Tourism News

Tourism News Phuketwan Tourism News
facebook recommendations

NEWS ALERTS

Sign up now for our News Alert emails and the latest breaking news plus new features.

Click to subscribe

Existing subscribers can unsubscribe here

RSS FEEDS

Major General Paween: his fresh approach is reshaping Phuket

How Phuket is Being Challenged and Changed by Two Men on a Mission

Monday, September 29, 2014
PHUKET: The people who ran Phuket's beach sunbed businesses were far from poor - 45 out of 62 sent their children overseas to study, says the police officer leading a major investigation into the illegal industry.

Major General Paween Pongsirin is clearly not accepting the line that this was a way for poor local people to sustain a living, although there were probably low-paid workers involved.

''Most of the people who owned the sunbeds were wealthy people,'' he said. On a wall behind him are photographs of some of the well-to-do homes of the sunbed operators.

''These people are driving Volvos and Mercs,'' he said. And on the wall there's a photograph of one of the offspring of a sunbed operator enjoying some skiing in Switzerland.

The major general, now aged 56, spent several months on Phuket working undercover on the taxi task force earlier this year, digging for information. It was not easy.

Many of the people in resorts who should have been happy to help were scared to talk. They were in the grip of the ''mafia'' and could not believe life on Phuket would change.

But change it has, largely thanks to Major General Paween and his boss, Region 8 commander Lieutent-General Panya Mamen. The pair are not Phuket police officers, so they have not adopted a ''roll with the locals'' approach.

Major General Paween was based in Patong once. Thirteen years ago, he served as superintendent in the holiday town for seven months. Suddenly he found himself posted back to Phuket City, then off the island entirely.

It is not the first time a public official who wanted to apply enforcement rather than compromise has been edged out, moved sideways or shunted to another province.

A few years ago, Dr Preecha Ruangjan was appointed Phuket governor. He had a reputation for being extremely honest. He lasted just a few months.

Then last year, after just seven months, Kathu Director Veera Kerdsirimongkol found himself moved to another province. Khun Veera had made quite a few arrests. He was stirring up too much anxiety on Phuket. He had to go, it seems.

Major General Paween spent three years pushing paper around a desk in a far-off province before being hand-picked by Lieutenant General Panya for the difficult undercover role on Phuket.

With just a small team of police from off the island, Major General Paween gathered enough evidence to warrant a major offensive that led to almost 200 arrests among taxi and tuk-tuk drivers in Kata-Karon, Cherng Talay and Patong, with local politicians also charged for their involvement.

Not far from the major general's office in Phuket City Police Station is a parking compound of illegal taxis and tuk-tuks. Some were used back in March in a street blockade in Patong. Others were impounded when their drivers were arrested.

Taxis and tuk-tuks, confiscated by police on Phuket? It's a sign that everything has changed.

In the space of just four months, the old way of how Phuket was run behind closed doors, with telephone calls being made to remove any ''troublemakers,'' appears to have been swept away.

Compromise no longer cuts the mustard. Enforcement is what it's about these days.

Most right-thinking people on Phuket will be hoping that Major General Paween and his team stick around for a while yet. From what Phuketwan has seen, he's meticulous in compiling evidence and double-checking the facts.

''Why were the resorts trapped and unable to solve their problems? Because the local officers were corrupt,'' he says.

The campaign to punish the ''taxi mafia'' who employed intimidation and extortion to damage the reputation of tourism in Thailand is continuing.

And the major general now has plenty of incriminating evidence of the misuse of Phuket's public beaches by people who grew rich in the process of persuading resorts that they owned the right to sell the sands.

''Why do the people want to return to the beaches?'' the major general asks. ''Because it's a good income.''

There are probably many telephone calls still being made, calls to people who once had influence but whose powers to achieve a quick transfer of a troublesome official have waned since the military takeover in Thailand on May 22.

Given enough time, Major General Paween and Lieutenant General Panya have the dedication to set Phuket straight. It has to be hoped they continue down the path to a more honest island, a Phuket free from compromise.

Comments

Comments have been disabled for this article.

gravatar

How do you run this story about change at the same time as the pollution problem on Koh Racha story which is so obviously about business as usual?

Posted by sir burr on September 29, 2014 10:11

Editor Comment:

Oh, sir burr. I thought we banned you for your foolish slurs that phuketwan is corrupt.

Is it too difficult to understand that change doesn't suddenly arrive overnight with a large blimp and a burst of lotus blossoms above Phuket, descending slowly to make everything sweet and lovely? Is it too hard to grasp that the 14 or so police involved in the changes so far are unconnected with Racha? Do you not understand how the real world works?

Won't they be sending out a search party for you from Thai Visa?

gravatar

Good article. So, from now on we not have to read any more about: .." how do I go to feed my family? ". If thinking is to difficult, sell your Volvo's and Benz's first, move to a bit lower standard of life, and tell your kids who study overseas to become a 'working -student', same as local students overseas are.

Posted by Kurt on September 29, 2014 10:30

Editor Comment:

As the article says, there are some lowly-paid workers involved but they are not the owners of the sunbeds.

gravatar

I was once at the home of a woman I've known for 30 years. She controls most of the gambling and 3 digit lottery in Patong. She started out as a beach masseur them moved into sunbeds. She has Hotels and all sorts of investments now. She holidays all over the world.

