8 Farangs Drowned Last Week...

[LaoPo]

but be careful in the sea.... 8 farang drownings on chaweng beach last week alone !!! and you wont find anything about that in any newspaper !!

found this in a message from 'Taxexile'.

Many years ago I was almost drowned myself on Chaweng beach, trying to save a young Thai boy, screeming for help...since he almost drowned

I managed to get him out but couldn't return because the sea was 'pulling' me under; terrible experience.

Another Thai young man (on honeymoon with his wife) created a chain of people and with my last power I was able to grab the tire-buoy...(without any rope it was!)

This was my first ever visit to Samui, some 17 years ago.

Anymore news about the 8 Farangs who drowned....? which part on Chaweng was this?

I really (still) don't understand the authorities that they don't set-up a warning system

LaoPo

[pyros]

Why should they put up a warning system ???? The reason i like Samui is that everything is possible , good and bad . If you want everything in control , stay home in Europe where you cannot get in the water unless there is a lifeguard next to you to say it is ok or not . Just like on the road , the less control the better . Take care of yourself , don't blame anybody else for the stupid ( or less stupid ) things you do . If you want to go swimming in big waves , hey i not force you , if you want to go swimming drunk ... your choice , not mine . If everybody is smart than the deathtoll on the road's on in the sea would be close to 0 . Unfortunate it isn't like that , no need to call to the autoraties , just take care of yourself .

[terdsak_12]

Why should they put up a warning system ???? The reason i like Samui is that everything is possible , good and bad . If you want everything in control , stay home in Europe where you cannot get in the water unless there is a lifeguard next to you to say it is ok or not . Just like on the road , the less control the better . Take care of yourself , don't blame anybody else for the stupid ( or less stupid ) things you do . If you want to go swimming in big waves , hey i not force you , if you want to go swimming drunk ... your choice , not mine . If everybody is smart than the deathtoll on the road's on in the sea would be close to 0 . Unfortunate it isn't like that , no need to call to the autoraties , just take care of yourself .

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Good point!

[taxexile]

the seas on chaweng were rough last week and the undertow currents there are deadly.

a thai who works on chaweng told me about the eight deaths and a falang told me he saw two drownings one afternoon (sunday or monday). on the part of the beach near ninja restaurant / charlies hut.

loudspeaker announcements (in thai) also advised mothers to watch their children closely as a child was believed to have been abducted from that beach yesterday.

pyros post about not having warnings is a bit misplaced i think.

whilst too much control over things can easily take the excitement out of life and i agree that people should be aware of their surroundings , samui is advertised and promoted as a beach holiday island , not as a hardcore adventure destination.

and you cant see the underwater currents , you dont know they exist until you get caught up in one , wave conditions give no indication of what is happening underneath.

chaweng beaches are used mostly by tourists who come for a few weeks and are unfamiliar with the dangerous currents there , the local authorities , i believe , are duty bound to warn their guests of the dangers , and with all the money pouring into chaweng it would be correct , moral and thoughtful for them to provide a better warning system ( than the current one or two flags that may or not be flying depending on whether the guy can remember to put them out ) and possibly a professional lifeguard or two to look after the interests of people who get into difficulties (whether drunk or not). one guy keeping watch or patrolling about on a jetski is not asking a lot , and would not put too much of a dent into the profits , there are not even warning signs in any language about the currents.

the jetski boys are larking around on them all day anyway whilst waiting for customers , why not put them to good use.

good hosts will always look out for the welfare of their guests.

Edited March 24, 2005 by taxexile

[Noodles]

the seas on chaweng were rough last week and the undertow currents there are deadly.

a thai who works on chaweng told me about the eight deaths and a falang told me he saw two drownings one afternoon (sunday or monday). on the part of the beach near ninja restaurant / charlies hut.

loudspeaker announcements (in thai) also advised mothers to watch their children closely as a child was believed to have been abducted from that beach yesterday.

pyros post about not having warnings is a bit misplaced i think.

whilst too much control over things can easily take the excitement out of life and i agree that people should be aware of their surroundings , samui is advertised and promoted as a beach holiday island , not as a hardcore adventure  destination.

and you cant see the underwater currents , you dont know they exist until you get caught up in one , wave conditions give no indication of what is happening underneath.

