In total, 64 boat operators were tested at the pier yesterday (Jan 3), which serves as a major jumping off point for tours to islands nearby, Phuket Tourist Police reported.
As with previous drug tests of boat operators at Ratsada Pier and Chalong Pier, the tests yesterday involved the Phuket Marine Office, the Phuket Provincial Public Health Office (PPHO) and provincial security personnel.
Specifically, personnel from the Phuket branch of the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc), which serves as the political arm of the Thai military, were also present at Ao Por Pier yesterday.
The five boat operators who tested positive for drug use yesterday were immediately suspended from work, Phuket Tourist Police confirmed.
The five are to report to the PPHO main office at a later date.
Of note, the number of boat operators tested at Ao Por Pier yesterday stands in stark contrast to the number of boat captains and crew tested at Chalong Pier and Ratsada Pier earlier this week.
Chalong Pier and Ratsada Pier are easily the two busiest piers on the island, each serving hundreds of boats each day.
During boat safety checks conducted last Friday (Dec 29), Prawet Suphachai, Director of Regional Harbor Office 5, joined by Phuket Marine Office Chief Natchapong Pranit, pointed out that more than 5,000 people a day were travelling on the boats travelling to and from Ratsada Pier alone.
However, only 18 boat operators were tested at Ratsada Pier, resulting in one person testing positive for meth use.
At Chalong Pier, only 23 boat operators were tested, with not one testing positive for drug use.
The snap drug tests began at Chalong Pier on Monday morning after the speedboat ‘Apirak 89’ slammed into rocks at Koh Maithon last Sunday, killing a 5-year-old Russian girl.
The Apirak 89 was returning from Phi Phi Island with a Russian family on board.when it made a stop at Koh Maithon before heading back to Phuket. The Russian family were to disembark at Chalong Pier.
Despite the snap drug tests beginning on Monday, only yesterday did Phuket officials finally publicly report that the captain of the Apirak 89 had tested positive for meth use after the deadly accident.