richard_smith237

Well done 'award winner'... so desperate to be relevant - hilarious... ..

Don't be daft... If you think this 'human beings' survival is anything other than pure coincidence and blind luck then its just a little bit naive.

Don't daft... If you think this 'human beings' survival is anything other than pure coincidence and blind luck then its just a little bit naive.

This is exactly what the Police should be doing.. Not 'only' acting when there is a check-point, but actively patrolling and pulling up those who infringe on the law. They should be charged with fleeing - falling off their bike is completely the riders fault. The Passenger should be filing charges against the rider. It is stories such as this which highlight how distorted the 'compass' is regarding such regulations. Unless of course the Police Officer 'kicked them off the bike' which of course can be considered excessive force - but still, the rider should still be charged with fleeing, regardless.

Avoid the riding on white lines - especially in the wet (riding 101) - they lines lethal. Ride with speed of traffic, in your lane... Only lane split (when in very slow moving / gridlocked traffic).

Yes, thats perfect advice for anyone who rides a motorcycle and is asking about tyres... Better advices still... don't go out at all, even cars have accidents !!!

No - that was the precise purpose behind your carefully crafted post: to bait a reaction, only to then climb onto the moral high ground and engage in a bit of virtue signalling when someone responds to your deliberate provocation. Had Vishwash Kumar Ramesh been solely of Indian nationality, you wouldn’t have posted. Had it been someone named Lars Jensen, a Danish national, you wouldn’t have posted. You comment simply to provoke.... forum vermin.

We all know what you are trying to do. Smart people will not take the bait. Exactly. His posts are consistently calculated & carefully crafted to provoke and irritate, all while skating just beneath the mods radar. He hides behind a veneer of "just providing information"... but anyone familiar with his pattern of cretinous contributions can see through the thin veil of plausible deniability. The intent to antagonise is obvious to anyone paying attention.... As for the gentleman in question: Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, a British–Indian dual national. His nationality is, frankly, irrelevant in the face of such an extraordinary and improbable survival. The real story here is not where he’s from, but the sheer miracle that any human being walked away from that wreckage alive.

Perhaps they should redirect the lifesavers to the ponds to save their own people as opposed to drunken tourists? Agreed — the issue of ponds is a serious one, and I’ve addressed it in other discussions as well. There ought to be basic regulations in place to mitigate the risk: - Every pond should have a grab-rope stretched across the middle to give struggling swimmers something to hold onto. - A ladder or simple wooden exit point should be installed, as the banks are often too steep or slippery for children to climb out safely. - A floating rescue ring - inexpensive and easily obtainable - should be standard at every pond. Furthermore, children should be taught in school how to save themselves, how to use floating devices effectively, and how to make use of grab-ropes and other safety features. As for your exaggerated suggestion of placing a lifeguard at every pond - it’s precisely the sort of hyperbolic nonsense that undermines meaningful discussion. But putting that aside, the point remains: practical, low-cost safety measures can and should be implemented. It’s not about hysteria or overreach - it’s about protecting lives with a bit of foresight and common sense. Also, this is not a matter of either-or. It’s not about saving tourists at the expense of the nation’s own children. Framing it that way - as you’ve attempted - is a false dichotomy that only serves to derail the conversation and reduce it to point-scoring. We should be aiming for thoughtful, inclusive solutions that protect everyone - locals and visitors alike. By turning this into a binary conflict, you reveal more interest in winning an argument than engaging in genuine discussion. Unless, of course, you simply don’t believe tourists are worth saving.

Good point - I'd like to try and add that into the metric - it would bring the results of the risk exposure closer together... Nevertheless - the result would not diminish the need for a secure and stable lifeguard service that operates, all year round under professional conditions with adequate resources and equipment.... Going back to the 'Tourist Tax' comments I made earlier: IF such a tax were put in place, there is scope to use this as part of the budget. Wouldn't it be a better news article: ... "Tourists saved by lifeguards"... "Thai Children caught in a rip, saved by life-guards".... ... "Phukets Beaches received year round 100% Lifeguard coverage from 6am to 8pm" highlighting serious improvements to the services etc... If you don't think there is any need for improvement of Phukets Lifeguarding - thats up to you based on your observations.... I think otherwise.

