PhuketWATCH Daily Media Wrap
PHUKET: The daily wrap of Thailand news, with a Phuket perspective, plus relevant reports from national and international media. Beware of inconsistent imitations.
Today's Top News Items
bangkokpost.com The curfew has been lifted all across Thailand immediately, says Gen Prayuth, as he uses his Friday television address to flesh out more details of the interim constitution and government as well.
nationmultimedia.com Blue-chip stocks related to construction have experienced a robust gain in trading over the past few weeks in response to the ruling junta's moves on economic reform, including the Bt3-trillion infrastructure project.
bangkokpost.com The Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo) has frozen 587 bank accounts allegedly used for drug trafficking, call centre scams and football gambling.
APThailand is paying a US public relations company $51,000 a month to help in its push for better standing on the Trafficking in Persons index, out next week. The government issued a progress report for 2013, noting that investigations, prosecutions and the budget for anti-trafficking work all are on the rise.
World Cup 2014
voanews.com The Netherlands earned revenge over Spain in an emphatic way in World Cup action, crushing the defending champions and world's top-ranked team, 5-1.
afp Chile helped pile the pressure on champions Spain after sealing an eventually comfortable 3-1 win over Australia in their World Cup Group B opener in Cuiaba.
afp Oribe Peralta scored a second-half winner in a 1-0 victory over Cameroon in rain-lashed Natal in a match which once again raised questions over the standard of refereeing at the World Cup.
Cup Games Tonight
Colombia v Greece; Uruguay v Costa Rica; England v Italy; Cote d'Ivoire v Japan
Phuket World of People
''The [Bangkok] 'Return roads to the people' campaign has received tremendous results and we will be pursuing this campaign in four other tourist spots including Patong Beach on Phuket, Samui, the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar and Pattaya,'' said adviser Pol Lt-General Wuthi Liptapallop.
nnt The southwestern province of Krabi has kicked off its annual trade fair to promote local ways of life for tourism purposes, and conservation of its cultural heritages and local wisdoms.
bangkokpost.com The biggest spenders on accommodation in Thailand last year were Brazilian travellers, who paid an average of 4345 baht per room. The Brazilians were followed by the Swiss, the highest-paying Europeans.
The World Beyond Phuket
dailymail.co.uk Blood-thirsty jihadists are carrying out summary executions on civilians, Iraqi soldiers and police officers - including 17 in one street alone - on their warpath to Baghdad, the UN said.
ft.com The US claimed that Russia had supplied tanks and other heavy weapons to separatists in eastern Ukraine and warned of further ''costs'' to Russia if more weapons crossed the border.
AP In Geneva this week, Thailand was the only government in the world to vote against a new UN international treaty that combats forced labor by, among other things, strengthening victims' access to compensation. Several countries abstained. ''Thailand tries to portray itself as the victim while, at the same time, it's busy taking advantage of everybody it can who's coming through the country,'' said Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Asia division.
What's Happening Around Asean Nations
bbc.com A parliamentary committee in Burma has voted to retain a constitutional clause barring opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi from standing for president.
scmp.com Southeast Asia has become the world's hot spot for piracy after an international crackdown slashed the number of hijackings off the coast of war-torn Somalia, the UN says.
theage.com.au The Birthday celebrations of Melbourne property developer David Deague have been soured by a gang of thieves who stole $350,000 worth of goods from an exclusive Balinese resort. The heist included jewellery, watches, cash, cameras and other electrical items.
thestar.com.my Malaysia was crowned as this year's best family tourist destination at the Lonely Planet Magazine India Travel Awards 2014 in Mumbai.
Phuket World of Sport
theguardian.com German Martin Kaymer's grip on the 114th US Open has tightened to the extent that this is now his tournament to lose. A flawless second round of 65, his second in a row, created a US Open record for a 36-hole aggregate score. Kaymer sits at 10-under par, with a ''catch me if you can'' sign pinned on his back.
aap For the first time in nearly a decade Australia's women Hockeyroos will compete for a major title, after a nail-biting shootout victory over the United States set up a World Cup final with the Netherlands.
Coming Events on Phuket
Until June 14 Phuket prisons fair, Saphan Hin, Phuket City
July 11 Arsanha Bucha Day
July 16-20 Phuket Race Week yachting, Cape Panwa
August 12 Queen's Birthday
September 24-October 2 Vegetarian Festival, Phuket
October 23 Chulalongkorn Memorial Day
November 6 Loy Kratong
November 14-21 Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket
December 5 King's Birthday
December 10 Constitution Day
December 25 Christmas Day
December 26 10th Anniversary, 2004 Tsunami
December 31 New Year's Eve
I'd like to share one comment from yesterday. Didn't know that situation is so bad, difficult to grasp a scale of abuse.
"Racketeers" what usually called such people, not "taxi drivers", as they don't want to drive anymore:
"What people dont relise is that ripping off tourists is just the tip of the iceberg.
Every day around the island hundreds of Thai nationals that are representing travel agents from Western countries go around to welcome their customers in the respective hotels. During the process they are told about Phuket and are often sold tours. Now here comes the graft!! Whenever they sell a tour the Taxi drivers that set up their little huts outside the big hotels get 500 baht per customer, for ''allowing'' guests to be picked up for Phi Phi island/James Bond island, and all the other tours in Phuket.
The tour reps are not allowed to sell elephant trekking tours or offer Tailor service, as these are very lucrative and easy money. So the taxi drivers take these customers. If any attempt is made to pick up customers for tours or unapproved activities the drivers and tourists are blockaded, often the drivers are belted with iron bars. Then the tour representatives (mostly they are women) are threatened with violence also. Often the taxi goons will write down their number plates
Now if you do the maths, you probably have 50 to 100 people a day going on tours from any of the big hotels at a minimum. So that???s 25000-50000 baht a day divided between 4 or 5 taxi drivers which is about the average amount of goons that hang outside each hotel. Not bad loot eh?
Now the tour representatives started getting the shits with giving the taxi drivers 500 baht for doing nothing, so instead they started giving the customers 500 baht each to use the Taxis to take them to places like Jung Ceylon to meet the drivers to take them on tours, the taxi drivers cottoned on to this and demanded that they stop doing this. Its much better for them to get 500 baht for doing nothing.
So the occasional tourist rip off is small change, compared to whats going on with the tour graft at the big hotels.
The most aggressive toads are at Surin Beach that blockade the Chava and Twinpalms hotels. Then at Kamala the Ananda Hotel, the Avista at Kata. Plus there are plenty around that I don't know about.
The only service that are allowed to do pickups completely unhindered are Phuket FantaSea, all the rest have to pay.
The sooner these people are cleaned up the better. They are parasites"
Posted by Sue on June 14, 2014 07:48