chaweng beaches are used mostly by tourists who come for a few weeks and are unfamiliar with the dangerous currents there , the local authorities , i believe , are duty bound to warn their guests of the dangers ,  and with all the money pouring into chaweng it would be  correct , moral and thoughtful  for  them to provide a better warning system ( than the current one or two flags that may or not be flying depending on whether the guy can remember to put them out ) and possibly a professional lifeguard or two to look after the interests of people who get into difficulties (whether drunk or not). one guy keeping watch or patrolling about on a jetski is not asking a lot  , and would not put too much of a dent into the profits , there are not even  warning signs in  any language about the currents.

the jetski boys are larking around on them all day anyway whilst waiting for customers , why not put them to good use.

good hosts will always look out for the welfare of their guests.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Very well said

[jazz man]

Pyros

Your remarks are simply naive and outrageous. Has it occured to you that it is not only farang that are in danger of drowning but Thais as well. The same can be said about driving on Samui. The death toll on these roads is the highest in Thailand and is due in most part to the fact that the authorities won't enforce their laws. I'm sure most people, will take full responsibility if they do something stupid to injure themselves. Sometimes it is beyond the control of an individual and that is when you look to the powers that be to do or have done their job properly.

The economy of Samui is primarily based on tourism. If the authorities here continue to ignore the safety needs of it's main source of income things could dramatically change for the worse. Considering the amount of money that tourism on this Island generates a few life guards are not too much to ask for.

It is for the welfare of all on Samui that people feel safe.

And you pyros, you're suggestion that the people that perished may have been drunk, I'm sure is unfounded.

PS Are you Thai by any chance?

[LaoPo]

Why should they put up a warning system ???? The reason i like Samui is that everything is possible , good and bad . If you want everything in control , stay home in Europe where you cannot get in the water unless there is a lifeguard next to you to say it is ok or not . Just like on the road , the less control the better . Take care of yourself , don't blame anybody else for the stupid ( or less stupid ) things you do . If you want to go swimming in big waves , hey i not force you , if you want to go swimming drunk ... your choice , not mine . If everybody is smart than the deathtoll on the road's on in the sea would be close to 0 . Unfortunate it isn't like that , no need to call to the autoraties , just take care of yourself .

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You really are a peoples' friend aren't you?

If I understand you correctly you would even let your wife, child or friend drown in front of your eyes...

In my case, although I almost drowned myself, at least I'm happy to be alive and saved 1 life.

LaoPo

[LaoPo]

the seas on chaweng were rough last week and the undertow currents there are deadly.

and you cant see the underwater currents , you dont know they exist until you get caught up in one , wave conditions give no indication of what is happening underneath.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Taxexile: I couldn't agree more.

I think the comment Pyros made is absolutely stupid and he doesn't understand how DANGEROUS the undertow currents are; he probably never felt one during swimming.

In my case there were almost no waves and certainly no big waves.

I was completely shocked and utterly surprised when I saw the young Thai boy screeming for help....he was SO close to the beach, but couldn't return. NO WAY, without help!

I'm happy he was saved.

Mr Pyros would probably sit on the beach with his beer and just watch someone drown.... I certainly hope he will never experience one of his beloved ones experience the same thing I did...

LaoPo

[taxexile]

I think the comment Pyros made is absolutely stupid

if you have been on the lovely island of samui for more than 30 seconds then you will know that there are a lot of stupid farangs here !!

another samui story i heard this week.

2 farangs coming home at about 11pm on a bike , not speeding , dog ran out and the bike went over , the driver looked to be in a mess , lots of blood and he was unconscious , his girlfriend was unhurt.

the police arrived shortly afterwards , i dont know how they were informed of the accident , and they put the injured man in the police car , his girlfriend got in and they took him off to hospital , the girlfriend asked to be taken to one of the new hospitals near tesco , but the police insisted , despite her protests , in taking him to bandon international , he had regained consciousness by now.

he was admitted and spent 2 nights there , a doctor came to see him twice , less than 5 minutes each time , nurses cleaned and dressed his scrapes but otherwise his injuries were minimal , , he had no x-rays or scans , he was not given any food or even a drink of water , friends had to bring food and water in for him , if his water was finished he had to drink from the tap.

they took his passport away from him.

after 2 days he was presented with a bill for 35,000 baht , he couldnt pay cash but he had insurance from europe , the hospital would not contact the insurance on his behalf , his girlfriend had to do it , the hospital said if the money was not in their account within 3 days they would call the police , and they would not return his passport until the insurance money was in , even though the insurance company had faxed them to say the bill would be paid.

