Law-breaking Phuket vendors call off protest against official extortion

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Law-breaking Phuket vendors call off protest against official extortion
Saran Mitrarat


Volunteer guards from Kathu District, including one wearing a distinctly military-looking uniform, were waiting for the protesters.

PHUKET: -- Patong business operators called off a protest this morning at Phuket Provincial Hall because they feared they might be arrested under martial law, which prohibits public assemblies of more than five people.

The protest was supposed to come after an open letter was released at the weekend (November 15-16) in the Patong area, addressed to vendors at the OTOP Market, the Kokeaw Market, the Bangla Market, the Sai Nam Yen Market, and those on Thaweewong Rd.

The letter stated, “We are now in trouble from action by some groups, especially the Patong Association led by “Noom Carcare” or “Noom OTOP” known as Mr Kobchai Truktrongkij, who is assistant to Patong Mayor Chalermluck Kebsup, who send their staff to extort money from us.

“They claim that the money will be handed over to unidentified government offices which are demanding at least B20,000 per shop, depending on the category of goods sold.

“If we do not cooperate, they call the police or some government official to arrest us.

“We cannot stand it anymore, because we cannot afford the money demanded – this will lead us to close our shop very soon,” the letter stated. It then called for all victims of such extortion to go to the Damrongtham Center at Phuket Provincial Hall today at 11am.

The “victims” of this extortion all appear to be people who are breaking the law in one way or another, for example by selling pirated goods or employing illegal workers.

This morning volunteer guards from Kathu District Office were waiting for the protest to start. But it didn’t happen.

The Phuket News noticed a few people from Patong hanging around – these people, confronted by the volunteers, denied being part of any protest.

One woman, who said she sells pirate goods at the OTOP Market, spoke to The Phuket News on condition of anonymity, “No one has shown up to lead the protest, so I don’t want to identify myself as a Patong business operator.

“This situation might contravene martial law. If I put my hand up, they may arrest me,” she said.

“The extortion has been been going on for a long time in Patong. I have paid about B1,000 to B2,000 a month to each of many police and government departments.

“They don’t even bother to come in person now – they just send a representative who collects for all of them. But you know, whether we pay or not, we still get arrested from time to time,” she explained.

She also noted that at the beginning of Chalermluck Kebsup’s tenure as Mayor of Patong the demands stopped for three or four months, but then resumed.

“I thought the system would improve after the mayor was changed. That and martial law, I thought, would make it easier for us to operate. At first, that was the case,” she said.

“However, about four months after that they were back and demanding money at a higher rate.

“Many of us cannot afford these higher rates. I am trying to decide now whether or not I should shut my shop,” she said.

The Phuket News contacted Mr Kobchai this afternoon. He denied emphatically the allegations that he was involved in extorting money and said he thought it might be a case of political dirty tricks.

“We cannot identify the people who wrote the letter, so we do not even know which group published it,” Mr Kobchai said.

“I believe there may be a political motive behind it. If it was because of a personal conflict with me, why would they to mention my political position, and name Patong Mayor Chalermluck in the letter?” he asked. “Someone wants to discredit us.

“At this stage, I don’t know who they are. If they want to debate this with us, they should show their faces,” he added.

The Phuket News showed a copy of the protest letter to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) Phuket Office.

Chaianan, an officer at the NACC (he declined to give his full name), said, “The boss, Tawichart Nilkarn, is in Bangkok at the moment. We expect him back this Friday [November 21]. But we will send him the letter to see whether the NACC Committee wants to investigate the matter.”

He noted, however, “It’s quite hard to investigate anonymous complaints. It will be up to our boss and the Bangkok office to confirm whether or not the NACC will take on this case.”

This is not the first time that law-breaking vendors have protested at excessive extortion by officials. In July 2011 vendors from Kata and Karon complained they were being unfairly targeted for raids, and in 2011 Patong pirate goods vendoes also held a protest at Kathu Police Station after many were raided despite paying bribes to be left alone.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/law-breaking-phuket-vendors-call-off-protest-against-official-extortion-49708.php


-- Phuket News 2014-11-17

[Costas2008]

Please help me to get this right.

The outlaws are accusing the other corrupt scum that they are taking money from them.

And they were going to protest about that.

