Prawit threatens legal actions against boat captain, owner

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Prawit threatens legal actions against boat captain, owner

By The Nation

 

Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan. FILE photo 

 

Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan on Friday threatened legal action against the captain and the owner of an ill-fated tourist boat that sank in the sea off Phuket on Thursday afternoon.
 

General Prawit said the captain and owner of the Phoenix boat would be held responsible for the accident.

 

That boat sank with 105 people on board, most of them Chinese tourists, while it was returning from Koh Racha.

 

Prawit sad the boat left the journeyed from Phuket's shore to the satellite island of Koh Racha despite a weather warning and a ban on boats leaving the dock by the Meteorological Department.

 

“I’ve checked with them why they took the boat out to the sea and they said there was no strong wind,” said Prawit. “But, the Meteorological Department had warned against leaving shore from July 4 to 6 and they would not listen.”

 

“The captain and the boat owner took out the boat without heeding the warning so they will be held responsible,” he said.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30349474

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-07-06

[Soupdragon]

Should that not read Prawit and the Thai Government vow to overhaul safety regulations and enforcement to ensure this never happens again ?

[quandow]

4 minutes ago, Soupdragon said:

Should that not read Prawit and the Thai Government vow to overhaul safety regulations and enforcement to ensure this never happens again ?

Thai government and safety regulations in the same sentence?

 

555555

[PatOngo]

Ah, Khun Prawatch, will you give him 4 months to come up with a lame excuse, just like you did over the now (in)famous watch collection?

[Soupdragon]

Just now, quandow said:

Thai government and safety regulations in the same sentence?

 

555555

Yes but I also put the word "vow" in there which is their favourite to convince people they are serious when they intend to do SFA.

[lovelomsak]

This will not bring back the people who died. Should be shouting that there will be tight regulations brought in and enforced. But hey no need to do that  it would cost money when it is all about making money not safety .

[lovelomsak]

double post for some reason

Edited July 6, 2018 by lovelomsak

[Lampang2]

Chinese government turning up the heat like nobody else can.

[PatOngo]

4 minutes ago, Lampang2 said:

Chinese government turning up the heat like nobody else can.

What next? Artificial islands in the gulf?

[Lampang2]

What next? Artificial islands in the gulf?

Not needed.
Thailand is already included into greater China as is a bunch of other states.

Missing formalities is just that, formalities.

[NCC1701A]

Must have just got off the phone with his Chinese puppet masters in Beijing.

[Goldieinkathu]

"And they would not listen"

I've been here over 20 years and every day I see people who will not listen  or don't follow the law.

There's no telling some folk ?

I doubt punishing the owner or the captain will make people listen in the future ?

Another avoidable  tragedy.

 

[stevenl]

There was no ban, and weather warning was at best not communicated very well.'

 

This is just authorities absolving themselves of any blame, and I agree, probably directly after coming of the phone with Beijing.

[quadperfect]

1 hour ago, Goldieinkathu said:

"And they would not listen"

I've been here over 20 years and every day I see people who will not listen  or don't follow the law.

There's no telling some folk ?

I doubt punishing the owner or the captain will make people listen in the future ?

Another avoidable  tragedy.

 

This boat is the one who had most people die. But if they use the point of warnings issued then the entire phuket tourism fleet is guilty. They were all out there too.

[300sd]

This area is fairly open water. A proper sea going vessel would handle that weather. These kinds of boats that we see in some of the videos are for lakes. Power boats with outboards are not what I would be on in that ocean!

[anon537687643]

So a ship can leave a port even if he’s told not to? There you have it, no oversight on regulations ! A free for fall

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

 

[happy chappie]

The captain will go to jail for life and everything is sorted.same thing happened in samui when about a dozen tourists died in a over crowded boat going to or from a full moon party in 2005.jailing the captain will be the answer and solve the whole problem Thai style.

[james.d]

10 hours ago, happy chappie said:

The captain will go to jail for life and everything is sorted.same thing happened in samui when about a dozen tourists died in a over crowded boat going to or from a full moon party in 2005.jailing the captain will be the answer and solve the whole problem Thai style.

