Thai Tourism Minister confirms stringent measures to take care of tourists

[Thaddeus]

Disclaimer:

No Thais were injured or caused undue stress in the writing of this article.

[sawadee1947]

Is it all what this old fork can tell? Give advice? No law enforcement? Give only hot farts? Just 28 People were heavily injured when comeing back at night crashing into another boat......And now? Business as usual.....

[Regyai]

Ministerial issue office desk

makes it impossible

to see her knee jerking

[Tatsujin]

stringent measures = say something publicly, then hope everyone forgets about it

[sapson]

Good to know!

So when tourists are being blatantly ripped off in the jetski scam they will assure their safety.

Two tourist police will be assigned to help them to the ATM and safely back across beach road to deposit the money with the thieving scumbags thus avoiding the normal assaults!

Oh what a load of hypocritical nonsense they spout on a daily basis. TIT.

Edited June 6, 2016 by sapson

[Khon Kaen Dave]

What a great thing by the minister.All that vowing has made me feel much safer.

I think its wonderful that she should do such a thing,and no doubt we will now see an increase in life jackets and a decrease in speed.

Yeah Right.

for about 3 weeks,then back to normal......

[hlj]

Again all talk and no action as always here in Thailand.

[elgordo38]

The best way to start will be to make sure that the service providers of transportation vehicles, boats,

and all other leisure activates equipment and machinery will undergo a " stringent " testing to insure

their mechanical worthiness, that you do the same with the people that operate the above, and not

every out of season farmer will become a driver or operator of such equipment's that ferry and

transport tourist, but what do I know, I'm just a dumb farang, and minister probably knows best......

If you take all these "stringent" measures the ticket prices would have to quadruple and there goes demand and profit out the window. When this lady leaves her ivory tower you know its serious. I am sure her department that scans the international news for negative comments have sounded the alarm. Things are allowed to proceed here in a haphazard manner till something goes wrong and then that unfortunate person is made an example of problem solved point made and announced to the foreign press with much fanfare and life continues on as before till the next "incident"

[elgordo38]

ahhh once more the tiger without teeth tries to roar but more like a sterile purr.........

Once again Im staggered by the lack of curative analysis.......

Lets not ascertain why these accidents are occurring rather lets make sure all tourists have life jackets on just in case it happens again....

Where are the measures and controls on boat seaworthiness, max permissible passengers per boat , skippers licensing and training, accident management plans , weather contingency plans and controls, insurance provision and coverage.. etc etc etc......

Where is the strong co-ordination between various departments who have jurisdiction here..... "Land Transport being advised to tackle problems" sounds very casual indeed......

Were the measures introduced not published in this release as the terminology " stringent" as applied doth butter no parsnips.

Your talking about safety measures that would take a lot of money moola to enforce. Deflecting the problem to tourists who do not wear life jackets (if they are available) is more the norm. Tourist dollars are revered on the incoming side but outgoing hmm.

Edited June 6, 2016 by elgordo38

[inzman]

Typical, blame the tourists for not wearing life jackets. What about the cowboys driving the boats high on yaba and drunk. Mai pen lai.

[MockingJay]

I hope this stringent measures include foreigners to wear full face helmets on Koh Tao whenever leaving their room to assure they won't get their heads bashed in, since the guts and balls are missing in official positions to pull out the roots...

[TSF]

@nakhonandy:

"Talk about rose coloured glasses!

Outside of the tourist hotspots maybe you have a point, certainly not in Pattaya, Patong etc.

I live in Jomtien and there are regular, daily reports of one thing or another down in Patts. Jet Ski scammers, Ladyboy muggers, Thai youths ganging up on tourists. No idea where you live, but here it is not isolated incidents at all.

Of the so called 30 mil tourists you mentioned the bulk of them will be shepherded around in buses and then follow a flag about so are relatively safe, however even some of the brave that venture out on their own get targeted."

Also got to consider that what gets reported on TV and in newspapers is only the tip of the iceberg. Unless they are hospitalised most tourists/expats just don't report the crimes against them. They know it's pretty well a big waste of time going to the Thai police. Furthermore, if they were robbed or beaten by ladyboys then it will immediately be assumed they are homosexuals who were sexually involved with the ladyboys. Rather than start rattling cages over being robbed and assulted most foreign victims choose to write it off to experience.

[Emster23]

"....tackle problems in the tourism industry, including those related to the rental of speed boats and ferries, passenger boats, motorcycle taxis and taxis." Must have been a little lapse, as she forgot about dangers of walking (Hannah and David). I'd suggest might be safest to not leave room, but then again we did have collapsing guesthouse just the other day, and then there are all those "assisted suicides" in hotels.....

