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» 19.09.09 Phuket jet-skis: agreement reached on insurance scheme |
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19.09.09 Phuket jet-skis: agreement reached on insurance scheme
The insurance scheme is hoped to put an end to Phuket's well-known 'jet-ski scam'.
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PATONG,
PHUKET: Phuket jet-ski operators will have to get accident insurance
for their vehicles or cease doing business on Phuket's beaches, it was
agreed at the key ‘jet-ski summit’ in Patong today.
Inside the
packed meeting hall at Patong Municipality today were Vice Governor
Smith Palawatvichai, Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pekad
Tantipong, Kathu Police Superintendent Grissak Songmoonnark, Deputy
Mayor of Patong Chairat Sukhabaan, Director of Phuket Provincial
Insurance Office Suwimon Saelim, and around 50 jet-ski operators –
including the island’s now infamous Winai ‘JJ’ Naiman.
Police
chief Maj Gen Pekad said three US Navy representatives had met with him
recently in advance of the arrival in Phuket of around 4,000 sailors on
three US warships next week.
“They said they have forbidden their men from hiring jet-skis,” he said.
“I
told them not to worry because I guarantee from now on there will be no
more scams or problems involving jet-skis in Phuket,” he said.
He told the assembled jet-ski operators they had to sign up to the insurance scheme – “without making a fuss”.
President
of Phuket Jet-ski Association Anusorn Sahreh agreed insurance for
jet-skis would be a good thing “in an ideal world”, but said in the
current economic climate, his members just couldn’t afford it.
“We only work six months a year. We’re not all rich,” he said.
Mr
Anusorn said his preferred solution to the problem was for every
jet-ski outfit in Phuket to agree to use the same rental contract.
While disputes with tourists were common in Patong, they were quite rare in other parts of the island such as Bang Tao, he said.
Nevertheless Vice Gov Smith, who chaired the meeting, said the insurance scheme would have to go ahead.
One insurance company has already said it is willing to insure jet-skis.
Danai
Rojjintavej, manager of the Phuket branch of Bangkok Insurance, told
the meeting his company would be glad to provide the service, “but
we’ll need to see the operators’ rental contracts first.”
Jet-ski operators and insurance companies will now meet on September 23 to exchange information and settle insurance costs.
A source in the governor’s office told the Gazette that operators would have to insure their jet-skis within one month of that meeting or stop doing business.
Source: Phuketgazette, 19.09.09
http://www.phuketgazette.net/news/index.asp?id=7794
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