Phuket beach protection racket ‘nothing to do with Navy’ – admiral

[webfact]

Phuket beach protection racket ‘nothing to do with Navy’ – admiral
Saran Mitrarat


Adm Sayan with one of his men, and the naval uniform distinguishing points: 1. unique cap; 2. name over breast pocket; 3. name of Navy unit. (Numbers added by The Phuket News)

PHUKET: -- The Commander of the Royal Thai Navy’s Third Area Command has denied allegations that navy personnel have been collecting money from beach encroachers, offering in return to protect them from the authorities.

“I have heard a lot of allegations that navy [personnel] are collecting money from beach encroachers or business operators,” Vice-Admiral Sayan Prasongsamrej said yesterday afternoon (November 27).

“I want to stress that no personnel from the Royal Thai Navy’s Third Area Command are doing anything like that. We are not involved.

“If you have any photographs or evidence identifying anyone who is collecting money – or you have any other suggestion about this – please contact me directly at my office at Cape Panwa” he added.

“The Navy’s Third Area Command now has sole responsibility for Phuket. No other arm of the military has responsibility,” he stated.

“Even if you have paid, other arms of the military cannot protect you from [punishment for] any illegal action you take. Phuket is our area, so how can they help?” he asked.

He also showed reporters how Navy uniforms differ from other services, using three of his men as models.

“Although the [camouflaged] uniforms are generally similar, there are two differences: the cap and the wording on the shirt pocket.

“We have a different style of cap from any of the other branches of the armed forces,” Vice Admiral Sayan explained. No other branch of the armed forces wears a similar patrol cap.

The camouflage uniforms worn by the Navy also have the name of the naval unit stitched onto the left breast pocket, with the individual’s named stitched above, he explained.

Copies of Navy uniforms can easily be found and bought on the Internet or from specialist shops in Bangkok.

The admiral’s point about responsibility for Phuket may be seen by some as a shot across the bows of Army troops who recently became involved in a dispute over illegal restaurants at Nai Yang Beach.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-beach-protection-racket-%E2%80%98nothing-to-do-with-navy%E2%80%99-admiral-49880.php


-- Phuket News 2014-11-28

[RustBucket]

Well if he is denying it, then it must be true.

Instead of denial, can we just see some convictions. Then the public may start to have faith in your integrity.

[NamKangMan]

Well if he is denying it, then it must be true.

Instead of denial, can we just see some convictions. Then the public may start to have faith in your integrity.

"Well if he is denying it, then it must be true." - or, it's just another "misunderstanding."

[Pinot]

So there are clowns running around collecting money from the people trying to do business illegally on the beach. The explanation the Commander gave is reasonable. Why the cynicism? His men aren't doing it and it's not the Navy's responsibility to catch these guys. It's probably cops.

[TheFishman1]

Right

[BestBitterPhuket]

Instead of denying it, he should investigate it in a serious manner. If nothing is found, then everything ok. Just denying it like he does now, does not sound good, even if they are innocent.

[Carrerakiss]

Wouldn't be hard to get copy uniforms and go around promising "protection" in return for money. Frankly, I think it's more likely than real navy forces doing it.

Interestingly, it seems there may be some conflict between different branches of the military over who controls which territory. Which unfortunately brings out the cynic in me that, even though such a simplistic scam may not be down to real navy personnel, in the future illicit revenues from more complex and long term scams in Phuket may well start to flow. No evidence for that, just sadly something that almost inevitably seems to happen.

[steelepulse]

The only real protection racket I see are the jet skis. No matter if they run people over, have fatalities while being rented, they have protection. How's the bank account there guv?

[ICECOOL]

It would be nice for once for this forum to give someone who steps forward and asks for help to give him the benefit of the doubt. Crimes like these are difficult to solve without a proper investigation and help from the "victims". I don't want to see another "police force" and I suspect he knows that local authorities are behind this (as they have been for decades) and this is a way to both put them on notice and also potentially get evidence. Stamping out deeply embedded criminality in a society is a slow process. Remember in many cases the business owners being bribed are willing to pay the bribe so they can make their illegal profits.

Edited November 29, 2014 by ICECOOL

[masuk]

I'm puzzled as to why Naval personnel would be wearing camouflage uniforms. I thought that was the province of land-based defence forces, not those serving on ships or naval depots.

[NamKangMan]

So there are clowns running around collecting money from the people trying to do business illegally on the beach. The explanation the Commander gave is reasonable. Why the cynicism? His men aren't doing it and it's not the Navy's responsibility to catch these guys. It's probably cops.

"collecting money from the people trying to do business illegally on the beach" - that's the irony.

There should be NO ONE doing business on the beach, therefore NO ONE can collect protection money, because there should be NO ONE to protect.

