Phuket: Tropical Paradise and/or Pool of Doom

A tropical paradise, the pearl of the Andaman with pristine beaches, natural beauty and green tourism. Or: a pool of destruction with kinky shows, flat sex and hard porn. Take your pick: we're talking about Phuket, the city that recently hit the headlines after pop star Rihanna posted photos of herself with a (protected) slow loris on her Instagram and mentioned some tantalizing details of a sex show she had on Twitter visited.

The police, usually busy collecting bribes, acted quickly this time. The man who had rented out the loris was arrested and the operator of the tent with the sex show was also handcuffed. All for the stage of course, because you can still have your picture taken with the cute monkey and the sex shows continue quietly. It is business as usual.

District chief Veera Kerdsirimongkol says she had no idea about the existence of the bar, where Rihanna had poured herself (as she also tweeted). “We only found out after Rihanna tweeted about it. After that we couldn't find any violation until we caught them in the act on Saturday.'

The image of Patong and Phuket is determined by Soi Bangla

You would almost believe the man, but we won't. Weerawit Kruasombat, president of the Patong Entertainment Entrepreneurs Club, confirms that "illegal and dirty" businesses are thriving all over Patong. The image of Patong and Phuket is determined by the image of Soi Bangla (photo), where more and more entertainment venues are being built.

Not true, says Santi Pawai, director of the Tourism and Sports office in Phuket. 'The highlights of Phuket are still the beaches and islands and Phuket is a starting point for visits to other provinces, such as Phangnga.' Well, what else can a tourist office guy do but repeat what he wrote in the tourist leaflets.

But he reluctantly admits that nightlife, scams and illegal activities "might" take place in busy places, such as Patong, which has a different style to the eco-tourism in the Phuket area. But he thinks the naughty nightlife has reached its saturation point.

Tourism on the rise; eco-tourism not a priority

Phuket is doing well as a tourist destination. In 2011, 9.467.000 tourists visited the island, last year there were 10.789.000 and this year the 10 million has already passed. Since 2002, tourism income has more than quadrupled to 228,9 billion baht last year and that's not bad either. How much of that is earned by the sex shows, of course, the statistics do not mention.

For Phuket, eco-tourism is not the first priority, because Phuket cannot match Phangngna and Krabi. Governor Maitree Intusut doesn't mind his island playing second fiddle. “We have other targets. Apart from the beaches, we also have adventure activities, sports and luxurious relaxation activities.'

While the number of tourists in Phuket is rising, so are the crime rates: 2.737 in 2006, last year 8.201 and already more than 8.611 this year. President Panopom Thammachatniyom of the Phuket Tour Guide Association says this is inherent in mass tourism. 'Phuket used to be a peaceful and attractive place, but there are now many more tourists. And that is a different type than before. Ten years ago, Phuket had more quality tourists. There are now more people and more nationalities and many people come to work here from all over the country.'

Fighting sex shows is hard

The complaints are well known: poor quality of products, inconvenient transport options, unfair taxi and tuk-tuk fares, which often lead to arguments, and scams in the rental of jet skis. Chief Inspector Jirapat Pochanapan of the Kathu Bureau blames the 'foreigners' working in the area. In the high season, the population of Patong rises from 19.000 to 60.000 due to the influx of seasonal workers.

Crimes do not affect the permanent residents of Patong, but mainly this group. Drug use, assault and theft are the most common. Some success has been achieved with the establishment of 'safety zones', recognizable by checkpoints and surveillance.

Fighting sex shows is hard. When the police come to check, they see a ladyboy show or sexy dancing; once the police are on their heels, the real work begins.According to Jirapat, undercover agents check nightly for sex shows and the rental of the monkeys. District chief Veera believes that shows like the one Rihanna has seen will be banned with regular checks. 'The number of sex shows is decreasing thanks to our strict controls and you can hardly see a loris on soi Bangla anymore.'

Governor: Number of complaints is decreasing

Governor Maitree, meanwhile, is doing everything he can to put an end to the problems with taxi and tuk-tuk fares and jet-ski scams. He regularly meets with taxi drivers, tuk tuk drivers and jet ski rental companies and seminars are held on service provision. Does it all help? Maitree thinks so because the number of complaints is decreasing.

And what about the image? 'Phuket still has the nice image it had of old. Scams, illegal shows and even crime can be found in most tourist places, but we keep an eye on it and try to suppress it.' And with this optimistic message we conclude this article.

(Source: Spectrum, Bangkok Post, October 20, 2013)