On her various mobiles she had various police and officials phone numbers. She once even ran for Mayor. I remember I went to see her about a problem and with one call I was talking directly to the official who oversees the Kathu police.

She went from being a beach masseur to sunbed owner to gambling king pin. She became suspiciously rich very fast. Like a lot of others in Patong, she has a cosy relationship with a number of local policemen.

Posted by Arun Muruga on September 29, 2014 12:46

gravatar

OH I remember the ray of hope we had when Dr Preecha was governor. He was actually kicked off a "private island" near Phuket a few days before taking office.
It was quite crushing when he was suddenly transferred out! Glad to see some justice and righteousness finally prevail.

Posted by Vfaye on September 29, 2014 13:15

gravatar

I don't suppose now might be a good time to ask if sunbed operation can be a job for foreigners too? Just kidding, you have to have a sense of humour or you go ting tong in Phuket.

Posted by Fesity Farang on September 29, 2014 14:11

gravatar

There must have been a lot of undeclared income, where are the tax authorities in all this?
Following the money trail is the way to get em, I should know.

Posted by Al Capone on September 29, 2014 14:57

gravatar

So when will the investigations start to look at the Cherngtalay beaches?
Many illegal beach restaurants, Surin beach covered in sunbeds and illegal taxis that still operate today

Posted by graham on September 29, 2014 16:44

Editor Comment:

Covered in sunbeds? Illegal restaurants? Please send your photos to editor@phuketwan.com

gravatar

That is what I already mentioned earlier:
Sunbeds operators told me that every green season they go for 2 weeks to Europe, mainly France, Italy, flying business class, named hotels where they stayed - they are in range 350-500EUR/night, designers' stuff shopping - bags for wives(or most likely GFs).
Giving that business class costs 1,500EUT-3,000EUR return, these "very poor people" spending regularly 10kEUR and up per person on holidays, one should examine definition of "very poor people":
obviously, never mix up "lost business" with "lost jobs". In Thailand where half of the economy is an informal section of self-employed it is not always easy to draw distinction, but anyone who employs other people or lives on de-facto sub rental income is a business.
Giving a number of vacancies in Phuket(and in general in Thailand) in unskilled /semi-skilled sectors it is of course not a problem to find a job for anyone who wants and likes to works.
Workers moving between enterprises is purely normal course of things, and it is irrelevant to call it for rental business businessmen to make others pity for loss of their profits.

Posted by Sue on September 29, 2014 17:08

gravatar

Freddie, how's the code breaking going?

Posted by Manowar on September 29, 2014 18:00

gravatar

Manowar you should verify your EMC compatibility, as it is seems you emit some strange noise and at wrong frequency, moreover affecting harmonics.

Posted by Sue on September 29, 2014 19:51

gravatar

Sue, I think you are mixing up your EMI's and your EMC's. If only you understood what you are trying to present. Now that interpretation will be interesting!
Best you stick to the EMC most familiar to you, the European Migration Centre and be assured, the less frequent you visit the more harmony will exist.
Don't be concerned about the strange noise you often hear, don't understand and is causing distress, it's probably just someone speaking English

Posted by Manowar on September 29, 2014 20:36

gravatar

"Won't they be sending out a search party for you from Thai Visa"

Literally laughed out loud at that one! :)

Posted by Smithy on September 29, 2014 21:50

gravatar

Sue, second thoughts, you may have an issue with your PCU. I'm sure you are more familiar than most with ACDC conversions. If youre suffering high voltage or rising power I suggest a flick of the switch in the nick of time may be the right stuff to avoid a meltdown. If you call the man or get him to come and get it, he may get you back in business and the deed can be done dirt cheap, even COD, if it's not all screwed up. Remember, if you dare, to remove the big jack to avoid burning you from the live wire which may cause you to shake all night long.
Once you've fixed the problem child you should then be able to access the cyberspace highway to Orel! If it's still got you by the balls you may require a ball breaker so rather than getting caught with your pants down, just give it up, get it hot and fling the damned thing deep in the hole.

Posted by Manowar on September 29, 2014 21:56

gravatar

A couple of dumb questions here?

1st: So who's making the decisions for these honest, conscientious public servants to be somehow moved or made to "disappear" when they do too good of a job?

2nd: Is it really a good idea to be showing this guy's photo? You could be signing his death certificate or at best buying him an air conditioned mini bus ticket straight out of town.

Posted by Donald Jackson on September 30, 2014 04:38

Editor Comment:

Journalist are told there's no such thing as a dumb question, only dumb answers.

1. People who are part of the ''system'' and content to conform.

2. The ''mafia'' on Phuket is not the Mafia. With the military ''good guys'' in charge, excessive behavior is unlikely. The reaction would be extreme.

gravatar

Please come to Pattaya.

Posted by Bryan Nee on September 30, 2014 11:21


Friday March 29, 2024
Horizon Karon Beach Resort & Spa

FOLLOW PHUKETWAN

Facebook Twitter