35000 seems an awful lot for 2 days in an ordinary hospital with only minimal medical care.

an "international" hospital that does not feed or water its patients?????

the police absolutely refusing to take him to his girlfriends choice of hospital.

could the police be on a kickback ????

do any other samui residents have any stories / opinons about this.

i should say that i heard this story this week from an acquaintance of the injured man (whom i have never met)

and that the accident happened last year.

Edited March 24, 2005 by taxexile

[pyros]

Point a : no i'm not Thai but thx for the compliment ... means i'm getting fully adapted .

About the traffic , everybody knows the traffic is very dangerous , took me 3 holidays to have the courage to rent a bike ( now i own 1 and never had a accident but cross my fingers ) . Everytime i am in Samui i see accidents actually happen and anytime i saw them happen it was just plain crazy driving . Rarely i saw other people/drivers involved and sometimes they weren't driving like crazy , but the other person will pay for the damage . Sorry , if that sounds harsh or whatever , but that is the way it is or am i wrong here ????

The sea and drowning then .... i'm very certain that i saw a board stating that the waves sometimes are very dangerous , you didn't see that , no problem . Go to the very rough sea and and just try to stand up for 5 waves in a row ... i'm sure when you got any sence in you're body you go out the water after the first 3 waves hit you . Yes , when the sea is like that i'm always laughing with a beer on the sideline on people losing their pants when getting hit time after time . When i see somebody drown i will come to the rescue , but otherwise , i'm smart enough to stay out off the water when the sea is rough .

Now , i'm saying that people have to take care for themselves ... why always rely on other persons to blame when you don't take care or use your brain ??? Like the stupid US situation where you need to have a sign saying " caution wet floor " or otherwise i'll sue you ... No , like i said : i like Samui because the rules are extremely lose ... you can't handle that , stay out ... must better for the people who actually loved the island the way it was a couple of years ago . Take responsabilaty for your own actions and face the consequenses when they happen .

[pyros]

I think the comment Pyros made is absolutely stupid

if you have been on the lovely island of samui for more than 30 seconds then you will know that there are a lot of stupid farangs here !!

another samui story i heard this week.

2 farangs coming home at about 11pm on a bike , not speeding , dog ran out and the bike went over , the driver looked to be in a mess , lots of blood and he was unconscious , his girlfriend was unhurt.

the police arrived shortly afterwards , i dont know how they were informed of the accident , and they put the injured man in the police car , his girlfriend got in and they took him off to hospital , the girlfriend asked to be taken to one of the new hospitals near tesco , but the police insisted , despite her protests , in taking him to bandon international , he had regained consciousness by now.

he was admitted and spent 2 nights there , a doctor came to see him twice , less than 5 minutes each time , nurses cleaned and dressed his scrapes but otherwise his injuries were minimal , , he had no x-rays or scans , he was not given any food or even a drink of water , friends had to bring food and water in for him , if his water was finished he had to drink from the tap.

they took his passport away from him.

after 2 days he was presented with a bill for 35,000 baht , he couldnt pay cash but he had insurance from europe , the hospital would not contact the insurance on his behalf , his girlfriend had to do it , the hospital said if the money was not in their account within 3 days they would call the police , and they would not return his passport until the insurance money was in , even though the insurance company had faxed them to say the bill would be paid.

35000 seems an awful lot for 2 days in an ordinary hospital with only minimal medical care.

an "international" hospital that does not feed or water its patients?????

the police absolutely refusing to take him to his girlfriends choice of hospital.

could the police be on a kickback ????

do any other samui residents have any stories / opinons about this.

i should say that i heard this story this week from an acquaintance of the injured man (whom i have never met)

and that the accident happened last year.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Oh yes , this happens many , many times ... actually almost always ,the way i heard . always having a laugh at those stories .... when they bring a falang to the hospital for a motorbike accident ( like always ) they bring you to the hospital of their choice and charge about 10.000 bath a day , yes with minimal care . That is for taking the lesson ... See that you know Thai persons when it happens to you , or even better speak Thai yourself and it will be different .

Other story : a couple , boy falang , girl Thai fall with the motorbike . Both are hurt pretty bad , she actually very bad . Police come , and take the man to the hospital ( yes , charge him probably 10k a day ) . The girl , they leave her on the road . The girl died later .... I don't know what happened after that but a possibilaty is that he'll be charged with killing her in a "carcrash" . Because he is falang i think he has to pay the family 300.000 to 500.000 bath , that would be a real laughter , isn't it ...

