THAILAND: Safety Of Tourists Has Improved

The safety of tourists has improved markedly over the past few years, the Phuket Police Commander, Major General Teerapon Tipjalern, has said.

Major General Teerapon disclosed that a taxi driver on Phuket who beat a tourist last month had been arrested and would be punished.

There were fewer crimes against tourists because these days, ''social media goes very fast.''

His comment has fresh relevance following terrorist attacks in Paris and Beirut that appear to be aimed at frightening people into travelling less.

Major General Teerapon said that Thailand could certainly use more police but that ''we expect all residents to be law-abiding citizens.''

''Phuket is a very safe place for tourists,'' he said, speaking before the latest attacks. ''We have tackled the issue of tourism safety many times and safety has been improved each time.''

Residents and volunteers joined with police to make the holiday island a safer place, coupled with the more widespread use of security cameras.

''If we have everybody working with the police, we can guarantee a high level of safety,'' he said.

He added that the tourism industry was all about service and if tourists were treated well - without being subjected to rip-offs and scams.

''Everybody has to be professional in their approach, whether it be taxi or tuk-tuk drivers or jet-ski operators,'' he said.

Because of social media, ''if something wrong happens, the news spreads very quickly.''

''The number of complaints is well down on what it used to be,'' he said.

The general is a former superintendent at Kathu Police Station, which oversees the west coast holiday hub of Patong.