THE company at the centre of allegations of scams at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok has issued a statement emphasising its integrity and reiterating that it has no involvement.

The comment by King Power comes as officials plan a crackdown at the airport . . . and the British MP responsible for travel warnings heads for Bangkok.

The airport crackdown is set to begin on Tuesday, the same day that Chris Bryant, British Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, who oversees the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, is scheduled to give a media conference at the airport emphasising the 'Know Before You Go' campaign.

Airports of Thailand, which operates the airport, is taking action follows allegations of an organised scam under which people accused of stealing from the duty free stores are forced to pay large sums to escape jail.

The move came after Transport Minister Sohpon Zarum made an inspection trip to the airport and ordered the AoT to step up measures to prevent extortion gangs preying on foreign air passengers.

Once the BBC reported that the incidence of cases seemed to be widespread, official action became a necessity. Many passengers to Phuket, especially those coming from Europe, transit through Bangkok.

Tuesday's launch of the crackdown and Mr Bryant's media conference at the airport, scheduled for 5pm, before he catches a flight, appears to be exquisite timing, but coincidental.

While the British Government has strengthened its travel warning specifically about the duty free zone at Suvarnabhumi airport, the embassy says it knows of only one case connected to British travellers.

That case, involving Britons Stephen Ingram and Xi Lin, has received extensive media coverage and reports of other instances from other nations have followed.

While King Power has previously released statements on three individual cases, today's comment emphasises its innocence of involvement in the scams.

Debate about the rights or wrongs of individual cases has been accentuated by the posting of security camera footage on the Internet.

However, the larger issue is the scale of the scam and the size of the sums required to escape it.

Mr Bryant's visit to Bangkok is a long-planned arrangement to promote 'Know Before Your Go': the need for travel insurance, emergency embassy telephone numbers and research about destinations before departure.

He is on his way to the Pacific Islands Forum, with Laos as his next stop.

Transport Minister Mr Sohpon said he had ordered the AoT to have its officials step in when tourists are engaged in a legal dispute and required to be handed over to police investigators.

During this process, the tourists must be escorted by airport officials and embassies of their countries must be informed. This is to prevent members of the scam gangs intervening and offering help.

He said all embassies will be informed that if their citizens encounter this problem they should file a complaint with the Transport Ministry immediately.

The minister said the British couple's claim will also be investigated and legal action will be taken against those found to have been involved in the scam.

The latest King Power release, as detailed on a travel retail Internet site, dfni.com is as follows:

King Power issues new statement on alleged theft
The company has reiterated that it had no involvement in the alleged scam by members of the Thai police at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport

King Power International Group (Thailand) has issued a new statement with regard to a British couple accused of theft in one of its duty-free stores at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport. The retailer said it had investigated the incident and reiterated that it had no involvement in the alleged scam perpetrated by members of the Thai police as reported by the BBC News website.

The company added that it has filed a ''thorough and meticulously-documented report'' with the authorities and sent a detailed explanation of the events surrounding the incident to ''related organisations, including the British Embassy'' in Thailand.

King Power International Group (Thailand) (KPIG) group managing director Sombat Dechapanichkul said: ''KPIG would like to assure the public that each and every theft report filed by [the company] follows all applicable legal procedures. KPIG files such reports only when the company has either clear and incontrovertible evidence of, or a credible witness to, each incident of theft. As a plaintiff in this particular case, KPIG has the right to file a legitimate theft report, an unfortunate situation which we must routinely confront, as we face an average of two to three shoplifting cases per month. In addition, KPIG always follows the strictest legal procedures, makes well-considered decisions in each particular case, and upholds the highest standards in keeping with our status as a prestigious retail business serving international passengers and travellers, as we endeavour to uphold the good image of both our proud company and the tourism industry in Thailand.

''King Power has operated duty-free shops in Thailand for more than 19 years,'' he added. ''We have served countless airport passengers with honesty, integrity and professionalism at all times. The company has received the highest independent industry awards in recognition of the excellence of our service to our customers and our endeavours on behalf of the airport's passengers. At the same time, the company has both the right and a duty to protect itself against theft, in accordance with the applicable laws in Thailand, which are similar to those of every other country in the world.''

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