PHUKET: Local authorities fail to tackle Phuket's problems because they are annoyed at criticsm by honorary consuls and ambassadors, says a stinging article published in one of Europe's best-read magazines.
Germany's Stern (Star) weekly magazine, with seven million readers, quotes Phuket senior honorary consul Dirk Naumann as saying: ''Since we last spoke two years ago, nothing has changed.
''On the contrary,'' the widely-respected Phuket expat says, ''all things have become worse. The Phuket mafia has a firm grip.''
A link to the article, attached to a Tourism Authority of Thailand page online, was drawn to Phuketwan's attention today.
The author relates how ambassadors and representatives from European Union countries have urgently asked the Ministry of Tourism for help, listing deadly currents on beaches, crimes and violent taxi drivers as problems that need speedy attention.
Envoys from 18 nations met face-to-face on Phuket with the Phuket Governor just over a month ago at a summit designed to begin the process of solving Phuket's problems.
The Stern article mentions a concerning number of drownings on Phuket's beaches and refers to ''an inadequate lifeguard system and the lack of enforcement of warnings to swimmers.''
The ambassadors also listed jet-ski scammers, the violence of tuk-tuk drivers and the inadequate care for tourists by police and immigration authoritities.
Representatives from the Australian embassy and the Chinese ambassador had also recently expressed their displeasure over rip-offs, fraud, violence and corruption, the article said.
It was highly unusual for diplomats to ''go public'' in the media with complaints, the article says: ''But their complaints fall on deaf ears.''
The article adds that the Bangkok representative of a large tour operator, who does not want to be named, said resignedly: ''The initiative of EU ambassadors will not change anything.''
Regular meetings were held on Phuket between honorary consuls and Phuket authorities for two years but no meeting has been held since September last year.
Although the Phuket governor promised the European ambassadors that meetings with honorary consuls would resume, a month has passed and no date has been set.
German honorary consul Dirk Naumann, who with a previous German ambassador instigated the innovative series of meetings, said consuls now have little contact with Phuket authorities.
''The new governor of Phuket is mad at us because we always come back with complaints,'' Mr Naumann told the magazine.
German tourists would come to Phuket less often, he said, partly because of the high exchange rate but also because of rip-offs and German television reports about contaminated water.
''Fifteen percent of German tourists do not come back because they are abused, assaulted and ripped off by tuk-tuk drivers,'' Mr Naumann told Stern.
Germans complained about bad experiences on Phuket. One couple with two children said they had to pay 200 baht for a tuk-tuk to go 1.6 kilometres from their resort to a restaurant.
The return trip was even worse - they had to pay 200 baht per person, the article said.
''The tuk-tuk ride would be more expensive than dinner,'' Mr Naumann said. Phuket has the reputation for being the most expensive part of Thailand.
''Chicken, eggs and rice are cheaper in Germany,'' Mr Naumann said.
Under a sub-heading, 'The Better Side of Phuket,' Christof Muller, chief of tour operator Go Vacation Thailand, told 'Stern' that customers who took package holidays tended to avoid Phuket's problems.
He recognised that sewage sometimes ran into the sea and there was crime but package passengers were largely protected.
Efforts have been made to fix security problems as a priority, with security cameras now widespread and taxis being legalised in Phuket City, Kata, Karon and Patong, the Governor of the TAT told the magazine.
However, the boom in numbers of arrivals on Phuket, generated by Chinese and Russian arrivals, was deceptive, Mr Naumann said.
Chinese and Russians remained 2.7 days on average and spent much less than Europeans, who stayed 7.9 days, Mr Naumann said.
Stern noted the drownings on Phuket's popular beaches and added: ''With mass protests and undisguised threats against the island government, the many illegal taxi and tuk-tuk drivers oppose any attempt to conform to regulations.
''Illegal tour guides take tourists out. Taxi drivers 'kidnap' passengers and take them to hotels where they do not wish to go, or force them to purchase items they didn't realise they wanted.''
Mr Naumann, a much-respected longtime resident of Thailand, said: I've been here for 40 years. I never thought it would come to the point where Phuket is worse than Pattaya.''
