Safeguards for Indian tourists who need assistance on any issue related to hiring of Jet Skis and other water vehicles in Pattaya

The Thai Authorities have responded to the Embassy’s communication regarding issues related to hiring of Jet Skis. They informed us of the mechanisms put in place for overall assistance of tourists in Pattaya, as below :

(1) to assist, reconcile and facilitate tourists in Pattaya :

TOURIST SERVICE CENTRES : operated in key tourist spots in Thailand, including three centres located in Chonburi province i.e., Bali Hai Pier, Pattaya Tourist Police Station on Phra Tam Nak Road, and Tourism and Sports Office in Chonburi Province;

HOTLINE 1155 : a 24 hour help hotline, established by Tourist Police Division provides assistance in 5 languages, namely, Thai, English, Chinese, Japanese and HINDI. The service also includes “Thailand Call Centre” cellular phone application, offering telephone call service. Tourists’ exact location is tracked via cellular service for quick and accurate responses when assistance is needed or any incident is reported; and

TOURIST CASE SECTION COURT : for reconciliation and dispute resolution.

(2) Measures for filing a report and whilstleblowing :

A foreign tourist shall file a report to the Tourist Service Centre, Officers of the Centre, or Tourist Police (Officers of the Marine Department may be relevant in some cases)

The aforementioned authorities would intervene between the adhering parties as to the arrangements for the reconciliation of portfolios, as well as suspend or revoke permit of the disputing jet ski operators.

Should the portfolios not successfully reconciled, the Centre may file a lawsuit in the Tourist Case Section Court of Pattaya.

Considering the obstacle avoidance and time-dependent travel time of the tourists encountered in the said disputes, dispute settlement in most cases are done by intricate payments by the tourists as indicated by the adhering party. Upon their return, the tourists, hence, would usually file reports on such cases to authorities concerned of their countries of origin. In this case, denial of responsibility by the adhering party of jet ski operator may occur.

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