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Governor Maitree Intrusud (centre) opens the Phuket Boat Show today

Phuket Yachties Face Two Month Renewal

Thursday, January 9, 2014
PHUKET: With exquisite timing to the opening of the annual Phuket Boat Show, Customs officials revealed today that yachts will be required to register every two months instead of six months under tightening rules.

The new arrangement - a flashback to a past era before the six months replaced the two months rule - is likely to be the talk of yachting circles and will anger some sailors.

About 1500 yachts visit Phuket each year, a meeting about public transport at Phuket Provincial Hall in Phuket City was told today.

''For those who come and go from Phuket it will not be such a hardship but it will be difficult for those who put their yachts in for long-term repairs,'' said Phuket Tourist Association Vice president Sarayuth Mallam.

Phuket Customs Director Nanthita Sririkub told Phuketwan later that the new regulation had been announced on December 26.

A formal letter announcing the reduction of the registration period from six months to two months arrived yesterday, she said.

''Next Wednesday we will invite yachtspeople to discuss the issue,'' she said, ''And if it is not popular then it will be changed back eventually.''

Concern about safety and security appeared to have driven the change back to the old timetable, she said, which meant inconvenience for some. The fine for missing the date for reregistering would rise from 500 baht a day to 1000 baht a day, she said.

The eleventh annual Phuket Boat Show - also known these days as Pimex - was due to be formally opened today at the Royal Phuket Marina where it will run until Sunday.

Comments

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"...it will be difficult for those who put their yachts in for long-term repairs,'' said Phuket Tourist Association Vice president Sarayuth Mallam... Langkawi yacht-related businesses will be rubbing their hands with glee. Shame for all those (Thai) Phuket tradespeople who earn their living in this industry. This will put hundreds out of work!

Posted by Grenville Fordham on January 9, 2014 14:41

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That's one way of killing off the yacht repair trade.

With all the woes facing Thailand and indeed Phuket you might have thought extending period might have been more conductive towards tourism and trade.

Posted by Graham on January 9, 2014 15:12

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Looks like longterm yachties are no quality tourists anymore. And what is a two month registratuon helping security?

Posted by Lena on January 9, 2014 17:34

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Dear Lena for sure help security... help security for business of thais that in any kind of work they want to compete with foreigners

Posted by dave on January 9, 2014 21:19

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The drastic reprisal is coming from all yachties who are doing illegal sailing and motor boat charterering tours in Thailand and competiting with properly registered Thai tour boats properly registered as transport tour boats.

Note: to be registered as transport boats you need to have 70% Thai owned shareholders and 2 Thai directors for 1 alien director.

Also, many foreign boats work illegally in Thailand as booking agents:
- Those foreign or private Thai boat charters are not registered with TAT Registration Office to be yacht chater operators but have Facebook pages and some websites promoting sailing and touring in Thailand or South-East-Asian countries and therefore, they should be registered as inbound tour companies with 100,000 baht bank guarantee with TAT Registration Office.
- Those foreign or private Thai boat charters with a Facebook pages and websites get customers's payments with PayPal into oversea countries to avoid payments to a Thai bank account which is a tax evasion.
- Those foreign or private Thai boat charters do not have travel insurance in case of boat accident (+/- 120,000 baht/year) covering up to 1M baht per accident.
- Those foreign or private Thai boat charters do not have Thai guide who is licensed with the TAT Guide Registration to get the TAT tour-operator licence to be able to work as tour companies.

So, clean-up your own yachting industry of the too many foreign boats and those registered as private Thai boats which are working illegally in the tourism industry without paying proper taxes in Thailand and employing foreigners as skippers/tour guides which is 100% illegal.

Posted by Whistle-Blower on January 9, 2014 21:41

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Clearly someone hasn't being paying something and now they are being asked to reconsider paying .... same same but same, as someone once said

Posted by geoff on January 9, 2014 23:07

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I have berthed my Yacht in Phuket Marinas since 2007, and have been visiting Phuket regularly ever since. No small amount of input to the Phuket economy in Marina Fees, maintenance and tradespeople, as well as Hotels and other tourism related businesses. The '6 Month' Visa flexibility was one of the deciding reasons that I sailed to Thailand from cruising in the Pacific, as my family circumstances changed and I wanted a place to base for regular holidays and good sailing. If the article is true, then I will be coming to Phuket in Febuary and moving my boat to Langkawi... to stay. Shame. For both of us I feel.

Posted by Anonymous on January 10, 2014 00:38

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"....she said, 'And if it is not popular then it will be changed back eventually.'"
Hey, I think the absurd 90 day border stamp run is massively unpopular, can we ditch that, too?

Posted by The Night Mare on January 11, 2014 17:49

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If Safety and Security are the real objective of the Custom, May I ask what is the primary role of the Custom and their responsibilities are mainly to look after the smuggling,import duty (include boat), illegal goods & etc.
Safety belongs to the responsibility of the Marine Department who shall look after the safety of boat in Thai water.
Security is the responsibility of the Royal Thai Navy who is in charge of
our territory water around our coast.
Besides, import duty of boat into Thailand has been waived long ago,so why are the Custom have to worry.
As we all know that Langkawi a duty free
and tax free port just beyond our Thai border or about 130 nautical miles away
or a day trip from Phuket by motor yacht. Malaysian government would laugh how stupidity of the new rule and their
not so full marinas would open their arms to welcome most of the boats that are not well treated by the new rule.
And there are many many disadvantages to
the marine leisure industry in Phuket,local jobs such as boat servicing,car rental,hotel & etc.
The custom authorities should reconsider
what this rule can damage the already thriving marine leasure industry in Phuket. What's more I heard that Phuket Governor that he would go to get
more QURISTS ( Quality Tourists) on his
planned tours in USA and other well developed countries. May I remind you all that the foreign boats owners or Captains & Crews and their guests are the Qurists that are here now. Why we have to lose them now ? Ask the TOT why they have to spend so much money and time to promote the quality tourists to
visit Phuket.

Posted by Meesin C on January 13, 2014 12:18


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