Pattaya officials try talking out jet ski problem

[cookee68]

What a crack down on the crack done again, don't they feel like and idiot going over the same bullshit with the same stories, just remove all jet skies from Pattaya,

[GAZZPA]

I can just hear it now..

"Oh please, please stop, it's not fun for us to get so much grief over this"

Its pathetic, shut them all down, Make them all reapply for licenses proving that they have sufficient insurance to protect their jet skis from potential damage. Make them show the license as part of the rental agreement to customers so they know.

Lastly, make it illegal to try and squeeze money from a customer should any "genuine" damage ever occur.

Don't expect anything to change as that ridiculous face thing pops up again.

[inzman]

Well we all know how much got done in Phuket. The army came in and said no more jet skis. The next week the jet skis expanded. So I expect the same here. Everyone knows this scam is too profitable for some important people to ever stop.

[ozyjon]

I still don't believe it,, 25 years strong,

what a business.

[alphaflight]

About how many times have they been "warned" thus far?

It's funny that the term 'Jet ski mafia' used to describe this band of misfits, doesn't present enough cause in Thailand to disband them all........

[Thongkorn]

I personally have seen first hand, An Indian man got scammed, I watched it, he went to the Police Station across the road, A Policeman came out, Took one look and said you have to pay for the alleged Damage,He paid up reluctantly< 30,000 baht, He walked away cursing saying he will never come back to Thailand. I sat there another hour when the Thai policeman came out of the Police station, on beach road, He walked across the road and was handed some thing from the Scammers, work it out , if thats not corruption what is,. The Police Know this is going on because they are involved, maybe things are starting to come back on Thailand, with a bit of luck,

[connda]

Now, back to reality...

[ToddinChonburi]

Last month the have the article about India threatening to boycott Thailand and now they want the jet ski boys to police themselves. So you have to assume that everyone is getting paid to ignore this.

The latest victims are from India and now there government is involved, next will be the Chinese. OH I forgot they are already raping the Chinese girls.

[Cake Monster]

If the so called " officials " of City Hall really wanted to stop the jet Ski Scams,or had any powers, the talking should be as follows.

Official " Right you morons, stop the scams immeadiately, or the Police will be on you like a rash - got it ? - now get out of my office,- and dont slam the door on the way out ".

End of talks

So, so easy, but this is Pattaya, and corruption and greasing palms is everything to business in this City.

[Rimmer]

An inflammatory post also a libellous post have been removed

[marinediscoking]

Why are Thai Visa writers so negative--------?

Yes the jet ski problem has been around for Years & Years through all governments -----Red shirt, Yellow shirt-----Pink shirt or whatever. No one has made any effort to stop it----but of course its all the Generals fault.

They have been given a warning that they will be closed down----Just like the hotels / restaurants sitting on Public land on Phuket were given several warnings.

That followed the usual TV letters (funny enough by much the same people ) about how nothing will ever be done to them / to much money / to corrupt etc etc .....until they burnt & pulled them down.

It seems they are going to be issued a license type scheme-----no License you can't rent----- shouldn't we at least wait a few months to see if anything is moving here.....I am not that hopeful with this type of scum that run these , but shouldn't we wait & see what happens if there is a next violation.

Then if they actually do do something you can all get ready to blame the general for starting to move on the next scam that's been around for the last 25 years, & all the reasons why they will never do this ---that ect....................

I still don't believe it,, 25 years strong,

what a business.

Actually I have been jogging the length of Pattaya beach several times a week since moving here in 2001 and prior to that on holiday since 1992. I did not start seeing the scams start taking place until shortly after the coup in 2006. There were some accidents of course but nothing to the effect to what starting happening at that time. In the 90's I was almost landed on by a parasailer when the were still operating from the beach, they smartly moved that off shore.

In the beginning they targeted western tourists for the scam, then when they stopped renting so they targeted the Russians as they were new. The last 4 or 5 years, its just been the arabs and the indians who seem to uniformed and are the only people left renting in any numbers.

From what I understand this started before in Phuket and then moved here.

