Safety, fairness the two priorities for tourism

Whenever a hideous crime is committed against tourists in Thailand, we get the same run-of-the-mill words and promises of action from people like the Tourism minister, governor of the province where the crime occurred, and deputy foreign minister. These are trotted out in the naïve belief that foreigners will be comforted by the promises. Most foreign visitors just shrug and see straight through these empty words. 

If I were General Prayut Chan-o-cha, with no Parliament to stop me, I would proclaim a law that punishes any Thai found guilty of a crime against foreigners with twice the normal jail sentence – no pardon available. Murder and rape would carry a mandatory and uncommutable life sentence. Such a move would end all the empty talk and place me up there with a real leader like Lee Kuan Yew. 

And while I had the power I wouldn’t stop there. I would order a crackdown to eradicate in three months all scams perpetrated against tourists by Thais, who enrich themselves without caring about the country’s reputation. The Tourism Ministry’s expensive PR work could be dispensed with (Thailand’s attractions no longer require advertisement, anyway). Demands that foreign visitors are kept safe and treated fairly are now as prominent as they were in Italy and Spain when they first emerged as tourist spots. Thais must remember that foreigners are our guests, not potential “targets”. The Tourism Ministry’s main task is to implant this thought in our society, not to fund trips abroad in the name of promoting Thailand. Foreign visitors heap praise on Thailand, but this has little to do with the efforts of the ministry. The rich natural and cultural resources of our country speak for themselves. 

Songdej Praditsmanont