Koh Samui

ATMs not filled after money trucks crash – Koh Tao

Published

9 months ago

August 7, 2018

ATMs not filled after money trucks crash – Koh Tao | The Thaiger

ATM machines on Koh Tao will have to make do with cash on hand after two security trucks crashed on their way to deliver more refill banknotes early today (Tuesday).

The Ban Nai Hood police station in Chumphon’s Lang Suan district was alerted to the accident on the Asia highway No 41 at 5.55am, with the trucks headed to Koh Tao off Surat Thani.

Police said the first money truck, a Geforce company pickup, crashed into the left side of a trailer truck, and then its rear-end was hit by the second money truck, a van of the same company. The drivers, 24 year old Charoenyut Boonsawat and 28 year old Ekkaparp Chuayruang were slightly injured.

The two said they were speeding to catch a ferry boat at a pier in Chumphon’s Muang district at 6am to travel to Koh Tao where they were scheduled to refill ATM machines on Tuesday.

They said the trailer truck cut in front of them. Its driver, 24 year old Boonyarit Chaisanam, says he was making a turn into a market to load durians when the accident occurred. He says he needed to turn from the right lane and had already checked that the road was clear, but the money trucks were speeding.

The two money trucks were hauled to the police station for the company to recheck the money.

SOURCE: The Nation

Koh Samui

German hotelier claims he paid 800,000 baht bribe to operate his unlicensed villa on Samui

Published

38 mins ago

April 26, 2019

The Thaiger

PHOTOS: Channel 7

A German man has told investigators yesterday that he paid ‘some Thais’ 800,850 baht after they threatened to shut down his luxury villa during construction. 47 year old Ulrich Schmidt claims he was visited during the construction phase of his Best World Vision Villas project and he paid the ‘tea money’ in the belief it would allow him to operate his business unhindered.

Channel 7 reports that since then he has been renting out rooms and operating the villa as a hotel. But the Samui Hoteliers’ Association says the villa has been operating illegally as a hotel without a license and taking business away from legitimate Thai operators. Authorities from Region 4 went to the property on Chaweng Noi Hill in Bophut, and other allegedly illegal villas in the same area, this week.

Read The Thaiger story HERE.

The German owner was unable to produce a license, building permit or guest registration books and has since been charged with not having a license to operate a hotel, illegal work practices and not reporting foreign guests within 24 hours.

Mr. Schmidt has been invited to make a formal complaint with evidence of transfer of the alleged 800,850 payment and top whom it was paid.

SOURCE: CH7

German hotelier claims he paid 800,000 baht bribe to operate his unlicensed villa on Samui | News by The Thaiger

Koh Samui

Boat carrying a Bangkok school group sinks at Koh Tao pier

Published

55 mins ago

April 26, 2019

The Thaiger & The Nation

Boat carrying a Bangkok school group sinks at Koh Tao pier | The Thaiger

A boat carrying up to 40 schoolchildren has sunk after hitting underwater rocks next to a pier in Koh Tao last Monday. Koh Tao is a popular diving destination island in the Gulf of Thailand, north of Koh Samui.

The vessel “Mattha” was carrying around 50 people, including the group from a school in Bangkok on a snorkelling day trip around the nearby islands. But when the boat returned later in the day, the tide was out and it hit rocks around the Songserm Pier on Koh Tao.

The rocks punctured a hole in the boat causing it to start sinking. Around 50 people including pupils, teachers and the boat’s crew fled as the boat started sinking and lurching to startboard .

The vessel was operated by Siam Catamaran Tours.

A police source said the children were ”very fortunate” to get off the boat without injury.

”They were lucky that they were at the pier and they got off quickly. Boats should all have systems to detect the depth of the water so questions need to be asked about why the boat sank in what is a busy pier used every day.”

SOURCE: Viral Press

Boat carrying a Bangkok school group sinks at Koh Tao pier | News by The Thaiger

Koh Samui

Raid on 18 foreign-owned Koh Samui hotels, owners arrested

Published

2 days ago

April 24, 2019

The Thaiger & The Nation

Raid on 18 foreign-owned Koh Samui hotels, owners arrested | The Thaiger

FILE PHOTO

Army, police and municipal officials have raided 18 hotels on Koh Samui claiming that they are illegally owned by foreigners. The hotels in questions are on a mountainside on the Gulf island, the second largest island in Thailand.

Officials carried out the search and raids on Chaweng Noi Mountain in Moo 6 village in Tambon Bophut and found that 18 luxury mansions had been modified as hotels to cater to foreign tourists.

None of the 18 hotels were licensed and all are co-owned by businessmen from several countries, according to officials, including the UK, Germany, France, Russia, Belgium, Israel and Austria. Officials said the foreigners used Thais as nominees by stating their names as co-owners.

The inspection was carried out following complaints from licensed hotels that they had seen a large decrease in patrons after the new hotels began operating. Hoteliers said the new hotels had an unfair advantage because they were not paying the same taxes, or operating under the sale rules, as the licensed hotels.

Officials found the 18 hotels had proper land deeds but had not been registered as hotels.

Bophut police station took legal action against foreign executives of the four companies that were operating four of the 18 hotels. They have been charged with operating without a hotel license and working in a business – food and beverage – that is reserved for Thais.

Police said they will summon executives of the remaining 14 hotels to face charges. The executives are all living abroad.

SOURCE: The Nation