PM asks airport officials to end malpractice
PM asks airport officials to end malpractice problems, scams
BANGKOK: — Faced by a number of negative reports appearing in international media about malpractice problems and scams taking place at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi international airport, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Saturday ordered airport officials to resolve the problems and restore confidence among foreign tourists.
After inspecting airport facilities and talking with airport authorities on problem-areas including duty-free shops, unlicensed taxis, baggage theft and government officials acting as influential figures, Mr. Abhisit said guidelines would be laid out so that transparency and tourist confidence could be restored at the airport.
“Measures must be issued so that thiefs could not carry out their crimes,” Mr Abhisit said. “Duty-free shops must clearly display prices, cashiers counters, and signs specifying where merchandise cannot be removed,” said Mr. Abhisit.
He said airport authorities were told to install more surveillance cameras to help prevent baggage thefts.
An international news report recently said that a number of European tourists – British, Danish and Irish in particular – reported they were falsely accused of shoplifting at Suvarnabhumi international airport and some recounted being taken to seedy motels where they were shaken down for thousands of dollars by a shady middleman.
Poorly-defined boundaries between different businesses sharing the same zone in the airport means that shoppers can unknowingly carry items they intend to purchase from one shop to another, and suggestions from come complainants that such gray-zones are intended to produce apparent shoplifting situations in which tourists can be pressured in scams.
Britain and Denmark are warning tourists on official government websites about such problems at Suvarnabhumi Airport.
The facility opened in 2006 and has been dogged by corruption allegations, taxi touts with ‘broken metres’ and baggage thefts, prompting a recent order for luggage handlers to wear uniforms without pockets
Crackdown fails to stop airport gangs
ILLEGAL OPERATORS DEFY AUTHORITIES
BANGKOK: — Despite the government’s recent campaign to keep the international gateway to Thailand clear of thugs and cheats, it seems to be business as usual for illegal taxi operators and tour guides at Suvarnabhumi airport.
WELCOME TO THAILAND: A group of tourists is given the hard sell at Suvarnabhumi on Saturday. The airport’s image has been tarnished by accusations of illegal operators taking advantage of travellers.
The Airports of Thailand (AoT) Plc recently reported to the cabinet that more than 600 people had been caught at the airport in the past two months for various offences.
In the past two months, 395 unlicensed taxi drivers and 210 illegal tour guides who exploited travellers at Suvarnabhumi airport have been arrested after a campaign was launched to crack down on crime at the airport, the AoT reported to cabinet last week.
However, airport authorities with a trained eye still see unauthorised taxi operators and tour guides preying on victims, but claim they get intimidated when they approach these people, who then claim they have connections in high places.
“Often these people claim they know AoT executives to scare away authorities and keep their businesses going. Some just say bluntly that they need money to pass on to their bosses, which is understood to mean AoT executives,” said one inside source.
The source added that there are more than 20 powerful groups operating in the airport which come under the command of major gangs – Kamnan Samruay, Boonruang Srisang, Sak Pakphanang and Pirap.
The Kamnan Samruay camp used to operate at Don Mueang airport, where they provided underground foreign exchange services.
At the new airport, the gang has extended its business to cover ticketing and illegal taxi and tour guide services. It also collects “protection fees” from smaller gangs.
The Boonruang Srisang gang also runs an illegal taxi and tour guide service network. It has a small number of members and is independent.
The Sak Pakphanang gang is a break-away from the Boonruang Srisang gang, while the Pirap group is believed to have strong connections as its leader has the same last name as an AoT executive.
There are also two prominent groups known as the Pattaya Mafia gang and the Phuyai Daeng gang. The Pattaya Mafia gang, whose leaders are known as Steve and Montri and who are neatly dressed and can easily pass as passengers, is stationed on the fourth floor of the passenger terminal. The Phuyai Daeng gang, with good connections with influential figures in Samut Prakan, works more like a lobbyist for fraudsters who want to gain entry to the airport.
According to the source, unauthorised tour guides are engaged in various scams ranging from providing transportation and accommodation to selling air tickets. “Some even ’steal’ the tourists from the TAT [Tourism Authority of Thailand] information counter. They feed the tourists information and then press on with hard sales,” said the source.
The illegal tour guides hang around the arrivals hall and approach foreign passengers. They introduce themselves as airport workers and lead tourists to illegal taxi queues when a deal is made.”They are scattered on every floor in the terminal and stay among passengers and officials. It is hard to pick them out from the crowd because they are well dressed,” the source said, adding the gangs have carved the airport into zones.
AoT president Serirat Prasutanond conceded that there are some criminal gangs operating in the airport, but said the AoT has stepped up efforts to crack down on unlicensed taxi drivers and tour guides.
One measure has been to transfer some officials who were thought to be involved with the gangs. A reshuffle of officials will be made this month, he said. Mr Serirat said the AoT will spend 15 million baht starting on Oct 1 to try and end the illegal operations.
* This article is the first in a series on irregularities at Suvarnabhumi airport.
SUVARNABHuMI: — A special security team at Suvarnabhumi airport has arrested 750 unlicensed taxi and limousine drivers and 405 illegal tour guides in the space of just one month, officials say.
The security team, made up of police, airport security guards and land transport officials, began a crackdown on illegal activities at the airport on July 31 after a flood of complaints from tourists. Airport director Niran Thiranartsin yesterday said illegal taxis were initially targetted, but tour guides operating without permission were included from Aug 9.
Despite the huge number of arrests, a Bangkok Post investigative report on Sunday showed many more illegal operators were continuing to plague the airport.
Mr Niran said the situation remained serious despite the initial success of the security team in tackling the problem.
Illegal operators still needed to be targetted and “we have to keep on seriously enforcing the security measures”, he said.
Any leniency now would only cause a setback to Airports of Thailand Plc’s renewed attempt to clean up the airport by weeding out illegal operators and corrupt officials.
AoT president Serirat Prasutanond said earlier the gangs which ran the illegal operations had indicated to him in a phone call that they would flood back in once the crackdown lost steam.
The maximum fine that could be imposed on the illegal operators was 1,000 baht. Mr Niran said many of those arrested were repeat offenders and it was necessary to produce factual information to increase the penalties against them.
Besides the special security team, assigned to patrol the airport around the clock, a new airport unit has been set up to deal directly with illegal taxis and tour guides and to support the team’s work, Mr Niran said.
The airport was also installing 50 more security cameras in the arrivals hall and in front of the passenger area on the second floor, he said.
But one area where it was difficult to conduct surveillance was around the baggage carousel where porters with clearance passes who work for the airlines could approach passengers to help them with their luggage.
Mr Niran said many of the porters were like “outsourced” workers for the gangs and it was difficult to expose them.
The AoT has been forced to tighten its security measures at the trouble-plagued airport as the gangs had almost free rein there for three years.
However, an AoT source said despite tougher measures, including the planned transfer of staff suspected of being involved in the illegal operations, the gangs would not be easily contained.
“These gangs still do their business as usual,” he said.
The AoT needed more cooperation from airport staff at the operating level. But many were found to lack morale and appeared uninterested in the problem because it was supposed to be the responsibility of the special security team, he said.