Updating All Day, Every Day
TWO JET-SKIS from the company involved in the latest scam have been suspended for one month and the owner has been fined 10,000 baht, Phuket's Marine Office 5 Chief Phuripat Theerakulpisut told Phuketwan today.
Original Report
PHUKET: The jet-ski operator at the centre of a police report and complaints to Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday returned 40,000 baht of the 99,600 baht he extorted at the weekend from a Chinese tourist.
The refund was handed over to a friend of Zhang Cheng, 27, under a deal arranged through the Damrungtam complaints office and Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong.
But the compromise leaves many questions about the illegal scam and the regular beach extortion of Phuket's tourists unanswered.
How is it that a jet-ski owner on Phuket could operate four registered jet-skis without insurance, then hold several tourists captive on Bang Tao beach and make a ransom demand for almost 100,000 baht - an amount far in excess of the repair cost of two damaged machines?
Does the hastily cobbled together compromise end this nasty affair, or do Phuket authorities intend to properly deal with the scams, thuggery and ripoffs that permeate the entire jet-ski business on Phuket, blackening Thailand's reputation?
The courage of Zhang Cheng in reporting the issue to police and then to Phuket's central complaints office deserves to be praised.
Yet he has still been ripped off to the tune of 59,600 baht - because the jet-skis should have been properly insured.
Phuket's Marine Office 5, which oversees the registration and insurance of all jet-skis on the holiday island, claims the problems once associated with jet-skis on the holiday island have all disappeared.
Phuketwan, honorary consuls, the many scam victims and the honest operators among the jet-ski hirers know that just isn't so.
By rights, the dangerous, polluting machines should have all been phased out on Phuket several years ago. They are banned in the neighboring provinces of Krabi and Phang Nga.
It's not too late to get rid of the jet-skis on Phuket before - inevitably - the people who use them for scams and ripoffs cause serious damage to tourism and Thailand.
We hope the Governor will show similar courage to Zhang Cheng and arrange for the jet-skis to be properly phased out, which is what the majority of people still want.
And if for some hard-to-imagine reason the jet-skis are to stay, then it's plainly time for the governor to call in some serious military muscle to tame the scammers and extortionists for good.
Great job and excellent display of fortitude to the tourist who stepped forward,refusing to give in to this nonsense. Now,why isn't the jet ski guy being held responsible for holding people hostage let alone operating jet skis with no insurance? So its legal to hold people against their will in Thailand?..
Posted by sky on February 10, 2015 09:28