Phuket Tourist Trickery Scores 300,000 Baht, Enough to Make You Sick - Phuket Wan


Yin Young Waie, with Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha today
Photo by phuketwan.com

Phuket Tourist Trickery Scores 300,000 Baht, Enough to Make You Sick

By Sert Tongdee
Friday, February 3, 2012

PHUKET: A group of Chinese tourists has ripped off a Phuket business over a bout of food poisoning that afflicted some of their members on Phuket.

The Chinese tourists were paid 300,000 baht for their silence to protect Phuket's reputation. But when they returned to China, the tour group broke their promise, spreading their story about food poisoning on Phuket around nine newspapers - and they may have even been paid to do it.

Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha heard the alarming tale of the treacherous tourists today from Yin Young Waie, Phuket manager of Pacific Holidays, who was shocked to find the tourists had gone back on their word.

It was he who paid over the 300,000 baht in compensation that was supposed to buy the silence of the group over their food poisoning.

Eleven of the group of 41 went to Patong Hospital the day after eating at a restaurant near Simon Cabaret in Patong. Three of them were treated for diaorrhea . None were admitted.

But the group threatened to expose Phuket to damages, and in the interests of retaining Phuket's reputation, the substantial amount of compensation was paid.

Now Phuket's Governor Tri has had translations made of the articles in the Chinese newspapers and will ask the Foreign Ministry to tell the complete story, so that the citizens of Chengdu in China learn the truth.

The trouble is, some of them may laugh.