Throttle down: Patong police clamp down on reckless riders
In a bid to curb chaos on the streets of Phuket, Patong police launched a major crackdown on reckless driving by foreign tourists, resulting in over ten motorbike rental operators facing fines.
The operation, which swung into action on Saturday, February 15, saw the capture of numerous vehicles, with operators penalised for renting bikes to tourists without checking for valid licences.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Chamnan Sapsin of Patong Traffic Police revealed that each unlicensed foreign rider received a 1,000-baht slap on the wrist, while rental operators forked out 2,000 baht each for their oversight.
The wheels are in motion to return the seized bikes to their respective owners, who are being summoned to settle their fines and reclaim their property.
Despite the rigorous law enforcement measures, there’s no steer towards shutting down any rental shops just yet; fines remain the punishment of choice, reported Phuket News.
With Patong police apprehending at least ten unlicensed tourists per shift, totalling around 20 daily, the operation continues its relentless drive to restore order on the island’s roads.
Phuket police have not only had to deal with unlicensed motorbike operators over the past few months. Late last year Phuket’s relentless battle against illegal jet skis continued.
A daring raid led by marine officials uncovered 17 unlicensed jet skis being used for illegal tourist rentals in the popular tourist spot of Laem Nga, Ratsada.
The operation also extended to the picturesque islands of Koh Mali and Koh Pae, off Phuket’s east coast.
Senior officials including Phuket Marine Chief Natchapong Pranit and Prawet Suphachai, Director of the Marine Department Region 5, launched a special inspection operation in December last year.
A Marine Police boat was deployed to patrol the area, uncovering a shocking number of violations.
The culprits were caught red-handed: 17 jet skis operating without valid licenses in clear breach of Section 9 of the Thai Navigation Act 1938, amended by Section 60 (No. 14) 1992.
According to the law, each violation can result in a hefty fine of up to 10,000 baht per jet ski. True to form, Natchapong revealed the operators were slapped with the maximum penalty, fined 10,000 baht for each unregistered craft.
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