Seven year old Swiss boy dies after being electrocuted on Samui beach

[cgtours]

I hope there is some follow up on this , so we see no repeats of such a tragic and avoidable loss.

Only way to prevent this happening to some other unfortunate Tourists is to take action against the Authorities the only way Thais understand.MONEY ! Sue them for 10 Million EUROS or more.

[soalbundy]

I hope there is some follow up on this , so we see no repeats of such a tragic and avoidable loss.

There won't be

[Jonmarleesco]

How do you protect yourself from this? Could have happened to anyone... Tragic... RIP little guy..

Indeed it could ... but not anywhere. Thailand isn't the only tourist destination with safety issues, but when its capital city [unsurprisingly] commands 173rd place in a safe-city survey, the sirens should be at full volume. But while complacency reigns supreme, nothing much will change. An unmistakeable exodus of tourists, on the other hand, would probably prompt somewhat more than handwringing and billows of political hot air.

[Jonmarleesco]

I hope there is some follow up on this , so we see no repeats of such a tragic and avoidable loss.

Only way to prevent this happening to some other unfortunate Tourists is to take action against the Authorities the only way Thais understand.MONEY ! Sue them for 10 Million EUROS or more.

You're joking, right? Have you any idea of what constitutes a financial settlement here? B500,000 and the guilty party thinks they're being incredibly generous - or incredibly put-upon. Unfortunately, Thai culture agrees with them.

[kannot]

life has no meaning in Thailand should be a big notice at the airport...........they dont give a sh38

It's one of the most significant cultural divides, the belief being the boy will be coming back soon in his new life, he deserved to die young for something he did.

It's why safety just does not get the attention westerners are always clamoring for and incidents like this happen routinely. Many tourists might choose other countries to visit if they knew of this.

And therein lies the problem with systems based on "belief" rather than reproducible facts, gotta love all religions......pls dont tell me Buddhism isnt one

[kannot]

If this is true I hope the Authorities are taking urgent action to ensure the beach is safe.

The report would tend to suggest there are potentially lethal cables lying at a very shallow depth in the sand.

Sheeeeeeeeesh youve got it real bad...............authorities/urgent, funny.............just think money and backhanders to make this all disappear.

[kannot]

Here we go again , not the first time tourists gets electrocuted and it will not be the last time. Remember the kid in the shower some time ago (no earth connection) ? Or the young guy that was electrocuted when he was walking in a flooded soi? Or the kid electrocuted in the swimming pool ?

This is only a few incidents reported in the news the last 2 years. Parents should just protect their kids at all time here.

Nothing will happen. TIT.

Drive down any main road and look at all the street lights, many with no cover, many with wires hanging out, many with extra wires running in to power some fairy lights, all open to the elements...........THAI BASHING..........no its the freakin truth, go see for yourself.

[kannot]

RIP little one. And who the H. lays ungrounded electrical wires in shallow beach sand? Un-F**king-believable! Electrical safety is so pathetic here. THIS is what the government should be addressing, not the dozens of BS issues to make headlines.

same as all electrical wiring here, its "sort of" ok to lay it shallow but it should be enclosed on "the blue plastic piping" at least and the wires should be connected correctly, not twisted together. . yes electrical safety is pathetic here. lets add it to the list of pathetic safety standards, driving, motorcycling, footpaths, my God, its a big list.

and before anyone comes here bagging me, i don't speak thai and yes, i should go back too my old country if i don't like it here

Nah thats crap they shoud be using nyy cable inside hdpe trunking........Thats how I laid cable from the electric pole outside our land into the house buried 2 feet deep...............Thais thought I was nuts but then at least we have the same opinion of each other and Im still alive..some of them aint!

[mihalis]

I hope there is some follow up on this , so we see no repeats of such a tragic and avoidable loss.

Please, they probably billed the family the cost of the workers that kicked the sand back over it.

You must be bitter..

[Maestro]

Removed a post in violation of forum rule 1.

[khunPer]

as a non electrician, should such beach lighting not be 6 or 12 volt DC ? as pool lights should be.

–and that is a very possible solution with LED lamps, where a 50W or 100W transformer can provide enough 12-volt power for numerous bright bulbs.

[khunPer]

Living at Maenam Beach I have often thought about the risk with mains-wires buried in often wet sand for cozy restaurant lighting, I see them daily being put out and burried, I have even seen normal indoor extension plugs laying in the sand, under the lamps.
It's often said that one shall never touch electric wires and cables in Thailand, and I fully agree after having experienced what looks like safe rubber-cables can leak current (luckily not me touching the wire). Can only hope some local authorities will demand that kind of outdoor lighting to be 12 volt only – enough power for a variety of bright LED's – could be a case for Marine Department that owns the Samui beaches...

[Hiyaall]

I'm a writer. I was haveing lunch with a nice Thai lady, and she asked me to write about the electrical mess. Then not long after I saw some Thais working on it with a bamboo ladder laid across a massive tangle of power lines.

