Tourist court opens at airport

BANGKOK, 18 September 2013: A district court will be located at Suvarnabhumi Airport to make it convenient for foreign tourists to lodge complaints and attend hearings.

AoT chairman, Sita Divari, said Suvarnabhumi Airport will be the first airport in the world to house a district court on its premises. The court should open 23 September,  and would  accept complaints around the clock.

However, that appears to conflict with current procedures.  Today, the Tourist Police Division office and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports 24-hour help centre accepts complaints from tourists.  They are then forwarded to the local police station and once a decision is made to prosecute a hearing in the district court would be scheduled.

The court at the airport would be used only for petty crime or compensation hearings that have occurred within the airport property.

The AoT chairman added: “Suvarnabhumi Airport accommodates about 150,000 passengers per day and this plan is quite lawful. It improves convenience for travellers, who need to file a complaint at a court before they leave the country and will demonstrate our care for safety.”

AoT is coordinating with the Samut Prakan District Court to set up the court.

The first tourist court was established last week in Pattaya. Others are planned for Phuket, Samui, districts in Bangkok and in Chiang Mai.

Source : Ttrweekly