Former Pheu Thai spokesman asks PM to tackle alleged Patong protection racket

A former Pheu Thai Party deputy spokesman submitted a complaint to Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Friday, asking the government to crack down on alleged mafia-style protection rackets and influential figures in Patong, Phuket.

Chumsai Sriyaphai filed the letter at Government House at 9.30am. Deputy government spokeswoman Ploythalee Laksamisaengchan received the complaint.

Chumsai said the request followed the prime minister’s earlier order to address mafia problems in Phuket and his previous visit to Bang Tao beach in Thalang district. He said influential figures were still allegedly collecting protection money from business operators in other parts of Phuket.

He alleged that in Soi Saensabai in Patong, Kathu district, a businessman identified only by the initial "W." had presented himself as an influential figure and claimed close ties with senior provincial officials. Chumsai said the man was collecting protection payments from small traders operating on privately owned land, at a rate of 1 million baht a month.

Chumsai said he had asked the Phuket governor to investigate, but the matter had gone quiet. He also said three complaints had been filed with Patong police, adding that some cases had been expedited while others had been delayed because they were outside the area that had drawn government attention.

He said the issue matched the government’s stated policy of suppressing influential figures, and argued that the more worrying issue was not private operators but state officials allegedly involved in such activity. He urged the prime minister to act quickly, especially against officials responsible for enforcing the law.

Ploythalee said the prime minister and the government intended to eliminate such problems, especially in Phuket, which she said had long been neglected. She said there had been extensive interference by influential state officials in the province and that the government would take the complaint seriously.

She said the area in question was close to Bang Tao, where the prime minister had previously visited to follow up on local problems. She added that issues involving influential figures and nominee arrangements were among the matters the government and Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Suphajee Suthampan were seeking to resolve in Phuket.

Ploythalee said officials would need to examine what "W." had done in the area, including any structures there, before presenting the matter to the prime minister and other relevant authorities for a site visit. She repeated that nobody, including state officials, was above the law.

Asked whether the alleged land encroachment involved local influential groups or foreign nominees, Ploythalee said such groups already existed in many provinces and that the problem had to be addressed at its roots. She said she believed some areas of Phuket were likely to involve both Chinese and Russian nominees.