PHUKET: Australia's Ambassador to Thailand, James Wise, is likely to press for dramatic changes on Phuket when he visits the popular holiday island later this week for talks in the aftermath of an Australian tourist's murder.
He will be telling the Phuket Governor, Tri Augkaradacha, and the Phuket Police Commander, Major General Chonsit Wadhnawarangkun, that it's time for action to make Phuket safe.
Support has already come from Thailand's Prime Minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, who recognises that better policing is needed to protect visitors - and her country's tourism industry.
The suggestion is likely to be made during the visit to Phuket by Mr Wise that more frequent checks should be made for guns and knives - and that police confiscate all weapons from all Phuket tuk-tuks immediately.
Mr Wise meets Phuket's Governor and Phuket's Police Commander with Australian honorary consul, Larry Cunningham, on Friday, nine days after the knife murder of Australian Michelle Smith in a bag-snatching gone wrong.
When Mr Wise met Governor Tri in May last year, Governor Tri promised to solve the continuing jet-ski scams. He also undertook to oversee a review of the current fares being asked by Phuket tuk-tuks and taxis, with an intention of lowering the cost for travellers.
Mr Wise's meeting last year with Governor Tri was followed by one of the regular meetings between Phuket honorary consuls and Phuket's top administrators and police.
In normal circumstances, Mrs Smith's killing and the drowning of eight tourists in the space of a month and a day on or near Phuket would have been raised at the next meeting of Phuket's honorary consuls.
However, because of lack of action to fix the problems raised time and time again at the envoy's meetings with Phuket's governor, the three-monthly meetings have been allowed to lapse. No date was set at the last meeting in February for the next meeting, which should have taken place in May.
Rip-offs by Patong's jet-ski operators, excessive fares charged by tuk-tuks and illegal taxis, thuggish behavior and unpunished incidents of violence . . . nothing has ever been done in reaction to the envoys' constant stream of complaints relayed on from tourists and expat residents.
Phuket's Governor Tri was due back from China at the weekend after collecting the Olympic flag for the Fourth Asian beach Games, to be staged on Phuket in 2014.
He will meet Indonesia's Ambassador on Monday, when assurances are once again likely to be sought about the safety of tourists on Phuket.
A murder and eight drownings since May 18 on and around Phuket hardly encourage visitors to come to Phuket during the monsoon season.
Visitors must be properly protected from dangerous ''rip'' currents at the beaches, from whitewater rafting capsizes and from the violent consequences of uncontrolled youths and other thugs or - as Prime Minister Yingluck realises - they will go elsewhere.
He will be telling the Phuket Governor, Tri Augkaradacha, and the Phuket Police Commander, Major General Chonsit Wadhnawarangkun, that it's time for action to make Phuket safe.
Support has already come from Thailand's Prime Minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, who recognises that better policing is needed to protect visitors - and her country's tourism industry.
The suggestion is likely to be made during the visit to Phuket by Mr Wise that more frequent checks should be made for guns and knives - and that police confiscate all weapons from all Phuket tuk-tuks immediately.
Mr Wise meets Phuket's Governor and Phuket's Police Commander with Australian honorary consul, Larry Cunningham, on Friday, nine days after the knife murder of Australian Michelle Smith in a bag-snatching gone wrong.
When Mr Wise met Governor Tri in May last year, Governor Tri promised to solve the continuing jet-ski scams. He also undertook to oversee a review of the current fares being asked by Phuket tuk-tuks and taxis, with an intention of lowering the cost for travellers.
Mr Wise's meeting last year with Governor Tri was followed by one of the regular meetings between Phuket honorary consuls and Phuket's top administrators and police.
In normal circumstances, Mrs Smith's killing and the drowning of eight tourists in the space of a month and a day on or near Phuket would have been raised at the next meeting of Phuket's honorary consuls.
However, because of lack of action to fix the problems raised time and time again at the envoy's meetings with Phuket's governor, the three-monthly meetings have been allowed to lapse. No date was set at the last meeting in February for the next meeting, which should have taken place in May.
Rip-offs by Patong's jet-ski operators, excessive fares charged by tuk-tuks and illegal taxis, thuggish behavior and unpunished incidents of violence . . . nothing has ever been done in reaction to the envoys' constant stream of complaints relayed on from tourists and expat residents.
Phuket's Governor Tri was due back from China at the weekend after collecting the Olympic flag for the Fourth Asian beach Games, to be staged on Phuket in 2014.
He will meet Indonesia's Ambassador on Monday, when assurances are once again likely to be sought about the safety of tourists on Phuket.
A murder and eight drownings since May 18 on and around Phuket hardly encourage visitors to come to Phuket during the monsoon season.
Visitors must be properly protected from dangerous ''rip'' currents at the beaches, from whitewater rafting capsizes and from the violent consequences of uncontrolled youths and other thugs or - as Prime Minister Yingluck realises - they will go elsewhere.
I'm afraid you cannot just expect to wave a magical wand and make these problems dissappear. Crime rate in Phuket is noticebly on the increase and the Police for whatever reason are unwilling to dedicate their time to solve outstanding crimes, only when public opinion forces them to start doing their job. I cannot see how you will be able to change this mind set. With the recent events, and others, I find it very hard to believe that things will improve in the foreseeable future.
Posted by reader on June 24, 2012 11:59
Editor Comment:
Nothing will change unless you and others like you believe that it can.