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Phuket beach safety hits top-level agenda
Phuket beach safety hits top-level agenda
PHUKET: Beach safety took a serious step forward this week as the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation office for Phuket in collaboration with the Phuket Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF) conducted a Phuket Beach Safety Workshop at the Tree House K PARK Phuket hotel in Phuket Town.
Phuket Red Cross to host inaugural Miss Coral Queen transgender beauty pageant
Phuket Red Cross to host inaugural Miss Coral Queen transgender beauty pageant
For the first time in the more than two decades since the Phuket chapter of the Red Cross began holding its annual fund-raising fair at Saphan Hin, on the outskirts of Phuket Town, this year will see the renowned event hold a Miss Coral Queen Phuket beauty pageant open exclusively to ladyboys.
New Phuket Traffic Police Chief set sights on zero deaths for New Year holidays
New Phuket Traffic Police Chief set sights on zero deaths for New Year holidays
Phuket has a new Traffic Police Chief, and he has set his sights on zero deaths from road accidents on the island over the New Year holidays.
Electricity outage to hit Cherng Talay
Electricity outage to hit Cherng Talay
PHUKET: The Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) has announced that the electricity supply will be temporarily shut off in parts of Cherng Talay tomorrow (Dec 21) as work is carried out on installing new low-voltage cables.
Minister outlines plans for promotional campaign at walking street markets this weekend
Minister outlines plans for promotional campaign at walking street markets this weekend
PHUKET: Minister of Interior Gen Anupong Phaojinda conducted a video conference call with every provincial government yesterday (Dec 19) to outline plans to implement a special promotional campaign at walking street markets this weekend.
Laguna Phuket Triathlon 2020 date confirmed
Laguna Phuket Triathlon 2020 date confirmed
TRIATHLON: Asia’s premier destination resort, Laguna Phuket, has announced that the celebrated Laguna Phuket Triathlon’s 27th annual edition is to take place on Sunday 22 November 2020.
Divers fail to find missing tour boat crewman, call in local fishing boats to help
Divers fail to find missing tour boat crewman, call in local fishing boats to help
PHUKET: The search for 18-year-old Kittipong “Boy” Samanbut, who fell overboard in the tour boat collision off Phuket’s east coast on Wednesday, has so far failed to find the missing crewman, search teams led by the Royal Thai Navy reported this morning (Dec 20).
Search for missing kayak couple broadens
Search for missing kayak couple broadens
PHUKET: A further team was dispatched earlier today (Dec 19) as the search for the missing couple last seen kayaking on Dec 7 off Yanui beach continues and broadens into new areas.
Patong Tunnel hoped to open 2026, says EXAT Chief
Patong Tunnel hoped to open 2026, says EXAT Chief
PHUKET: Suchart Chonsakpipat, Governor of the Expressway Authority of Thailand (EXAT), which is overseeing the project to construct the tunnel through Patong Hill, has revealed that – if all goes according to plan – construction of the long-awaited Patong Tunnel could commence as early as mid-2022.
The Phuket Dream continues
The Phuket Dream continues
PHUKET: Following sensational reports earlier this week that the Dream Phuket Hotel & Spa was one the verge of liquidation, management of the resort issued a statement today (Dec 19) to confirm that the resort is operating well and to refute claims that hotel will be sold off.
Electricity outages to hit parts of Kamala, Ao Yon, Pa Khlok and nearby islands
Electricity outages to hit parts of Kamala, Ao Yon, Pa Khlok and nearby islands
PHUKET: The Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) has announced several scheduled power outages that will see electricity supply temporarily shut off in parts of Kamala as well as at Cape Panwa and in Pa Khlok tomorrow (Dec 19) while work is carried out on installing new high-voltage cables.
Victory for the Europeans in the 6th Pryder Cup at Kamala Lawn Bowls Club
Victory for the Europeans in the 6th Pryder Cup at Kamala Lawn Bowls Club
BOWLS: The 6th edition of the Pryder Cup (Kamala Lawn Bowls Clubs equivalent of the Presidents or Ryder Cup in golf) took place yesterday (Dec 17) when a team representing Europe locked horns against a Rest of the World (ROW) collective.
50,000 migrant workers in Phuket waiting for registration renewal: Governor
50,000 migrant workers in Phuket waiting for registration renewal: Governor
PHUKET: More than 60,000 workers from Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos have been legally registered in Phuket, but a further 50,000 are still waiting for their renewal applications to be processed, Phuket Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana has revealed.
