22-07-2016

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THEPHUKETNEWS.COM

FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2016

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Friday, July 22 – Thursday, July 28, 2016

Since 2011 / Volume VI / No. 30

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PATONG DRAINS UNCLOGGED AS TOWN FLOODS > PAGE 3

COLLATERAL DAMAGE

NEWS

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Slow loris touts faster than police at Kata Beach

LIFE

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Applications for peace of mind

The number of tourists killed, injured and cheated in Phuket has forced the government to raise business deposits required before year’s end.

DEATH, INJURY, FRAUD COMPLAINTS SPUR HUGE HIKES IN ‘COLLATERAL’ DEPOSITS FOR ALL TOURISM BUSINESSES Chanida Summast reporter@classactmedia.co.th

T

he security deposits required by the government from all tourism businesses will undergo huge rises following increasing complaints that the payouts made for tourism companies causing death, injury, cheating, defaulting on services or otherwise defrauding tourists are far outstripping the deposits held by the Department of Tourism.

The security deposits, called “Collateral”, are collected by the Bureau of Tourism Business and Guide Registration and will see sweeping increases introduced before the end of the year, said Pattara Lamultree, a legal official at the Tourism Business and Guide Registration Office in Phuket. “All tourism businesses will be affected,” he said. “The new fees and amounts to be held as collateral were set at a meeting on July 14. They are

expected to be ratified next month and brought into effect after a period of 120 days.” Companies operating tours outbound from Thailand will see their collateral deposits rise from B200,000 to B2 million, while companies bringing tourists into Thailand will be required to submit B1 million as collateral instead of the B100,000 required now, Mr Pattara explained. Companies operating domestic

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tours within Thailand will see their collateral deposits rise from B50,000 to B200,000, he added. “Many companies have caused damage to tourism and we have to pay more,” Mr Pattara said. “For example, one company took a lot of bookings for tours to Japan, but the company shut down and the operators fled with the money. “The government had to pay B4 million in refunds to the people who had booked tours with them,” he said.

SPORT

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Phuket FC win, but coach not impressed


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