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Another point in its favor is that the Thai culture is well suited to tourism. Thai people are good hosts and always give a warm welcome to guests. We are a naturally kind and smiling people. I believe it’s good for the government to support tourism. Previously, it was left to the Tourism Authority of Thailand or to private companies to run tourism. The government used to stand back and watch. It did not intervene or help with any problems. Also, the government has suggested that Phuket become a duty-free zone. I can’t discuss this in depth because how the government defines “duty-free zone” has not yet been decided. I am waiting for the Ministry of Finance to give me details. Making Phuket a gun-free island is another issue that we want to be strict about. This has been my intention since my first day as Governor here. The Governor has the final say in approving all gun licenses. Fifty-eight gun licenses were issued last year and 82 the year before that. But I have not approved a single gun license since coming into office last October. This is a tourism province and we should not have any dangerous weapons. When people have a problem, they will argue. And if they have a gun, they just might use it. I have also instructed the three District Chiefs not to issue licenses for people to possess a dangerous weapon. For example, people can no longer obtain a license to possess guns such as a .357, or a .45, except for government officers who require one and can provide a legitimate reason for having one. True, there are already a lot of guns in Phuket, but most of them are legal and are kept in people’s homes. Another of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s policies is to purge Phuket of the local mafia. But the first thing we need to do is find out who is involved in the local mafia. At the moment, all we have are rumors – “This guy is in the mafia” or “Those guys are in the mafia.” It is not the Governor’s job find out who these people are. It is the responsibility of the Immigration Police and the Provincial Police. My definition of “mafia” is those people involved in illegal activities such as money laundering, prostitution and drugs as well as powerful people who demand money in return for protection. Gangsters, in other words. I believe that the “mafia” the Prime Minister referred to includes some foreigners. We have to accept that some of foreigners are low-class and like to be involved in criminal activities. Pongpayome Vasaputi |
First
of all, I’d like to say that I agree with the new government’s policy
of supporting tourism rather than export industries. Tourism can be a very
profitable service industry, which, I believe, does not require too much
investment.