The captain will be the company fall guy IMHO.

[anon537687643]

... until the next money making, unsafe disaster!


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[1337markus]

So toad is a comedian now?

[Oziex1]

18 hours ago, Soupdragon said:

Should that not read Prawit and the Thai Government vow to overhaul safety regulations and enforcement to ensure this never happens again ?

I think it reads, if it costs you money when you fk up, you just might think about things next time. Only financial penalties will make them think. 

[steelepulse]

I only recall seeing a general and vague weather warning with the directive to not leave the port the day after the disaster.  Prawit trying to save face and place blame on anything except the government.

 

As an aside, are there harbormasters that would be stationed at the ports and assert his authority on any vessels leaving port?  How about marine police, are they around to enforce any unlawful departures?  Serious question as enforcement seems lax in just about everything.

[stevenl]

37 minutes ago, steelepulse said:

I only recall seeing a general and vague weather warning with the directive to not leave the port the day after the disaster.  Prawit trying to save face and place blame on anything except the government.

 

As an aside, are there harbormasters that would be stationed at the ports and assert his authority on any vessels leaving port?  How about marine police, are they around to enforce any unlawful departures?  Serious question as enforcement seems lax in just about everything.

"I only recall seeing a general and vague weather warning with the directive to not leave the port the day after the disaster.  Prawit trying to save face and place blame on anything except the government."

Correct, there was no warning.

And also correct, everybody was allowed out, even stronger, there was no reason not to go out looking at weather and forecast.

 

"As an aside, are there harbormasters that would be stationed at the ports and assert his authority on any vessels leaving port?
Yes, at Chalong pier from where this boat left there is somebody who raises a flag every morning, indicating boats can go out or not.

 

[Goldieinkathu]

45 minutes ago, Oziex1 said:

I think it reads, if it costs you money when you fk up, you just might think about things next time. Only financial penalties will make them think. 

If only it was that easy. Even the death penalty doesn't make some people think . Some are just not capable of thinking.

[Gandtee]

Why doesn't he form a watch committee for insuring sea and road safety measures.?

[robblok]

17 hours ago, stevenl said:

There was no ban, and weather warning was at best not communicated very well.'

 

This is just authorities absolving themselves of any blame, and I agree, probably directly after coming of the phone with Beijing.

Still Steven, they made a huge mistake and 60 people died, this is negligence of course someone should be punished. It should be the responsibility of a captain to check the weather and he should be responsible for his decisions and owners too otherwise there will never be any change. Unless they can really prove it was not their fault. They should interview the survivors and see what they have to say.

[Goldieinkathu]

15 minutes ago, stevenl said:

"I only recall seeing a general and vague weather warning with the directive to not leave the port the day after the disaster.  Prawit trying to save face and place blame on anything except the government."

Correct, there was no warning.

And also correct, everybody was allowed out, even stronger, there was no reason not to go out looking at weather and forecast.

 

"As an aside, are there harbormasters that would be stationed at the ports and assert his authority on any vessels leaving port?
Yes, at Chalong pier from where this boat left there is somebody who raises a flag every morning, indicating boats can go out or not.

 

 

I don't see why the government should be blamed.

As I have said, there are laws, there is common sense . People ignore warning signs on the beach every day, people drive without helmets every day, the list goes on.

It will be interesting to see what the captain has to say. Will it be like the bus drivers who always blame the brakes?

Bickering over who's to blame though will not bring those poor people back ☹️

 

[pegman]

5 hours ago, james.d said:

The captain will be the company fall guy IMHO.

No Burmese around? 

[300sd]

Captain is always responsible. If they don't know that, they they shouldn't be a captain. No one ever wants responsibility here but in cases of boats or buses, and many other things, it is a for gone conclusion!

[Familyonthemove]

29 minutes ago, Gandtee said:

Why doesn't he form a watch committee for insuring sea and road safety measures.?

He went on to say "this tragedy should not have happened on my watch"