If you don’t believe that the leading cause of death among children in Thailand deserves urgent attention - and dismiss sensible safety measures as mere “nannying” or “cotton wool” - then you truly confirm the low opinion I have always held of your judgement. There are numerous practical steps that could be taken, starting with simple but vital education on: - Water safety - Electrical safety - Road safety This should begin in schools. Teaching children to swim would be ideal, though we must recognise the real constraints on resources. Even just raising awareness about these dangers is a crucial step forward. Many children in Thailand may never need to apply trigonometry or understand the importance of prime numbers or the Fibonacci sequence. But every single one will, at some point, ride a motorcycle, drive or be a passenger in a vehicle, cross a road, come into contact with water, and encounter electricity. Its typical of you to try and turn this discussion into a personal battleground, to attempt to score a win against me in a personal vendetta when we are discussing the safety and lives of people in a country that both of us deeply care about and respect - discuss the discussion... Now: Back on topic and back to life guards on beaches in Phuket... You may not think people need 'nannying' but IF Thailand wishes to court tourism, it needs to put solid measures in place to protect them... this includes safety - safety at the beaches and improved lifeguarding systems that don't shut down each year due to budget issues and contract renewals is a good place for this to start....

Yeah nah In 2024, a total of 323 people tragically lost their lives to drowning in Australia, according to the Royal Life Saving Society - Australia. This figure represents a 16% increase compared to the 10-year average of 278 deaths. The National Drowning Report 2024, published by Royal Life Saving Society in partnership with Surf Life Saving Australia, provides a detailed analysis of these drownings, including factors like age, sex, location, and activity Yup - it looks like that at a layman's glance on the surface - but once we look at this a little more intelligently, dig a little deeper into the area, and numbers and standardise the comparison: There are approximately ~1500 drownings each year in Thailand - many of those are kids in ponds (more safety education in schools would help a lot here). Australia's coastline is ~59,700 km (incl. islands) / Thailands is ~3,200 km. Drownings in Australia: 323 people / Thailand ~1500 (per year) To make a more fair comparison evaluate Phuket with New South Wales (I used Bondi in my example earlier). On average, roughly 61 coastal drownings for new south wales in a year (2023) New South Wales Coastline: ~2,137 km (1,328 miles) Comparison Metrics: New South Wales (NSW) vs Phuket Coastline length: 2,137 km (NSW) / 210 km (Phuket) Annual drownings: 61 (NSW) / 13 (Phuket) Population (approx): 8,400,000 (NSW) / 1,000,000 (Phuket residents + tourists - high season) Drownings per 100,000 ppl: 0.73 (NSW) / 1.30 (Phuket) Drownings per 100 km of coast: 2.85 (NSW) / 6.19 (Phuket) Phuket’s drowning rate per person is ~78% higher than NSW’s. Phuket’s coastline has a drowning density more than twice that of NSW Key Risk Factors Driving Phuket’s Higher Rates - Lower lifeguard coverage and less robust rescue infrastructure. - Tourists unfamiliar with ocean conditions (esp. during monsoon season). - Less signage and beach management, particularly at remote or non-resort beaches. - Non-compliance with red flag warnings and poor beach behaviour awareness. Phuket presents higher drowning risk per capita and per kilometre of coastline than NSW.

Also.. in your opinion (as you seem more familiar) - does the need more investment & coverage, or would you say what they have is adequate ? https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/weather/swimmers-at-surin-beach-left-without-lifesavers-as-council-removes-funding https://thethaiger.com/news/phuket/Lifeguard-chief-says-budget-cut-not-impact-service-quality https://thethaiger.com/news/phuket/No-lifeguards-Phuket-beaches-tomorrow https://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-beach-drowning-deaths-double-in-wake-of-lifeguard-contract-failure-68796.php

All there already. All year round, full compliment of guards across all beaches, working shifts from morning to evening ? All the right equipment, jet-skis, boards, full compliment of life-guards, full staff training ? Or one or two guys on some beaches, guys who sit there in some seasons... And aren't are yearly arguments about funding and threats to dismantle the service. ?