Am I living in the right world or is it a bad dream?

[iReason]

Please help me to get this right.

The outlaws are accusing the other corrupt scum that they are taking money from them.

And they were going to protest about that.

Am I living in the right world or is it a bad dream?

If anyone has ever read Superman Comics, the Bizarro World, where everything is opposite of the real world, T.I.T.

It's made it easier for me to adjust.

[NamKangMan]

I would not be surprised to see, in the near future, all these greedy, self entitled, illegal work place people/groups, may come together, for a boil over on Phuket.

[Pinot]

Which is worse, selling pirated goods or having a bent police force that takes bribes to allow the pirated goods to be sold?

That's an easy one for me.

[klauskunkel]

I would not be surprised to see, in the near future, all these greedy, self entitled, illegal work place people/groups, may come together, for a boil over on Phuket.

Once they get organized and politicised, they might quite likely become a future Thai government...

[jaywalker]

"This is not the first time that law-breaking vendors have protested at excessive extortion by officials. In July 2011 vendors from Kata and Karon complained they were being unfairly targeted for raids, and in 2011 Patong pirate goods vendoes also held a protest at Kathu Police Station after many were raided despite paying bribes to be left alone."

I mean, like, HUH??? This is worse than the pot calling the kettle black.

[Searat7]

This practice is not limited to Phuket....it most certainly happens in Bangkok and probably other areas too.

[maidee]

ah thaiand & thainess

and the men in brown

you must love it

[Lokie]

I love it how, no one never knows nothing about no one or who is the people protesting against whom? There is never any evidence when investigated (lol) so no case to answer, it comes to sumat when you can not even sell dodgy goods and pay the Tea money without further enhanced 'Shaftment' You gotta love this place and the entrepreneurial spirit...

[sawadee1947]

Please help me to get this right.

The outlaws are accusing the other corrupt scum that they are taking money from them.

And they were going to protest about that.

Am I living in the right world or is it a bad dream?

No, you are absolutely right here..... enjoy THAINESS every day.....sometimes I got a feeling being in a KINDERGARTEN without any care taker around...

[Suffinator]

Seriously you couldn't make this stuff up.

Sellers peddling stolen / copy merchandise have to pay police and officials corrupt payments in order to carry on with their illegal activities and they have the balls to complain about it.

Now there's martial law so that the criminals cannot publicly protest against the criminals running the country ... you have to just love the irony and anyone outside of Thailand reading this will only be left shaking their heads in disbelief.

Of course those thinking about visiting Thailand will now have the knowledge that they are almost certainly going to be subjected to being sold stolen / copy goods and that the police and government are in full support of the illegal trade providing they get their cut.

It's one of the reasons I left Thailand ... how any expat can possibly comment on this and remain in Thailand only to support such a regime with the money they spend is beyond me and when they are fleeced they have the audacity to moan about it. Seriously there are so many tropical places in the world to live so why would anyone choose to live in a society that is corrupt to the core and where it's acceptable to fleece foreigners at any level?

[Hatyaier]

"This is not the first time that law-breaking vendors have protested at excessive extortion by officials. In July 2011 vendors from Kata and Karon complained they were being unfairly targeted for raids, and in 2011 Patong pirate goods vendoes also held a protest at Kathu Police Station after many were raided despite paying bribes to be left alone."

I mean, like, HUH??? This is worse than the pot calling the kettle black.

I disagree. If the kettle did their job there would be no pot.

[TPI]

I love this place....it's so bent and so twisted that I feel almost normal!

[Ulic]

Nobody who buys a fake Gucci purse at these shops would buy a real one so these big name luxury companies

are not affected. However I do understand they have to protect there trademarks by jumping up and down. When the

USA gained independence they as an emerging country ignored British and European patents to help there

emerging economy. Not so different now as far as I am concerned. The only question I have is for how long should

third world countries be allowed to do this. So while the shop owners operate in a grey area, corrupt police and politicians

need to be held to account. Once you have rule of law the economy will move ahead and the need to have flea

markets selling counterfeit goods will lessen.

[Johnny S]

Please help me to get this right.

The outlaws are accusing the other corrupt scum that they are taking money from them.

And they were going to protest about that.

Am I living in the right world or is it a bad dream?

Yes and the bad dream is called "Thainess"