Crackdown on mafia targeting tourists: more govt bluster?

Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung vowed on Friday to get rid of criminals targeting tourists. He promised to do it within three months. Promising to get tough on crime should be welcome from any political leaders. But the fact that such a vow has come from a man who is the personification of so many things that are wrong with Thai politics may make many people uncomfortable – and we are not just talking about the criminals.

No one seems to know why he gave himself three months time to do it and nobody seems to know why he waited until now to declare war on the mafia. Surely these shady crime syndicate guys have been with us for some time. So this begs the question of the timing of the announcement.

Furthermore, no one is sure what Chalerm’s definition of “mafia” is. People in Thai society tend to use the word loosely. Just about anything associated with organised crime could fall into that category, in fact.

Crime, or perhaps organised crime, has been with us since the beginning of time. During the 1920s Prohibition era in the United States, the label “mafia” became synonymous with gangs formed by European immigrants. After the ban on alcohol was lifted, the American mafia moved into other illegal businesses, such as illegal gambling and narcotics, and eventually “legitimate” business. 

No doubt, old habits die hard. Thus, one can safely assume that arm-twisting, as well as paying off the authorities, were employed to get things done. But such practices are commonplace in Thai business activities. 

Nevertheless, these crime bosses fascinate the public and quite a few movies and television shows have been based on their activities and conduct.

Interestingly, Chalerm limited the target of the crackdown to tourism, raising questions as to why this industry was singled out. Perhaps he doesn’t want to bite off more than he can chew, in which case, modesty is to be praised. But again, here is a man who is not known for modesty or humility.

The fact that tourism is one of the biggest industries in the country could be his motivation for singling it out. He did say the government wants to increase revenue from tourism to Bt2 trillion within five years.

Chalerm made known his determination right a meeting with tourist police, senior officials from the Tourism and Sports Ministry and governors of tourist-destination provinces at the Royal Thai Police headquarters. Attending the one-hour meeting were the governors of Phuket, Ayutthaya, Nakhon Ratchasima, Khon Kaen, Chiang Mai, Ubon Ratchathani, Sukhothai, Tak and Kanchanaburi.

Perhaps the announcement was just something to say to reporters. Perhaps he was sending a signal to crooked officials that they will no longer be permitted to take kickbacks from the so-called mafia? We can guess all day as to what the real motivation is. 

Shall the country hold a countdown to day one and see how much things have improved? Or are we being too cynical? After all, shouldn’t politicians be held accountable for what they say and promise, regardless of whether it is election time or not?

Like many sticky issues, today’s headlines will likely disappear from the public’s memory. Politicians have learned that they have been able to get away with so much in the face of a not-so-critical public. And the fact that we don’t do enough to hold these policymakers to their word, as well as our tendency to support questionable tactics, says something about the strength of our society and community.

In early 2003, the then government of Thaksin Shinawatra launched a controversial ‘War on Drugs’ that ended in the deaths of about 2,500 suspects in the span of three months. Authorities said the killings – all except two – resulted from bad guys killing bad guys. Thaksin even declared victory in this notorious campaign, which many said was actually extrajudicial killings by police. 

No one seems to know what benchmarks he was using, but a stage was set up, balloons were released and Thaksin rode on the back of Thai nationalism by declaring victory on a scorecard that was based on body counts. So, what can we expect this time around?