Thailand Tourist Police Road Show to roll into Phuket
PHUKET: A caravan of four mobile homes and a trailer full of facilities free for tourists to use will be set up from 7:30pm to 9:00pm in Phuket this Saturday as part of a promotional campaign to make tourists feel safe about travelling in Thailand.
The caravan, called the “Thailand Tourist Police Roadshow 2013”, was launched in Bangkok on Tuesday under a joint campaign by the Tourist Police and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.
“Our aim is to encourage tourists to feel safe and comfortable when they come to Thailand,” Tourist Police Commander Roy Ingpairoj told the press in Bangkok.
“We are also seeking to train Tourist Police to be able to speak Chinese, Russian, Korean and Japanese so they can better assist tourists. Breaking language barriers will help tourist feel more comfortable coming to the police,” he added.
The roadshow motorcade will travel to Ayudhya, Phuket, Pattaya and Hua Hin this month, with one vehicle to be permanently stationed at each of the tourist destinations after the roadshow has concluded.
“The motor homes contain a kitchen, a bathroom, seats that can be used as beds, 40-inch LCD televisions, a fax machine, a photocopier and a video conference room – all of which are free for tourists to use,” explained Tourist Police Division 5 Superintendent Yotsavee Pornperaparn.
“The vehicles also have CCTV cameras installed that monitor the entire area around the mobile homes,” Col Yotsavee said.
“There will also be free WiFi access and iPads available for tourists to use,” he added.
Two Tourist Police officers will be stationed at the trailer to hand out brochures promoting travel within Thailand, and promotional videos will be shown on the televisions in the motor homes, Col Yotsavee told the Phuket Gazette.
After the roadshow, the vehicle stationed in Phuket will be made available for promotional campaigns staged elsewhere in Southern Thailand, Col Yotsavee said.
The budget for the roadshow was not disclosed.
— Chutharat Plerin
