Moves to protect tourists discussed on Koh Tao

[webfact]

Moves to protect tourists discussed on Koh Tao
The Nation


Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul speaks to operators of tourism businesses on Koh Tao, off the coast of Surat Thani, during her visit yesterday in the wake of murder of two British tourists earlier this month.

KOH TAO: -- AMONG NEW measures to better protect tourists on Koh Tao from crimes, a routine policy in which officials with special wristbands will take people who are drunk to their rooms will be put in place, according to a meeting between Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul and local business operators yesterday.

A new police precinct will be established on the island with residence for permanent staff to keep them close to performing their duties protecting tourist around the clock, provision of greater volume of electricity and freshwater to meet demand by tourists, staff of hotels and pubs, and residents, the meeting concluded.

Another measures cited previously among provincial authorities are to install surveillance cameras throughout Koh Tao as well as a tourist service centre, which were mentioned in yesterday's meeting and accepted as joint measures to be undertaken.

The wristband project will be carried out by the ministry, whose details in implementation have not been discussed.

On the police investigation into the brutal murder of two British tourists earlier this month, progress has been made on a daily basis, reportedly with more details on |"another three new suspects" being pursued, a police source said.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Moves-to-protect-tourists-discussed-on-Koh-Tao-30244338.html


-- The Nation 2014-09-29

[siampolee]

Perhaps the most effective move would be the rounding up of the known criminal elements on the island and that includes all nationalities followed up with a total replacement of the police farce force personnel on the island and a total replacement of the officials also.

Start with a clean sheet the when that sheet is soiled it is instantly seen and dealt with to the benefit of all.

the problem is of course that such a course of actions would be an admittance of guilt and a corrupt ridden system wouldn't they?

Thus the bovine solid waste fecal matter material merchants arrive in their hordes and proceed to cloud the island in a miasma of deceit and platitudes

[Zonka]

KOH TAO: -- AMONG NEW measures to better protect tourists on Koh Tao from crimes, a routine policy in which officials with special wristbands will take people who are drunk to their rooms will be put in place.

Officials? Like the local village headman whose sons have dissapeared? - No thanks.

Officials? Like the corrupt and bumbling BIB who are in the pockets of the Mafia? - No thanks

Special wristbands? - Like the special orange bibs that motor cycle taxi drivers wear that magically stops them from drinking beer on duty and ripping people off on fares? - No thanks

Special wristbands? - Like the official metered taxis that once registered will never rip you off or refuse to take you? - No thanks

Installing extra surveillance cameras is only effective if you act on the information that is caught on them!

Wasn't the brother caught on CCTV running from the scene of the crime (supposedly) in the victims shorts? But wait wait - can we be sure it was him? because the figure captured running away on CCtv didnt appear to be wearing a 'Special Wristband!"

Rearrange this sentence ad you will get a good idea of what these officials are doing - Up Smoke Our Blowing Asses!

[Manbing]

Trying to shut the barn door now?

Where is the investigation at now? 87%, 6/7ths complete, nearing the point of making an arrest, dotting the i's and the t's, in the 11th hour, almost done, definately not being put in ice until media attention wanes.

[Manbing]

More electricity and freshwater?

This will only serve to confuse the Medical examiners in future murder cases.

A gang of tourist minders? gold, someone was told to 'think outside the box', aim for 'blue sky thinking'.

I suggest rubberising rocks and ensuring farming tools are required to have safety rubber tips to stop unfortunate accidents.

I am interested to read that having an effective police presence on the island was not mentioned.

[Songhua]

All good stuff ... until something happens somewhere else.

[crazykopite]

The only way to protect tourist is to send the mafia into exile to an uninhibited island as far away from Thailand as possible for two longs these mafia families have ruled the roost on islands such as Koh Tao, Koh Phangan and Koh Samui and I suspect it is the same on many other islands within the kingdom what they say goes and the police are to powerless and gutless to do anything about it as it is these mobs who subsidise the policemans wage to turn a blind eye !

[sweatalot]

Easy. Oust everybody on the island, Take awaqy their money (as far as it is more than 100000 B. then order them to stay away from the island forever. Remove all the buildings. Sack the police and let honest people and police from the north take care.

Have regular checks by the military. Later carry on on the rest of tourist destinations.

[petercool]

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[PiPiFFS]

Electricity and water are the two biggest earners on the island. They are not ever going to be given up. Water is 400 baht a unit. On Samui government water is 27 baht a unit and I could get 6000 / 6 units of water trucked up to the top of a mountain for 450 baht. Electric is 6 Baht most other places on Tao it is 10 Baht minimum for government which often goes off for long periods for some strange reason so you have to switch to the private electric at 35 Baht a unit.

If the army wants to show it means business on Tao it needs to break this monopoly first.

I for one won't be holding my breath

[12DrinkMore]

Wristband wearing baby sitters for the drunks?

Is this the 1st April?

I can state with certainty just how long this stupid idea will last. One day of an auspicious ceremony to hand out the wristbands, congratulations all around and then off back home.

However there might even develop a secondary market in the wristbands.

"Psssst, wanna pick up drunken Farang girls and take them back to their rooms? It's official and legal. Just gimme 500 Baht for this wristband".

It is now two weeks since the murders, the police are 80% through the case but do not seem to have very much.

Based on a Pareto analysis, my wager is that it will take another eight weeks before they announce that the killers, presumed foreign, must have left the country and so are no longer a danger to holiday makers in Thailand.

