Authorities are stepping up efforts to regulate jet-ski operation on the island following alleged extortion activities in the form of excessive damage claims exacted from foreign tourists.

The police met with jets-ski operators and representatives of insurance companies recently to discuss the possibility of bringing up jet-ski operations into the insurance system to put an end to the scam, which has caused a black eye to the country's image abroad.

Pol. Maj. Pitsanu Biakew of the tourist police said the meeting, attended by 30 jet-ski operators, explored ways to prevent tourists from being taken advantage of by unscrupulous jet-ski operators.

The meeting came on the heels of a TV documentary  series in the United Kingdom tracking the travails of British tourists in Samui, Phuket, Koh Phangan and Pattaya.

The documentary, titled "Big Trouble in Tourist Thailand," features British Royal Marines being ripped off by a jet-ski owner in Phuket.

A couple months back, the British Embassy in bangkok also asked the police to look into alleged abuses by jet-ski operators on Koh Samui.

In a letter, the embassy cited a particular case of a British tourist who visited the island in July.

According to the embassy, the tourist was attacked in the presence of other tourists by a jet-ski worker after he refused to pay the “exorbitant” amount being demanded for a scratch on the jet-ski he had rented.

The operators allegedly asked for several thousand pounds sterling for the scratch, which was said to have happened at sea. The embassy said this was just one of a number of complaints they had received about abusive jet-ski operators on Samui.

After the recent meeting with jet-ski operators, police said a committee would be set up to study measures to make it mandatory to have commercial jet-skis insured.

The marine office had also been asked to keep a registry of jet-ski operators in Samui.

Other measures discussed during the meeting include having all jet-ski staff undergo PR training and having them wear uniform with tag numbers for easy identification.