If it's true, he was swimming outside the zone, he committed suicide.  the boat driver should be compensated

7 hours ago, Matzzon said:

What should the authorities do in this case? Put up a sign togheter with the already visible line in the middle of the water?

That might have helped, you see a line and think what's that for, probably for bad swimmers maybe.

He couldn't be seen because he was submerged....before or after he was hit?

“Mr Abhisit told police that Mr Prock was submerged, causing him to not see the tourist in the water.”

This is a lie. If he did not see the swimmer, how could he have known he was submerged?
 

7 hours ago, fruitman said:

Almost every day a tourist dies in Phuket... on the water or on the road....and the authorities do nothing.

Tourists are replaceable.... each week a new batch of victims arrive!

3 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Tourists are replaceable.... each week a new batch of victims arrive!

Yes it's time the foreign newspapers write more about all the deadly accidents in Thailand. And also they should make the Thai  driverlicense invalid in their homecountries. They don't have a DL, they bought it for 500 baht.

 

My DL costed 5000 euro and is not even valid in Thailand!

10 hours ago, jastheace said:

again... very sad

nothing will be learned... also sad

Well the victim certainly will not learn to stay inside the designated zone. 

Watching parasailing at Kamala Beach for 10 years, it's a miracle more people aren't killed. It's dangerous. You don't see parasailing in Western countries very often because it is dangerous and no insurance company is going to cover anyone. 

 

Clearly it's the swimmers fault for swimming at such a dangerous beach. Kamala is also Phuket's dirtiest beach with no sewer treatment. Sold out long ago to developers. 

 

Don't come here. It's dirty and dangerous. 

RIP.

Troll posts have been removed. 

Mee thinks that the Thai boat operators drive their boats just as they drive their cars.  If someone is in THEIR way, it is the pedestrians (or in this case, the swimmers) duty to move away and avoid any collision. 

 

"Why should I have to steer clear to avoid someone that is in my way?  If they get hit, it's their fault... not mine."  That seems to be the attitude here and it seems as though they drive as if they are playing a video game (and get added points of they can take someone out).  So sad. 

 

RIP German tourist.

8 hours ago, Matzzon said:

What should the authorities do in this case? Put up a sign togheter with the already visible line in the middle of the water?

Mr Grumpy?

10 hours ago, ezzra said:

Anywhere else the compensations for such tragedy will be very big, let's us now sit watch and wait how the people responsible will try to wiggle themselves out of admitting culpability and paying for it...

The victim created his own sad ending by ignoring the limits of the safe swimming area. No way the boat driver should be held responsible.

8 hours ago, UncleMhee said:

Same thing happen....... accident; everywhere in the world. What you want authorities to do? Have special baby sitter for every tourist!

Ah happens everywhere in the world rubbish! This type of incident does not happen the same all over the world. And yes civilised places have real lifeguards and coastguards etc. I was a scuba diving instructor in Thailand and experienced these lunatics first hand driving their speed boats/long tails over dive sites even when they are clearly marked and dive bouys are out. One dive site which peaked about 1 or 2m below the surface was constantly driven over by these idiots on one occasion I saw a group of divers missed by inches and I still can't believe no one was hit. Why do you say 'it happens all over the world? It doesn't. 

7 hours ago, madmitch said:

The entire article is biased in favour of the speedboat driver. Yet why should these parasailing operations have priority over swimmers and sunbathers? Oh yes, they pay the right people!

Water safety is less of a priority than road safety.....let's leave that there! Prop guards and safe swimming area's. It ain't that difficult ????

25 minutes ago, hobobo said:

Mr Grumpy?

Who is that? Is it the name of the German?

Starting Monday, all swimmers must fill out a TM36 before leaving shore.

1 hour ago, soalbundy said:

That might have helped, you see a line and think what's that for, probably for bad swimmers maybe.

Yeah, some people never understand. Just file it with, you can´t fix stupid.
 

1 hour ago, soalbundy said:

He couldn't be seen because he was submerged....before or after he was hit?

Probably both before and after.

Well, another source said he was swimming within the boat area. 

But anyway it doesn't mean boat drivers could drive reckless. 

RIP ????

45 minutes ago, Scot123 said:

Ah happens everywhere in the world rubbish! This type of incident does not happen the same all over the world. And yes civilised places have real lifeguards and coastguards etc. I was a scuba diving instructor in Thailand and experienced these lunatics first hand driving their speed boats/long tails over dive sites even when they are clearly marked and dive bouys are out. One dive site which peaked about 1 or 2m below the surface was constantly driven over by these idiots on one occasion I saw a group of divers missed by inches and I still can't believe no one was hit. Why do you say 'it happens all over the world? It doesn't. 

