Phuketwan News Analysis/Opinion
''HE SAID the extortion gangs, including those in tourist provinces, worked under highly influential people.''
This is the last sentence of a report published in the Bangkok Post today. It is now where it should be, at the start of the story.
It's a sentence that should be read carefully by every honest Thai in the land.
The comment comes from Tourist Police chief Adis Ngamjitsuksri, who concedes that the extortion of tourists is a problem which the police alone cannot stamp out.
How many honest Thais are prepared to put their hands up, to help root out this cancer from their midst?
Unless honest Thais start to fight corruption, beginning with the extortion of tourists, Thailand can kiss goodbye to the prospect of this nation being perceived as a suitable destination for the world's holidaymakers.
People have plenty of choices these days. Why would they want to come to a country full of thieves, or full of people who tolerate thieves?
The Prime Minister has shown an interest in bringing corruption under control. It will not be easy, so he should start with a battle that can produce a victory.
Suvarnabhumi international airport in Bangkok is the place to take a stand. If corruption can be beaten at the airport, then the PM can set his sights higher by taking aim at a relatively small, geographically isolated province . . . Phuket.
If the PM is sincere about turning the tide against corruption, he could clean up Suvarnabhumi first, Phuket second, then make the island province a role model for the rest of Thailand.
Other democracies in SouthEast Asia are doing better in battling corruption. The benefit will come for them eventually in terms of increased trade and tourism . . . at the expense of Thailand.
What producer-director Gavin Hill did by capturing footage of a jet-ski operator extorting large sums from tourists was to expose a corrupt activity that has been tolerated for years by honest Thais.
The Thai media, including Phuketwan, should feel ashamed that a reality television documentary maker revealed, almost by accident, the extent of the entrenched corruption that has long been ignored out of fear, or a failure to choose right from wrong.
To prosecute the production company would be a travesty of justice. It's time for honest Thais to deal with the core issue, the real issue.
Stop the thieves. Restore Thailand's reputation. Save the country from corruption.
Phuketwan Phuket News
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My Thai staff are already saying to me that the program was a setup, that it didn't really happen. The Thai media is spreading these views. Rohingya shame revisited!
Editor: Precisely. The first reaction of Thais to the Rohingya 'pushbacks' was: Thais are good people. They wouldn't do that. The truth is that most Thais are good people. Sadly, not all. And this was no set-up. Walk along Patong beach often enough, and your staff will see the thieves at work . . . although they are probably not operating right now.
Posted by helen on September 18, 2009 14:44