Russian Boy, 9, Saved From Drowning At Phuket Beach Lagoon

[Lite Beer]

Russian boy, 9, saved from drowning at Phuket beach lagoon
Phuket Gazette -

A sign at the lagoon at Nai Harn Beach warns parents to watch their children while playing in the water. Photo: Mark

PHUKET: Following a Russian boy about 9 years old almost drowning at Nai Harn lagoon yesterday, the chief lifeguard at the popular Nai Harn Beach (map here) has called for parents to keep a close eye on their children playing in the water over the Songkran holidays this weekend.

Nai Harn chief lifeguard Jula Nontree told the Phuket Gazette this afternoon that the Russian boy was pulled from the lagoon at about 5pm yesterday and rushed to hospital.

Staff at Vachira Phuket Hospital in Phuket Town confirmed the boy was safe and had been discharged from hospital care.

“Our lifeguards will be patrolling the beach and the lagoon during the coming holidays,” Mr Jula said.

“However, we urge parents to keep a close watch on their children playing in the water. It is school holidays and this weekend is Thai new year, which means many families with children will be coming to Phuket – and children love to play in the lagoon,” he added.

“We have already seen several children come to play in the lagoon without their parents present, so we want parents to pay more attention to their children when they go to play in beach areas,” Mr Jula said.

The lagoon at Nai Harn has proved lethal for children playing without adult supervision.

Six-year-old Supathanwa Choophuek was pulled from the lagoon by lifeguards on February 5 last year, but was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital

The death of young Supathanwa followed that of seven-year-old Methee Khunsuinhu, who was pulled unconscious from the lagoon by lifeguards on January 1, 2012 . He died four days later in hospital

Source: http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket_news/2013/Russian-boy-9-saved-from-drowning-at-Phuket-beach-lagoon-20752.html

-- Phuket Gazette 2013-04-10

[JetsetBkk]

I think many tourists think the place is just a paddling pool for kids.

Maybe the authorities should make it clear just how deep the pool is.

"Watch Your Children" doesn't really convey the right message.

[steelepulse]

I've pulled a few kids out from there as have others. Parents don't watch their children and quite often it can get deep very quickly leading to kids that can't swim struggling.

[Jimi007]

“Our lifeguards will be patrolling the beach and the lagoon during the coming holidays,” Mr Jula said.

How many kids need to die there before they have a lifeguard watching the lagoon everyday? I amazed that an expat or tourist didn't have to rescue yet another...

[Phronesis]

The boys parents obviously couldn't read Thai or English...

Not to worry...moving forward ALL signage on Phuket will be in Russian with a small footnotes in Thai and English.

[iSabai]

The boys parents obviously couldn't read Thai or English...

Not to worry...moving forward ALL signage on Phuket will be in Russian with a small footnotes in Thai and English.

Not sure if you're being sarcastic/facetious here or not, and not a dig at you Phronesis...

But do today's "parents" really need signage in their own particular language to be reminded to keep an eye on their kids? Is it somebody else's fault for not posting a warning in every language, of every visitor, from every nation that comes to Phuket, that they should be responsible to look out for the safety of their own children??

[wellred]

The boys parents obviously couldn't read Thai or English...

Not to worry...moving forward ALL signage on Phuket will be in Russian with a small footnotes in Thai and English.

Not sure if you're being sarcastic/facetious here or not, and not a dig at you Phronesis...

But do today's "parents" really need signage in their own particular language to be reminded to keep an eye on their kids? Is it somebody else's fault for not posting a warning in every language, of every visitor, from every nation that comes to Phuket, that they should be responsible to look out for the safety of their own children??

Yes parents should always look out for their children when out and about but accidents do occur and that's what warning signs are for. Doesn't change the fact that if the parents were able to speak that obscure language known as English they might have saved themselves from this incident.

Memo before next holiday to Thailand. Learn to read signs.

[berg1666]

Was down at Koh Samet last month, pulled 2 kids out of the water over different days when they drifted away from their parents and into the area where the boats come in and out. Very hard for a skipper to see a tiny little head bobbing around in the shallows.

Parents too bloody lazy or too interested in their pina coladas. Take a kid to the water and it's your responsibility to watch them constantly, not the lifeguards'.

[stevenl]

The boys parents obviously couldn't read Thai or English...

Not to worry...moving forward ALL signage on Phuket will be in Russian with a small footnotes in Thai and English.

Not sure if you're being sarcastic/facetious here or not, and not a dig at you Phronesis...

But do today's "parents" really need signage in their own particular language to be reminded to keep an eye on their kids? Is it somebody else's fault for not posting a warning in every language, of every visitor, from every nation that comes to Phuket, that they should be responsible to look out for the safety of their own children??

Yes parents should always look out for their children when out and about but accidents do occur and that's what warning signs are for. Doesn't change the fact that if the parents were able to speak that obscure language known as English they might have saved themselves from this incident.

Memo before next holiday to Thailand. Learn to read signs.

So you want warning signs 'watch out, there is current in the sea, it may get deeper and your child may drift away. watch out for your child'?

[HarryMilton]

The boys parents obviously couldn't read Thai or English...

Not to worry...moving forward ALL signage on Phuket will be in Russian with a small footnotes in Thai and English.

Not sure if you're being sarcastic/facetious here or not, and not a dig at you Phronesis...

But do today's "parents" really need signage in their own particular language to be reminded to keep an eye on their kids? Is it somebody else's fault for not posting a warning in every language, of every visitor, from every nation that comes to Phuket, that they should be responsible to look out for the safety of their own children??

Yes parents should always look out for their children when out and about but accidents do occur and that's what warning signs are for. Doesn't change the fact that if the parents were able to speak that obscure language known as English they might have saved themselves from this incident.

