Thais ban the TV Expose on the PHUKET scammers

Thai Officials Put 'Big Trouble' Series in Limbo

By Alan Morison
Monday, September 14, 2009
Phuket Jet-Ski Photo Album Above

THE SECOND episode in the controversial 'Big Trouble' television
series is set to screen in Britain on Monday night - but Thai
authorities are now preventing the eight-part series from being
completed.

Producer-director Gavin Hill says the Thailand Film Office has sent a
letter asking the British production company, Bravo, not to screen any
more episodes.


Episode Three, being edited in Britain, is in rough-cut form. The show
can only go on with permission from all the people shown on-screen.

That includes Winai ''JJ'' Naiman, the now-notorious Phuket jet-ski
operator, who signed a release form so that his actions could be
displayed to viewers with his approval.

Mr Hill said tonight's second episode does not reflect badly on
Thailand. That was never the intention of 'Big Trouble in Tourist
Thailand,' he added.

''I don't know what's going to happen now with the series,'' he said.
The Thailand Film Office has ''pulled all the releases and permissions
that are required to complete the series.''

He has been told there is the likelihood of a complaint being made to
the British embassy. At least one volunteer expat tourist policeman in
Pattaya had also expressed concern.

Episode Two, Mr Hill said, contained no more about jet-skis on Phuket
and was about ''Brits behaving badly,'' with military police in
pursuit of drunken sailors.

''In some ways, it's very positive for Thailand,'' he said. ''The
young lady who was in trouble on Koh Phangan in the first episode is
fined 50 pounds, she gets her bail money back, and she is allowed to
go, with the only real penalty being an extra three weeks in
Thailand.''

By coincidence, authorities on Koh Phangan have announced a plan to
make the island, noted for expat full moon rave parties, drug-free as
fast as possible.

Episode One of 'Big Trouble' screened last week, revealing footage of
what appeared to be an extortion bid by ''JJ'' with a gun in hand, and
it came just before a planned summit on jet-ski scams on Phuket.

Nationwide, crackdowns are underway on crimes against tourists at
Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok as part of a push against corruption
by the Prime Minister.

The jet-ski crackdown on Phuket came after the Deputy PM met with the
Australian ambassador. Other ambassadors later echoed their increasing
concerns about jet-ski scams to the Phuket Governor, Wichai Praisa-
nob.

Mr Hill was keen to make the point that the 'Big Trouble' jet-ski
scandal coverage came about by chance. He still says that in fairness,
there is no way of knowing whether the alleged damage to jet-skis in
the show was genuine or not.

An incident involving ''JJ'' and US marines, posted this week on You
Tube, was not used in the series because the show was being made for a
British audience. Only the first-episode incident involving ''JJ'' and
British marines was considered relevant.

If it screens tonight in Britain, viewers will also see inside Phuket
prison, where a British national is interviewed about his experiences
in being jailed for ATM offences.

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