The Admiral may deny his officers are collecting money, but shouldn't they be patroling the beach to see NO ONE starts doing business on the beach, thus ending the beach corruption here?

Stop the businesses on the beach, and you stop the beach corruption, unless, of course, the Navy is allowing certain people to do business on the beach, for payment.

Either way, the Navy is implicated, either in a neglect of their duty, or incompetence, or corruption, especially in relation to the jet skis.

[HUAHIN62]

So there are clowns running around collecting money from the people trying to do business illegally on the beach. The explanation the Commander gave is reasonable. Why the cynicism? His men aren't doing it and it's not the Navy's responsibility to catch these guys. It's probably cops.

Wrong its his responsibility as the commanding officer to investigate if his people is involved or not and then to deny or confirm these claims. How does he know they arent involved without investigating first? It is clear he's done no investigation because he is only now asking people to send him evidence if they have any.

[lvr181]

So there are clowns running around collecting money from the people trying to do business illegally on the beach. The explanation the Commander gave is reasonable. Why the cynicism? His men aren't doing it and it's not the Navy's responsibility to catch these guys. It's probably cops.

Hopefully the Admiral is telling the truth. But no one seems to be doing anything about the problem! The Government and TAT want more tourists and yet these scams are still flourishing! Seems to be some sort of "oxymoronic" situation. Get more tourists, so we can scam more money off them? That appears to be the message! Why not eliminate the scams and perhaps more tourists will arrive? Maybe I am guilty of farang thinking - and that sort of thinking is not welcomed here

[simon43]

As I recently read on the other website about personal sun umbrellas being confiscated from tourists on Surin Beach, it would seem that the 'scum' are all beginning to fight amongst themselves, to claim authority over the beach and potential erarnings.

We have the Navy, Army, Police, Mayors, OrBorTors, and local authorities all claiming that they and only they have authority over the beach, what goes on there and who can do what, illegal or not.

Let me tell all these greedy, corrupt scum. "The fact is, all the beaches belong to HM King of Thailand, and it is his benelovance to allow all - Thai and foreign - to freely enjoy those beaches. Your selfish greed runs counter to that fact and lays you open to a charge of lese-majeste".

And I'm very happy to put my name to that statement.

[Jim walker]

and neither are the police involved as all the bad ones have been taken away forever.

[mok199]

amazing romantic military coupe thailand...LAND OF DENILES..sawadee.. way too much crap

[Krataiboy]

We learned this nursery rhyme as kids, but tend to forget it as grown-ups:

Big fleas have little fleas,
Upon their backs to bite 'em,
And little fleas have lesser fleas,
And so, ad infinitum.

[MZurf]

Well, with those three bright red spots on their uniforms they should be easily identifiable!

Totally off topic but why does it look like almost every armed services members and most police officers as well have the para trooper pin on their uniform? Is it a prerequisite for personnel over a certain rank to be chucked out of an airplane?

[Mudcrab]

As I recently read on the other website about personal sun umbrellas being confiscated from tourists on Surin Beach, it would seem that the 'scum' are all beginning to fight amongst themselves, to claim authority over the beach and potential erarnings.

We have the Navy, Army, Police, Mayors, OrBorTors, and local authorities all claiming that they and only they have authority over the beach, what goes on there and who can do what, illegal or not.

Let me tell all these greedy, corrupt scum. "The fact is, all the beaches belong to HM King of Thailand, and it is his benelovance to allow all - Thai and foreign - to freely enjoy those beaches. Your selfish greed runs counter to that fact and lays you open to a charge of lese-majeste".

And I'm very happy to put my name to that statement

Go on then.....do it...I dare you.

Not Simon 43

But your real verifiable name as shown in your passport.

Do it....do it NOW

[Mudcrab]

We learned this nursery rhyme as kids, but tend to forget it as grown-ups:

Big fleas have little fleas,

Upon their backs to bite 'em,

And little fleas have lesser fleas,

And so, ad infinitum.

Who are you calling grown up!!!!!

[simon43]

Go on then.....do it...I dare you.

If you follow the other Phuket website, you will note that I always provide my full name, including surname. I will place my comment on that forum with my full name, as I always do with my comments.

As to putting my name on this forum, I am more likely to leave myself open to internet trolls and scammers, rather than a charge of defamation...

[Nuddy]

By crikey I reckon this guy will be monitoring the social media to see who is game enough to actually accuse him!.

Look at the CIB guy instead for a moment. He had so much dosh he couldn't spend it al so bought a huge array of gold and other worshipped objects.

This guy will be similar.

The jet skis keep turning up on the beach and there just has to be a scam there.

[NamKangMan]

Go on then.....do it...I dare you.

If you follow the other Phuket website, you will note that I always provide my full name, including surname. I will place my comment on that forum with my full name, as I always do with my comments.

