Foreign tourists should be careful in Phuket
Foreign tourists should be careful in Phuket
CANBERRA, KOMPAS.com - The Government of Australia and the UK government has issued a warning to the tourists who visit the tourist areas of Thailand, Phuket to be careful with the amount of fraud.
Australian Ambassador to Thailand, James Wise, and British Ambassador Mark Kent Thailand in collaboration with Thailand's Ministry of Tourism has issued a campaign about the local criminal groups, sometimes in cooperation with the police, in order to squeeze foreign tourists in Phuket and Pattaya.
According to Australian news agency AAP reported on Monday (12/24/2012), every month estimated 25 thousand of Australians visiting Phuket with the holiday season of Christmas and New Year are peak periods. The main forms of fraud involving a taxi and a jet ski rental in Phuket and Pattaya.
To the AAP, James Wise said the tourists should be careful when renting a jet ski or a motorbike. "Be careful if stolen or damaged. Foreign tourists usually held by police until the compensation process completed, - sometimes up to thousands of dollars-between the parties to the dispute. "Said Wise.
Also warned to be careful in" busy market, tourist attractions, bus terminals and stations train and festivals. "It's better to avoid a remote village, a small, dark hallway, especially at night." Added Wise again.
Australian Consul in Phuket Larry Cunnigham said, rising crime rates there have made a lot of foreigners who had previously settled there to leave the island. Cunningham said the young travelers are being targeted by criminals and sometimes extorted by the police.
Correspondent reported Compass in Australia L. Literature Wijaya , in one incident, a young Australian tourist involved a minor accident while riding a rented motorcycle. By the police, both victims had been informed of serious injury and must pay tens of millions of dollars. After investigation by the consul, the victims were Thailand's only suffered minor injuries.
The diplomats also warned that the tourists do not surrender their passports when they wanted to rent a car or motorcycle. "If there is a problem, it is often difficult or impossible passport was returned to redress the problem solved." Said Wise.
Lutzi Matzig, director of Asian tour Trials said another problem in Phuket is the taxi rents " crazy ". "Mafia Local taxi cab set rents 500 baht (about 160 thousand dollars), but the actual price is not more than 20 or 50 bath (6 to 16 thousand dollars). Taxi mafia is rampant in Phuket. "Said Matzig.
The foreign tourists are also warned not to attend the full moon party as police and criminals look for victims at that time. "There's an Australian who was arrested, beaten, raped, injured due to the full moon party is, sometimes because they are too drunk, taking drugs or drink they mixed a sedative." Said Wise.
In 2011, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Australia noted the 69 Australians who died in Thailand, and 50 people were killed in Phuket.