Memo before next holiday to Thailand. Learn to read signs.

So you want warning signs 'watch out, there is current in the sea, it may get deeper and your child may drift away. watch out for your child'?

That would be a good idea, although clearly you don't think that warning children of danger is justifiable?

[stevenl]

The boys parents obviously couldn't read Thai or English...

Not to worry...moving forward ALL signage on Phuket will be in Russian with a small footnotes in Thai and English.

Not sure if you're being sarcastic/facetious here or not, and not a dig at you Phronesis...

But do today's "parents" really need signage in their own particular language to be reminded to keep an eye on their kids? Is it somebody else's fault for not posting a warning in every language, of every visitor, from every nation that comes to Phuket, that they should be responsible to look out for the safety of their own children??

Yes parents should always look out for their children when out and about but accidents do occur and that's what warning signs are for. Doesn't change the fact that if the parents were able to speak that obscure language known as English they might have saved themselves from this incident.

Memo before next holiday to Thailand. Learn to read signs.

So you want warning signs 'watch out, there is current in the sea, it may get deeper and your child may drift away. watch out for your child'?

That would be a good idea, although clearly you don't think that warning children of danger is justifiable?

Yes, warning children of danger is justifiable and should be done, but that is the responsibility of the parents IMO.

[SOTIRIOS]

...they speak like they are doing people a favor.....come here, spend loads of money....and if you die, you die ...???

(....one problem is there is no liability.......wrong, but never wrong....)

...open up a beach......'oh, okay, I guess we will put some lifeguards there too'....gee, thanks....

(.actually getting into the water....having proper equipment.....and saving people....that may be another matter..)

..a few recent drownings. I recall it being said by people on the beach, watching, 'Oh, we thought he was joking'...or something to that effect..

[berg1666]

The boys parents obviously couldn't read Thai or English...

Not to worry...moving forward ALL signage on Phuket will be in Russian with a small footnotes in Thai and English.

Not sure if you're being sarcastic/facetious here or not, and not a dig at you Phronesis...

But do today's "parents" really need signage in their own particular language to be reminded to keep an eye on their kids? Is it somebody else's fault for not posting a warning in every language, of every visitor, from every nation that comes to Phuket, that they should be responsible to look out for the safety of their own children??

Yes parents should always look out for their children when out and about but accidents do occur and that's what warning signs are for. Doesn't change the fact that if the parents were able to speak that obscure language known as English they might have saved themselves from this incident.

Memo before next holiday to Thailand. Learn to read signs.

So you want warning signs 'watch out, there is current in the sea, it may get deeper and your child may drift away. watch out for your child'?

That would be a good idea, although clearly you don't think that warning children of danger is justifiable?

Oh <deleted>, 4 year old kids cant read signs, no matter what language you put them up in! It is the parent's job to make sure the kids are safe, no-one elses.

If you take kids to the water, doesn't matter if its the pool, a beach or a lagoon, then you watch them like a hawk. Preferably you actually spend some time in the water playing with them as well. Might be a bit too much to ask of some parents though.

[stevenl]

...they speak like they are doing people a favor.....come here, spend loads of money....and if you die, you die ...???

(....one problem is there is no liability.......wrong, but never wrong....)

...open up a beach......'oh, okay, I guess we will put some lifeguards there too'....gee, thanks....

(.actually getting into the water....having proper equipment.....and saving people....that may be another matter..)

..a few recent drownings. I recall it being said by people on the beach, watching, 'Oh, we thought he was joking'...or something to that effect..

A lifeguard just saved somebody, so you really think writing 'actually getting into the water....having proper equipment.....and saving people....that may be another matter..' is justified?

[Dave Phuket Sisaket]

I am down at Naiharn everyday and generally the lifeguards do a great job and pull tons of people out of the water. Unfortunately due to being landlocked the Russians mostly have absolutely no idea about water safety. They swim in the rips or right in the breaks while people are surfing, with their backs to the ocean. Add to that the many Thais leaving leaving their kids in the lagoon while they go get their chicken and som tam (not a stereotype or dig at Thais, there literally is a vendor area right next to the lagoon that sells excellent chicken and som tam) and the lifeguards really have their work cut out for them.

I say well done on this rescue and all of the other ones which go unreported so often at Naiharn..

[Suradit69]

“Our lifeguards will be patrolling the beach and the lagoon during the coming holidays,” Mr Jula said.

How many kids need to die there before they have a lifeguard watching the lagoon everyday? I amazed that an expat or tourist didn't have to rescue yet another...

More nanny-state mentality.

If they're your children it's your responsibility to keep an eye on them.

"I amazed that an expat or tourist didn't have to rescue yet another"

Good idea. Let's take the kids to the beach and hope some inebriated tourists will take care of them.

[Jimi007]

“Our lifeguards will be patrolling the beach and the lagoon during the coming holidays,” Mr Jula said.

How many kids need to die there before they have a lifeguard watching the lagoon everyday? I amazed that an expat or tourist didn't have to rescue yet another...

More nanny-state mentality.

If they're your children it's your responsibility to keep an eye on them.

"I amazed that an expat or tourist didn't have to rescue yet another"

Good idea. Let's take the kids to the beach and hope some inebriated tourists will take care of them.

While I agree that kids are their parents responsibility, there are a lot of parents who don't seem to understand the danger of that peaceful looking lagoon. There have been at least 4 deaths of kids in that lagoon over just the past couple of years. And many others saved by a passing expat or tourist. The lifeguards have said in the past, the lagoon is not the ocean, so it wasn't their responsibility. But now they say they say they will patrol it for the holidays... Brilliant.

[stevenl]

I find the lagoon more dangerous than the sea: more unprectiable, it gets quite deep suddenly, and strong currents when the tide is going in and out.