts

A friend of my wife who has been transferred from BKK to Pattaya city hall, tells her that all contracts of all buildings on waterfront land have been requested…its ongoing

I personally would like to see walking street stay –its overpriced & over rated but its become a tourist icon , I take a walk down there when I ever get to Pattaya, its not just full of punters, the place attracts family’s to walk ….I know its mad but everyone’s heard of walking street & they want to walk it before going home. I do think whatever the owners were paying in bribes ..they should just keep paying & the money goes to clean up some of the poorer area of Pattaya .

And of course what about the Pattaya jet ski’s –the usual derision & chants of it’s a bribe. As much as I would like to see them go for ever—It is a tourist attraction. If there’s (alleged) damage, they will not be sitting in the room with the Thai guy alone, there’s going to be a mediator / translator who knows repair prices, & in a short time will know if the same ski is being presented. You asked for regulation, I have seen this in other 3^rd world countries I lived in—this is the first step to licenses.

I have lived under 4 military government’s, in one I was jailed for striking (Fiji) so I never thought that I would ever be writing to defend them – but I haven’t as yet seen this government abuse their power, look at the former mayor Phuket, they have taken 3 months collecting evidence before moving on them, I been under government’s that have just thrown people in jail—what do they need evidence for, they are the power.

But still they haven’t measured up to…..what former government’- so the tasks get longer ezzra feels they should just pop down south & fix it all up down there.

Fix that Mr. PM and your name will go in Thai history as a great man, and all the other ills of Thailand

will be much easier to tackle after that...including the Jet Ski issue..ezzra

Really ezzra what planet are you from…… if its planet UK, then just dwell a little on how the UK government fixed their bombs in markets / pubs / buses , It took them 48 years to come to a solution, which was- to basically surrender, the leader of the IRA hit squad is now the leader of the Irish parliament.

Is it Planet USA…… don’t tell me its planet USA ezzra, I just don’t have the time to list all their solving of the worlds problems, mess ups.

[Dogmatix]

The best thing to do would be to ban the horrible machines from Thailand. I am sure that there are few tourists who come to Thailand only to ride jet skis. The cruds that rent them out pay no tax but do pay bribes to police. A total ban would be much easier to enforce that checking all machines are properly registered and insured and operated safely. The frequent scams and accidents would be avoided and the beaches would be freed from their horrible noise as well as the hoods that operate the businesses. Win win situation. No loss of tax revenue. Do it.

[razer]

"Pattaya police have set guidelines relating to the issue including establishing a settlement room"

Why? I saw on a YouTube the efficiency of the police settling a jet ski incident. He negotiated from 30,000 baht to 10,000 baht right there at the beach. Of course, one YouTube video showing the operator with a gun was not open to negotiation.

[phanangpete]

Why do Pattaya Police continue think that the old way will be accepted by the NCPO, that being their 'guidelines' settlement room , fair negotiations,etc

All the above is crap, they know 99% of the cases should not be in any room negotiating anything, as the corrupt Thai is lying, we all know that ,do they think the Army's going to fall for that.

How thick are they, the new rules will be given by the NCPO and they will be ordered to follow or lose your job, quite simple really.

I think they are trying to say, well look at what weve been doing and is'nt it enough, hoping the Army will say , yea ok carry on .

HAAAAAAAAAA HA HA.

[phanangpete]

PS ,I really hope that some Thai's are reading these forums these days, me thinks they have gone a little quiet out there.

Wonder why, come on speak out .!

[MediaWatcher]

DrLom, on 31 Aug 2014 - 07:40, said:

"Pattaya police have set guidelines relating to the issue including establishing a settlement room"

In other words, a sound proof room with no CCTV coverage or windows, away from prying eyes. stationary limited to brown envelopes.

[max72]

"Pattaya police have set guidelines relating to the issue including establishing a settlement room"

Yes that way the extortion can be conducted in private away from witnesses where they will not tarnish Thailand's reputation.

From what i was told by a friend who got scammed for this in Pattaya. He called the tourist police and they demanded he pay as well. It seems to me that any law Prayuth makes is irrelevant as long as the police support the people they will get a percentage from.

My friend had said they accused him of scratching the bottom of the jet ski and the scratch already had algae in it yet the police forced him to pay 30000 baht out of which the police got 10000. At no time did the police want to hear his side and was threatened to have his passport taken if he didnt pay...

Sent from my GT-S5310 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

This is the normalcy in Thailand. Everything works like that allover.

This means the corruption is reaching the mellow of every individual in the society.

It's impossible to heal this in weeks or months. Not even years . It takes generations.

Everywhere Corruption has always been healed in democracy, not in dictatorships.

Look at South Korea, during the military governments it was one of the world's most corrupt countries, look at Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia instead where they are.

Prayuth might temporarely halt the problem by keeping the people terrorized, but these people haven;t changed, they are just scared and they are ready to start again with the corruption and illegality once the military will stand back.

The change starts from the education, from the culture, the best environment to start to heal the corruption is a fair, free and democratic society, where people can enjoy living in a fair society. Look at Norway, Switzerland, Canada, Finland, New Zealand, all the world's least corrupt countries are very open democracies.

