KHON KAEN: A tour operator has been arrested in Chiang Rai and transferred to this northeastern province after failing to provide documents ensuring that customers would get their purchased tour packages.
Achara Suksap, 42, operated AJ Flight Co offering package tours for domestic and overseas destinations from Chiang Rai.
Ladda Sila-noi, 63, a retiree living in Muang district of Khon Kaen, said her family members and friends had earlier used the company’s services, so the group of 34 decided to buy a promotional package for an eight-dat trip to Russia at 58,900 baht each.
The tour was supposed to have taken place between Apr 21 and 28 this year but "unrest in Russia" resulted in the trip being postponed to Oct 21-28.
In the meantime, Ms Ladda said, another group of friends and cousins bought tour packages from the company for trips to Myanmar and Japan. Those in the Myanmar group were left stranded at an airport in Myanmar while those on the Japan trip did not receive tickets to fly out of Thailand.
When the company refused to take any responsibility, Ms Ladda requested to check into details of her trip to Russia. But Ms Achara dodged her questions and presented a tour operating licence, later discovered to be fake, belonging to another company.
Ms Ladda said she realised that the group had been cheated, and as the travel date drew nearer they decided to file complaints seeking the arrest of Ms Achara. The would-be travellers lost a total of 2 million baht.
Pol Col Chamlong Suvaluck, superinterdent of the Khon Kaen police, said the 34 customers, mostly retired civil servants in Khon Kaen, Tak, Phrae, Lampang and Nan, filed the complaints in July. Khon Kaen police worked with Provincial Police Region 5 to collect evidence and sought an arrest warrant, which finally led to the detention of Ms Achara in Chiang Rai and her transfer to Khon Kaen.
Ms Achara has been charged with fraud and operating a business without a licence. She denied the charges and said she would talk only in court.
Ladda Sila-noi talks to a reporter and a policeman about a package tour to Russia that never materialised.