Written on February 17, 2008

To the editor:

The Thai Gem Scam Group is grateful for your publicizing the continuing scam that robs so many tourists of a positive image of Thailand. In the almost six years since our Group was formed, we have assisted thousands of victims of the scam in getting some or all of their money back.

The genesis of our Group does not lie with the scam itself, but rather the indifference and complicity of Thai officialdom towards this scam. Everyone has their own opinion as to who is to blame if a tourist buys over-priced gems while on vacation, however no one can disagree that tourists who attempt to get their money back should face intimidation, harassment or violence, as was the case in 2002.

Today, it appears that certain sections of Thailand's government have become more responsive to the plight of victims who are trying to recover their money. What is encouraging is that the process of getting a refund is very simple for victims once they have assistance from relevant departments, and much safer with the threat of violence removed.

Every country has its share of criminals who will prey on the foolish or the uninformed, but when our Group was founded in 2002, Thailand stood out for its indifference towards this long-running scam. We applaud the efforts of individual Thais, both officially and non-officially, who have improved Thailand's response to gem scam victims, and encourage Thailand to continue improving the Government's response to pleas for help from these victims.

A country as beautiful and dependent on tourism as Thailand should not make life easy for those who scam tourists.

Regards,

The Thai Gem Scam Group

Contact: thaigemscamgroup@yahoo.com


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thaigemscamgroup@yahoo.com