Police ordered to ramp up safety
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin last Friday (Apr 19) ordered police to crack down on crime and ramp up measures to improve tourists’ safety, and the next day the national Tourist Police Chief was leading checks on car and motorbike rental operators in Patong.
Lt Gen Saksira Phueakam, Commander of Tourist Police, embarked on a tour around Patong at 11am last Saturday, following the meeting with PM Srettha, which was joined by Royal Thai Police Acting Commissioner Gen Kittirat Phanphet.
Accompanying Lt Gen Saksira were top-ranking officers from the Tourist Police Region 3 Command, including Col Yutthaphum Panlainak, Col Phisit Sawatthaworn, Lt Col Wachirapisak Na Songkhla and Lt Col Channarong Rodthongdee.
According to a press release by the Phuket Tourist Police, Lt Gen Saksira and fellow officers “went out to inspect vehicle rental shops to build public relations and distribute stickers with information on regulations and laws regarding renting out vehicles to foreigners.”
Patong rental business operators were instructed to comply with the laws for the safety of tourists, Phuket Tourist Police added.
Photos from the inspection show some rental shop operators placing Tourist Police stickers on their premises in the presence of Lt Gen Saksira and his entourage.
The first sticker was a reminder of penalties for driving a vehicle without a driving license and allowing another person to drive your vehicle without them having a driving license:
The owner or driver of a motor vehicle who lets anyone without a proper driver’s license drive the vehicle shall be fined up to B2,000.
A person driving the vehicle without a valid driver’s license shall be imprisoned for a term not exceeding one month or fined up to B1,000, or both.
The second sticker explained which driving licenses are recognised in Thailand, besides the Thai driving license issued by the Department of Land Transport (DLT):
• Foreign driving licenses issued by the relevant authorities of ASEAN countries, namely Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, and Indonesia.
• International Driving Permits (IDPs) issued by foreign states under the Geneva Convention on Road Traffic of 1949 (101 signatory countries, the IDP is valid for 1 year) or the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic of 1968 (84 signatory countries, the IDP is valid for 3 years).
Holding any other document, including a US, UK, Russian, or Australian driving license without an accompanying IDP, effectively means not having a valid driving license in Thailand. The IDP is valid only when accompanied by an original foreign driving license.
SAFETY FIRST “Phuket must be safe and crime must be eliminated,” PM Srettha said at a meeting at Region 8 Police headquarters, located at Tha Chatchai, at the northern end of the island last Friday,
“What I value most is protecting the lives and property of everyone in Phuket, both local residents and tourists. We must create the ‘Phuket Model’ in tourism, coupled with safety and strict enforcement of laws,” he said.
“We must prevent road, water and fire accidents. Drivers must have licenses, and foreigners are prohibited from driving without a driver's license. In addition, Patong, and Bangla, which is a tourist hotspot, must not have drugs and fights,” the PM continued.
To that end, PM Srettha asked Pol Gen Kittirat to urgently improve Patong Police Station and the facilities and resources at the Bangla Police Box.
“There cannot be exploitation of tourists. There must be no such thing as illegal taxis, ghost guides and charging unfair prices,” PM Srettha ordered.
“I ask every sector to help take good care of tourists. We have invested a lot. I don't want this to be just a drop of honey [sic], and later allowed to become a problem that will cause damage, because this is one of the key factors in the development of Phuket,” he said.
“As for the illegal hotel business operation, I sympathise with the department that has to solve the problem of licenses, which is a downstream matter. We request that all parties strictly follow the law. The first important issue for the hotel is safety, such as fire escapes and alarm systems,” he added.
PM Srettha explained that he had invited the heads of government agencies in Phuket, the consuls and honorary consuls of 12 countries, along with all police officers to a meeting to discuss measures to prevent and suppress crimes committed by foreigners and setting measures to enhance safety for tourists.
“Phuket was the first province that I traveled to after assuming the position of Prime Minister. From that day, I have believed that the development of Phuket has made much concrete progress, but we can still do more,” he said.
“I ask that we not only look at the money that will go into the pockets of the businesses, but let us adhere to national security as our primary concern,” PM Srettha concluded.