Thailand: Safety measures for tourists 'in urgent need of upgrade'

[webfact]

Safety measures for tourists 'in urgent need of upgrade'

By WICHIT CHAITRONG, 
PAKORN PUENGNETR 
THE NATION

 

 

Expert says Phoenix boat tragedy in Phuket requires independent inquiry, not finger pointing.

 

THE COUNTRY needs to urgently improve safety measures for tourists, and Chinese victims should not be blamed for the July 5 Phoenix tour-boat tragedy in Phuket, according to an academic.

 

“First, we should not blame Chinese tourists if they are customers of a Chinese nominee tour operator – it could have happened to any nationality,” said Thaweesak Paekratok, assistant professor at Naresuan University’s Engineering Faculty, who is calling for an independent investigation of the incident. Thaweesak is currently leading a team to study the safety of sea diving and jet-ski tours, commissioned by the Thailand Research Fund. 

 

He said that by international standards, the safety and security of Thailand’s tourism industry lagged behind internationally, ranking 118 out of 136 countries last year according to the travel and tourism competitiveness report by the World Economic Forum. 

 

According to the Department of Tourism, the number of foreign tourist casualties in Thailand last year went up 25.12 per cent to 936 and of these 265 were deaths, most of them Chinese. He pointed out that one loophole in the law related to transportation and tour operators. Usually, these companies needed to strictly follow safety guidelines: for example they have to appoint a security officer to oversee inspections of the vehicles, be they boats, trucks or buses, and also take heed of other safety measures. However, it is not clear that tour operators who own or hire tour boats follow such safety procedures, Thaweesak said.

 

The 105-year old Navigation in the Thai Waters Act is obsolete and ineffective in coping with new types of accidents, as in the Phoenix boat case, he said. 

 

 

It also appeared that the crew of the Phoenix boat had not been well trained in handling an emergency situation and may not have been able to help tourists evacuate the sinking boat, he added. This demonstrated that the Marine Department had not provided rescue training to private companies, Thaweesak said, adding that government agencies usually organised rescue drills among themselves but that this did not extend to the private sector. 

 

While reports emerged that there were also Chinese crews in the boat, the question is why did the Marine Department let foreign workers work on the Phoenix? he asked.

 

The warning system usually covers wider areas, but we lack a warning system for specific areas, he said. 

 

Regarding rumours of cheap tour packages, known in Thai as “Tour Soon Rian,” the government can protect tourists by demanding an insurance fee before tourists enter the country. The insurance would cover accidents and other related costs, which could also save the government budget, he said. 

 

Thaweesak suggested that an independent investigation team look at the Phoenix case to ensure that as much as information is collected as possible in order to make tourism safer in the future. So far the investigation was fragmented among state agencies, he said. 

 

Thanapong Jinvong, manager of Road Safety Group Thailand, agreed that people should not rush to blame cheap package tour companies.

 

“Look at air travel, those who buy cheap tour package do not cause any trouble. Airport authorities will prohibit any aeroplane from leaving the airport when the weather is not safe for flying,” said Thanapong, who is also secretary of Road Safety Policy Foundation. 

 

In this case, we have to look into how the Phoenix was designed and built. Then, why did the Marine Department let the boat leave the port despite warnings of rough seas and bad weather by the Meteorological Department, he said.

 

Need to overhaul warning system

 

The warning system should be overhauled as both the Phoenix sinking in Phuket and the case of the 12 boys and their coach trapped in the cave in Chiang Rai, he said. 

 

 

Meanwhile, the commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Navy, Admiral Naris Pratoomsuwan, expressed his concern about effective laws related to disaster prevention. 

 

“By law we cannot order boat operators not to leave port; government agencies can only warn the public about bad weather conditions each day,” he said. 

 

The tragic case of the Phoenix was caused by many factors, including bad weather, inexperience of the boat captain and the condition of the boat itself, he said. Government agencies would have to introduce comprehensive upgrades in safety measures for tourists in order to prevent a recurrence of such an accident, he suggested. 

 

In another development yesterday, Thai and Chinese divers joined forces to retrieve the last of the bodies from the Phoenix, whose sinking claimed 47 lives. 

