Ratchadaporn O-in, Director of the Tourism and Sports office in Phuket, oversaw a ceremony at The Park Hotel in Surin on Friday (July 26) where she handed out certificates to children who had recently successfully passed a series of swimming skill tests as part of an ongoing course.
The “Swimming Skills Training Activity to Prevent Drowning” teaches children how to swim to provide them with the necessary skillset to minimise accidents in the water.
In addition to potential life-saving skills, the project also promotes the benefits of a healthy lifestyle through exercise with a particular focus on preventing online gaming addiction among youngsters. The course is also designed to encourage children to veer away from the potential pitfalls of illegal activities such as drug use and crime.
The Phuket Tourism and Sports Office has been assigned by the Department of Physical Education and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports to arrange the course as part of a national “Thai Children Can Swim” project this year which is focused on training youngsters with the requisite skillset to prevent drownings.
It comes after a spate of drownings in Phuket in recent months, particualrly among foreign tourists at beaches along the island’s west coast.
On Friday (July 26), a 27-year-old Chinese tourist entered the water at Karon Beach only to be swept away by waves. A search was conducted but, at time of press, the man remained missing.
Prior to this, a 27-year-old Indian tourist drowned at Surin Beach on Wednesday (July 24) after becoming caught in a rip current during an early morning swim with friends.
Late last month, Viroon Chuasaman, Head Lifeguard at Surin-Bang Tao Beach, called for intensive campaigns to educate tourists of the dangers of rip currents and strong waves during the southwest monsoon to help reduce the number of people drowning at tourist-popular beaches.
Mr Viroon told The Phuket News that the current efforts of lifeguards to save tourists from drowning are merely addressing the problem’s symptoms rather than its root cause and called upon the Tourism Authority of Thailand to actively promote the dangers of ignoring red flag warnings during the monsoon season.