Frustrated Phuket beach guard lashes out at Russian tourist

[John1thru10]

They would not behave the same in their own country.

I think, sadly, the problems come because people WOULD behave that way in their own countries, and aren't able to stand back and recognize how different other cultures can be when they travel. In Eastern Europe, I used to watch drunken men brawl in the street at the close of the bars each night, in the dead of winter. They would punch each other senseless, and then often stand up to continue walking together like it was normal. Women would also hit each other there, that way.

But ONE time, I was on a visa run to Lao, and an australian man - who was sitting in the front seat, next to the driver - didn't like how the driver was driving, and (I kid you not) stood up as far as he could, and kicked the Thai driver in the face, as we were moving on the highway. And punched him again, right after. While we were driving at 80 miles an hour or so. It was one of the most violent and dangerous things I've ever seen a tourist do in Thailand - and then the whole trip, the guy is going to each other person, hoping to convince them that he really had no choice but to do this. I mean...how do begin to educate such a person?

[brubakertx]

Maybe he did not like the Russian man wearing a degusting looking little string bikini bottom.

[pattayasnowman]

Great. These guys are on the frontline of tourism here and what happens? He loses it and his mates jump in and "squared up"

Just typical thugs.

Another fine example of promoting "Thainess"

[mok199]

this is typicle thai behaviour''their sense of ownership and lack of people skills',never fails to amuse me,but..when you pay peanuts,expect the odd chimpout.....THE THAI WAY OR THE HIWAY....sawadee (no crap)

[kennypowers]

No excuse for this at all. The tourist in question should have been pulled to one side and giving a stern warning regarding the rules in a professional manner. The supervisor of the lifeguard team should have a basic level of English, at least good enough to communicate with the swimmers.

[connda]

Same old stuff - different day.

[Carrerakiss]

I suggest some of the readers be less racist or do not live here. These guys day in day out risk their life to help and save people with very little equipment like jet-skis in Australia. Then you get people who ignore red flags which should be obvious what it means and be disrespectful. The lifeguards have to put up with disrespect probably every day. I see some of the tourists they come here and look down on Thais. They would not behave the same in their own country. Most of the tourists here are budget end people and not educated.

Did you read the eye witness account? It doesn't seem like it.

[jomcondo]

Not surprised

There are some shockingly bad attitudes in these thais

[CapeThai]

To get straight to the point, this typical behavior towards tourists these days. Why ??? Because the justice system is not taking action towards Thais assaulting, robbing, raping and murdering tourist in this country. Slap on the wrist and a 500 baht fine and it's the end of the story.

There is absolutely NO educational influence from the government to teach Thais to handle the golden goose with care. If a tourist misbehave and act in a disrespectful way, get Tourist Police to deal with him

[Doc46]

Crowd control,,,Without violence,,,Who teaches the lifeguards??If the tourists do not listen to warnings it is their own responsibility if they enter the water,Violence same as no brains.

[callaway]

If you read the OP you will see they had so far only put out one red flag. So tell me what side was the safe side to swim of a single pole? Maybe the punk should have put out 2 then the tourist would have some idea what was going on. Put up one pole and then go off the rails. The punk should be out in the fields eating grass. Thats what all buffalos do.

[simon43]

Put this in English, Chinese, and Russian and you got 90% of tourists covered...

If you visit the hotel foyers at Nai Yang Beach (Indigo Pearl etc), Mai Khao Beach (JW Mariott etc) and the airport, you will see a Tourist Police sign in English, Chinese and Russian that explains all about the dangers of rip currents, what to do if caught in a rip, and what the various warning flag colours mean.

That sign was designed, financed and distributed by myself in my TPV role,

I got tired of reading about un-necessary drownings each year, (especially amongst Chinese and Russians who perhaps have never seen the sea before and don't recognise the dangers).

Being realistic about the likelyhood of my Thai 'bosses' taking up my idea, I went out on a limb and did it myself.

This A4 sign file is freely-available from me for printing out and laminating. Several of the top end hotels in my region have printed out and placed this advice notice in all their guest rooms.

The Thai lifeguards could carry a laminated copy of this sign and use it to explain the dangers to 'naughty tourists'

[smudger1951]

Thanks for kicking a russian. Get out the water and get of Ukraine. !

[MJP]

Discover . . .

[Deez]

I suggest some of the readers be less racist or do not live here. These guys day in day out risk their life to help and save people with very little equipment like jet-skis in Australia. Then you get people who ignore red flags which should be obvious what it means and be disrespectful. The lifeguards have to put up with disrespect probably every day. I see some of the tourists they come here and look down on Thais. They would not behave the same in their own country. Most of the tourists here are budget end people and not educated.

I have been here 6 years and there has been more preventable drownings than lives saved. Their training is a joke and there is no way they will take any chances to save a farang from drowning.....

[Bung]

They should go back to renting out jetskis.

