PHUKET: About 50 expat dive business investors decided last night to defy alleged extortion by rogue police on Phuket and opted to work together to end the claimed shakedowns.
Nearly all of the people who gathered at the Thai Diving Association premises on the airport road were there because they'd been asked to pay additional ''fees'' of up to 20,000 baht to men in plain clothes who claimed to be police.
One woman of Chinese extraction said that officers at Chalong Police Station had been holding her passport for six months. Without it, she was unable to visit a sick sister in China.
In a series of emotional speeches, expat dive industry managers denounced the tactics of police in claiming the extra ''fees'' and undertook to pool their resources to end the alleged rip-offs at Chalong Pier.
While some of the speakers used their names, Phuketwan has decided for the time being to not name them.
The expats were told by a lawyer to adopt a number of measures in future if approached by men saying they were plainclothes police:
.. demand to see an ID card and note the number
.. ask what the charge is
.. make a telephone call to the TDA immediately
.. do not sign anything
.. take photos if possible
.. do not pay anything
The expats were urged to unite forces by joining the TDA and assured that police in Region 8 and Bangkok were likely to investigate the allegations of extortion by Chalong police.
''High-level people in Bangkok and at Region 8 are now aware of the problem,'' a TDA representative told the meeting.
The gathering was told that raids on Chalong Pier alarmed customers and were damaging Phuket's reputation as a key centre for diving tourism.
''It's horrible,'' one speaker said. ''The police come, they don't explain. They don't care. They just want money.''
One woman who had been running a diving business in southern Phuket since 2008 said that she had ''never had this kind of problem'' until December 5, when she was apprehended and questioned for 90 minutes in a building at the rear of Chalong Police Station.
She said all her paperwork was in order. ''We were told 'Give us 20,000 baht and you are free to go,''' she said.
On another occasion, a group of instructors were taken to the same building. ''Nobody was talking to them,'' she said. ''Nobody said anything.''
She added: ''If we give in, prices are going to go up. I think they want new iPhones.
''It's a very big downer on my business. We have to ask ourselves, 'Do we leave or do we stay? If we don't unite, it's going to get worse and the dive industry is going to go down.
''I'm shaking a bit because it's a shit situation,'' the woman said.
The alleged extortionists usually dress in old t-shirts and are not easily identified as police.
For years, the dive industry has been highly competitive and not cooperative.
The alleged shakedowns appear likely to bring expat investors together for the first time to combat the claimed rip-offs.
One suggestion last night was that the dive industry needs work permits that recognise that everyone involved in the industry carries equipment when boats are being loaded and unloaded.
One claim by police is that many of the expats break the terms of their work permits and perform jobs specifically listed for Thais when they load and unload boats.
Nearly all of the people who gathered at the Thai Diving Association premises on the airport road were there because they'd been asked to pay additional ''fees'' of up to 20,000 baht to men in plain clothes who claimed to be police.
One woman of Chinese extraction said that officers at Chalong Police Station had been holding her passport for six months. Without it, she was unable to visit a sick sister in China.
In a series of emotional speeches, expat dive industry managers denounced the tactics of police in claiming the extra ''fees'' and undertook to pool their resources to end the alleged rip-offs at Chalong Pier.
While some of the speakers used their names, Phuketwan has decided for the time being to not name them.
The expats were told by a lawyer to adopt a number of measures in future if approached by men saying they were plainclothes police:
.. demand to see an ID card and note the number
.. ask what the charge is
.. make a telephone call to the TDA immediately
.. do not sign anything
.. take photos if possible
.. do not pay anything
The expats were urged to unite forces by joining the TDA and assured that police in Region 8 and Bangkok were likely to investigate the allegations of extortion by Chalong police.
''High-level people in Bangkok and at Region 8 are now aware of the problem,'' a TDA representative told the meeting.
The gathering was told that raids on Chalong Pier alarmed customers and were damaging Phuket's reputation as a key centre for diving tourism.
''It's horrible,'' one speaker said. ''The police come, they don't explain. They don't care. They just want money.''
One woman who had been running a diving business in southern Phuket since 2008 said that she had ''never had this kind of problem'' until December 5, when she was apprehended and questioned for 90 minutes in a building at the rear of Chalong Police Station.
She said all her paperwork was in order. ''We were told 'Give us 20,000 baht and you are free to go,''' she said.
On another occasion, a group of instructors were taken to the same building. ''Nobody was talking to them,'' she said. ''Nobody said anything.''
She added: ''If we give in, prices are going to go up. I think they want new iPhones.
''It's a very big downer on my business. We have to ask ourselves, 'Do we leave or do we stay? If we don't unite, it's going to get worse and the dive industry is going to go down.
''I'm shaking a bit because it's a shit situation,'' the woman said.
The alleged extortionists usually dress in old t-shirts and are not easily identified as police.
For years, the dive industry has been highly competitive and not cooperative.
The alleged shakedowns appear likely to bring expat investors together for the first time to combat the claimed rip-offs.
One suggestion last night was that the dive industry needs work permits that recognise that everyone involved in the industry carries equipment when boats are being loaded and unloaded.
One claim by police is that many of the expats break the terms of their work permits and perform jobs specifically listed for Thais when they load and unload boats.
Well done, very responsible, for not publishing names, maybe the faces should be blurred. This coming together is how all businesses should be approaching the police extortion cartel. (reluctant to use cartel, it is technically the wrong word, but it will save conflict with "he who should be obeyed.")
Posted by Laurie Howells on March 23, 2014 11:40