Allegations of tourism police misconduct dismissed

The Tourism Police Department has dismissed an allegation accusing police officers of unlawfully fining and charging some Korean tourists.
The dismissal came after a video clip of an incident, which was apparently made by a tour guide operator, was posted and circulated on social media with commentary accusing the officers of breaching ethical standards.
Director General of the Tourism Police Department under the Ministry of Public Security Colonel Khitthavong Souliya, told local media last Tuesday that his men made no charges against Korean visitors. 

The police charged a tour operator who had brought Korean tourists to That Luang Grand Stupa in Vientiane for breach of licensing law and regulations.
Colonel Khitthavong explained that one of the tour company’s staff members who was leading a group was a Korean national who had neither a work permit nor residence permit.
There have been many allegations within the tourism industry of improper conduct by police in recent years.
Tour operators often complain that police set up too many checkpoints along roads, carry out unwarranted inspections of tourist sites and charge tour operators without cause.
They have also said that police continue to demand measures that belonged to a legislative process known as Telex, despite the process having been revoked.  Telex required tour operators to provide a list of clients and destinations for their tour programmes before approval from the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was given. Telex was revoked by the government in 2016.
Tourism officials said they have received several reports from tour operators alleging unlawful police behaviour.
Responding to the allegations, Colonel Khitthavong said that many tour operators did not extend their business licenses after they had expired.  Many also do not pay the mandatory operators fees and are thus charged in line with the regulation.
“More than 140 tour companies did not extend their licenses in 2017,” he told reporters. The Vientiane Information, Culture and Tourism Department has asked the tourism police to take action against these companies, he added.
Colonel Khitthavong also said some tour guides did not extend their licences and had been found bringing individual customers to the country.  Some private vehicle owners have been discovered offering tour or transport trip services to visitors as well, despite their vehicles not being registered with the travel transport association. 
The colonel stated that his department has had talks with the Tourism Management Department, the Lao Association of Travel Agents, the Travel Transport Association and other tourism-related businesses to seek common solutions to a question of legal compliance.
The consensus reached with these organisations was that police officers must act to address illegal operations to protect the interests of those doing business legally, the colonel said.
Many times the Travel Transport Association has called for the Tourism Police Department to address the issue of unregistered transport, he added.
“There is nothing wrong with individual backpackers or tourists using any kind of public transport to roam around, but tour groups arranged by tour companies need to use transport services from registered travel transport operators,” he said. 
The colonel said the new procedure imposed to replace Telex is much less time-consuming and only requires tour operators to declare a list of client names.
Compliance with the new procedure will enable police to check and prevent blacklisted persons from entering Laos. Nationals from more than 20 countries are prohibited from entering Laos for various reasons, the colonel said.
Having a name list also makes police efforts of dealing with the problem of foreign tourists staying and working in the country illegally.
The service charge for approving the name list is made legally and is in line with Presidential Decree No 003 on service fees.
The colonel stated that without such approvals, it is illegal to bring a tour group into the country. He added that the main purpose of the police is to ensure visitors have a safe and secure time in the country.
Additionally, he also said several checkpoints along roads have been removed for road users’ satisfaction.
The colonel has invited anyone with questions about the regulations to contact his office, including those who currently feel they have been inappropriately charged fees.

By Souksakhone Vaenkeo
(Latest Update March 26, 2019)