PHUKET TUKTUKS NEED LIMITING
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Chutima Sidasathian
Monday, January 4, 2010
SORTING out tuk-tuks on Phuket was an enormous task compared to fixing
the problems with jet-skis, Phuket Governor Wichai Praisa-ngob said
today.
Jet-skis belonged to just a small group but there were more than 1000
tuk-tuk drivers, the governor said.
''If the numbers of jet-skis and tuk-tuks continues to grow, it means
local authorities are taking bribes,'' he said.
He agreed that there may still be problems with jet-ski operators
trying to cheat tourists. The insurance system was not liked by
everyone, he said.
He called for more information from anyone who had a bad experience
with jet-ski operators.
''Please remember the number of the jet-ski and go straight to the
tourist police, Provincial Hall or your embassy,'' he said.
He has asked the local tessaban councils to post signs on the beaches
telling tourists what to do in the event of a jet-ski incident.
Governor Wichai said that if there was enough evidence against a
particular operator, he would order the confiscation of the jet-ski.
He added that there should be a cap on existing numbers of jet-skis,
and there was no guarantee that the 41 currently uninsured would be
allowed to operate.
The governor was talking to the media at Provincial Hall in Phuket
City for the first time this year.
People who worked in service areas, from local authorities to police
to tuk-tuk drivers, needed to be professional on Phuket when dealing
with tourists.
''The island doesn't need lazy, self-interested people,'' the governor
said.
Often, he said, he had difficulty gaining the right kind of assistance
from the government.
''If I need a knife to cut some vegetables, they will send me a
broom,'' he said.
Cooperative participation for unselfish reasons was important, he
said.
Phuket is based on tourism and people who benefitted from the industry
needed to always keep the proper care of tourists in mind as a
priority.
He agreed that Thailand's 2am closing law sometimes presented a
problem when tourists were here to have fun.
phuketwan.com
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Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Karon tuk-tuk driver gets bail
CHALONG, PHUKET: The Karon tuk-tuk driver accused of attacking a
family of French tourists with a metal pole on December 26 turned
himself in to police and was released on bail, the Gazette has
learned.
Chalong Police Inspector Chana Suthimas identified the alleged
attacker as 32-year-old Likhit Thaengthae, a resident of Karon.
Mr Likhit appeared at Chalong Police Station at 10am yesterday and
posted bail. Assault charges against him will be filed with the Phuket
Criminal Court soon, Lt Chana said.
Mr Likhit stands accused of attacking a French family with the metal
shaft of a beach umbrella support pole, breaking one of the victim’s
arms and badly bruising another relative, age 68.
The family’s children – aged one, seven and nine – were present at the
time of the attack.
Witnesses said Mr Likhit became enraged when the family parked their
rented car in a public parking lot near the Karon Municipality offices
in Kata.
The French family, on their way to the beach at the time, ignored his
command to park elsewhere because there were no signs indicating the
lot was reserved for tuk-tuks, as Mr Likhit insisted it was.
For our previous story and the massive reader reaction to it, click
here.
ia...@notcox.net
> Phuket Tuk-Tuks, Jet-Skis, Need Limits: Governor
> Chutima Sidasathian
> Monday, January 4, 2010
>
> SORTING out tuk-tuks on Phuket was an enormous task compared to fixing
> the problems with jet-skis, Phuket Governor Wichai Praisa-ngob said
> today.
The guy needs to quit his job if he thinks this is tough. Around the
world, taxi-drivers have been controlled. Just license the tuk-tuks and
licens the drivers, set up a taxi-police force, and then systematically
drive out the bad actors. Even in a corrupt country this should not be
too hard, nor too 'enormous'.
Ian
Chris Blunt
wrote:
It could be that he owns many of the tuk-tuks and taxis himself.
Chris
ia...@notcox.net
I would not be surprised. I guess he was saying that it would be hard to
do without disturbing the present convenient arrangements. Until the
golden geese decide to lay their eggs somewhere safer and more
welcoming, that will remain the situation, I'm sure.
Cheers,
Ian