Police furious over jet-ski video nasties

**zubber** · 16-09-2009, 07:57 PM

Clips 'not intended to harm tourism industry'
by SUPAPONG CHAOLAN and ACHADTAYA CHUENNIRAN

Newspaper section: News

Widely distributed video recordings of foreign tourists reputedly
being ripped off over damage to jet skis on Phuket and other incidents
have been made to damage Thailand's tourism reputation, authorities
say. The producers of the video clips - shown on British cable
television and YouTube - and the victims of the alleged scams have
denied the accusation.

Pol Lt Gen Santhan Chayanont, chief of Provincial Police Region 8
which covers the upper South, yesterday said efforts to tarnish
Thailand's image might be coordinated.

The video clips show a female British tourist being arrested for
marijuana possession at a full moon party on Koh Phangan and a British
marine and a US marine being threatened to pay exorbitant compensation
for damage to rented jet skis on Phuket in separate incidents.

The footage, in which Thai police appear, were broadcast as part of
the series Big Trouble in Tourist Thailand on Britain's Bravo cable TV
station and then spread to the internet. Pol Lt Gen Santhan said the
arrest of the British woman was real. She was found with marijuana in
her possession. In her testimony through a translator, she confessed.
In the video clip she claimed she had to pay 80,000 baht to local
police to be released on bail.

The other clips feature a Phuket jet ski operator, Vinai Naiman, also
known as "JJ", demanding compensation from British and American
clients, both marines on rest and recreation leave.

In the clip of the British marine, Mr Vinai was seen to go to a
storeroom and return with a gun which he dangled by his side. Pol Lt
Gen Santhan said the way clips had been made suggested a set up.

They had been edited to tarnish the image of both Thai tourism and the
police force and presented only the negative side of the story through
narrators, he said.

Pol Lt Gen Santhan ordered police investigators to find out if any
Thai individuals were involved in the making of the footage.They could
face criminal charges.

He also ordered his subordinates to run a check on the production of
the clips and report the findings to him as soon as possible.
The producer of the video clips, Gavin Hill, and some of those
involved told British freelance journalist Andrew Drummond the footage
was not faked or stage-managed and there was no intention to damage
Thailand.

They insisted they were prepared, if necessary, to make the incidents
a diplomatic issue.

Phuket governor Wichai Praisa-ngob yesterday said the clips might have
been produced by someone who stood to benefit from Thailand tourism
losing its competitive edge.

Mr Vinai said he had demanded compensation for damaged jet skis from
his foreign clients. But the compensation had been settled before the
filming.

He said he had been tricked into appearing in the clip as the
producers claimed they wanted to do a positive documentary about
tourism in Phuket.

The gun he was seen holding was only an air gun, he insisted.
Tourism and Sports Minister Chumpol Silpa-archa said he did not think
the controversy would have a far-reaching effect on the tourism
industry.

Anusorn Salay, head of a club of jet ski operators on Phuket,
yesterday said the club would establish procedures to prevent disputes
over jet skis. It would set rates for compensation based on where and
how bad the damage was to a ski.

www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/23902/police-furious-over-taged-video-...

**aging one** · 16-09-2009, 08:05 PM

old news guy, very old.

**dirtydog** · 16-09-2009, 08:07 PM

In the UK holding up a bank with an air gun or replica gun is the same criminal charge as holding up a bank with a real gun, so jj, it only being an airgun aint going to win you any foreign friends.

**Tom Sawyer** · 16-09-2009, 08:41 PM

Originally Posted by zubber

Pol Lt Gen Santhan ordered police investigators to find out if any
Thai individuals were involved in the making of the footage.They could
face criminal charges.

Why?

Is there now a police-state law that says any Thai who tells the truth about Thai scams and rip offs can be sent to prison? Is this some perverse extension of LM law??

Police state indeed..

**bretby** · 16-09-2009, 08:49 PM

The more denials and excuses that the Thais are broadcasting on this is just making them look even more foolish and fuelling the exposure of the incidents, but that`s ok, I wonder what the next instalment will be ? Oh I know jj wasn`t even there at all, he was just a hologram.

**Rah** · 16-09-2009, 08:54 PM

Outside of this forum & late-night Bravo viewers, nobody gives a toss about 'JJ', they don't expect to bump into his ilk, they will continue to come as they have for years.

This scam will go on forever.

**dirtydog** · 16-09-2009, 08:59 PM

^And the Bangkok post, and phuket rags and and and.
Just the youtube vids alone have had over 150,000views.

**ItsRobsLife** · 16-09-2009, 09:23 PM

Originally Posted by zubber

Pol Lt Gen Santhan Chayanont, chief of Provincial Police Region 8
which covers the upper South, yesterday said efforts to tarnish
Thailand's image might be coordinated.

What's that? An admission of guilt?
Right c'mon, own up, who else is involved in this?

