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PHUKET: All guides on Phuket are required to register before a crackdown begins that is designed to end the activities of illegal guides on the island, a meeting heard yesterday.
The guides - about 2000 of more than 4000 guides are foreigners - will have to register before October 6 or face arrest, said Santi Pawai, chief of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports office on Phuket, who recently was given the role of Director of the Business and Guide Registration Branch.
He is opting to create a database and at the same time training all police on Phuket for a crackdown that will equip them with the skills that officers need to detect and arrest illegal guides.
Royal Thai Navy Captain Pornpom Sakultem told the meeting at the Tourism and Sports office on Phuket: ''From Monday, officers from the island's 10 police stations will begin training.''
''Tour leaders'' and so-called ''sitting guides'' will be among those targetted for arrest, the meeting heard.
Resorts with illegal tour counters and illegal time-share sales desks will be included in the crackdown.
Khun Santi, who was surprised on taking over his new role to learn that there had never been a serious effort to register guides on Phuket, is following the technique of the Phuket Land Transport Department where officials discovered several years ago that hundreds of illegal taxi drivers were operating alongside legal taxi drivers.
After obliging all drivers to register, the Land Transport Department was in a position to move against illegal drivers.
The situation with guides and illegal tour counters appears to be similar and a crackdown will follow as soon as registration has been completed.
The offices of Tourism and Sport on Phuket, where guides can register, is at the Surakul Stadium in Maeluan Road, Phuket City.
The guides - about 2000 of more than 4000 guides are foreigners - will have to register before October 6 or face arrest, said Santi Pawai, chief of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports office on Phuket, who recently was given the role of Director of the Business and Guide Registration Branch.
He is opting to create a database and at the same time training all police on Phuket for a crackdown that will equip them with the skills that officers need to detect and arrest illegal guides.
Royal Thai Navy Captain Pornpom Sakultem told the meeting at the Tourism and Sports office on Phuket: ''From Monday, officers from the island's 10 police stations will begin training.''
''Tour leaders'' and so-called ''sitting guides'' will be among those targetted for arrest, the meeting heard.
Resorts with illegal tour counters and illegal time-share sales desks will be included in the crackdown.
Khun Santi, who was surprised on taking over his new role to learn that there had never been a serious effort to register guides on Phuket, is following the technique of the Phuket Land Transport Department where officials discovered several years ago that hundreds of illegal taxi drivers were operating alongside legal taxi drivers.
After obliging all drivers to register, the Land Transport Department was in a position to move against illegal drivers.
The situation with guides and illegal tour counters appears to be similar and a crackdown will follow as soon as registration has been completed.
The offices of Tourism and Sport on Phuket, where guides can register, is at the Surakul Stadium in Maeluan Road, Phuket City.
Good riddance to farang time share touts. If you have ever sat through one or two of the torturous sessions with them - you will know what I mean.
Once they get through with bragging about their young Thai girlfriends - it's a slimy act - unless it's changed from last year.
Posted by farang888 on September 21, 2014 01:50