ICPM-2012. Crisis Management in the Time of Changing World TheThe EconomicEconomic andand SocialSocial ImpactImpact ofof TransnationalTransnational CrimeCrime inin PattayaPattaya City,City, ThailandThailand

PornthepPornthep NamakornNamakorn Graduate School of Public Administration, Burapha University,

Abstractbstract KeywordsKeywords: Transnational Crime, Economic Impact, Social Impact This research aimed to study (1) the characteristics, types or forms of transnational 1.1. IntroductionIntroduction crime in City; (2) to study context- related transnational crime, and (3) to study the In the time of globalization, economic, social economic and social impact on Pattaya City of and technological change happens quickly. transnational crime. The populations of this These changes effect global growth because study were divided into 2 groups: the people people around the world can connect with each who lived in Pattaya City and the government other through unlimited data, and trade. The officials who were working in this area. The logistics of goods and product delivery can be sample size was 400 and was selected by achieved in only 5-10 minutes, so the capacity random sampling. The research used both of world trade can achieve a quantum leap in quantitative and qualitative research. For growth when compared with the development quantitative research, data were collected by of world commerce before. These changes questionnaires and were analyzed by frequency, affect the economic systems and global percentage, mean and standard deviation. In community in both bad and good ways. terms of qualitative research, data were On the other hand, illegal world business has collected by document study and in-depth developed crime organizations and expanded interviews with key informants and were its networks to engage in criminal activities in analyzed by content analysis. The research every part of the world. These are known as found that the forms of transnational crime Transnational Crime Organizations. were committed jointly with and Transnational crime affects the security of mostly by foreigners. It was found that the nations, so UNESCO has an interest in this nationalities most involved with transnational problem and has divided transnational crime crime were Russian and Pakistanis and Islamic into 10 characteristics, namely: 1) illicit countries. The nature and types of transnational trafficking in drugs; 2) smuggling of illegal crime in Pattaya City were illicit trafficking in migrants; 3) arms trafficking; 4) trafficking in drugs, trafficking in women, and money nuclear material; 5) transnational criminal laundering. The analysis of characteristics of organization and terrorism; 6) trafficking in illicit activities concluded that the key group women and children; 7) trafficking in body was the Russians, the Scandinavians, the parts; 8) theft and smuggling of vehicles; 9) Chinese, and the Indians. Transnational crime money laundering, and; 10) other activities. affected both the economy and society of Thailand is one country where foreigners Pattaya City. It mostly affected people’s way from around the world can visit and stay easily of life. It could be seen that people not only because of the Thailand’s tourism policy which feared for the safety of their lives and property, encourages tourism because of the income it but it also affected local traditions. Evidence of generates. In the year 2011, there were the facts impacting society and economy were 20,468,020 foreigner visits to Thailand found as follows: (1) Tradition and culture (Thailand National Police Institution). today are different from what they were in the Thailand therefore has had to face the risk of past. (2) There was wide spread larceny, theft transnational crime from these foreign visitors. and holdup. (3) The rate of drug addiction was Pattaya City is a famous place in eastern growing. Thailand and very well known amongst foreigners. It is not far from (about

© 2012. The authors - Published by Atlantis Press

375 140 kilometers) and is only about one and a crime in Pattaya City, context-related half hour from by road. transnational crime, and the economic and Many foreign tourists visit Pattaya City from social impacts of transnational crime on the Asia Pacific region, such as Japanese and Pattaya City. Malaysians; Western tourists, such as the 2) For qualitative research, data were United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, the collected by in-depth interviews from key United States and Scandinavia and; the Middle informants. This question was to ask the East and Russia. Pattaya City has the potential opinion of key informants: people and for transnational crime as a result of the large government officials about; the characteristics, number of foreign visitors. types or forms of transnational crime in Pattaya The researcher would therefore like to study City, context-related transnational crime, and the economic and social impacts of the economic and social impacts of transnational crime in Pattaya City. The results transnational crime on Pattaya City. of this study can help to protect Thailand from 2.2.3. Data analysis transnational crime more effectively. 1) The data obtained from the questionnaires were analyzed by frequency, percentage (%), 2.2. ResearchResearch ObjectivesObjectives andand ResearchResearch mean (X), and standard deviation (S.D.). MethodologyMethodology 2) The data obtained from key informants were analyzed by content analysis. 2.1.2.1. ResearchResearch objectivesobjectives 3.3. FindingsFindings 2.1.1. To study the characteristics, types or forms of transnational crime in Pattaya City. 3.1. The opinions of people and government 2.1.2. To study context-related transnational officials in Pattaya City agreed in general that crime. transnational crime in Pattaya City was 2.1.3. To study the economic and social committed jointly by both Thai people and impacts of transnational crime on Pattaya City. foreigners. his research used mixed methodology with 3.2. It was found that the nationalities most both quantitative and qualitative research being involved with transnational crime were conducted. Russian and Pakistanis and Islamic countries. 2.2.2.2. ResearchResearch methodologymethodology 3.3. It was found that the nature and types of transnational crime in Pattaya City were mostly 2.2.1. The populations and samples smuggling in particular: Ice was imported from 1) For quantitative research, the populations , Ecstasy (E) was imported from of this study were 2 groups: people who lived countries in Europe, and Cocaine was imported in Pattaya City and the government officials from South American countries. who were working in this area. The samples 3.4. The characteristics of misconduct by were divided into 2 groups: 300 people who transnational criminals could be divided into lived in Pattaya City, and 100 government groups. The key group was the Russians who officials who were working in this area. The owned the entertainment businesses, travel samples were selected by random sampling. businesses and prostitution services. Second, 2) For qualitative research, the key Scandinavians owned the entertainment informants of this study were 2 groups: 7 businesses and import-export businesses but people who lived in Pattaya City, and 8 also smuggled the drugs. Third, the Chinese government officials who were working in this owned travel businesses but counterfeited area. The key informants were selected by government documents and imported Chinese purposive sampling. gangs. Finally, Indians owned legal businesses 2.2.2. The instruments when in fact they counterfeited passports and This research used two instruments. credit cards including stealing from hotels or 1) For quantitative research, data were shops. collected by questionnaires. This questionnaire 3.5. The overall impact on society, economy was to study the opinion of people and and life styles from transnational crime in government officials who lived and were Pattaya City was at a very serious level. working in Pattaya City about; the Therefore, transnational crime affects both the characteristics, types or forms of transnational economy and society. There was an impact on