Germany's Stern (Star) weekly magazine, with seven million readers, quotes Phuket senior honorary consul Dirk Naumann as saying: ''Since we last spoke two years ago, nothing has changed.
''On the contrary,'' the widely-respected Phuket expat says, ''all things have become worse. The Phuket mafia has a firm grip.''
A link to the article, attached to a Tourism Authority of Thailand page online, was drawn to Phuketwan's attention today.
The author relates how ambassadors and representatives from European Union countries have urgently asked the Ministry of Tourism for help, listing deadly currents on beaches, crimes and violent taxi drivers as problems that need speedy attention.
Envoys from 18 nations met face-to-face on Phuket with the Phuket Governor just over a month ago at a summit designed to begin the process of solving Phuket's problems.
The Stern article mentions a concerning number of drownings on Phuket's beaches and refers to ''an inadequate lifeguard system and the lack of enforcement of warnings to swimmers.''
The ambassadors also listed jet-ski scammers, the violence of tuk-tuk drivers and the inadequate care for tourists by police and immigration authoritities.
Representatives from the Australian embassy and the Chinese ambassador had also recently expressed their displeasure over rip-offs, fraud, violence and corruption, the article said.
It was highly unusual for diplomats to ''go public'' in the media with complaints, the article says: ''But their complaints fall on deaf ears.''
The article adds that the Bangkok representative of a large tour operator, who does not want to be named, said resignedly: ''The initiative of EU ambassadors will not change anything.''
Regular meetings were held on Phuket between honorary consuls and Phuket authorities for two years but no meeting has been held since September last year.
Although the Phuket governor promised the European ambassadors that meetings with honorary consuls would resume, a month has passed and no date has been set.
German honorary consul Dirk Naumann, who with a previous German ambassador instigated the innovative series of meetings, said consuls now have little contact with Phuket authorities.
''The new governor of Phuket is mad at us because we always come back with complaints,'' Mr Naumann told the magazine.
German tourists would come to Phuket less often, he said, partly because of the high exchange rate but also because of rip-offs and German television reports about contaminated water.
''Fifteen percent of German tourists do not come back because they are abused, assaulted and ripped off by tuk-tuk drivers,'' Mr Naumann told Stern.
Germans complained about bad experiences on Phuket. One couple with two children said they had to pay 200 baht for a tuk-tuk to go 1.6 kilometres from their resort to a restaurant.
The return trip was even worse - they had to pay 200 baht per person, the article said.
''The tuk-tuk ride would be more expensive than dinner,'' Mr Naumann said. Phuket has the reputation for being the most expensive part of Thailand.
''Chicken, eggs and rice are cheaper in Germany,'' Mr Naumann said.
Under a sub-heading, 'The Better Side of Phuket,' Christof Muller, chief of tour operator Go Vacation Thailand, told 'Stern' that customers who took package holidays tended to avoid Phuket's problems.
He recognised that sewage sometimes ran into the sea and there was crime but package passengers were largely protected.
Efforts have been made to fix security problems as a priority, with security cameras now widespread and taxis being legalised in Phuket City, Kata, Karon and Patong, the Governor of the TAT told the magazine.
However, the boom in numbers of arrivals on Phuket, generated by Chinese and Russian arrivals, was deceptive, Mr Naumann said.
Chinese and Russians remained 2.7 days on average and spent much less than Europeans, who stayed 7.9 days, Mr Naumann said.
Stern noted the drownings on Phuket's popular beaches and added: ''With mass protests and undisguised threats against the island government, the many illegal taxi and tuk-tuk drivers oppose any attempt to conform to regulations.
''Illegal tour guides take tourists out. Taxi drivers 'kidnap' passengers and take them to hotels where they do not wish to go, or force them to purchase items they didn't realise they wanted.''
Mr Naumann, a much-respected longtime resident of Thailand, said: I've been here for 40 years. I never thought it would come to the point where Phuket is worse than Pattaya.''
I have to agree having spent time here in 2005, then 8 weeks in 2008 and again this year. The whole place has gone downhill and prices are on par with Europe, the South is the worst by far. There are other places in Thailand for me now.
Posted by TheBulldog on July 16, 2013 18:52