reader Posted March 4 Posted March 4 From Pattaya News On March 3rd, 2024, Mr. Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, the Deputy leader of the United Thai Nation, publicly revealed after visiting Phuket last week to inspect and gather information regarding an allegation of foreign mafia gangs in the area. Phuket is one of the most popular Thai tourist attractions among foreign tourists. However, it was found out that the quantity was greater than the quality in terms of businesses in Phuket, remarked Thanakorn. Meanwhile, many street vendors and tourism-related workers complained about alleged foreign mafia gangs in the Phuket local, mostly Russian nationals, taking over Thai people’s businesses, stated Thanakorn. The foreign mafia gangs reportedly were not afraid of laws as they allegedly smuggled illicit substances to their entertainment venues and were wealthy, paying off corrupt officials to avoid legal action, said Thanakorn. He wanted to reflect on the local problems and provide insight to the Thai Prime Minister and Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, for urgent inspection. Furthermore, it was reported that traffic congestion in Phuket had been an issue for a long time. After acknowledging the issue, the Thai Prime Minister issued an order to Mr. Suriya Juangroongruangkit, the Thai Minister of Transport, and relevant agencies to take immediate action and expand new routes to Phuket Airport. At 12:30, on the same day, Anutin mentioned the issue regarding the alleged foreign mafia gangs in Phuket and he pressed for action on the issue to Phuket government officials. He asserted that having influential foreigners with a bad reputation having authority over Thai locals is unacceptable. Anutin also added that any sort of influential person with bad influence, Thai national or not, needed to go if they were not following the law and did not have good intentions. vinapu, Boy69 and TMax 3 Quote
TMax Posted March 4 Posted March 4 Nice speech by the politicians but odds are they won't do anything - they really do need to get some non corrupted people in there to empty the rotten nest... reader, splinter1949 and vinapu 3 Quote
Marc in Calif Posted March 19 Posted March 19 On 3/3/2024 at 7:26 PM, reader said: Meanwhile, many street vendors and tourism-related workers complained about alleged foreign mafia gangs in the Phuket local, mostly Russian nationals, taking over Thai people’s businesses, stated Thanakorn. Is anyone really surprised at this disclosure? reader 1 Quote
Keithambrose Posted March 19 Posted March 19 7 hours ago, Marc in Calif said: Is anyone really surprised at this disclosure? I think they would be more surprised if something was done about it! TMax 1 Quote
thaiophilus Posted March 20 Posted March 20 19 hours ago, Marc in Calif said: Is anyone really surprised at this disclosure? I'm mildly surprised ... that the Thai mafia have allowed a foreign mafia to take over their territory so easily. In a patronage-based society where networking is everything, I'd expect the incumbents to have a huge advantage. Marc in Calif and vinapu 2 Quote
reader Posted March 20 Author Posted March 20 24 minutes ago, thaiophilus said: I'm mildly surprised ... that the Thai mafia have allowed a foreign mafia to take over their territory so easily. In a patronage-based society where networking is everything, I'd expect the incumbents to have a huge advantage. Not out of the question that the two parties have reached an agreement of sorts where the outsider pays a "franchise" type fee to operate within certain geographic limits. The newcomer takes the risks and the locals share in the profits. Marc in Calif and vinapu 2 Quote