[MZurf]

Oh this again. Is it that time of the month again? Meanwhile tourists are dying and being beaten in droves, can't wait for the July media release stating stringent measures being rolled out to protect tourist dollars.

Love the bitter foriegners, dying and beaten in droves.. Ahahaha, beating tourist hmm come to Australia and see

I have told him a million times not to exaggerate.

30 million tourists come a year and a handful get beaten up.

From that handful, most have brought it upon themselves by slapping, punching, pushing, swearing, abusing, spitting or not paying for their drinks etc A few more are injured while being robbed as is normal in any country.

There are transport accidents but common sense should tell you not to get on an overcrowded speedboat in weather that already caused the cancellation of the very same tours by other companies. Don't hire a motorbike if you don't have a licsence and wear a helmet if you do. Don't drink and ride/drive.

IMO the best thing they could do would be to hand out a list of dos and don'ts with the arrival card on the plane. Let tourists know that Thais don't want to be patted on the head (farangs mistakenly think they are being friendly), don't put your feet on things, and all the things that the Thais are sensitive to, but farangs are not. Don't make an angry big scene out of a small mix up.

The Thais are very friendly people and most are proud of their country and happy to share it with polite foreigners. The way I have been treated by thai people here has been great.

As the above poster said, go to Australia and see how foreigners are treated there. No one goes out of their way to help foreigners. They will likely be racially abused on public transport, attacked for fun, and in the more severe cases be shot and buried in the bush.There was also the case of the Thai woman being thrown off a bridge and being fed to saltwater crocodiles. A Thai school girl is still missing. Indian students are singled out for beatings.

Thais don't go around beating up foreigners just for fun, there is usually something that sparks these incidents and often it is drunk or angry foreigners.

Lovely people these Thais, 30 million tourists coming this year, 29,999,900 will have a great time, many will have the best time of their lives.

"I have told him a million times not to exaggerate. "

5555555! Good one!

[prestburypark]

Wow! Life jackets? What are those?

I guess they will import them from Greece, seems to be a surplus of them there.

[Regyai]

Wow! Life jackets? What are those?

I guess they will import them from Greece, seems to be a surplus of them there.

Just take care they don't come ready- filled

[Winniedapu]

Oh this again. Is it that time of the month again? Meanwhile tourists are dying and being beaten in droves, can't wait for the July media release stating stringent measures being rolled out to protect tourist dollars.

Love the bitter foriegners, dying and beaten in droves.. Ahahaha, beating tourist hmm come to Australia and see

I have told him a million times not to exaggerate.

30 million tourists come a year and a handful get beaten up.

From that handful, most have brought it upon themselves by slapping, punching, pushing, swearing, abusing, spitting or not paying for their drinks etc A few more are injured while being robbed as is normal in any country.

There are transport accidents but common sense should tell you not to get on an overcrowded speedboat in weather that already caused the cancellation of the very same tours by other companies. Don't hire a motorbike if you don't have a licsence and wear a helmet if you do. Don't drink and ride/drive.

IMO the best thing they could do would be to hand out a list of dos and don'ts with the arrival card on the plane. Let tourists know that Thais don't want to be patted on the head (farangs mistakenly think they are being friendly), don't put your feet on things, and all the things that the Thais are sensitive to, but farangs are not. Don't make an angry big scene out of a small mix up.

The Thais are very friendly people and most are proud of their country and happy to share it with polite foreigners. The way I have been treated by thai people here has been great.

As the above poster said, go to Australia and see how foreigners are treated there. No one goes out of their way to help foreigners. They will likely be racially abused on public transport, attacked for fun, and in the more severe cases be shot and buried in the bush.There was also the case of the Thai woman being thrown off a bridge and being fed to saltwater crocodiles. A Thai school girl is still missing. Indian students are singled out for beatings.

Thais don't go around beating up foreigners just for fun, there is usually something that sparks these incidents and often it is drunk or angry foreigners.

Lovely people these Thais, 30 million tourists coming this year, 29,999,900 will have a great time, many will have the best time of their lives.

It's a privilege to recognise a stars-in-their-eyes tourist, doubtless complete with conviction that inside every primitive culture lies a spiritual depth unknown to or forgotten by the more advanced civilisations. It's like watching a bad Shangri-la movie sometimes.

The reality of course is different. There are no advanced medicinal cures for ailments incurable in the west, in fact the medicine in Thailand is primitive at bestand incompetent at worst. Buddhism does not hold spiritual depths that the west, in their broader evolution, has lost sight of. The culture is primitive, the religion is misinterpreted and corrupted, the politics is primitive and deceitful, the economy is based on corruption and theft. The sociology is based on arrogance, face, a belief in their immutable superiority, and violence.

