Deputy Prime Minister Vows to Crack Down on Tourist Fraud
Tan Network 2011-04-19
The deputy prime minister in charge of national security has vowed to prevent tourists from being cheated during their visit to Thailand.
Deputy Prime Minister in charge of national security Suthep Thaugsuban said after attending meetings with the Tourist Fraud Prevention Committee that the problem needs to be eliminated.
He said that there are many forms of cheating, starting with Thais cheating foreign tourists, foreign tourists teaming up to cheat other foreigners, and Thais and foreigners working together to cheat other foreign tourists.
He added that from the year 2007 to 2010, around 6,000 Thais were arrested for cheating tourists, and 517 groups of foreign gangs were arrested.
Meanwhile, Suthep dsaid that the recent mob of taxi drivers in Phuket province, who closed down boat docks to prevent tourists from returning to the main land, was done to express their disatisfaction over unfair tour agencies.
The drivers claim tour agencies tend to provide large buses for tourists, leaving taxi drivers with no passengers.
Suthep has also set up four subcommittees to work on eliminating fraud.
He has assigned the Tourism and Sports Permanent Secretary Sombat Kuruphan the responsibility of preventing tourist fraud in Bangkok and at Suvarnabhumi Airport.
At the same time, Interior Permanent Secretary Deputy Pranai Suwannarat will be in charge of towns frequented by tourists such as Phuket, Pattaya, and Chaing Mai.
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