The Phuket Police are blaming tourists for rise in Phuket crime. If pointing a finger away from oneself and blaming another were an Olympic sport, Thailand would win the Gold.  Thais are notorious for not accepting responsibility for their action or inaction and usually try to blame the victim(s). The Phuket Gazette has an article, Phuket Police need help from tourists: investigator, that, despite that headline appealing for help, really blames tourists for crimes in Phuket.

For example, if a Thai slams his car into a parked car, it is the owner of the parked car’s fault for parking there.  The Phuket Police have taken it a few steps further.

Phuket

This Phuket Police Investigator doesn’t deserve the title if all he can do is blame the foreign tourist victims for his inability to catch common criminals.

PHUKET: Foreign tourists who are victims of crime in Phuket all too often leave the country before police can investigate their claims, allowing perpetrators to continue roaming the streets in search of new victims, a Patong Police investigator has said.

I guess it is the tourist’s fault that they have a scheduled flight to catch.  Or, maybe they did decide to leave the World Class Destination, Phuket, early because of the crime.  Maybe if the Phuket Police were more proactive than reactive, they might catch thieves before they get another chance to strike.

“I want foreign tourists who are victims of crimes in Phuket to cooperate with us when we investigate their cases, but they always rush back to their home countries after getting their stolen belongings back. This makes it impossible for police to press charges against the thieves as there isn’t enough evidence to secure a conviction. Eventually the suspects will be released and return to the streets to take part in more crime,” Pol Maj Thammasan Boonsong told the Phuket Gazette recently.

Catching thieves with stolen merchandise isn’t enough?  Maybe the Phuket Police can do what the Hawaii Police Department did.  There was a huge problem with thefts of Japanese tourists because the thieves figured the Japanese would either not report the theft losing face along with valuables, or would not testify as they had a flight to catch.  Now, with closed circuit TV connections, the Japanese can testify from their home country.  Guess that a video cam and an Internet connection is too high tech for the Phuket Police.

“Police request that tourists stay in Phuket for questioning, but usually they refuse because they just want to return home. This is why police have not been able to remove thieves from Patong.

Usually they refuse because they have been threatened by the mobs/mafia that run Phuket or maybe they just want to catch the flight they booked months in advance and can’t afford to pay for a flight change.  Will the Phuket Police pay for their extended stay?  Hotel?  Meals?  Flight change?  I doubt it.

“On top of this, the tourists sometimes complain to the police when they don’t get their things back quickly. Many times police officers do catch the thieves with the stolen goods, but their victims don’t want to become involved, so they avoid helping the police. Without victims we cannot subject suspects to the full legal process,” he said.

One does not need a victim to prosecute someone for having stolen merchandise.  Possession of the stolen goods is enough.  Who wants to get involved with crooked Phuket Police and the Phuket Mafia?

“As a result, police are powerless to bring to justice known serial thieves, he said.

If the fine was more than a slap on the wrist and 100 baht, then maybe some thieves would quit.

“We are always arresting the same individuals. Mostly the thieves are ladyboys working in Soi Bangla. We receive a report of a tourist being robbed once every week or two. Another issue is that some tourists think that it’s easy to find drugs in Patong and they are tricked into buying fake drugs. For example, they buy fake marijuana made from the leaves of local plants [that resemble it]….

If you know who the thieves are, and where they work, why not patrol the area – 24/7?  Enact a “3 strikes and you are out” law.  On the third offense, put them in prison for 10-20 years.  Crime will disappear.

“Occasionally the foreigners get angry with the ‘drug’ dealers because they were tricked. Then they turn violent. The dealers then simply report the foreigner’s violent behavior to the police, because the tourist is not likely to be honest about the reason for his aggression. In the end the tourist only loses his money,” he said.

More Phuket scams – right up there with the jet skis. And, it is the fault of the foreign tourist.

In reality, the idea that drugs are easy to come by in Patong is untrue, he maintains. “Our drug suppression team is constantly arresting drug dealers and seizing their contraband,” he said.

The Phuket Police keep arresting the little fish and the big Mafia bosses continue to make a fortune off of tourists.

Inebriation is another common cause of problems, he said.

“When it comes to tourists fighting with taxi and tuk-tuk drivers, it nearly always involves drunken tourists. It starts with something small, such as the fare for a ride or damage done to a vehicle,” he said.

Yep, always the drunken tourist that is to blame – not the tuk-tuk driver trying to rip off the tourists.  The Phuket Police will always side with someone from their own country.

Maj Boonsong advises patience and caution in such cases.

One cannot be patient when being confronted by a mob of taxi touts.  Usually the foreign tourist will be outnumbered 10-1.

“Instead of resorting to violence, the tourist should wait for the police. The police will attempt to negotiate a solution. If they don’t wait, with one party being drunk and the other not willing to give in, a fight will ensue. Other taxi drivers in the vicinity see this going on and step into assist their friend. Invariably this appears to onlookers as a mob of taxi drivers beating a tourist. Most of these altercations occur from 2am to 3am, and nearly always with a drunk tourist,” he said.

The Phuket Police will negotiate a solution where they Phuket Police get a hefty percentage of the take.  Again, blame the tourist.

“A good example is when a drunken tourist is playing with a tuk-tuk or taxi and the vehicle ends up getting damaged. The driver asks for compensation, but the drunk tourist cannot speak coherently and the situation escalates into a violent confrontation.

Damage that was there before and the taxi or tuk-tuk driver is trying to scam the tourist for repairs – it works for jet-skis, why not taxis.  Tourists are in the wrong again.

“In circumstances such as this the tourist should just wait for the arrival of the police, so that they can negotiate a peaceful settlement,” he advised.

Wait for the Phuket Police to arrive and you will most likely find yourself beaten within an inch of your life, or dead.

This Phuket Police Investigator needs to get off his ass, out from behind his desk, and make himself and his force visible on the streets of Phuket and arrest those that are serial thieves.

The text was modified to remove a broken link to http://www.phuketgazette.net/archives/articles/2011/article11646.html.

Tags: mafia phuket phuket police phuket police blame foreign tourists for local crimes phuket police investigator soi bangla taxi thieves tourists tuk tuk