Andara founder Allan Zeman launches golf resort in Phang Nga
Andara founder Allan Zeman launches golf resort in Phang Nga
PHUKET: Allan Zeman, the Hong Kong property mogul who brought to Phuket the upscale Andara resort, has joined with another Hong Kong property heavyweight, Pacific Century Premium Developments Ltd (PCPD), to launch the first phase of a high-end villa resort encompassing the Thai Muang Golf Course.
Phuket readies for seven days of New Year ‘intensive traffic control’
Phuket readies for seven days of New Year ‘intensive traffic control’
PHUKET: With only 10 more days to go until the annual “seven days of danger” road-safety campaign for the New Year holidays begins, Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan yesterday (Dec 16) held a video conference with provincial governors around the country to make clear what is to be done to reduce the number of deaths and injuries during one of the most dangerous periods on Thai roads throughout the year.
Tributes flow for Canadian tourist killed in motorbike collision with Phuket tuk-tuk
Tributes flow for Canadian tourist killed in motorbike collision with Phuket tuk-tuk
PHUKET: Tributes have flowed online for 35-year-old Canadian tourist Sean Cundell of Ottawa after he died in a motorbike collision with a tuk-tuk in Chalong last week.
Officials tackle untreated wastewater pouring into Ao Yon bay
Officials tackle untreated wastewater pouring into Ao Yon bay
PHUKET: Public health officials at Wichit Municipality say they will submit a request for the budget to improve the network of public drains at Cape Panwa after water exiting a drain earlier this month was found to be releasing foul-stenched wastewater into Ao Yon bay.
Electricity outage to hit road over Karon Hill
Electricity outage to hit road over Karon Hill
PHUKET: The Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) has announced that the electricity supply will be temporarily shut off along a section of Patak Rd over Karon Hill tomorrow (Dec 17) as work is carried out on installing new high-voltage cables.
Phuket Opinion: Gasping for marine safety
Phuket Opinion: Gasping for marine safety
PHUKET: The number of tourists who died while engaging in nothing more than normal water-related tourist activities over the past month were enough for not only the Commander of the Royal Thai Navy base in Phuket to step up last week and say his piece about what was required to make Phuket safer for tourists, but also the commander of entire country’s Tourist Police Bureau.
Week-long search fails to find missing kayak couple as slew of water safety incidents kills 10 in two months
Week-long search fails to find missing kayak couple as slew of water safety incidents kills 10 in two months
After a week of of searching by air and sea, hopes are quickly fading of finding Polish tourist Mateusz Juszkiewicz, 26, and Thai national Werakan Siriprakon, 23, from Nakhon Sawan, safe. The couple disappeared while kayaking with friends off Yanui Beach last Saturday (Dec 7). Mr Juszkiewicz and friends had rented four kayaks to explore the waters and small island just offshore Yanui Beach, but when the group returned ashore at about 6:30pm Mr Juszkiewicz and Ms Werakan – together on the same kayak – were missing. Mr Juszkiewicz’s friends told police that he had called them while they were on the way back to the beach, and that he said that he and Ms Werakan were still far away and not able to return to the shore. They lost contact after that. Search efforts by boat were launched last Saturday night, and continued each day with Navy and police helicopters joining the effort last Sunday. By Tuesday, however, the search area had been expanded to cover 600 square nautical miles – nearly 2,059 square kilometres. Leading the search efforts was Rear Admiral Cherngchaiyot Atsuwee, Deputy Commander of the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command base at Cape Panwa, who by Tuesday had already called the situation “quite worrisome”. “I hope that both of them are still alive somewhere. I want to see them alive,” he said. However, even by Monday R/Adm Cherngchaiyot had admitted, “Whether the couple survive depends on how strong they are. They may stay alive a little longer, but not if they were not already quite healthy.” By Thursday the search teams turned to divers in hope of at least recovering the bodies. DEADLY WATERS The apparent loss at sea of Mr Juszkiewicz and Ms Werakan comes as only the latest of a slew of deadly incidents involving tourists engaging in water-related activities in Phuket. The deaths of 10 people prompted Tourist Police Commander Lt Gen Chettha Komolwatthana and Vice Admiral Cherngchai Chomcherngpat, Commander of the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command base at Cape Panwa, to call for a raft of measures to improve safety in the water, including qualified lifeguards at all major beaches in Phuket as standard and for better scrutiny of dive tour leaders’ qualifications and snorkelling tour leaders. The call came at a meeting of key officials involved in tourists safety while engaging in water-related activities held at Chalong Pier on Dec 4. Attending the meeting to hear the two commanders’ appraisal of what was