THAI GEM SCAM GROUP TO PRESSURE TAT FOR ACTION



A group of foreign tourists who have fallen victim to the notorious Bangkok Gem Scam are planning a group action at the headquarters of the Tourism Authority of Thailand on Thursday, April 18th, 2002.

The group, whose membership counts over 40 members in just one week, is the first known collective action by foreign tourists. Their goal is to recover their money and put pressure on Thai authorities and other related parties to crack down on the scam. Despite repeated requests by foreign governments to take action against this scam, an average of 10 new complaints/day are recorded at the Tourist Police offices on Thanon Ratchadamnoen Nok, with no signs of abating.

The group consists of nationals from nearly a dozen different countries, who have lost, on average, over $USD4000 per person on overvalued gem sales. While many gem sales are easily preventable, incorrect or incomplete information provided by the Tourist Police results in many tourists losing their money. The group is aiming to increase awareness of the scam to all arriving tourists, as well as improve the information and action provided by the Tourist Police to those tourists who fall victim to the scam.

The group plans to arrive at the TAT headquarters at 11am, on Thursday, April 18th, 2002, when the TAT offices re-open after the Songkram holiday. The TAT Headquarters are located in Le Concorde Building, 202 Thanon Ratchadapisek.



Contact: thaigemscamgroup@yahoo.com


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thaigemscamgroup@yahoo.com