 

Pongpanu Svetarundra, permanent secretary of the Tourism and Sports Ministry, said the government would pay compensation of Bt1 million for each death and an insurance firm would give an additional Bt1.1 million. He said the tragedy led to a 10-15 per cent fall in hotel bookings.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/business/30349973

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-07-13

[Thian]

What a load of bs is spouted by the academic...what will a travelinsurance change ?? Yes it will cost thailand less but they better focus on the lousy safety on Thai boats/buses/minivan's. Just use the Western safety-systems and rules, it's all tested and much safer.

 

I hope Elon Musk also noticed the dangerous situations in Thailand and mentions them, just like Bill Gates did with the electric cables.

[stanleycoin]

Safety First.

For some reason,  Thailand just doesn't spring to mind.

I Wonder why. 

Edited July 12, 2018 by stanleycoin

[Fex Bluse]

36 minutes ago, webfact said:

“First, we should not blame Chinese tourists if they are customers of a Chinese nominee tour operator – it could have happened to any nationality,” said Thaweesak Paekratok, assistant professor at Naresuan University’s Engineering Faculty

They consistently get it wrong, don't they? You should not blame tourists because ultimately it had little to do with it. They don't make the decisions - you do. The Thais do.

 

36 minutes ago, webfact said:

“Look at air travel, those who buy cheap tour package do not cause any trouble. Airport authorities will prohibit any aeroplane from leaving the airport when the weather is not safe for flying,” said Thanapong, who is also secretary of Road Safety Policy Foundation. 

Air travel is relatively safer solely because the pilots and associated other staff have been trained by or interact heavily with FOREIGNERS and because major safety events can have serious impact on TH ability to fly to certain destinations. Does ANYONE think that if TH managed its own air by itself there would not be regular catastrophes? 

 

36 minutes ago, webfact said:

THE COUNTRY needs to urgently improve safety measures for tourists, and Chinese victims should not be blamed for the July 5 Phoenix tour-boat tragedy in Phuket, according to an academic.

The fact that the professor needs to tell his own officials and the TH public that the tourists should not be blamed is a sad reflection of the nationalistic xenophobic reactions that plague the country. No reasonable, thinking adult would think to blame the victims. How pathetic really.

Edited July 12, 2018 by Fex Bluse

[stanleycoin]

52 minutes ago, Fex Bluse said:

 

The fact that the professor needs to tell his own officials and the TH public that the tourists should not be blamed is a sad reflection of the nationalistic xenophobic reactions that plague the country. No reasonable, thinking adult would think to blame the victims. How pathetic really.

+1

[pattayadgw]

You have to have safety standards before you can improve them.  While Marine water safety standards differ around the world it would not be difficult to choose a few countries and have a look at their standards for companies operating marine tours etc. and then APPLY them to vessels here in LOS.... when i say APPLY them i mean apply them with hefty fines and or jail sentences if NOT applied.

[rkidlad]

“First, we should not blame Chinese tourists if they are customers of a Chinese nominee tour operator “

 

Right! And you needed to add Chinese nominee because? 

 

Last time I heard - Thais were in control of their country. They seem to pride themselves on it. Yet here we are. 

[Darcula]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Expert says Phoenix boat tragedy in Phuket requires independent inquiry, not finger pointing.

 

That's disappointing. In my album, I'm only missing a pic of people pointing at waves.

[BobbyL]

I really do think sorting the roads should be priority number 1.

 

Start slowly and build from there. 

[colinneil]

9 minutes ago, Darcula said:

 

That's disappointing. In my album, I'm only missing a pic of people pointing at waves.

The reason you cannot see people pointing at the waves is because it was a big wave and swept them away.?

Edited July 13, 2018 by colinneil

[alfalfa19]

well, it's big of them to not blame the victims. 

[Fex Bluse]

1 hour ago, rkidlad said:

“First, we should not blame Chinese tourists if they are customers of a Chinese nominee tour operator “

 

Right! And you needed to add Chinese nominee because? 

 

Last time I heard - Thais were in control of their country. They seem to pride themselves on it. Yet here we are. 

Exactly. Thais remind everyone at every opportunity that Thailand is for the Thais. Yet when they can squirm out of responsibility by blaming foreigners, they can't resist even given the cognitive dissonance.

For all the significant beauty in Thai culture, this xenophobic feature distracts heavily and leaves a bad taste in the mouth. 

[bluesofa]

45 minutes ago, Darcula said:

 

That's disappointing. In my album, I'm only missing a pic of people pointing at waves.

