AS MANY AS 150 Malaysian tourists arrived at a hotel in Hat Yai last evening (Apr. 12) to only discover that no booking had been made for 64 hotel rooms they had paid for to a Malaysian agent who in turn transferred the money to a Thai tour guide who pocketed it, Amarin TV said today.
Pol. Col. Phumban Thip, superintendent of Hat Yai police station, was alerted of 120 Malaysian tourists having arrived in four tour buses and 30 others who came separately being stranded outside a well-known hotel in the heart of this southern city from 4 p.m. to 7.30 p.m. without getting the rooms they paid for since last November.
Hotel staff told police that no reservation had been made for this large party of Malaysian tourists so they could not stay there.
Police managed to track down the Thai tour guide, Ms. Wanitcha (surname withheld), or Nae, 39, who came with a colleague and told them she worked at this hotel and would sort out the problem.
This TV channel’s reporter spoke to the Malaysian guide who related that 69,840 ringgit (approximately 539,000 baht) had been transferred to Wanitcha to book 64 rooms for two-night and three-day stay at this hotel last November.
The 120 Malaysian tourists had left for Thailand at 3 a.m. and after visiting various tourist attractions in Songkhla she called Wanitcha that they would be arriving at the hotel at noon. However she was told to delay arrival to 4 p.m. which she did by taking the tourists shopping.
Upon getting to the hotel Wanicha told her that only 10 rooms were available and she complained that she had booked over 60 rooms. The Thai tour guide disappeared and returned at 6 p.m. to say that no rooms were available.
Later, Pol. Maj. Gen. Sakorn Thongmunee, mayor of Hat Yai municipality, arrived at the hotel along with Mr. Rachan, 52, owner of this famous hotel to solve the problem of finding rooms for tourists.
As it was already late at night Rachan then opened the hotel’s conference and massage rooms for the tourists to stay free of charge last night as initial basic assistance.
Police then took Wanitcha and the Malaysian guide to Hat Yai station for questioning and after two hours of interrogation the former confessed that she used up most of the money transferred and had only booked 10 hotel rooms.
A background check showed that Wanitcha had previously committed a similar fraud involving another Malaysian tour company which had filed a complaint against her early last year but she changed her name, having done this six times.
She has been slapped with a fraud charge as investigating officers proceed with further legal action.
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Malaysian tourists stranded outside Hat Yai hotel. Photo: Amarin TV
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