Jet ski scammers need insurance to operate

Phuket jet-ski operators: Insurance Required


PATONG, PHUKET: Phuket jet-ski operators will have to get accident
insurance for their vehicles or cease doing business on Phuket's
beaches, it was agreed at the key ‘jet-ski summit’ in Patong today.

Inside the packed meeting hall at Patong Municipality today were Vice
Governor Smith Palawatvichai, Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pekad
Tantipong, Kathu Police Superintendent Grissak Songmoonnark, Deputy
Mayor of Patong Chairat Sukhabaan, Director of Phuket Provincial
Insurance Office Suwimon Saelim, and around 50 jet-ski operators –
including the island’s now infamous Winai ‘JJ’ Naiman.

Police chief Maj Gen Pekad said three US Navy representatives had met
with him recently in advance of the arrival in Phuket of around 4,000
sailors on three US warships next week.

“They said they have forbidden their men from hiring jet-skis,” he
said.

“I told them not to worry because I guarantee from now on there will
be no more scams or problems involving jet-skis in Phuket,” he said.

He told the assembled jet-ski operators they had to sign up to the
insurance scheme – “without making a fuss”.

President of Phuket Jet-ski Association Anusorn Sahreh agreed
insurance for jet-skis would be a good thing “in an ideal world”, but
said in the current economic climate, his members just couldn’t afford
it.

“We only work six months a year. We’re not all rich,” he said.

Mr Anusorn said his preferred solution to the problem was for every
jet-ski outfit in Phuket to agree to use the same rental contract.

While disputes with tourists were common in Patong, they were quite
rare in other parts of the island such as Bang Tao, he said.

Nevertheless Vice Gov Smith, who chaired the meeting, said the
insurance scheme would have to go ahead.

One insurance company has already said it is willing to insure jet-
skis.

Danai Rojjintavej, manager of the Phuket branch of Bangkok Insurance,
told the meeting his company would be glad to provide the service,
“but we’ll need to see the operators’ rental contracts first.”

Jet-ski operators and insurance companies will now meet on September
23 to exchange information and settle insurance costs.

A source in the governor’s office told the Gazette that operators
would have to insure their jet-skis within one month of that meeting
or stop doing business.