Please, enough of the starry-eyed newcomer, they are full of wishful thinking and if they've been in Thailand for more than 2 years, then they are willingly delusional as well. The above post is a wonderful example of the kind of stupidity that encourages Thais to think that all foreigners are stupid.

All you have to do to understand Thailand and Thais is read the newspapers and watch the Thai TV stations. For those who have eyes to see and ears to hear.

Sorry for the rant, but these 'Thais-do-nothing-wrong' fools get right up my nose.

W

Edited June 6, 2016 by Winniedapu

[smedly]

Wow! Life jackets? What are those?

although I don't know the details it is unlikely a life Jacket would have had any impact with this incident were the boat overturned, in fact wearing them may have created more fatalities trapping people under the boat, but I am not saying they should not be worn, it's a bit like the car seatbelt argument - yes they save many many lives but on the odd occasion cause a death.

But regardless, this is not about tourists wearing anything, it is about the safe management of transport in this country be it land sea or air, the statistics don't lie especially on the roads with minivan and bus accidents on a daily basis not to mention motorbikes and cars.

But of course making infrastructure improvements and setting standards and enforcing them costs big money so not a chance in hell of it ever happening

[Kiwisailor]

A bit like the ban on alcohol on trains in order to prevent the staff from raping and murdering the customers

[smedly]

Swimmers will also be required to wear Kevlar full body suits to protect them when they get in the way of boats.

never happen, who's going to pay for the massive damage to the boat

[smedly]

Oh this again. Is it that time of the month again? Meanwhile tourists are dying and being beaten in droves, can't wait for the July media release stating stringent measures being rolled out to protect tourist dollars.

Love the bitter foriegners, dying and beaten in droves.. Ahahaha, beating tourist hmm come to Australia and see

I have told him a million times not to exaggerate.

30 million tourists come a year and a handful get beaten up.

From that handful, most have brought it upon themselves by slapping, punching, pushing, swearing, abusing, spitting or not paying for their drinks etc A few more are injured while being robbed as is normal in any country.

There are transport accidents but common sense should tell you not to get on an overcrowded speedboat in weather that already caused the cancellation of the very same tours by other companies. Don't hire a motorbike if you don't have a licsence and wear a helmet if you do. Don't drink and ride/drive.

IMO the best thing they could do would be to hand out a list of dos and don'ts with the arrival card on the plane. Let tourists know that Thais don't want to be patted on the head (farangs mistakenly think they are being friendly), don't put your feet on things, and all the things that the Thais are sensitive to, but farangs are not. Don't make an angry big scene out of a small mix up.

The Thais are very friendly people and most are proud of their country and happy to share it with polite foreigners. The way I have been treated by thai people here has been great.

As the above poster said, go to Australia and see how foreigners are treated there. No one goes out of their way to help foreigners. They will likely be racially abused on public transport, attacked for fun, and in the more severe cases be shot and buried in the bush.There was also the case of the Thai woman being thrown off a bridge and being fed to saltwater crocodiles. A Thai school girl is still missing. Indian students are singled out for beatings.

Thais don't go around beating up foreigners just for fun, there is usually something that sparks these incidents and often it is drunk or angry foreigners.

Lovely people these Thais, 30 million tourists coming this year, 29,999,900 will have a great time, many will have the best time of their lives.

Talk about rose coloured glasses!

Outside of the tourist hotspots maybe you have a point, certainly not in Pattaya, Patong etc.

I live in Jomtien and there are regular, daily reports of one thing or another down in Patts. Jet Ski scammers, Ladyboy muggers, Thai youths ganging up on tourists. No idea where you live, but here it is not isolated incidents at all.

Of the so called 30 mil tourists you mentioned the bulk of them will be shepherded around in buses and then follow a flag about so are relatively safe, however even some of the brave that venture out on their own get targeted.

my guess would be that 90% of such incidents go unreported

[yooyoo]

Heheee.. nice joke

[amykat]

A load of publicity hype with zero enforcement on quality and safety regarding the boats or the crew or even the use oif the boats, BUT Tourists yes ,wear life jackets. When the captain of boat is stupid you will at least float before nasty animals eat you, how's that for good tourism .........EH !!!!

Yes, more to the point, they are probably pissed off it took so long to find a few of the bodies, so they figure the life jackets will save them time and viola .. some money for the next accidents ...if they train the tourists better!!

[teacherpaul]

Thais are always introducing "stringent measures." A Thai introduction of stringent measures is nothing more than a flatulence in church.

Wouldn't flatulence in a temple be more appropriate in this case?

[amykat]

Hi was on a longtail last week.Big sign saying wear life jackets at all times but none on board!!

