In case of Phuket emergency, call 911 to be redirected
Saroj Kueprasertkij


Calling 911 from a mobile in Phuket today only gave a recorded message asking callers to dial 191 instead.

PHUKET: -- The news that Thailand has launched a 911 emergency hotline has caught the Phuket office of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM-Phuket) off guard, with the director calling for people to still use the existing 191 emergency hotline.

As of this afternoon (Nov 26), calling the 911 number in Phuket failed to work from landlines.

Mobile callers using DTAC received a recorded message, first in Thai, then in English, saying: “Welcome to emergency call. For any urgent assistance, please call 191.”

The call is then terminated. No operator assistance is provided.

Callers using the AIS mobile service received a similar message, which asked callers to “Please press 1” to be redirected to the 191 hotline.

DDPM-Phuket Director Trakul Thotham today (Nov 26) told The Phuket News, “The 911 emergency number is operational in only some areas of Thailand, and I am not even sure it is operational in Phuket.

“For now, calling 911 in Phuket only works on mobile phones. It does not work for landlines, but as the 911 hotline is operated by the police, I will speak with them soon to get it operational and landlines too.” he added.

“I still recommend that people call the existing hotline 191 or the Narenthorn Centre 1669 in case of an emergency,” Mr Trakul urged.

Full story: http://www.thephuketnews.com/in-case-of-phuket-emergency-call-911-to-be-redirected-55143.php


-- Phuket News 2015-11-27

No wonder they call it "Amazing Thailand".. The pinnacle of planning..

Please, just once can they get it right.

Yeah.....it's not as though lives may depend on it.

Does anyone actually pick up the phone though ?

In an emergency, it is better to call the last thai lotto numbers.
911 or 191 if you are lucky.
As a resident, it is better to save the telephone number of your nearest local police station in your phone.
Or better, if you have a good thai police friend, you can call him - just in a case - on his private cell phone.
To build up a central nationwide emergency hotline, is just in progress.
Be patient - Coming soon.

Amazing Thailand get's more amazing ?

The emergency number in Thailand has always been 191. If you use a GSM phone, 112 works worldwide - even without SIM card in your phone.

So, who would dial 911 if they had an emergency?