Court sets witness hearings set in ‘zero-dollar tour’ case

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Court sets witness hearings set in ‘zero-dollar tour’ case

By Kesinee Taengkhieo

 

A judge at Bangkok's Ratchadapisek Criminal Court on Monday went over the evidence in the case against 13 defendants accused of operating a “zerodollar tour” network, which is deemed illegal and damaging to the Thai tourism industry. 

 

As the prosecution prepared 60 witnesses to testify, while the defendant lined up 31, the court scheduled 22 witness hearing sessions to be held for this case, the first on May 30 and the last on September 1. 

 

The lawsuit was filed against Fuan Travel Co Ltd executive Somkiat Khongcharoen, 58; Fuan Travel Co Ltd executive Thawal Jaemchokchai, 60; OA Transport Co Ltd; OA Transport executive Wasurat Rojrungrangsi, 27; Royal Gems International Co Ltd; Thai Herb Co Ltd; Bangkok Handicraft Centre Co Ltd; Royal Paradise Co Ltd; Wasurat's mother Nisa Rojrungrangsi, 62, who served as executives at four accused companies; OA Transport executive Thongchai Rungrojrangsi, 61; Ban Khanom Thongthip Co Ltd; Ban Khanom Thongthip executive Saithip Rojrungrangsi, 36; and Fuan executive Winij Chanmanee, 70. 

 

The 13 face charges of conspiring in secret activities with unlawful intention; causing damage to the local tourism industry by operating illegal and unfair tour businesses; and violating antimoney laundering laws.

 

The lawsuit states that, between March 24 and August 31, 2016, the defendants allegedly brought tourists from mainland China via very cheap tourism packages and took them to buy overpriced goods and services at shops from their network, among which they would split benefits in percentages. 

 

It is alleged the operation caused damage worth Bt98 million. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/breakingnews/30310446

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-03-27

[saakura]

Well not much seems to have changed. I arrived in Don Mueang airport at 3am last saturday and thought i had accidently landed up in some Chinese airport. Long serpentine queues with boisterous noisy chinese who mostly apperared to have come from rural villages, lured by very cheap packages. Many team leaders with different coloured flags on long poles were barking orders and herding them like sheep.

[darksidedog]

Tip of the iceberg. Tourist numbers are up, allegedly. Hotels, restaurants and bars though are empty.

Lots of Chinese coming who go from hotel to temple, to rip off tourist shop, to hotel and home again, never buying more than a coke, the whole time they are here, apart from the overpriced souveniers.

Numbers are one thing, dollars into the economy are something else. Poor fellas here are getting screwed, for something that we all know is rampant.

[Hereinthailand]

^Hate the Chinese do ya ? Yes lets not let free enterprise happen, that would be so un-thai. And why have a trial they already took all their buses and assets, whats the point ?

[wakeupplease]

Where have all the Tourists gone? bet you TAT will have record visitors this year

 

1 and 1 makes 999.000 in our new bang up todate technical maths, so for sure record tourists again this year and no tax rises to cove the shortfall

 

Am I dreaming again?

 

In London yesterday (Sunday) loads of Visitors from the Far East, Hotel manager told me spending a lot, so we have the quality ones then, mind you have to pay the earth for a visa. I still prefer Thai food to Chinese sort of tastes better as long as its cooked right

[craigt3365]

I've been on trips like these in many countries.  You buy a cheap tour at your hotel and end up being taken to some over priced tourist trinket shop as part of the program.  Nothing new to Thailand here.  Egypt, Israel, China, India, etc.  I just refuse to buy anything.  And tip the guide instead if they do a good job. 

 

Same BS happens here with Thai Tuk Tuk drivers in Bangkok.  The Golden Palace is closed today!  Want to go on a free tour of XXX, XXX instead?  Oh, and you have to stop by that gem store and the tailor along the way.  LOL  How about cracking down on these scam artists?  I actually did this on my first trip here over 15 years ago.  Luckily, didn't buy anything! LOL

 

 

[JSixpack]

12 hours ago, darksidedog said:

Tip of the iceberg. Tourist numbers are up, allegedly. Hotels, restaurants and bars though are empty.

Lots of Chinese coming who go from hotel to temple

 

Aren't the hotels just empty then while the Chinese go to temple? Is that not OK?

 

Actually they aren't all empty. Typical nonsense.

 

Quote

 . . . never buying more than a coke . . . Numbers are one thing, dollars into the economy are something else. Poor fellas here are getting screwed, for something that we all know is rampant.

 

THB is the currency here, not dollars. They mostly don't think they're being screwed, so up to them. You don't actually know what they are buying and just parroting TVF myth. Central and the Hilton, to mention those, say Chinese hare really helped the bottom line; this from before the zero-dollar tours ended::

 

Improved performance of existing projects e.g. at CentralWorld, CentralPlaza Lardprao, CentralPlaza Pattaya Beach, etc., supported by spending from foreign tourists mainly from China and Korea during their summer travel season. . . . On a q-o-q basis, revenues from hotel operation increased by 6% thanks mainly to higher occupancy and room rate at Hilton Pattaya Beach Hotel with occupancy high at 92% in the third quarter, enhancing RevPar up 4% q-o-q as a result of an increasing number of Chinese and Korean tourist visits during their travel season in July-August. . . . continuing growth in hotel business with higher occupancy in this quarter on the back of increasing number of foreign tourists visiting Hilton Pattaya Beach Hotel. . . . However, the food court at CentralFestival Pattaya Beach experienced revenue growth, driven by higher traffic from tourist visits in the third quarter.

Central Pattana PCL, Performance Overview: Overall economic condition in 3Q15

 

And since all TVF economic experts absolutely KNOW that Chinese tourists only spend money in Chinese venues like Central and the Hilton (and now Tesco Lotus and Foodland, as I saw quite a few in there recently), we have the completely bizarre situation whereby Thai banks kindly provide up to 166 billion baht to Chinese tourists, and therefore to China, for no possible reason.

 

The nation’s seven commercial banks have prepared up to 166 billion baht for spending during the holiday, up by 9.7 billion last year. Bangkok Bank has reserved 35 billion baht for the period, Siam Commercial Bank has prepared 33 billion, Krungsri Bank has set aside 28.6 billion, Krungthai Bank has readied 20 billion and Kasikorn Bank has made sure to have 40 billion baht on hand.

Banks confident Chinese New Year spending to be lively

 

Oddly, as TVF economists sneer at TAT's figures of rising numbers of tourists (and are still in denial about the construction of Suvarnabhumi Airport), the banks and the Mastercard Asia Pacific Destinations Index seem to agree more that the Chinese numbers are in fact rising, perhaps 16% annually according to the brokerage CLSA. Yes, dear GLOBAL CRASH! forecasters, CLSA took into account your knee-jerk about any economic slowdown:

 

But rising individualism and financial independence are seeing more and more young Chinese choose to defy custom, while at the same time tourism and outbound travel are surging. . . . Growing numbers are also seizing the opportunity for tourism, despite slowing growth in the world's second-largest economy. . . . Chinese travellers are by far the biggest spenders in the world, splashing $165 billion in countries they visited last year, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation.

New Year, New Travel: More Chinese Choose Tourism Over Tradition