I was a dive boat captain in Florida and the Bahamas for 5 years. I've seen dive boats run over divers. It happens. Only once did I see it happen when it was clearly the dive boat captain's fault; backing down when picking up divers at the end of a dive. Usually it's because of idiot divers not following instructions. This poor tourist was outside the marked areas, that puts the onus on him.

11 hours ago, PatOngo said:

Phuket authorities should be well versed in dealing with tourist fatalities, it has become an almost daily occurrence!

Yes they usually just ignore them and hope they go away

8 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Mr Abhisit told police that Mr Prock was submerged, causing him to not see the tourist in the water.

 

Yeah, cause he was

 

And that's the whole point of it. Nobody here to say otherwise!

 

We now have no witnesses except the boat driver, a dead victim who was traveling alone and on his own.

 

Of course the boat driver is going to say he was submerged and outside the swimming area. He would do him no good to say otherwise.

 

And yes, conspiracy theories are abound, and do start when people who have been here a long time.

 

We see how these tragedies and misfortunes are constantly twisted, lied about, covered up, dismissed out of hand, because of the tourist dollar, in a country that nobody wants to take responsibility and safety is always a secondary concern.

 

It may have been genuine accident and he may have been outside the swimming zone, but after all the nonsense we see here every day, no wonder you have a public that is very skeptical.

 

Also, who is to say he went looking at coral when he was ' on his own ' or have they just surmised this scenario?

RIP

Extremely sad

Another kick in the teeth for Western  Tourism. The German press will have a few bad words to say.

TAT will be pleased he wasn't Chinese!!

2 minutes ago, NoComment said:

The German press will have a few bad words to say.

Hope they are not to hard  on him for swimming outside of the designated area

there are buoyed safe areas all along Jomtien beach but do the stupid tourists take any notice, they still choose to swim in the area where the banana boat comes into the beach , last year some silly female Russians decide to swim right where i was fishing, casting a 2 ounce lead out, then had the cheek to mouth off at me, duh !!

9 hours ago, Matzzon said:

What should be learned? The only thing to be learned is that you do not swim outside a designated area 

yes maybe that's all there is to it.

maybe an inquiry with the Thai equivalent of the HSE (if they have one, if not, perhaps the lesson no. 1 is to form one for these incidents). actions implemented to avoid reoccurrence. education of the speedboat operators to have a clear defined exclusion zone away from the swim boundary. ( i have seen jetskis and boats go right up to the lines).

these are some 'lessons' that I think need to be learned. 

the article is very short and doesn't give much depth to make decisive comments, hence my short reply.

nothing will be learned.

11 hours ago, ezzra said:

Anywhere else the compensations for such tragedy will be very big, let's us now sit watch and wait how the people responsible will try to wiggle themselves out of admitting culpability and paying for it...

The tourist was OUTSIDE the designated swim area.

I trust the boat operator is ok. Nasty for him

 

12 hours ago, ezzra said:

Anywhere else the compensations for such tragedy will be very big, let's us now sit watch and wait how the people responsible will try to wiggle themselves out of admitting culpability and paying for it...

Because they won’t be insured for public liability. They are all complete mongrels.

11 hours ago, madmen said:

Did you even read the full article? 

yeah, it's all explained and he will not collect anything, the report says "" Mr Prock was swimming outside the designated swimming zone when he was struck by the boat propeller "

3 hours ago, whaleboneman said:

“Mr Abhisit told police that Mr Prock was submerged, causing him to not see the tourist in the water.”

This is a lie. If he did not see the swimmer, how could he have known he was submerged?
 

submerged means not visible.... could it be once hit by the propeller, pop up and became visible

2 hours ago, Pinot said:

Watching parasailing at Kamala Beach for 10 years, it's a miracle more people aren't killed. It's dangerous. You don't see parasailing in Western countries very often because it is dangerous and no insurance company is going to cover anyone. 

 

Clearly it's the swimmers fault for swimming at such a dangerous beach. Kamala is also Phuket's dirtiest beach with no sewer treatment. Sold out long ago to developers. 

 

Don't come here. It's dirty and dangerous. 

quite surprised, with so much bad publicity about Thailand scums, accidents, rapes, etc., and yet westerners still come. Appear to have Chinese for now,  maybe they (also) heard the bad news