Thanks to ''Jet-ski JJ'' Naiman, Annice Smoel and Simon Burrowes, Phuket now has a more effective structure for dealing with tourists in trouble on the holiday island. Expat residents are now also better protected, too.

The fourth meeting later this month involving new Governor Tri Ackaradecha, Phuket leaders and the island's honorary consuls and embassy representatives proves the worth of what's steadily becoming a suitably effective and open ''parliament'' for a holiday island destination.

Jet-ski JJ, with damages claims and a gun in hand, Ms Smoel of stolen Patong beer barmat fame and Simon Burrowes, arrested for swearing at the airport as he tried to fly home, highlighted the kinds of problems visitors can unexpectedly experience on Phuket.

And the reason why there have been fewer ''international incidents'' since these three big dramas of 2009 lies in the honorary consuls' innovative gathering.

Unless you get into trouble, the identity of your honorary consul may not be obvious or necessary to find out. Most holidaymakers - some 99.9 percent - enjoy their Phuket holidays and return home happy.

But for visitors determined to enjoy a visit to Phuket to the full, regardless, it is probably not such a bad idea to have the telephone number of the appropriate hon con tattooed onto a forearm soon after touchdown.

Larry Cunningham, the tall, brusque Aussie who devotes so muchcare to travellers that he sometimes feels that he manages the Chava Resort at Surin in his spare time, is the kind of guy you want on your side if the jail door is suddenly shut behind you in Kathu police station.

He realised his calling to become an hon con after the 2004 tsunami wasted the island, and Cunningham's Kalim office. It's what made him decide to carry on and build a resort, he told a gathering of international representatives from the Professional Investment Group of Companies in an inspirational speech to the group last month.

While Cunningham has a reputation for being confidence personified, talk to him after he has broken the news about a death to a family or been inside Phuket Prison to help an Aussie accused of pedophilia and you will find a sympathetic character who is always willing to listen.

''Too many people come on holidays and forget to pack their common sense,'' he told the Post. It's simple, but true.

He and Dirk Naumann, Germany's no-nonsense honorary consul, have perhaps been at the forefront of the revolution in expat rights, although all the honorary consuls have played important roles.

Credit for the concept of the honorary consuls' meeting, though, goes to German Ambassador Dr Hanns H. Schumacher, who walked out on Governor Wichai Praisa-ngob when the governor was late for their first meeting last year.

Repairing the relationship helped to produce the accord that gave Phuket the quarterly honorary consul ''parliaments,'' with senior Thai leaders and Phuket's police especially anxious to hear what kinds of problems the island's key tourists are experiencing.

At the second meeting, Phuket Police Commander Pekad Tantipong unexpectedly produced the list of fatalities among the expats on Phuket, and updated it at the last meeting.

Along with that important list, which helped to dispel the paranoia that had accumulated over the years amoung expat residents, he also produced a list of expats who had been accused of crimes, and another of expat victims.

He also agreed to act as points man in dealing with the important issue of notifying honorary consuls and embassies whenever expats are involved in trouble.

What's more, he agreed to pursue police who break the law by holding the passports of visitors in cases where the allegations do not involve violence or drugs. The implication to police holding passports when they shouldn't is that they will ask money for the passport's return.

Major General Pekad agreed that bad police needed to be weeded out on Phuket.

Mr Cunningham called for action against impolite tuk-tuk and taxi drivers who were causing a nuisance to tourists at Surin, and for a female police officer to assist with Phuket cases involving attacks on female tourists.

A range of other topics have been discussed and pursued. British honorary consul Martin Carpenter has telegraphed that he hopes to push for a single number for emergencies involving expats, where a guarantee can be provided that someone who speaks good English can be contacted around the clock.

It's even possible that in the future, the honorary consuls' meeting, which has expanded from the original 17 national representatives to include 22 countries, could be open to the public.

And it cold even include at future meetings representatives of such groups as the tuk-tuk drivers and the jet-ski operators, to hear directly what the tourists think.

Ambassador Dr Schumacher said: "I do have the impression that we have the ball rolling. The Governor has promised to institutionalise the meetings, so we have a permanent exchange of communication.''

Countries invited to send representatives are: Finland, Estonia, Denmark, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Australia, Ireland, Italy, South Korea, Japan, Britain, Germany, France, Sweden, Norway, Russia, Netherlands, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, US and Japan.