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Published on August 4, 2007

Suvit set the deadline at a meeting at the Phuket Merlin Hotel - one of several meetings being held by the minister to gather feedback from government officers during his tour of Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi.

Speaking to Niran, Suvit said, "Phuket attracts more than 80 international meetings each year. It's important for the Tourism Ministry to support Phuket in having a convention centre. I need Phuket to decide quickly on a location by itself, and if you have any problems, please ask us."

However, Suvit said any budget from the central government must wait until the next budget year, which starts on October 1.

"I know deciding on a location is difficult for the province, because three private investors have submitted good locations, but Phuket must now consider which location would best match the government's interests," he said.

Separately, Suvit said he had received positive feedback from many countries about the tsunami evacuation drill on July 25. He called for drills to be held twice a year as a way to boost tourists' confidence.

"Next year, the Asian Disaster Prevention Centre will have about 23 countries, including seven African countries, that will be connected to a central tsunami-warning system. Each country affected by the tsunami has placed being part of the system as a high priority," he said.

Niran raised the problem of illegal South Korean tour guides working in Phuket.

Suvit said he had received information from the Tourism Authority of Thailand that there were not enough Thai guides to cater to South Korean tourists.

"I suggest Phuket hold a nationwide campaign to find Thais who speak Korean well. Once we have enough Thai guides to serve the South Korean tourist market, I'll make sure Thai guides will be the guides for Korean tourists, not Koreans," he added.

"It is illegal for non-Thais to work as tour guides in Thailand. Phuket must get serious in dealing with this problem - and Phuket is the top tourism destination in Thailand for South Koreans, so they are an important target group of tourists."

Niran suggested to Suvit that Phuket have three mobile closed-caption television (CCTV) units, not just one as planned.

"Phuket is successfully using the 36 CCTV cameras installed around the island, but it would be perfect if we had three mobile CCTV units - one for each district. They aren't expensive, and they can move around to monitor different areas," Niran said.