[taxexile]

Oh yes , this happens many , many times...... always having a laugh at those stories .... .

That is for taking the lesson ... See that you know Thai persons when it happens to you ,

Other story :  . The girl , they leave her on the road . The girl died later ....her in a "carcrash" . Because he is falang i think he has to pay the family 300.000 to 500.000 bath , that would be a real laughter ,  ...

no i'm not Thai but thx for the compliment ... means i'm getting fully adapted  .

The sea and drowning then ....  Yes , when the sea is like that i'm always laughing with a beer on the sideline on people losing their pants when getting hit time after time .

your life must be one long never ending laugh , as all those around you fall down , drop their pants , or lose their money to the wily thai cops , and only pyros is left standing , dignified , smirking , with wallet and underwear intact , grinning and saying "i told you so !"

Everytime i am in Samui i see accidents actually happen and anytime i saw them happen it was just plain crazy driving . Rarely i saw other people/drivers involved

and as for the other invisible person involved....

The girl , they leave her on the road . The girl died later .... I don't know what happened after that but a possibilaty is that he'll be charged with killing

Sorry , if that sounds harsh or whatever , but that is the way it is or am i wrong here ????

i think you are wrong here , there and everywhere.

you seem to think you are the all knowing samui resident , the wise man who has seen it all , you seem to take delight at other peoples misfortunes and spend half your life waiting for other people to lose their pants in the sea or fall off motorbikes so you can open another beer and "have a good laugh".

ho , ho , f4cking ho.

you take it as a compliment when someone asks if you are thai and then make a disparaging remark about the thais.

i think you have been in the sun too long

if you have been on the lovely island of samui for more than 30 seconds then you will know that there are a lot of stupid farangs here !!

but possibly none quite as stupid or nasty as you.

Edited March 25, 2005 by taxexile

[LaoPo]

Oh yes , this happens many , many times...... always having a laugh at those stories .... .

That is for taking the lesson ... See that you know Thai persons when it happens to you ,

Other story :  . The girl , they leave her on the road . The girl died later ....her in a "carcrash" . Because he is falang i think he has to pay the family 300.000 to 500.000 bath , that would be a real laughter ,  ...

no i'm not Thai but thx for the compliment ... means i'm getting fully adapted  .

The sea and drowning then ....  Yes , when the sea is like that i'm always laughing with a beer on the sideline on people losing their pants when getting hit time after time .

your life must be one long never ending laugh , as all those around you fall down , drop their pants , or lose their money to the wily thai cops , and only pyros is left standing , dignified , smirking , with wallet and underwear intact , grinning and saying "i told you so !"

Everytime i am in Samui i see accidents actually happen and anytime i saw them happen it was just plain crazy driving . Rarely i saw other people/drivers involved

and as for the other invisible person involved....

The girl , they leave her on the road . The girl died later .... I don't know what happened after that but a possibilaty is that he'll be charged with killing

Sorry , if that sounds harsh or whatever , but that is the way it is or am i wrong here ????

i think you are wrong here , there and everywhere.

you seem to think you are the all knowing samui resident , the wise man who has seen it all , you seem to take delight at other peoples misfortunes and spend half your life waiting for other people to lose their pants in the sea or fall off motorbikes so you can open another beer and "have a good laugh".

ho , ho , f4cking ho.

you take it as a compliment when someone asks if you are thai and then make a disparaging remark about the thais.

i think you have been in the sun too long

if you have been on the lovely island of samui for more than 30 seconds then you will know that there are a lot of stupid farangs here !!

but possibly none quite as stupid or nasty as you.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Taxexile:

may I suggest you said it all?

Please don't spend anymore energy, time and anger to such a worthless 'human being' as the person you described in your comments.

Not worth it.

God will always punish...no matter how long it takes; it WILL happen and most likely somewhere on Samui at a time he didn't expect it...

There are people and people; he is not one of them.

LaoPo

[jazz man]

[limbos]

On the undertow in Chaweng;

It's seasonal to start out with, normally they occur when the wind is directly blazing at Chaweng Beach, roughly in the october - late march period. The rest of the year, no undertows seem to occur.

Most of the undertows happen between two sandbanks, which you can't see from land. The waves may look totally innocent, but the water returning to the open sea is very strong and deadly. Each year both at least a dozen Thais and Farangs die.

