PHUKET: Officials and expats on Phuket will be watching to see what happens in Pattaya where authorities are seeking to rid the destination of jet-ski scammers.
The jet-ski operators there are, unlike those on Phuket, urging the municipality to monitor all operators, and for police to prosecute scammers, according to one usually reliable Pattaya source.
Jet-ski scams continue unabated on Phuket but Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha is due back from a week-long tour of Scandinavia today and Phuket's honorary consuls are expected to push for immediate action when they meet with him later this month.
An Australian couple recently told Phuketwan that on the day they were shaken down by jet-ski operators using intimidation and being helped by an obliging police officer, they came across a Canadian couple whose daughter was being ripped off a bit further along Patong beach.
The police officer has since been removed from jet-ski dispute mediations, but it is believed scores of tourists continue to be ripped off regularly. Phuket's reputation as a safe, trouble-free destination is constantly harmed by the rogues among the genuine jet-ski operators.
As Australian honorary consul Larry Cunningham has told Governor Tri more than once: ''Every tourist who has a good time on Phuket will tell 10 people. Every tourist who is ripped off by the jet-ski gangs will tell hundreds.''
Genuine jet-ski operators on Phuket and in Pattaya admit the frauds take place and would like authorities to act.
What's being proposed in Pattaya, according to the Pattaya Daily News, is an insurance scheme along similar lines to the one that has failed to solve the problem on Phuket.
While insurance covers the cost of some damage, once damage exceeds the limit, the asking price becomes a haggling war between jet-ski operators and their victims.
Jet-ski operators then also demand payment for the time that the jet-ski is out of the water - usually starting at seven days at 3000 baht a day.
Pattaya District Chief Soontorn Rattanavaraha admitted this week that the news of jet-ski operators extorting money from tourists has affected the image of Pattaya.
Now on the table in Pattaya, according to the report, are the following recommendations: the jet-ski operators must be registered and the data checked by the police annually; an area for permitted jet-ski usage would be set up and the operators must have their jet-skis insured.
Having studied the Phuket rip-offs over three years, Phuketwan has proposed the following action plan:
REPLACE the jet-ski insurance scheme with a co-operative scheme. Under the co-operative, all jet-ski operators would be compelled to contribute to a fund. That fund will be used to cover any claims of damage to jet-skis. The jet-ski operators will thus be forced to pay for all claims with their own money, and to regulate their own industry.
ALL JET-SKI operators should be made to re-register. Jet-skis bought and registered outside Phuket should be banned. Every operator should face intense scrutiny regarding previous insurance claims and those with a bad record should be weeded out. About 120 jet-skis would be enough for all of Phuket. Any operator found abusing the system should have his jet-ski confiscated - permanently.
IT'S TIME to call in the Navy. Phuket's beaches - especially Patong where most of the rip-offs take place - rarely see any authorities patrolling the beach. Aspersions have been cast about local police. The Thai Royal Navy has an impeccable reputation for honesty, and an office on Patong beach. The Navy already has a strong commitment to defending Thailand's coast. This scam threat comes from within, but it's just as damaging to Thailand as any threat from outside. Send in the Navy. Adapt Phuket's regulations so that they guard Phuket's beaches.
Aussies Tell of Jet-Ski Scam NightmareThe jet-ski operators there are, unlike those on Phuket, urging the municipality to monitor all operators, and for police to prosecute scammers, according to one usually reliable Pattaya source.
Jet-ski scams continue unabated on Phuket but Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha is due back from a week-long tour of Scandinavia today and Phuket's honorary consuls are expected to push for immediate action when they meet with him later this month.
An Australian couple recently told Phuketwan that on the day they were shaken down by jet-ski operators using intimidation and being helped by an obliging police officer, they came across a Canadian couple whose daughter was being ripped off a bit further along Patong beach.
The police officer has since been removed from jet-ski dispute mediations, but it is believed scores of tourists continue to be ripped off regularly. Phuket's reputation as a safe, trouble-free destination is constantly harmed by the rogues among the genuine jet-ski operators.
As Australian honorary consul Larry Cunningham has told Governor Tri more than once: ''Every tourist who has a good time on Phuket will tell 10 people. Every tourist who is ripped off by the jet-ski gangs will tell hundreds.''
Genuine jet-ski operators on Phuket and in Pattaya admit the frauds take place and would like authorities to act.
What's being proposed in Pattaya, according to the Pattaya Daily News, is an insurance scheme along similar lines to the one that has failed to solve the problem on Phuket.
While insurance covers the cost of some damage, once damage exceeds the limit, the asking price becomes a haggling war between jet-ski operators and their victims.
Jet-ski operators then also demand payment for the time that the jet-ski is out of the water - usually starting at seven days at 3000 baht a day.
Pattaya District Chief Soontorn Rattanavaraha admitted this week that the news of jet-ski operators extorting money from tourists has affected the image of Pattaya.
Now on the table in Pattaya, according to the report, are the following recommendations: the jet-ski operators must be registered and the data checked by the police annually; an area for permitted jet-ski usage would be set up and the operators must have their jet-skis insured.
Having studied the Phuket rip-offs over three years, Phuketwan has proposed the following action plan:
Make Jet-Ski Operators Pay
REPLACE the jet-ski insurance scheme with a co-operative scheme. Under the co-operative, all jet-ski operators would be compelled to contribute to a fund. That fund will be used to cover any claims of damage to jet-skis. The jet-ski operators will thus be forced to pay for all claims with their own money, and to regulate their own industry.
Weed Out the Rip-Off Merchants
ALL JET-SKI operators should be made to re-register. Jet-skis bought and registered outside Phuket should be banned. Every operator should face intense scrutiny regarding previous insurance claims and those with a bad record should be weeded out. About 120 jet-skis would be enough for all of Phuket. Any operator found abusing the system should have his jet-ski confiscated - permanently.
Put the Royal Navy in Charge
IT'S TIME to call in the Navy. Phuket's beaches - especially Patong where most of the rip-offs take place - rarely see any authorities patrolling the beach. Aspersions have been cast about local police. The Thai Royal Navy has an impeccable reputation for honesty, and an office on Patong beach. The Navy already has a strong commitment to defending Thailand's coast. This scam threat comes from within, but it's just as damaging to Thailand as any threat from outside. Send in the Navy. Adapt Phuket's regulations so that they guard Phuket's beaches.
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What about banning anyone from holding a jet-ski operators licence if they have a criminal record or have tested positive for drugs, that would weed out vast amounts of the undesirables in two minutes flat. I would hope the immigration department would look into the Burmese on the beach and what part they play in the jet-ski industry.
Posted by Scunner on August 5, 2011 13:20