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Officials from the Phuket Tourist Association meet to talk about the future

Tourist Bodies Seek Phuket Reforms

Monday, October 21, 2013
PHUKET: For the first time, Phuket has a real opportunity to solve many of its problems, members of the Phuket Tourist Association agreed today - if only divisions can be mended.

Urging the Minister of Tourism and Sport and the Department of Special investigation to continue their good work, the PTA team also said senior members of the Phuket administration should provide full support.

It was inferred at the meeting that not all of Phuket's administrators supported the latest initiatives to clean up Phuket.

There was no mistaking the target of the comments.

Phuketwan certainly detects the classic line being drawn once again on Phuket between those who want the problems fixed properly once and for all, and those who are happy to sweep them under the carpet, smile sweetly, and move on once their term on the island is over.

Backing the PTA approach today was Suchart Hirankskkun, president of the Thai Hotels Association (Southern Division.)

Somboon Jirayu, former president of the PTA Southern Chapter, said: ''This is the first time in Phuket that we have seen someone doing the work of the Tourism Minister seriously.

''We have seen real progress thanks to Minister Somsak Pureesrisak, and we hope to keep seeing more progress.''

He said that the island's businesspeople ''are surprised that some leading officials are not cooperating as much as one would expect.''

''The Minister and the DSI deserve everybody's full support,'' he said.

An article in the German magazine Der Stern critising Phuket had influenced many German tourists to go further afield to Krabi and Phang Nga, he said.

Another PTA member said: ''Solving Phuket's taxi problems is just one of the problems that Phuket must fix. If not, when the DSI goes back to Bangkok, the same problems will return.''

Another member added: ''The biggest problem about the taxis is that they won't let anybody go to pick up guests in resorts.

''That's Phuket's biggest problem, and it needs to be fixed.''

Most of Phuket's media were at today's conference at the PTA office in the bypass road.

Phuketwan will seek comments from Phuket's administration in coming days about the inference there is not a united front to tackle Phuket's problems.

Comments

Comments have been disabled for this article.

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Phuket's biggest problem is where does all the money go?

Posted by gee on October 21, 2013 21:58

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The main cause of all troubles, in Phuket and Thailand at large, is the greedy corruption amongst from low-paid officers up to senior civil servants at the highest positions in all ministries.
Anyone amongst civil servants willing to fight corruption is transfered to another province or to a non-active position to block those good civil servants.

Another cause that corruption will not be erased, is that all comments from different senior civil servants in charge to eradicate automatic bribes for any protection from local administration, confirmed that they do not want to arrest Thai people such as wrongdoers, fraudsters, land-grabbers, mafia-clans in charge tuk-tuk and taxi cartels or at worst a slap on the hand to save the face.

Anyway, media forums and magazines online are doing a good job to publish their bad behaviors and names of those predators and one day Thai people may say once at all that the game is over....WE HOPE.

Posted by Whistle-Blower on October 21, 2013 22:12

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I'm not convinced "Phuket's administration" actually has any significant powers. People appear to like passing the buck back to the administration when in many cases certain problems should be placed squarely at the feet of other departments... police being an obvious one.

That said, good to see tourism bodies speaking out. No doubt many of the hotel association's members pay commission to the airport limos who stop by the agencies along the way to sell the tourists hotel rooms, and the same for tour operators. Are they willing to stop doing that for the greater goal of genuine change? Or will they continue to pass the buck and say it's the DSI's job to fix the taxi problem?

Posted by Duncan on October 22, 2013 09:02


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