The “rehearsal” of the province’s disaster response plan is to help tourists build confidence in Phuket being safe, he said.
Governor Sophon’s comments came a meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall, attended by Royal Thai Police (RTP) spokesman Pol Lt Gen Achayon Kraithong, Tourist Police Region 3 Commander Maj Gen Krit Warit and Paitoon Chutimakornkul, Advisor to the Prime Minister, and a comprehensive range of representatives from local government agencies.
Mr Paitoon relayed the Prime Minister’s concerns regarding Phuket on four important issues, said an official report of the meeting.
Drugs must be gone, the island must be free from foreign mafia, tourists must be safe and measures for nightlife venues to remain open until 4am must be in place, with emphasis on measures not to drink and drive, intensive patrols and an integrated CCTV network to maintain safety throughout the province, the report said.
“There must be proactive action to prevent and suppress crime in order to build confidence in the safety of life and property for tourists, including pushing the image of security for tourists of the province to have more confidence when traveling in Phuket,” he said.
At the meeting the visiting delegation were briefed on the preparations made and details regarding the emergency response exercise were clarified, the official report noted.
The exercise to be held off Patong will simulate a tour boat encountering bad weather with strong wind and waves up to four metres high, causing the boat “to be affected” and resulting in injured people floating in the sea, the report explained ‒ describing a very similar scenario to the Phoenix tour boat disaster in 2018 that killed 47 Chinese tourists (* See end of article.).
“All forces will be mobilised to assist in rehearsing emergency response plans to demonstrate our readiness to care for the people and tourists of Phuket Province,” the report said.
The report noted that the exercise was now scheduled for Dec 1, not Nov 26 as originally announced.
* See also
Phoenix: A year after Thailand’s worst tour boat disaster, safety remains a publicity priority