I will be happy to eat both my hats if things develop otherwise.

[2008bangkok]

Last time I looked it was Sept 29 not April 1st

[Dogmatix]

...a routine policy in which officials with special wristbands will take people who are drunk to their rooms will be put in place...

How long before we see the first reports of drunken tourists being robbed and raped by these wristband officials.

[Dogmatix]

Safest thing would be to demolish all the resorts on Koh Tao and make it a nature reserve.

[angsta]

Moves to protect tourist money discussed on Kho Tao, surely?

[stephen terry]

The wristband exercise cannot work because of human nature. There will be locals/others taking advantage of drunks, and drunks becoming belligerent when asked to leave, and inciting violence. Bad idea. Closing all bars at midnight and rigorously enforced might work better, until someone opens a night club. Why does something tell me that all these good intentions will not bear fruition.

[belg]

police doing their duties? make sure they don't come from the island, as they might have sticky fingers

and make sure they change station to other provinces, or they might get used quickly that they are the law

so many laws, so little enforcement

[catweazle]

Putting the cart before the horse seems to be a specialty here in Thailand, whenever official decisions are made. Far more sense and far more positive impact would have been made by destroying the mafia structures on the island, reshuffle the police force (all active and inactive posts replaced by new officers from Bangkok) and perhaps setting up an army base with night patrols, etc., reopen all old (and cold) case files of similar incidents in the past, let heads roll, with the difference that the rolling heads now are those of the mafiosis who have the entire island in a criminal stranglehold. But let's not forget what would have made the biggest, positive impact: DNA tests on and arrest of the true "untouchable" culprits who most certainly still walk the island just as nothing has happened and who most ikely will be some of the first to receive those precious "wrist bands" instead of shackles. What a travesty!

[catweazle]

The only way to protect tourist is to send the mafia into exile to an uninhibited island as far away from Thailand as possible for two longs these mafia families have ruled the roost on islands such as Koh Tao, Koh Phangan and Koh Samui and I suspect it is the same on many other islands within the kingdom what they say goes and the police are to powerless and gutless to do anything about it as it is these mobs who subsidise the policemans wage to turn a blind eye !

Correct - these islands were refuges for violent killers, drug dealers and all sorts of scum with an open arrest warrant in Thailand ages ago. The mafia families are the offspring of these ,=vcks and most of them have never worked or spoken an honest word in their whole life. They get rich by extortion, drug deals, and kidnapping of the islands' infra structures (much easier on an island) and by multiplying the prices for water, electricity, etc. Since the whole island has no land titles, and most likely was supposed to be a national park, it would be great to turn it back into such, but that would result in an increase of violence on the remaining islands, as mafia families would be fighting each other over territory. Turning KT into a national park can only be achieved if the mafia there is taken out for good. But that takes guts and a strong spine, something most officials here don't have, unless the general PM (for whom I have greatest respect, despite the media hickup regarding tourists wearing bikinis - nobody is perfect) moves in himself.

[HaleySabai]

Hey!..how about JUST NOT GO THERE.

[HaleySabai]

Easy. Oust everybody on the island, Take awaqy their money (as far as it is more than 100000 B. then order them to stay away from the island forever. Remove all the buildings. Sack the police and let honest people and police from the north take care.

Have regular checks by the military. Later carry on on the rest of tourist destinations.

....good in theory but devoid of even the slightest shred of reality in practice. TIT

[Tonawatchee]

Trying to shut the barn door now?

Where is the investigation at now? 87%, 6/7ths complete, nearing the point of making an arrest, dotting the i's and the t's, in the 11th hour, almost done, definately not being put in ice until media attention wanes.

The only real thing missing in this investigation is Buster Keaton.

[jimbeam1]

I would have taken the wristband statement more seriously if they said they would also be issued a whistle.

When are these idiots going to stip taking the pi55.

jb1

[siampolee]

jimbean1 post # 23

would have taken the wristband statement more seriously if they said they would also be issued a whistle.

When are these idiots going to stip taking the pi55.

Well the fellows would have a ''whistle'' and the wrist band well it's one off of the wrist and on we go to 99, whistling while we w**k all will then be happy at the successful climax of events.

[Brian Corrigan]

Bullsh** piled on top of bullsh**. How high can this pile get?

[klauskunkel]

Koh Tao thug's wristband manual:

First you get yourself a wristband, then you get yourself a drunk tourist, then you take him/her to his/her hotel room, then you do what you want.

[blowin]

Trying to shut the barn door now?

Where is the investigation at now? 87%, 6/7ths complete, nearing the point of making an arrest, dotting the i's and the t's, in the 11th hour, almost done, definately not being put in ice until media attention wanes.

My wife only said to me yesterday story on Koh Tao now go away rich people and police happy

[Brian Corrigan]

It would be interesting to know the number of Thai tourist who visit this Island.

[Alwyn]

wow.. That lady needs to stop sucking on a lemon before each photo shoot.. But was she the minister of tourism and sport from a previous government? Is she properly qualifies for this job or is it a nepotism thing? I'd be interested to know her experience and suitability

[PoorSucker]

wow.. That lady needs to stop sucking on a lemon before each photo shoot.. But was she the minister of tourism and sport from a previous government? Is she properly qualifies for this job or is it a nepotism thing? I'd be interested to know her experience and suitability

http://www.leadingwomen.org/AboutUs/Index.asp?IdS=000318-BC11D40&Reference=WattanavrangkulK&~=