As to putting my name on this forum, I am more likely to leave myself open to internet trolls and scammers, rather than a charge of defamation...

I would have thought if you can not call a group of Thai's, "people traffickers" - you also could not call them "greedy, corrupt scum."

[Alwyn]

So there are clowns running around collecting money from the people trying to do business illegally on the beach. The explanation the Commander gave is reasonable. Why the cynicism? His men aren't doing it and it's not the Navy's responsibility to catch these guys. It's probably cops.

"collecting money from the people trying to do business illegally on the beach" - that's the irony.

There should be NO ONE doing business on the beach, therefore NO ONE can collect protection money, because there should be NO ONE to protect.

The Admiral may deny his officers are collecting money, but shouldn't they be patroling the beach to see NO ONE starts doing business on the beach, thus ending the beach corruption here?

Stop the businesses on the beach, and you stop the beach corruption, unless, of course, the Navy is allowing certain people to do business on the beach, for payment.

Either way, the Navy is implicated, either in a neglect of their duty, or incompetence, or corruption, especially in relation to the jet skis.

Now the military are running the country you're probably right and as he said himself, it's his business now. Usually, in a normal country, the police would make any arrests (based on information given by the navy maybe) as it is civillians breaking the law and they will be processed by a civilian court, not a military one. However things are not normal at this time really

[NamKangMan]

So there are clowns running around collecting money from the people trying to do business illegally on the beach. The explanation the Commander gave is reasonable. Why the cynicism? His men aren't doing it and it's not the Navy's responsibility to catch these guys. It's probably cops.

"collecting money from the people trying to do business illegally on the beach" - that's the irony.

There should be NO ONE doing business on the beach, therefore NO ONE can collect protection money, because there should be NO ONE to protect.

The Admiral may deny his officers are collecting money, but shouldn't they be patroling the beach to see NO ONE starts doing business on the beach, thus ending the beach corruption here?

Stop the businesses on the beach, and you stop the beach corruption, unless, of course, the Navy is allowing certain people to do business on the beach, for payment.

Either way, the Navy is implicated, either in a neglect of their duty, or incompetence, or corruption, especially in relation to the jet skis.

Now the military are running the country you're probably right and as he said himself, it's his business now. Usually, in a normal country, the police would make any arrests (based on information given by the navy maybe) as it is civillians breaking the law and they will be processed by a civilian court, not a military one. However things are not normal at this time really

"However things are not normal at this time really" - have you ever known Phuket to be "normal?"

[masuk]

amazing romantic military coupe thailand...LAND OF DENILES..sawadee.. way too much crap

L O S = Land of Scams??

[Alwyn]

So there are clowns running around collecting money from the people trying to do business illegally on the beach. The explanation the Commander gave is reasonable. Why the cynicism? His men aren't doing it and it's not the Navy's responsibility to catch these guys. It's probably cops.

"collecting money from the people trying to do business illegally on the beach" - that's the irony.

There should be NO ONE doing business on the beach, therefore NO ONE can collect protection money, because there should be NO ONE to protect.

The Admiral may deny his officers are collecting money, but shouldn't they be patroling the beach to see NO ONE starts doing business on the beach, thus ending the beach corruption here?

Stop the businesses on the beach, and you stop the beach corruption, unless, of course, the Navy is allowing certain people to do business on the beach, for payment.

Either way, the Navy is implicated, either in a neglect of their duty, or incompetence, or corruption, especially in relation to the jet skis.

Now the military are running the country you're probably right and as he said himself, it's his business now. Usually, in a normal country, the police would make any arrests (based on information given by the navy maybe) as it is civillians breaking the law and they will be processed by a civilian court, not a military one. However things are not normal at this time really

"However things are not normal at this time really" - have you ever known Phuket to be "normal?"

That's a fair comment!! and "NO" is the answer of course

[Jimbolai]

It should be very reassuring to all tourists that only the Navy is authorized to collect from the illegal vendors. If a tourist becomes aware that police or army personel are getting illegal money the tourist should feel secure that only the navy is in charge. No more questions need to asked abot this.

[maidee]

hand caught in the cookie jar, even then they will deny it was them ...

[Strikerxxx]

I'm puzzled as to why Naval personnel would be wearing camouflage uniforms. I thought that was the province of land-based defence forces, not those serving on ships or naval depots.

The US Navy forces in Iraq and Afghanistan were issued their own Cammo BDUs (old pattern). They went to a standard shipboard Digital Cammo a couple of years back (I asked whey you would want to wear a blue/black cammo in the ocean, they couldn't figure it out themselves). So you are starting to see military forces around the world change. The Marines used the desert Digital and it worked great, the Army hated it, never worked in green. They switched to mulit-cam around 2012.