Huh? Maybe best to only comment on things you have at least a marginal idea what you're talking about.

To clarify. I meant that these guys are just like jet ski touts. Not that that was their previous job before. They are all uneducated thugs looking for ways to get the most money and foreign girls while posturing around the place when in fact they are just dopey and dangerous idiots.

[harryd]

Ah, Phuket... Great place to kick back - or forward!

First Rule of Thai Club: "Don't bring your emotional hangups into the kingdom (we have enough of our own)"

Second Rule of Thai Club: "You beach-bum Farang are not human - you are big, ugly ATM machines who come here to rape & pillage at your leisure. So don't be surprised if one or twenty of us local bucks happen to take issue with you from time to time!"

Any queries or complaints? "Refer to the first rule"

Edited January 15, 2015 by harryd

[Larry001]

Welcome to LOS.

[Larry001]

I am interested in knowing if any of these guys ever do rescues. I have never seen or heard of one. But l may be wrong. I would also be interested to know what their training entails. Suggest very little compared to Australia and other countries

[lvr181]

Maybe the Russian tourists should hire Tim "Sharkey" Ward to come down from Pattaya (for a paid holiday as an advisor) so the Phuket lifeguards(?) can have a go at him with their kick boxing skills and numbers? Perhaps it is a way that the lifeguards will then learn some better and more acceptable people skills, in dealing with recalcitrant or downright dumbness of some bathers

Ah, one can only dream I guess.

[stevenl]

I am interested in knowing if any of these guys ever do rescues. I have never seen or heard of one. But l may be wrong. I would also be interested to know what their training entails. Suggest very little compared to Australia and other countries

Plenty of rescue stories over the years.

[ThailandLOS]

... They would not behave the same in their own country. Most of the tourists here are budget end people and not educated.

Also, they would most probably not be kicked and punched in their own country for not obeying a beach life guard. I suppose they more "educated" after this incident.

[Aussiescott]

What utter BS Re the rebuttal by the "lifeguard Boss" which is a joke in itself... "life guard" or "protect" life.... but it seems more like, take life through bashing someone, THAT"S NO LIFEGUARD! Can u imagine an Ambulance/paramedic, just getting the shits and start shaping up and wanting to bash someone? GET YOUR ACT together Thailand!

I live here and there were NO BIG WAVES that day.... its blowing "OFFSHORE" this time of year, soo for the people who dont know, it makes the seas/swell, hitting the beaches calmer. In the wet season it blows onshore and hence... bigger swell hitting the beaches on the west coast of Phuket i am referring too and is relevant to this article.

For those who dont remember or know what happens here, the "wet" or "off season" is when, said big swells roll in, is the time when many farang tourists die at the hands of the "SAME" lifeguards.... go figure! Die through lack of skill and or training or support from the people who pay their meagher salary in the times when they REALLY should be doing their "job-description" in earnest when its required, OR in the " low season" no swell, get bashed and use an excuse like they were fed up with dealing with "irrational farangs in big seas"... ROFL, do they think we are all so STUPID? These same powers to be, cant educate their public servant staff ie lifeguards in this instance not to be confused with the BIB, on looking after the tourists and controlling themselves like any normal person can and SHOULD do, when paid with having the responsibility to look after the tourist? <deleted> Its just the same turd news example, in a different wrapper.....boring as usual!

[anon022]

No need for thai apologists to insinuate that it must have been the fault of the tourists.. No matter what thai people do they not only absolve themselves of any guilt but eagerly point the finger at those they have wronged.

Mickey Mouse country that becomes more and more 2 dimensional every day.

JAF

[kurnell]

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Thai male. In a nutshell. A thug that is knackered after a bit of hard work.

[lust]

Lifeguards? Most likely Nigerian scammers.

[anon022]

Ah, Phuket... Great place to kick back - or forward!

First Rule of Thai Club: "Don't bring your emotional hangups into the kingdom (we have enough of our own)"

Second Rule of Thai Club: "You beach-bum Farang are not human - you are big, ugly ATM machines who come here to rape & pillage at your leisure. So don't be surprised if one or twenty of us local bucks happen to take issue with you from time to time!"

Any queries or complaints? "Refer to the first rule"

[Aussiescott]

Guys just and ad, i am blaming BUT NOT blaming the life guards, i am blaming the Authorities for not training these guys better, but will take the tourist Buck at a premium for theirt own greed and NOT put it back into where it should, and thats to make this place better for the tourist, which will make it better for them! A win win scenario in an educated society!

[soalbundy]

There was probably a language deficit as well, on both sides. He should have shouted his warning and if the Russian ignored him,well, let him drown.

[lust]

They often use terms like " i was enraged" or "i was overwrought" like it is an excuse for them and somehow it makes it ok.

So true. All the stories try to justify their actions.

"The man said that he raped her because the shirt she wore aroused him. He then strangled her because he was stressed by her screams.