Whether such interest is born from an intrinsic human want to understand and even help in such incidents or whether it’s just morbid fascination is one for the psychologists to debate.
Many hoteliers and politicians often bemoan the existence of so much coverage of cheating, skimming, scamming, murdering and robbing. Such writing is damaging to the image of Phuket they argue.
While it’s true that Phuket newspapers and news sites rarely run stories about holidaymakers simply coming to the island, having a great time and leaving, like perhaps the 99.9 per cent of the 8 million visitors who do so annually, this is largely because you, our reader, would not be interested in reading about it.
It is the remarkable or the negative that we report because this is what people want to read about and this is what might be changed or at least chronicled in the hope that those responsible will be held accountable.
While it’s worth remembering the statistical context of such negative stories, it’s also worth bearing in mind that there appears to be an increasing number of incidents of violence and criminality locally.
Just this week a South African family, including wife and daughter, were chased and beaten by a group of six men in Patong. On that same night a group of Chinese tourists had their rented vehicle’s tires deflated after they parked in a ‘specially reserved’ area.
The effectiveness of government meetings, of setting up of committees, of increased police patrols and public displays of significant drug and counterfeit hauls have been called into question of late, not only by newspapers, news sites and the general Phuket reader but – significantly – by national authorities.
While findings from last week’s Department of Special Investigation’s visit to the island are still being analysed, and plans are yet to be put into action, what is clear is that Bangkok authorities, in particular, the Ministry of Tourism who requested the DSI’s visit, are unsure of Phuket authorities’ abilities. Issues of corruption and crime need to be addressed urgently, and much needs to be done. The message is clear – if local authorities are unable to effect the changes, Bangkok definitely is.
The first of hopefully many positive initiatives to emerge from the capital is for Phuket, alongside Pattaya, to have a ‘Centre for Control of Organised Crime’, to tackle the worst criminality head on.
This for a change is ‘good news’ – and a story that we will be following closely in the months ahead.