Phuket lifeguard crisis enters murky waters

The Phuket News

 

A lifeguard watches over a lone swimmer at Nai Harn Beach. Photo: Tanyaluk Sakoot

 

PHUKET: As Phuket approaches the end of its first week since the government contract ended last Saturday (Sept 30) for the Phuket Lifeguard Service to provide lifeguards at Phuket’s key tourist beaches, the island’s beach safety situation has not improved.

 

The Phuket Provincial Administration Organisation (PPAO, or OrBorJor) – which launched a 1% room tax on all hotel rooms rented out across the island in 2000 on the promise of providing lifeguards at Phuket’s beaches – held emergency meetings on Tuesday and yesterday (Oct 3-4) to discuss the ongoing lifeguard crisis.

 

However, the meetings were closed to the media.

 

Full story: https://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-lifeguard-crisis-enters-murky-waters-64184.php

 

-- © Copyright Phuket News 2017-10-05

Just came home from spending some time on Surin beach. There were a bunch of red flags but a lot of people were in the water there anyways and noone made any attempt to stop them. I saw a van from the disaster prevention department who's driver seemed to have taken on some life guard duty but he wasn't sitting in a position where he could see all the beach. There were also 2 other younger guys sitting on chairs next to some life guard equipment so I assume they were also on life guard duty. But they were chatting and smoking marijuana (easy to smell) and didn't seem to pay much attention to the beach folks.

 

World class beach destination? Someone must be dreaming. Can't even get these essential super easy things sorted.

" However, the meetings were closed to the media."

 And it any media wrote anything derogatory about the situation (even if it was the truth) maybe they could then be sued for criminal defamation?

'which launched a 1% room tax on all hotel rooms rented out across the island in 2000 on the promise of providing lifeguards at Phuket’s beaches'   Would love to see an account showing how much was has been raised over the following years, how much was spent on lifeguards and most of all, where the rest went?