Tourism court to be set up : Justice Ministry
The Justice Ministry is proposing the setting up of a Tourism Court to consider tourismrelated cases to help foreigners and Thais, Wirat Shinwinitkul, secretary general of the Office of the Judiciary said Tuesday.
If the Attorney General approves the idea, the Tourism Court would first be set up in Bangkok, which draws the biggest number of tourists in the country, he said.
The Tourism Ministry will be responsible for the court’s budgets and rules while his ministry will help provide personnel, he said, adding he expected cooperation from police and public prosecutors.
The Tourism Court will be held at existing district courts and will be open for service at night, as tourists usually go out in the daytime. “We are opening the court to protect the rights tourists and provide fairness to those who may receive unfair treatment from tour agencies.”
Trials in the Tourism Court could be low budget and require a quick response and processing, as tourists usually stay in Thailand for only a short period.
He added Thai people could seek trials in the Tourism Court but their claims would have to be under set rules, such as if they were cheated by tourists.
The setting up of the court is to respond to Thailand’s entry to the AEC, he added.
He added the ministry has held night courts operating from 4.30pm to 8.30pm in Bangkok for long time and is considering launching a similar system in Pattaya, Phuket, Samui and Chiang Mai.
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