The first time I was in Samui in 2004, there were English TV commercials on satellite TV urging us tourists to make the taxis/tuk-tuks use their meters. So I diligently tried that. I never once had success. I had several fights, and walked home a few times because I could not understand why I was the last customer out of a restaurant, and there were 20 tuk-tuks sitting there with nothing to do and I was half a kilo from my hotel and they wanted something super expensive like 300 baht, (I can't remember now how much.)

Now that I have lived here since then ...why would TAT urge tourists to get into fights with a taxi mafia??? And was it ever successful??

[baboon]

Oh this again. Is it that time of the month again? Meanwhile tourists are dying and being beaten in droves, can't wait for the July media release stating stringent measures being rolled out to protect tourist dollars.

Love the bitter foriegners, dying and beaten in droves.. Ahahaha, beating tourist hmm come to Australia and see

I have told him a million times not to exaggerate.

30 million tourists come a year and a handful get beaten up.

From that handful, most have brought it upon themselves by slapping, punching, pushing, swearing, abusing, spitting or not paying for their drinks etc A few more are injured while being robbed as is normal in any country.

There are transport accidents but common sense should tell you not to get on an overcrowded speedboat in weather that already caused the cancellation of the very same tours by other companies. Don't hire a motorbike if you don't have a licsence and wear a helmet if you do. Don't drink and ride/drive.

IMO the best thing they could do would be to hand out a list of dos and don'ts with the arrival card on the plane. Let tourists know that Thais don't want to be patted on the head (farangs mistakenly think they are being friendly), don't put your feet on things, and all the things that the Thais are sensitive to, but farangs are not. Don't make an angry big scene out of a small mix up.

The Thais are very friendly people and most are proud of their country and happy to share it with polite foreigners. The way I have been treated by thai people here has been great.

As the above poster said, go to Australia and see how foreigners are treated there. No one goes out of their way to help foreigners. They will likely be racially abused on public transport, attacked for fun, and in the more severe cases be shot and buried in the bush.There was also the case of the Thai woman being thrown off a bridge and being fed to saltwater crocodiles. A Thai school girl is still missing. Indian students are singled out for beatings.

Thais don't go around beating up foreigners just for fun, there is usually something that sparks these incidents and often it is drunk or angry foreigners.

Lovely people these Thais, 30 million tourists coming this year, 29,999,900 will have a great time, many will have the best time of their lives.

It's a privilege to recognise a stars-in-their-eyes tourist, doubtless complete with conviction that inside every primitive culture lies a spiritual depth unknown to or forgotten by the more advanced civilisations. It's like watching a bad Shangri-la movie sometimes.

The reality of course is different. There are no advanced medicinal cures for ailments incurable in the west, in fact the medicine in Thailand is primitive at bestand incompetent at worst. Buddhism does not hold spiritual depths that the west, in their broader evolution, has lost sight of. The culture is primitive, the religion is misinterpreted and corrupted, the politics is primitive and deceitful, the economy is based on corruption and theft. The sociology is based on arrogance, face, a belief in their immutable superiority, and violence.

Please, enough of the starry-eyed newcomer, they are full of wishful thinking and if they've been in Thailand for more than 2 years, then they are willingly delusional as well. The above post is a wonderful example of the kind of stupidity that encourages Thais to think that all foreigners are stupid.

All you have to do to understand Thailand and Thais is read the newspapers and watch the Thai TV stations. For those who have eyes to see and ears to hear.

Sorry for the rant, but these 'Thais-do-nothing-wrong' fools get right up my nose.

W

Starry - eyed tourist or vested interest...?

[Caveat Emptor]

The Minister is, for me Thailand's Hillary Clinton as she just oozes insincerity and other things too.

[The manic]

Oh this again. Is it that time of the month again? Meanwhile tourists are dying and being beaten in droves, can't wait for the July media release stating stringent measures being rolled out to protect tourist dollars.

Ah! Postman Pat from Perth - never been to Thailand spouting nonsense.

[lvr181]

You've read the joke of the day - move along please.

[Jackin1960]

Having run successful tour boats in Europe and then seen whats on offer in Thailand I would say Thailand has an awful long way to go to get to a recognisable standard of safety and competence. It's not just about enough life jackets for every one although that would be good if they had them. It's about the mind set and a standard (incorruptible) that must be applied and even then it still does not guarantee that you will be 100% safe. The simple fact that it is corrupt and that there is good money to be made will keep it as it is namely unsafe. The only solution is not to use them and tourists should be know the risk they take.

Competent crews, proper safety equipment, and a seaworthy vessel would be a good place to start. And for this you need people in place who can check that it is all in place. And then someone to do spot checks to make sure things stay A1. This should be done every year.