Thread: Top cop orders end to Phuket jet-ski scams

Here's part of an article written a couple of days ago by Andrew Drummond, it's about that new series coming out in the UK about Thailand, "Big Trouble in Thailand."

Britain’s only saving grace, outwith the volunteers, in the first part of this eight programme series, comes from the Royal Marines who arrive at Phuket on HMS Bulwark. HMS Bulwark

As the sailors disembark for shore leave they are advised not to hire jet-skis on Patong Beach. But at this stage they are advised only. US military are banned from hiring them.

We cut to a scene where a young Marine is banged up in some sort of builders-yard-come-boat-warehouse in the back of beyond. He faces a gun. It’s either pay up or face the consequences. The Thai jet-ski operator is demanding 44,000 baht (£798) for damage to his boat. Its a scam and a nasty one.

The Thai boss ‘JJ’ makes it known on camera that he will resort to violence and has done in the past.

Around the scene are heavily tattooed Thais stripped to the waist.

More Marines arrive. Then along comes the ship’s Military Police Sergeant Major.

JJ insists on his cash, raising his voice as his 1% of integrity slips to Norway’s initial average scores in the European Song Contest, but that’s a little difficult to maintain anyway in his tacky lair.

‘I’m a f..cking businessman!’

‘Don’t you shout at me! You’re corrupt. You’re a f…cking crook. This damage is old damage. It’s turned brown already!’ shouts the Sergeant Major at JJ, ‘How come this happens every single f….g day here!”

The Royal Marines must miss the water quickly. Lots of them have been hiring jet-skis apparently.

I wanted to shout a few more expletives at the little worm on the screen myself.
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‘Go now!’ The Sergeant orders the poor unfortunate captive Marine to leave the scene. JJ then orders his neanderthal buddies to close in.

There’s a stand off. The Marines are ready to fight their side. It’s clear there are links between the local mafia and local police. But at the end of the day the Marines know they cannot start an incident.

Eventually the Navy agree to pay a lesser amount, but only because the young Royal Marine had been bullied into agreeing to it verbally earlier. Series producer Gavin Hill was of course in the middle of this stand-off which would have cost a fortune to reconstruct with actors, and this was the real menacing truth.

The Royal Marines had just come from Helmand Province. I admired their patience. ( But I guess or rather I know they let some steam off in Soi Bangla where the military police were trying to save ‘Our boys’ from drewling ladyboys).

The Sergeant Major’s contempt was palpable, just as if he had just gobbled down a a couple of those ‘Brussels Sprouts’ which the ship’s HMS Bulwark’s Captain has apparently put down as ‘an enemy of the state’ and banned from his quarters.

I almost started singing ‘Rule Brittania’. A pyrrhic victory for the Thai thug accompanied by a trashing, sadly, for Thai tourism.

Coincidentally this week the Governor of Phuket has stepped into the local jet-ski rip-offs row.
Punters are paying up to £50 for half an hour on these machines, then ripped off for up to £1000 for alleged damage, which includes loss of alleged earnings while the jet-ski is being repaired.

The first programme in the series ‘Big Trouble in Thailand’, Vera Productions for the Bravo Channel, goes to air on Monday. Better than a lot, and I mean a lot, on the mainstream channels, it’s as good an introduction to the non glossy side of tourism in Thailand that you’ll ever get,…. but the beaches and the ‘craic’ still look great. I would want to go and have a look.

Its a voyeurs paradise if nothing else.

Foreign Tourist Police Volunteers Exposed at Andrew Drummond