needed to improve water safety in and around Phuket were Tourist Police Region 3 Chief Maj Gen Krissak Songmunnak, Chief of the Phuket Marine Office Wiwat Chitchertwong, and other relevant officials. After the meeting, V/Adm Cherngchai told the press that the Third Area Command was working with local dive tour operators and snorkelling tour operators to ensure that those leading the tour groups in water activities were properly qualified. “For dive and snorkelling tours, the problem is the qualification of tour leaders. A lot of tourists have drowned during dive and snorkelling tours. At this stage, the Thai Royal Navy Third Naval Area Command is working with dive clubs in Phuket to find out ways to take care of dive tour participants. “We are also working on setting up an association that includes dive tour operators and snorkelling tour operators so when accident or disaster happens, we will have a group of skilled people to help,” he said. V/Adm Cherngchai’s comments about dive tour and snorkelling safety follows 37-year-old Japanese tourist Ryo Kubota dying during a snorkelling tour at Phi Phi Island on Nov 4, and the death of Russian tourist Ruslan Asaupov, 28, while snorkelling on a day tour to Racha Yai Island, south of Phuket, last week. As is usual with deaths of tourists who drown while snorkelling off Phuket, no explanation has been given as to why tour leaders have been consistently unable to identify tourists in distress in the water before they become motionless. Also, V/Adm Cherngchai’s move to engage more with dive tour operators to improve tourists’ safety while on underwater tours follows the deaths of South Korean tourist Sunghyun Cho, 37, and his Thai dive group leader Pongsathorn Madnui, 34, during a shallow dive tour at Koh Racha on Oct 19. The dive was reportedly to a depth of no more than seven metres. Mr Cho was apparently an already experienced diver, but was on a Try Dive tour at the time of the fatal incident. Phuket Vice Governor Supoj Rotreuang Na Nongkhai is now heading a provincial committee tasked with investigating the state of dive tour safety, but has admitted that officials know very little about the safety measures already practiced by dive companies in Phuket, and has admitted that there are no specific laws to enforce for dive tour operators. Regardless, a crackdown was launched on making sure dive tour companies are complaint with what laws are in place, and on making “freelance” dive tour leaders hired by tour companies are appropriately qualified. LIFEGUARDS V/Adm Cherngchai also called for better protection of tourists swimming at Phuket beaches. “Regarding the issue if lifeguards, there should be lifeguards under the same standard at all beaches in Phuket, as well as designated areas specifically marked for swimming, and clearly marking areas where swimming is prohibited,” he said plainly. “But sometimes tourist don’t listen to lifeguards’ advice and get injured,” he added. That call for standard qualified lifeguards followed a slew of drowning deaths at Phuket beaches during November, starting with the death of 31-year-old Belarus tourist Maksim Shchartsou, who disappeared while swimming at Nai Thon on Oct 29. His body was found five days later. The area where Mr Shchartsou was swimming is not patrolled by lifeguards. On Nov 5, 61-year-old Russian tourist Altaf Sharifulin, originally from Moscow, in Phuket on holiday with his wife, died after being pulled from the water unconscious at Karon Beach. The section of beach where Mr Sharifulin drowned was patrolled by beach guards provided by a local resort, not the experienced, qualified lifeguards hired to patrol the sands elsewhere along the beach. The next day, 55-year-old tourist Sergei Oshkin from Russia's Far East also drowned at Karon Beach. Mr Oshkin drowned at the southern end of the beach, also where no lifeguards were reported as on duty. On Nov 12, Dong Xuyan, 42, from Hebei, in northern China, was pulled from the water unconscious at Nai Harn Beach, and on Nov 13 Chinese tourist Ho Leong Lawrence, 50, from Hong Kong, was pulled from the water unconscious and unresponsive at Merlin Beach, south of Patong. Both men later died in hospital. SETTING LIMITS Tourist Police Commander Maj Gen Krissak said that his officers would play their part in trying to make swimming at Phuket beaches safer, particularly with trying to get tourists to stay with in safe swim zones marked off with floats in the water, in an obliqued reference to the death of German tourist Helmut Prock, 63, at Kamala Beach on Nov 22. Mr Prock suffered fatal injuries from a parasail speedboat that was returning to the beach. Mr Prock was outside the safe swim zone when the accident happened Until now, no official has offered any public statement to explain what was being done to prevent any further similar deadly accidents. Of note, while Maj Gen Krissak and V/Adm Cherngchai were trying to assuage public concern over the distressing number of people killed in Phuket’s waters, a Chinese woman suffered a broken leg in a collision between rented jet-skis at Patong Beach – with jet-skis being one water-borne danger not mentioned by the top-ranking officers. Reporting by Eakkapop Thongtub and Tanyaluk Sakoot