That's only because they're waving, not pointing.

 

[klauskunkel]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Safety measures for tourists 'in urgent need of upgrade'

Upgrade? You need to implement them first.

[anon537687643]

Writer says “we should not blame the Chinese Tourists” .. uhh ? In what world might have anyone blamed them? Ahh I see , blame them for refusing to go to sea in the boat! The mindset of these Thai Academics is laughable, and these are supposed to be the intelligent ones !


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[PatOngo]

[bluesofa]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Thaweesak Paekratok, assistant professor at Naresuan University’s Engineering Faculty...

The 105-year old Navigation in the Thai Waters Act is obsolete and ineffective in coping with new types of accidents, as in the Phoenix boat case, he said.  

I wouldn't even know if that Act is supposed to cover safety - life-jackets for example?

The point is that any regulation that is introduced/updated, the weakest link is enforcement - and impartial enforcement at that.

 

[Juan B Tong]

"Pongpanu Svetarundra, permanent secretary of the Tourism and Sports Ministry...said the tragedy led to a 10-15 per cent fall in hotel booking."

 

Absolute heresy!

 

This disclosure is against policy.  Pongpanu better backpedal quickly and soundly on this one or more and more taxi drivers will have to turn in forgotten bags of money and iPhones.

[Anythingleft?]

The whole issue relates to money.
Any new or additional measures of safety and the following regulation and monitoring of said measures will cost money. The rub being that the vendor complains about absorbing the cost as in less profit, or the consumer gets it. If the consumer gets it then "cheap " Thailand becomes no more and other countries become more attractive.
As countries become more 1st world in all aspects such as road and travel safety so do the costs associated, no tourist wants that, if they did they would not be here they would be in any number of countries that already implement these, but at a much higher cost.
Tourists want cheap, cheap is available due to lack of regulation and enforcement of said regulation.
All the topics running make me laugh a little from the constant rantings that improvement is a must, I would say that pretty much everybody came to this country initially because it was cheap and the rules and regulations relaxed.
Enforcing the laws and regulations already in place is another point entirely and should IMO be carried out, adding new? Turns the whole tourist industry on its head and there would be big repercussions from that.
The only things that makes Thailand attractive are cheapness and easy visa/entry access, change either and you lose.......



Sent from my SM-N950F using Tapatalk

[Emster23]

Change defamation laws so that the truth can be told by the media and others. Name and shame. Face is important here. All the other suggestions are good too

[Oziex1]

Try tailoring the package tour to the seasons, does anyone really want to go snorkeling and boating in such poor conditions, plenty of other things to do.

[Anythingleft?]

Change defamation laws so that the truth can be told by the media and others. Name and shame. Face is important here. All the other suggestions are good too

The overhaul and change of that law would change the entire country for the better, unfortunately it's a very very powerful weapon and those who benefit from it will fight as long as they can to keep it.......

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[pokerface1]

2 hours ago, stanleycoin said:

No reasonable, thinking adult would think to blame the victims. How pathetic really.

It's their own fault if they had read their fortune cookies none of this would have happened. Isn't that a good enough reason?

I think I will start handing out fortune cookies at the airport that should save a lot of lives.

[Khun Paul]

There are international safety norms recognised around the world, however as so often is the case, the cost of implementing them and the enforcement of them is higher than this country seems able to come to terms with .

Until Thailand as a whole recognises that these safety standards are for the protection of users and deliverers, then it will always be ...seek the cheapest option and bugger the consequences.

We see it in Road safety, Building safety, Marine safety, in fact anything in /on which people can get injured or hurt , the safety regulations are often ignored . The enforcement falls in the majority of cases down to the Police who are very good and deciding who is at fault providing the right envelope is paid at the right time, but apart from that not enforce anything as it is not a money maker, easy to make money after the event . Even villagers decry paying the P{olice to deal with crime, Tourists will not pay so hence ZERO enforcement .

Wake up Thailand the world may applaud your success over the cave rescue ( do by foreigners ). But many jobs restricted to Thais who fail almost daily to ensure safety of Tourists and their own people. 

[NanLaew]

1 hour ago, rkidlad said:

“First, we should not blame Chinese tourists if they are customers of a Chinese nominee tour operator “

Correct... and they should sh!tcan the vacuous tit of a DPM who went very public, very quickly and said the deaths weren't Thailand's fault in any shape or form.

