Phuket Court reopens ‘tourist case division’
After four years, the Phuket Provincial Court has reopened its special division assigned specifically to hear cases involving tourists.
Kriangsak Rodphanchu, Chief Judge of Wiang Sa Provincial Court in Surat Thani, currently also serving as Acting Chief Judge of Phuket Provincial Court, announced the move on Apr 2.
The Phuket Provincial Court ‘Tourist Case’ division first opened on Sept 24, 2017 and continued operating until the outbreak of COVID-19, when the section was suspended, until now, noted an official report of the meeting.
“There are many people, both Thai and foreign tourists, traveling to visit Phuket nowadays. This results in an increase in disputes and criminal cases where the tourist is the victim or even the accused or defendant,” Judge Kriangsak said.
“Many cases appear in the news and in many media [channels], causing a lack of confidence in the safety of life and property. This may affect the tourism sector of the province and Thailand,”
Judge Kriangsak added.
“Therefore, the processing of tourist cases in court is to provide justice to tourists when there are disputes, both criminal and civil, and with agencies involved in helping tourists to have their legal rights protected and the perpetrators punished strictly.
“This is considered a move to build confidence among tourists and create a good image for Phuket Province and tourism in Thailand as a whole,” Judge Kriangsak said.
The duties and responsibilities of the Tourist Case Division of the Phuket Provincial
Court also include providing advice and assistance to tourists in preparing complaints in the case of consumer cases, Judge Kriangsak pointed out.
“The court can set appointments so cases can be resolved through mediation within 24 hours [of the complaint being filed] and [the mediation] can proceed continuously until the case is resolved,” he said.
By coordinating with representatives of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports and the Attorney-General’s Office, the court can follow up on cases involving business operators being sued in order to bring such cases to court as soon as possible, he added.
The court also coordinates with police and local embassy representatives to have witness statements taken from tourists who need to return home from their holiday, and have legal representatives act on behalf of tourists who need to return home before the case has been completed, he said.
“The court also coordinates with interpreters or mediators who must be on duty outside of business hours,” Judge Kriangsak said.