After staying overnight on the island, Lt Gen Itthiphon yesterday presided over a meeting joined by Phuket Governor Sophon Suwannarat and a host of government agency heads, and leading representatives from Phuket’s tourism and business community.
The meeting was touted as held “to brainstorm ideas to build a strong Phuket city, ready to receive tourists impressively”.
Present at the meeting were Rewat Areerob, President of the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organisation (PPAO); Rear Admiral Suchat Thammapitakwet, Commander of the Royal Thai Navy Third Naval Area; as well as Phuket Town Deputy Mayor Prasit Sinsaowaphak, the Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Phuket Office, the head of the Phuket Provincial Labour Office, and of course senior local Immigration officers.
“Phuket is an important province with many tourists arriving, especially during this period when Mr Settha Thavisin, the Prime Minister, has a policy to open ‘Free Visas’ to attract tourists from many countries such as China, Russia, India, Kazakhstan and Taiwan. Therefore, we would like to come and listen to problems from all sectors to integrate and solve problems quickly and comprehensively,” Pol Lt Gen Itthiphon said, according to an official report of the meeting.
“We must help control bad people so they do not spoil the image of tourism,” Lt Gen Itthiphon said.
Kongsak Koophongsakorn, President of the Phuket Chamber of Commerce, called on the Immigration Bureau to help facilitate tourists looking to stay for long periods, and to crack down on foreigners who are ‘bad elements’.
“We have tourists who come to stay for a long time and come to extend their visa. Please do this [extending stays] quickly and impressively. Don’t cause any delays,” Mr Kongsak urged.
“I want the officials to be strict about safety protection, especially those who come to work in the grey areas, the Mafia, and I want local officials to help them [immigration officers] be strict,” he said.
“In addition, sharing Big Data between agencies, such as notifying the residence of a foreigner will have information of all foreigners. The private sector will greatly benefit from collecting information from officials, he added.
Of note, after arriving in Phuket on Monday (Dec 25) Lt Gen Itthiphon announced that foreigners in Phuket staying in Thailand on one of any 12 types of visas will be allowed to apply for extensions to stay via an online portal.
According to widespread posts by government agencies, including Phuket Immigration, Lt Gen Itthiphon said that the Immigration Bureau’s ‘E-Extension Visa’ service is “currently available at Immigration Bureau 1 (Bangkok), Immigration Offices in Chonburi, Phuket, and Chiang Mai, providing services for 12 types of visas such as tourist visas, teachers, etc.”
The ‘E-Extension Visa’ online application service was launched in November last year, but was open only to foreigners staying in Bangkok.
Since then, until Lt Gen Itthiphon’s announcement yesterday, the Immigration Bureau has not made any announcements confirming that the ‘E-Extension Visa’ is now available to any foreigners outside Bangkok.
Phuket Immigration still has yet to make any announcements that the ‘E-Extension Visa’ online application service is open to foreigners in Phuket.
REAL ESTATE INVESTORS
“In addition, we must help draw many foreign investors with potential to invest in Thailand. to help the government and enhance tourism potential,” Lt Gen Itthiphon continued.
PPAO President Rewat Areerob said that some foreigners were unable to come to Thailand to invest. “It is quite difficult to come in right now. We must take good care of these people. In Asia there are 10 countries that rival the island of Phuket. We must compete all the time. Therefore, we must help preserve the image of Phuket province,” he said.
Thanusak Phungdet, former Phuket Chamber of Commerce President and current Honorary Consul of Hungary in Phuket, also highlighted the need to facilitate entry to Thailand by investors.
“We have investor markets that we have not yet promoted to. These are investors who come to buy real estate in Phuket in large numbers. Phuket’s primary economy of B400 billion comes from tourism, but the other side comes from buying real estate, housing developments, condos, villa,” Mr Thanusak said.
“Phuket is about to become a world-class brand, close to Hawaii. Looking at the future, in the next five to 10 years people who come to buy real estate will mostly be from Eastern Europe. Therefore, I want the government sector to help support and push this as well,” he said.
BAD FARANG
Regardless, Lt Gen Itthiphon yesterday talked at length about rooting out ‘bad elements’ and “foreigners who cause chaos”.
“In terms of the security of the province, I would like Phuket Province [the Phuket provincial government] to have a working group to identify foreigners whose behaviour is a danger to society,” he said.
“We can provide support information, and the Immigration Bureau can consider revoking permission to stay in the Kingdom,’ he added.
In concluding the meeting, Phuket Governor Sophon Suwannarat thanked Lt Gen Itthiphon for his visit, and confirmed that a subcommittee will be set up to consider and screen the stay of foreigners in the Kingdom.
The subcommittee is “to be a mechanism for driving the control and screening of foreigners who cause chaos, affecting the tourism image of Phuket province”, Governor Sophon noted.