[phycokiller]

its low season, probably the meeting in reality was along the lines of "you arent giving us a big enough cut"

[dean008]

The last time I got scammed was in India. I was going skiing with some friends and we paid for a guide, he (the guide) was refused access to the chair lift because he didn't have a guide license. Once we got back, we demanded a refund, he refused so I walked over to the nearby policeman who told me to ask again and if he didn't give a refund he would be arrested and imprisoned. The Policeman made himself clearly visible when I approached the guide again, a refund was forthcoming.

It is my understanding that the Thais generally view the Indians as a lower life form, well from my point of view the Thais could learn a hell of a lot from the Indians, and when comparing Indian and Thai police (both underpaid) I know which is the lower life form in my opinion and which are superior

[Pattaya46]

Well we all know how much got done in Phuket.

The army came in and said no more jet skis.

The next week the jet skis expanded.

Unsure what you are talking about ???

From what I know jet skis are still banned at Surin Beach

and authorised on a few sectors only at Patong Beach

with not jet skis parking on the beach.

Military made a good job there.

Hope they could do the same in Pattaya

[marinediscoking]

Well we all know how much got done in Phuket.

The army came in and said no more jet skis.

The next week the jet skis expanded.

Unsure what you are talking about ???

From what I know jet skis are still banned at Surin Beach

and authorised on a few sectors only at Patong Beach

with not jet skis parking on the beach.

Military made a good job there.

Hope they could do the same in Pattaya

Are you kidding? The jetski scam in Phuket is still in full swing from the reports in Phuketwan. Along with the overcharging red taxis that are still illegally parked everyday.

[Pattaya46]

Are you kidding? The jetski scam in Phuket is still in full swing from the reports in Phuketwan.

I am not in Phuket so can only believe what media report.

Last articles on phuketgazette.net seemed to say Jet Ski operators were under control

and authorised on a few specific areas only...

I am not there to check if true, or no more true ?...

[maidee]

how much % of business to make this go away?

[phycokiller]

If the so called " officials " of City Hall really wanted to stop the jet Ski Scams,or had any powers, the talking should be as follows.

Official " Right you morons, stop the scams immeadiately, or the Police will be on you like a rash - got it ? - now get out of my office,- and dont slam the door on the way out ".

End of talks

So, so easy, but this is Pattaya, and corruption and greasing palms is everything to business in this City.

city hall officials already attend many of the scams, and they often call the police, so that idea may not work

also if you were in that position you may just have lost a part of your income, that couldnt happen in pattaya of course, but in other third world countries officials have been known to get a cut from such enterprises

Edited September 16, 2015 by phycokiller

[RidgeRunner]

Since 2008, the Pattaya Deputy Mayor has been holding emergency meetings & calling for mandatory jet ski insurance & set many deadlines.

As to date, there are still no provisions in Thai Law to enforce jet ski insurance!

August 2008, "Emergency" meeting, Pattaya Deputy Mayor ordered all jet skis be insured and the scams must stop.

September 2009, Big Trouble in Thailand makes world wide television. http://www.thai-blogs.com/2009/09/10/big-trouble-in-thailand-jet-ski-scam/

November 2010, Jet Ski Scam goes viral on YouTube.

August 2011, "Emergency" meeting: Pattaya Deputy Mayor orders all jet skis be insured and the scams must stop.

April 2012, Two Chinese students were assaulted by the jet ski thugs after they left Pattaya Police Station.

September 2013, “Emergency” meeting, Chonburi Gov. Khomsan Ekachai said Thaisri Insurance had been signed up to provide mandatory insurance.

August 2014, The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) recently announced a plan to work with the Department of Tourism, under the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, to resolve the issue of tourists being scammed by corrupt jetski operators

October 2015, "Emergency" meeting, Boonchai Tansamai, an officer with the Ministry of Tourism and Sports’ Chonburi office, again stood before a group of jet ski hawkers at Pattaya City Hall and again offered up Thaisri Insurance policies.

Edited October 28, 2015 by RidgeRunner

[BillyBobThai]

Have the Thai navy pick up all of the jetskis and use for target practice.