Phuket's sharks muzzled

More than 200 people with a complement of 70 machines turned out for yesterday's "jetski jamboree" on Patong Beach.

Organised by the Phuket Jetski Rental Club, the event was held to mark the launch of the compulsory insurance scheme aimed at putting an end to the infamous jetski scam in which tourists are overcharged for "damage" to machines.

The man who masterminded the scheme, Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisangop, took to the sea for his firstever jetski ride, accompanied by an escort from the rental club.

Phuket's top bureaucrat quickly mastered the technique, shaking off his babysitter to return to the beach 20 minutes later with a big smile on his face.

After tooling around the bay, Wichai presided over a ceremony with Ayudhaya Insurance president Rowan D' Arcy and Kathu Police Superintendent Grissak Songmoonnark to distribute the new policies.

Guns on the beach

Among those eager to get his hands on one was Winai "JJ" Naiman. Winai is currently out on bail after being charged for allegedly threatening British marines at gunpoint in an altercation that made international headlines and garnered more than one million hits on YouTube.

It was a lucky day for Phuket's mostfamous jetski operator - he also won a prize in a draw held as part of the festivities.

In his speech, Wichai gave his personal promise that problems with the jetski rental industry were now a thing of the past, thanks to the insurance plan.

To underscore the point, he led the jetski operators in a pledge of honesty and fairness. Just in case any fingers were crossed behind backs, he followed the pledge with a lecture on the karmic consequences of bad behaviour.

Insurance man D'Arcy said he was pleased his firm could play a part in helping out the Thai tourism industry. "Last year around 13 million tourists came to Thailand, five million of them visiting Phuket … So we are really happy to play a part in ensuring tourists continue to visit."