Earlier this week, a group of entertainment venue operators in Patong and Phuket submitted a complaint to Phuket’s Damrongdham Centre, asking the provincial governor to investigate officers collecting bribes from operators during the past New Year holiday, reports the Bangkok Post.
At a press conference chaired by the Phuket deputy governor, operators were told there was insufficient evidence to confirm such crimes.
Rangsiman Kingkaew, president of the Tourism Council of Phuket, said on Thursday that Thailand has a recurring problem with law enforcement, especially in major tourist destinations.
He said bribery often results from operators using illegal practices, paving the way for officers to ask for bribes in exchange for protection or looking the other way.
When circumstances change or benefits no longer match, then conflicts often resurface, said Mr Rangsiman.
He said some entertainment venue operators intentionally violate the law, such as opening later than allowed or running unlicensed businesses, as their income is higher than if they complied with the regulations, making bribes worth the cost.
The government should address these issues and encourage operators to follow the law, particularly unlicensed entertainment venues and illegal accommodations, said Mr Rangsiman.
For their part, the authorities could streamline the licensing application process as most businesses want to register but still face regulatory obstacles, he said.
If these issues are fixed, it would help restore the reputation of the tourism industry and the government could earn more from taxes, said Mr Rangsiman.
An entertainment industry source in Phuket who requested anonymity told the Bangkok Post entertainment venue bribes have persisted for a long time.
“Operators do not fully comply with the law, such as operating during restricted hours. They are willing to pay under the table to operate for a few more hours to gain extra income," said the source.
Only licensed entertainment venues are allowed to operate until 4am in the Patong area.
Bribes are often collected based on the size of the venues, said the source.
Regarding the recent case, large crowds during the New Year holiday and some changes in provincial administration resulted in bribe amounts requested by officers being too high for operators to pay, noted the source.
A root cause of this problem is the complicated licence application process, which usually takes too long to complete, said the source.
This high season entertainment venues have not fared well as foreign tourists reduced their spending, said the industry veteran.
Many of the foreign visitors were from India, Europe and Russia, while the Chinese market remained weak.