**dirtydog** · 16-09-2009, 09:29 PM

I think Thailands image started going downhill when they allowed terrorist to take over their airport and then didn't charge them, yet foreigners stealing a few trinkets from the duty free get extorted for horrendous amounts, since then the image of Thailand has been on a downward spiral.

**chitown** · 16-09-2009, 10:14 PM

Originally Posted by zubber

Pol Lt Gen Santhan ordered police investigators to find out if any Thai individuals were involved in the making of the footage.They could
face criminal charges.

Not the corrupt policeman or JJ.

**baldrick** · 16-09-2009, 10:16 PM

Originally Posted by Rah

Outside of this forum & late-night Bravo viewers, nobody gives a toss about 'JJ',

parts of it have been shown on various thai talking head shows

thai's have also chimed in about getting stung by the same oxygen thieves

thai coppers are very pissed off that their incompetence is being shown to the whole world

**lom** · 16-09-2009, 10:25 PM

Originally Posted by baldrick

thai coppers are very pissed off that their income is being shown to the whole world

Fixed that one for you.

**sabang** · 16-09-2009, 10:38 PM

Lese' Majestie, obviously.

**English Noodles** · 16-09-2009, 10:43 PM

Originally Posted by bretby

I wonder what the next instalment will be ? Oh I know jj wasn`t even there at all, he was just a hologram.

**jim1176** · 16-09-2009, 10:52 PM

Originally Posted by zubber

Widely distributed video recordings of foreign tourists reputedly being ripped off over damage to jet skis on Phuket and other incidents have been made to damage Thailand's tourism reputation, authorities say.

Blame the Farang....

Thais never do anything wrong.

Sounds like back in Jr High when we denied all our mischief as we thought the adults could never figure it was us.

**Smeg** · 16-09-2009, 11:02 PM

Image image image image

Thai furious at damaged image

Thai furious at damaged image

Thai furious at damaged image

What a bunch of silly little conceited superficial tossers

**Ghandi** · 16-09-2009, 11:04 PM

Originally Posted by dirtydog

I think Thailands image started going downhill when they allowed terrorist to take over their airport and then didn't charge them, yet foreigners stealing a few trinkets from the duty free get extorted for horrendous amounts, since then the image of Thailand has been on a downward spiral.

Yes how could anyone possibly take this place seriously?

What a focking side show Thailand is.

I'm amazed at times the place actually functions as a country.

**Smeg** · 16-09-2009, 11:26 PM

Originally Posted by jim1176

Blame the Farang....

Thais never do anything wrong.

This one thing ruins Thailand.

Thais screw up often, and can be unpleasant, but point it out to them or anyone else, and you are the one in the wrong, and they are the offended/insulted party.

Disgusting little brown creatures.

**DrB0b** · 16-09-2009, 11:26 PM

Originally Posted by Tom Sawyer

Originally Posted by zubber

Pol Lt Gen Santhan ordered police investigators to find out if any
Thai individuals were involved in the making of the footage.They could
face criminal charges.

Why?

Is there now a police-state law that says any Thai who tells the truth about Thai scams and rip offs can be sent to prison? Is this some perverse extension of LM law??

Police state indeed..

Now? It's always been that way. In some countries the dominant political system is democracy, in others it's authoritarianism, in some others it's communism. In Thailand the dominant political and social system is paranoid schizophrenia.

**chitown** · 17-09-2009, 12:00 AM

Where I come from the host should be pleasant and accommodating. In Thailand the guest has to tow the line and he better like it an never complain.

**chassamui** · 17-09-2009, 12:10 AM

Phuket governor Wichai Praisa-ngob yesterday said the clips might have
been produced by someone who stood to benefit from Thailand tourism
losing its competitive edge

Does he mean the police did it?

**ItsRobsLife** · 17-09-2009, 12:28 AM

They're looking into it...

**BobR** · 17-09-2009, 06:17 AM

Starting a witch hunt will only make them look more ridiculous and will be an interesting future episode of the same show.

**Suun Suun Jed** · 17-09-2009, 10:18 AM

The guy (in episode two) who was arrested for damaging the baht bus in Pattaya, and also urinating on it, is shown sitting in a Thai Airways airplane seat at the police station. Several rows of these airplane seats can be seen in the video and they are complete with tray tables in the back.

This looks rather bizarre and it would have been funny if it had been brought to the attention of the viewers.

However, a trend might start if overseas police are watching these videos. Soon police stations in the UK may have airplane seats from British Airways, police stations in the USA may soon have seats from United Airlines, and the German police may soon be deploying seats from Lufthansa.

**robuzo** · 17-09-2009, 10:21 AM

Originally Posted by dirtydog

In the UK holding up a bank with an air gun or replica gun is the same criminal charge as holding up a bank with a real gun, so jj, it only being an airgun aint going to win you any foreign friends.

You could put somebody's eye out with that thing!

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