 

Ooops.... I just woke up!

[bluesofa]

11 minutes ago, Khun Paul said:

There are international safety norms recognised around the world, however as so often is the case, the cost of implementing them and the enforcement of them is higher than this country seems able to come to terms with .

Until Thailand as a whole recognises that these safety standards are for the protection of users and deliverers, then it will always be ...seek the cheapest option and bugger the consequences.

We see it in Road safety, Building safety, Marine safety, in fact anything in /on which people can get injured or hurt , the safety regulations are often ignored . The enforcement falls in the majority of cases down to the Police who are very good and deciding who is at fault providing the right envelope is paid at the right time, but apart from that not enforce anything as it is not a money maker, easy to make money after the event . Even villagers decry paying the P{olice to deal with crime, Tourists will not pay so hence ZERO enforcement .

Wake up Thailand the world may applaud your success over the cave rescue ( do by foreigners ). But many jobs restricted to Thais who fail almost daily to ensure safety of Tourists and their own people. 

Agreed.

Here safety is so often seen as lip service. The main reason for that is no education about any sort of safety, whether it's looking after themselves and their kids, or responsibility in a professional capacity.

Until that changes the attitude will remain the same, sadly.

 

[stanleycoin]

25 minutes ago, pokerface1 said:

It's their own fault if they had read their fortune cookies none of this would have happened. Isn't that a good enough reason?

I think I will start handing out fortune cookies at the airport that should save a lot of lives.

No it's not there own fault.

The fortune cookies were printed in Thai.

Should every tourist, learn the Thai language before coming on holiday here !!!!!!!! 

What are you thinking man. 

 

 

[NanLaew]

3 minutes ago, Khun Paul said:

There are international safety norms recognised around the world, however as so often is the case, the cost of implementing them and the enforcement of them is higher than this country seems able to come to terms with .

There are local safety norms as well that are based on international standards parallels. But consider this.

 

Q. When was the last time you heard the BMA's Fire Chief conducting spot checks on hotel fire escapes, sprinklers and alarms and making sure busy night club fire escapes aren't chained shut?

 

A. After a fire or tragedy.

 

 

Q. Where do you hear calls for greater scrutiny of the SRT's health and safety budget?

 

A. After a train falls off the rails or a passenger is assaulted, raped or murdered.

 

 

Q. When does one hear calls to overhaul the domestic marine transportation health and safety rules and legislation?

 

A. After a few boats sink causing the loss of life of predominantly non-Thais with the added caveat that a very senior minister thinks that's not important.

 

Why does Pattaya have a government appointed Harbour Master when it hasn't got a recognized harbour in any shape or form?

 

The PEA's local administrative regions receive a budget for repairs, maintenance and improvements. How many people outwith the Bangkok and suburbs still have an unreliable and unstable electricity supply?

 

Similarly, provincial administrations nationwide receive money for road repairs and improvements. How many up-country drivers need new shock absorbers after only 3 or 4 years of regular driving including inner-city commutes?

 

Don't get me started on regional, seasonal flooding. That only becomes life threatening when it gets a bit too wet in Bangkok.

 

It's not really the cost of implementing existing rules and regulations, it's the "loss of earnings" that provincial government and local management would have to accept if they forgo the boondoggles and kickbacks and just did their salaried and pensioned job that they are paid to do. Without oversight, arrest and prosecution of these filching bastards, you can simply forget about Thailand 4.0

[stanleycoin]

1 hour ago, bluesofa said:

I wouldn't even know if that Act is supposed to cover safety - life-jackets for example?

The point is that any regulation that is introduced/updated, the weakest link is enforcement - and impartial enforcement at that.

 

I have never seen a Life jacket in Thailand on any boats.

Seen loads of stupid buoyancy aids, with busted straps. 

Just saying. 

Edited July 13, 2018 by stanleycoin

[Eligius]

23 minutes ago, bluesofa said:

Agreed.

Here safety is so often seen as lip service. The main reason for that is no education about any sort of safety, whether it's looking after themselves and their kids, or responsibility in a professional capacity.

Until that changes the attitude will remain the same, sadly.

 

'Lip service': yes, that sums up so much of official Thai culture. Words, words, words that sound good - but have no substance or seriousness behind them.

All veneer, all facade. In a word - fake!

 

Edited July 13, 2018 by Eligius