Known pockets are around the Central area and between First House and Fair House. Charlies Hut I 'm not sure.

Central has warning signs up, big wooden boards with an explanation in at least English and Thai.

Also flags are used on the whole of Chaweng beach, the red flag out means danger. Unfortunately all the jet skis use red flags to signal the end of the rental period and wave red flags to get the customers back in. A bit confusing.

I once used a jet ski to look for a swimmer and was not charged afterwards by the guys who rent them because it was for prevention they said. The jet ski was only used for a few minutes.

From last week I heard about two, one in Chaweng main Beach, one in front of First Bungalow.

[limbos]

Taxexile,

On your story about Bandon hospital.

All Thais are on a kick back for Bandon. If a Thai taxi driver or other Thai person delivers a Farang at bandon, he always used to receive at least 1.000Baht.

The hopsital is a death trap and has totally no interests in anybody but their money. I totally disgust this place and their practices.

What you describe seems to be common practive there and I know similar stories as well as people who developed gang green in this hospital.

In a Western country the Doctors in this place would be banned from performing practice anymore.

I told my wife that whenever something happens to me, make sure I don't end up in this place.

[pyros]

Ok , my last try then ...

Are there BIG , HUGE SIGNS everywhere on the island that driving is very dangerous on Samui or not ??? Actually in Samui guides they tell you not to rent a motorbike because the danger . And that you always need to wair a helmet ??? And that the speed limit on the main road is 45 km/h ??? It is everywhere on the island and everybody tells you to be very carefull . Yes , or no ??? and why is it then that i see accidents happening with people who drive like crazy ??? Is that their own mistake , or is it Thai government ??? Sorry , but for me , that is their own mistake . Maybe it will happen to me someday but i wont blame anybody else for it , no i was driving drunk or fast and that was my mistake . Shouldn't have done it . If you are on holiday or live there , that isn't really a difference is it ??? Yes , you are on a holiday , so even more reason to be carefull . There is no way , people will drive like this back home , why do it there ???

I heard no comment on the swimming in the very high and dangerous waves , so that one maybe you'll understand my point .

Like i said , i will come to the rescue when needed , but otherwise i'm smart enough not to go in myself and tell other people that it is dangerous . If you go inside , against everybody advice , than it is my opinion that i can laugh with you when you lose your pants in the waves . If in your opinion this is wrong , sorry but that's the way it is .

Why should it be Thai governments fault , if you can tell me , please ...

About the laughter i have when people paying 10000 bath a night in hospital etc , that was sarcastic , sorry if that didn't came through .

[taxexile]

All Thais are on a kick back for Bandon. If a Thai taxi driver or other Thai person delivers a Farang at bandon, he always used to receive at least 1.000Baht.

The hopsital is a death trap and has totally no interests in anybody but their money. I totally disgust this place and their practices.

i had this confirmed by some samui thais today , they said stay away from that hospital , their only interest is your money.

also noticed a lot more red warning flags up on chaweng beach today (and there is a warning sign about the swimming conditions at this time of the year) and i saw the jetskis go to the aid of two people who had gone too far out.

[benson]

All Thais are on a kick back for Bandon. If a Thai taxi driver or other Thai person delivers a Farang at bandon, he always used to receive at least 1.000Baht.

The hopsital is a death trap and has totally no interests in anybody but their money. I totally disgust this place and their practices.

there are 4 major hospitals+ goverment hospital in samui i have lived here for some time luckily i have never had to use any of them for a serious injury,the storys i have heard from people i know and people i dont are sometimes horrendous.they really dont care weather you die or not only if you have money to pay.my advice if you cant walk to a boat or fly off the island is to go to the goverment hospital not 5 star but experienced doctors and nurses, some private rooms at a fraction of the price of the big 4 rip off death camps.ps.hopefully one day pyros the prick will be visiting the big 4 then we can all lol

[LaoPo]

...............my advice if you cant walk to a boat or fly off the island is to go to the goverment hospital not 5 star but experienced doctors and nurses, some private rooms at a fraction of the price of the big 4 rip off death camps.ps.hopefully one day pyros the prick will be visiting the big 4 then we can all lol

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I agree but would to add that, unless you're almost dead, EVERYBODY should try to catch the plane to BKK and go to Bungrumrad or BKK hospital...for proper treatment, no matter the costs.

LaoPo