This is what confuses me... I can have (I think) up to 8 e-sims on my phone and switch between each as I choose. But... Do T-Mobile own your phone (i.e. is part of your payment plan including the phone and cell/data package on a monthly plan)... Or do you own the phone and simply have a monthly contract ? i.e. it seems T-Mobile locks your phone to its network only...

I'm confused ? T-Mobile (USA) lock your Thai-Sim ?? theoretically you could have both on at the same time, no ?

Sounds like they've pulled a fast one and sold a bike that's been sat in their showroom for about 2 years... Are there any 'face lift' changes to the bike between 2023 and 2025MY ?? ------ Years ago when selling a car - a 'Tent dealer' called me out on the age of my car... I thought it was a 2005, he told me it was a 2004... but realistically, thats not abnormal as the chassis number us is just the manufacturing year, not the model year (they are slightly different)... But a car 'to be sold in 2025' could have a MY (manufacturing year of 2024) - thats as I understand it anyway.

But it was 787-Dreamliner and initial suggestions imply incorrect flaps on takeoff resulting stall... (not my interpretation, just what others are suggesting)....

I know an old lady who swallowed a horse………… Malcy regularly bar-fines her !!...

What crime / criminals ???

There are about 12 million doctors and about 10,000 virologists worldwide..... I consider anyone who entertains such a widespread conspiracy to be a thoroughly compromised fool... The evidence simply isn’t there for all to see - not by a long shot. If it were, we’d all be seeing it, not just the painfully self-proclaimed “free-thinking” anti-authoritarians. I often wonder how much overlap truly exists between the anti-vax crowd, flat-earthers, and moon-landing conspiracy theorists. It would make for a fascinating study - if only to chart the limits of human idiocy - There’s a chasm between genuine intellectual enlightenment and the willful ignorance that fuels anti-vax delusions - a bottomless pit of denial masquerading as ‘critical thinking'.... Lets see if your like minded peers are ready to accept that viruses do not exist, or pathogenic viruses do not exists, that viruses have never been isolated, that pathogenic viruses have never been isolated, or that diseases do not exist... (just some of the silliness you've spouted over the past few months).

This is a fundamental part of the issue. Quite the paradox you present: an unfortunate cautionary tale in a lab coat of irony, serving as a walking advert for the worst-case scenario... You’ve had vaccines - and now stand as a screaming example of how they might not be safe, causing serious damage once the blood-brain barrier is compromised... And yet, billions saunter through life blissfully unaffected, shielded by the very same science that supposedly scrambled your circuitry... Funny, isn’t it?.... A world saved, while you scream into the void... statistically tragic… existentially hilarious.

Thinking out loud here—this may not be directly tied to the current thread, but there's a clear connection worth exploring. In another discussion, a lad lays in a hospital bed with the bills piling up, and the topic of travel insurance came up. While that was a separate issue, this thread draws parallels of something just as critical... Every year, a number of tourists drown on Phuket’s west coast. The currents there are significantly more dangerous than in other parts of Thailand - and yet, safety infrastructure often feels like an afterthought, limited at best. In that other thread, I mentioned the 300 baht tourist tax 0 something that could easily be handled through the existing TDAC system... the maths works. - 300 baht per tourist × 35.5 million tourists = roughly 10.65 billion baht (≈ US$ 292.2 million). IF The annual medical cost burden of tourists sits at just 300 million baht (≈ US$ 8.22 million). That's barely a fraction. So here's my point: There's a surplus - enough to genuinely invest in life-saving infrastructure. Not just healthcare post-accident, but proactive measures - where Phukets beaches are concerned: - Fully trained and equipped lifeguards - Regular patrols across Phuket's beaches - Public education campaigns on ocean safety And no, not “beach boys on a budget”... I'm talking Bondi Rescue-level professionalism. How much would that really cost, per year?

I know... just IMAGINE.... It would just as nuts as chaos from the sudden knowledge that the earth is flat, or that diseases are a figment of our imagination.. ... Thankfully, such delusions are reserved for the folly of fools...

Agreed... Chon-Buri Hospital is about 85km from Bangkok and 60 km from Pattaya - so he may have got over half way before something went wrong... My thoughts too - I'm wondering if in a moment of madness he decided to ride to Pattaya and didn't quite make it... Certainly his close friends and family will want to know what happened.. its a very odd story.