376 employment and tourism in Pattaya City, transnational crime from Russia, so relevant because sometimes there was only trade within government officials should be trained to be the same nationality because foreign business proficient in their duty. people had more capital or better funding, so The overall impact on society, economy and Thai businesses lost opportunities. Moreover, life styles from transnational crime in Pattaya the public sector, both National and local, had City was at a very serious level. So the civil to pay to build public utilities or other costs for society and mass media sector should be which taxes or fees could not be collected further encouraged to become involved with because of the illegal nature of the businesses. transnational crime and prevention to help In addition, Thai social values have changed solve the transnational crime problem and its from the past, because the youth in Pattaya impacts in Pattaya City more effectively. City committed misconduct such as drug dealing and stealing. For example, young ReferenceReferences women thought that prostitution was normal, lucrative fun and was an effective way to find a [1] Anuchart Boonnak. Russian Organized foreign husband. In addition, Thai traditions . Retrieved from such as Songkran and Loy Kra-tong Festivals http://th.anuchart.net/files/Russian- were seen as for entertainment only. Organization%20Crime.pdf, 2010. [2] Chaisiam Yingheng. Transnational Crime 4.4. ConclusionConclusion in Thailand and Correction Measurement. Bangkok: Krirk University, 2007. The results of this study revealed that the [3] James O.Finckenauer and Ko-Lin Chin. opinions of the people and government Asian Transnational Organized Crime. officials in Pattaya City were that transnational Nova Science Pub Inc, 2006. crime was committed jointly by both Thai [4] Sittipong Tanyapongpruch. Transnational people and foreigners. This is in accordance Organized Crime in Thailand. Retrieved with the results of Chaisiam (2007), from ‘Transnational Crime in Thailand and http://www.unafei.or.jp/english/pdf/RS_No Correction Measurement’. Because of the 59/No 59_40 PA_Tanyapongpruch.pdf, weakness of Thailand’s laws about marriage 2002. with foreigners, if these foreigners wanted to [5] Thomas Schmid. 2010. The Darker Side of run businesses in Pattaya City, they have to Tropical Bliss: Foreign Mafia in Thailand. marry Thai women. This is one way that Retrieved from transnational crime was committed jointly by http://www.thailawforum.com/foreign- both foreigners and Thais in Pattaya City. So mafia-thailand.html the government should improve laws about [6] Thailand National Police Institution. foreigners’ professions in Thailand and laws Statistics: International Arrivals to should be up-to-date on illegal base of Thailand Year 2011. Immigration Bureau, transnational crime. Police Department, 2011. The results of this study revealed that the [7] . Globalization of Crime : A nationalities most involved with transnational Transnational Organized Crime Threat crime were Russians. This is in accordance Assessment. United Nations Publication, with the article of Anuchart (2010), ‘Russian 2010. Organized Crime in Thailand’ because Pattaya City has an increasing number of Russian tourists (about 643,070 in 2010), and ‘The Department of Homeland Security’ reported that Russian crime organization in Pattaya City has conducted transnational crime such as money laundering, drug dealing, investment in real-estate, financial and securities fraud, human trafficking, murder, cyber-crime, and smuggling of stolen vehicles but these the developments have been done in secret. Thai people have not thought about the dangers of

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