It is clear that much has been done by government officials in tightening security across the country, by installing more CCTVs in Phuket, or ramping up inspections at the airport, for example.
However, there is one area where safety and security appears to be severely lacking, and this is in one area that Phuket and Thailand is particularly famous for: the water.
Yes, it is true that CCTV at all Phuket piers can monitor those arriving and departing the island. However, what is being done to ensure tourists' safety when they go out on a boat for what is supposed to be a fun excursion?
Not a week goes by when The Phuket News doesn’t have to report about a tourist drowning, a boat capsizing or colliding into another. Where is the safety and security here, and who is responsible?
As one commenter wrote on a recent Facbook post about the drowning of a Chinese Tourist:
“The difference between life and death can be B200-300. When you pay the extra then you will get a trip with fully trained professionals who watch everyone all the time. No one gets lost or is left alone in the water. A fully trained Emergency First response instructor and rescue diver who can teach you as well as take care of your safety can cost as little as an extra B1,000. That between four people is 250 baht for your life. They are in the water with you at all times. So sad that another life is lost for the sake of a couple of hundred baht.”
The writer has a very good point, but is it fair that the tourists need to pay extra so they are safe?
Should it not be the responsibility of the tour operator to ensure they have qualified instructors on their boats who are Emergency First response instructors?
In short, there is one particular official who is responsible for the safety of all people in the waters off Phuket, whose name we shall not say. And it is he who should be held accountable for any accidents that occur in the sea and in ensuring that they are stopped, or at least drastically reduced.