Saying that, I am afraid this crackdown is short lived, it can't last.

[tracker1]

Surely this isn't the Prime Ministers work with bigger issues at hand if the good general is going to intervene in all these minor issues of Visas, Prostitution, Alcohol and Jet Skies I fear the bigger issues will go unattended Road deaths, Murder and to follow all that's already been done Unemployment and with that comes crime.

[sydneyjed]

A good way of stopping this rort is actually to make it mandatory for all jetski operators to add an insurance fee onto all tourists agreed hire charges.This way with the amount of conflicts and disagreements taking place I'm pretty sure that the insurance company provider will be watching (and taking photo's)of 'before after' resolution conflicts!Just a thought but has anyone else come up with a better idea yet to stamp out this never ending scam?

[modafinil]

This forum should be renamed grumblingpensionerswithnolives.com

The man in charge of Thailand has specifically stated that he will deal with the jetski scam, an issue that has been posted about thousands of times here on tv.com.

And yet, for many this isn't enough. What do you want? A personal phone call or visit from the General?

Nothing, nothing, NOTHING is good enough for you miserable b********s. I would never use a jet ski and dislike them on the beaches, but the corruption and intimidation associated with them is a real problem. Well done Thailand for beginning to take action.

[modafinil]

A good way of stopping this rort is actually to make it mandatory for all jetski operators to add an insurance fee onto all tourists agreed hire charges.This way with the amount of conflicts and disagreements taking place I'm pretty sure that the insurance company provider will be watching (and taking photo's)of 'before after' resolution conflicts!Just a thought but has anyone else come up with a better idea yet to stamp out this never ending scam?

Put the onus on the jetski operators to prove damages, with time-stamped photos of the machine lifted out of the water prior to the start of the hire.

Failure to take such photos cancels any legal right that the operator might have to pursue damages.

Have a special hotline with English-speaking operators that people can call to complain about jetski intimidation, and publicize the number at all the major beaches. Prosecute jetski operators (and any police in collusion) who continue to drag Thailand's reputation through the mud.

[Brian Corrigan]

This forum should be renamed grumblingpensionerswithnolives.com

The man in charge of Thailand has specifically stated that he will deal with the jetski scam, an issue that has been posted about thousands of times here on tv.com.

And yet, for many this isn't enough. What do you want? A personal phone call or visit from the General?

Nothing, nothing, NOTHING is good enough for you miserable b********s. I would never use a jet ski and dislike them on the beaches, but the corruption and intimidation associated with them is a real problem. Well done Thailand for beginning to take action.

Take it easy. You sound like your upset. Don't take things so seriously.Find a dark room and lie down for a bit. This is Thailand after all.

[modafinil]

Surely this isn't the Prime Ministers work with bigger issues at hand if the good general is going to intervene in all these minor issues of Visas, Prostitution, Alcohol and Jet Skies I fear the bigger issues will go unattended Road deaths, Murder and to follow all that's already been done Unemployment and with that comes crime.

Well, the PM can't win no matter what he tries to do, at least not according to most on this forum.

Since the General is trying to improve Thailand's economy, making tourists happy is actually an important issue for him. Murder, unemployment and crime are major problems in every country in the world, although a strong economy can help reduce these issues. Funnily enough, a strong economy is exactly what he is striving to achieve.

[modafinil]

Take it easy. You sound like your upset. Don't take things so seriously.Find a dark room and lie down for a bit. This is Thailand after all.

Not upset, just drunk! This is Thailand after all!

I feel like I'm watching a spoiled child at Xmas. He opens his present to find a PlayStation instead of an Xbox. Instead of smiling, the little brat starts screaming and shouting, and storms off to his room. Similar to a TV poster who, when they are finally given what they have been whining about for months, turns round and starts complaining that the proposed solution is not 100% perfect in their eyes.

Thai people respond really well to thank-yous and gratitude, in my experience. Let's give them some for a change.

[Cuchulainn]

...........become notorious after it emerged some operators were extorting money from tourists..................

Took a hell of a long time to "emerge"!!

Who writes this crap?

[StealthEnergiser]

A good way of stopping this rort is actually to make it mandatory for all jetski operators to add an insurance fee onto all tourists agreed hire charges.This way with the amount of conflicts and disagreements taking place I'm pretty sure that the insurance company provider will be watching (and taking photo's)of 'before after' resolution conflicts!Just a thought but has anyone else come up with a better idea yet to stamp out this never ending scam?

Put the onus on the jetski operators to prove damages, with time-stamped photos of the machine lifted out of the water prior to the start of the hire.

Failure to take such photos cancels any legal right that the operator might have to pursue damages.

Have a special hotline with English-speaking operators that people can call to complain about jetski intimidation, and publicize the number at all the major beaches. Prosecute jetski operators (and any police in collusion) who continue to drag Thailand's reputation through the mud.

Photo's only work if they don't photoshop the originals and this happens many times i have seen them removing sd cards from cameras and taken to a shop to photoshop.