Then not long after that I had to talked down a drugged out of his mind Australian from ripping into a bunch of electrical boxes. He was haveing some sort of dellusion.

Yeah. I will expect more story's of electrocutions.

Edited February 26, 2016 by Hiyaall

[gigman]

Sooner or later it can happen to anyone in many many places in Thailand.

Authorities have no time to apply any rules to protect own citizen and tourists.

So, if someone will finally goes to jail as responsible for this then maybe and I say maybe some changes will occur.

[Balance]

<deleted> is electrical cable doing buried on a beach? This is bottom-of-the-list third world country stuff. I hope it goes viral. Maybe the government will get its wish to replace farang with Chinese tourists sooner rather than later.

[spidermike007]

When you have a resort area such as Samui, with absolutely nothing in the way of proper zoning, safety standards, inspections, or even competent authorities, to make sure the public and the millions of tourists stay safe, you end up with an island that has the highest death rate per capita, of anyplace on earth, for tourists. Up to 60 people a month die on the roads of Samui, on motorbikes! It is a very, very dangerous place to visit. That does not count electrocutions, death by "accident", "suicides", or "mysterious deaths". There are countless hazards, and the authorities not only do nothing to protect the tourists, they just don't care. Tourist deaths mean nothing to them. Just look at Dark Tao. All of the southern islands are very dangerous places to visit. The height of the signs on the sidewalks, the condition of the sidewalks, the electric issues, the waste water that is released into the Gulf, the electric wire issue, island wide, the traffic madness, and many more areas need to be addressed. Are they authorities taking notice? No. Why? They just do not care. Their indifference and their callousness is an astonishing thing to witness. Their degree of incompetence on Samui with regard to leadership and policing is astonishing. It is all about the money on Samui. Very, very few local people care one iota about tourist safety. Very few.

[samuijimmy]

RIP little one. And who the H. lays ungrounded electrical wires in shallow beach sand? Un-F**king-believable! Electrical safety is so pathetic here. THIS is what the government should be addressing, not the dozens of BS issues to make headlines.

same as all electrical wiring here, its "sort of" ok to lay it shallow but it should be enclosed on "the blue plastic piping" at least and the wires should be connected correctly, not twisted together. . yes electrical safety is pathetic here. lets add it to the list of pathetic safety standards, driving, motorcycling, footpaths, my God, its a big list.

and before anyone comes here bagging me, i don't speak thai and yes, i should go back too my old country if i don't like it here

Actually, it should be enclosed with the yellow piping.... Blue pipe is supposed to be only used for water....

[nudgerman]

Life is cheap over here .... unless of course it's theirs.

[longtom]

To all the posters here who are talking about suppression of the news by the military regime or whoever, please consider that your assumption might be wrong.

The article states clearly (my translation):

'The parents expressed their wish that no details shall be given to the media.'

Furthermore we have no idea about any compensation talks, but I'm sure that's not the foremost thought in the parents mind!

[PoorSucker]

Up to 60 people a month die on the roads of Samui, on motorbikes!

Do you have any facts backing up that statement?

Two killed every day, do you know that the morgue in Nathon not have space for that.

60 per year is more realistic and then we are not counting deaths from old age etc.

60 per month on motorbike... Get a grip on your self,..

Visit a temple and you will find out that there is not a que the for the cremation.

[spidermike007]

Up to 60 people a month die on the roads of Samui, on motorbikes!

Do you have any facts backing up that statement?

Two killed every day, do you know that the morgue in Nathon not have space for that.

60 per year is more realistic and then we are not counting deaths from old age etc.

60 per month on motorbike... Get a grip on your self,..

Visit a temple and you will find out that there is not a que the for the cremation.

Yes. A friend of mine used to work for Samui Rescue for 6 years. He told me this number. He told me the official number was 3 per month. That the officials were doing everything in their power to doctor the number, cover up the deaths, not count the deaths if the person died while in transit, or while in the hospital, or a month later from the injuries. The death toll on Samui is astonishing. I know several who have died. When I used to live on Samui, I would hear about deaths every other day, from friends who had witnessed the accidents, or seen the dead person being driven away. I have no idea about the morgue in Nathon, nor it's capacity. But, I do know about the numbers, and it is staggering.

My friend told me they were averaging two fatalities per day, for quite a long time. Samui is known in some places as death island. The roads on Samui, are the most dangerous place you can be, within Thailand.

The real question is, why don't the authorities do anything about it? There has never been a real helmet campaign on Samui, that has lasted more than a day. No traffic safety, no reckless driving enforcement, no speeding tickets, no sanctions against the maniac mini van drivers, nor the maniac safari jeep drivers, who on their own take out 5-10 people a month. It speaks to the level of apathy, indifference, and gross incompetence of the local and state authorities.

[lopburi3]

Actually you just admitted you do not know about the numbers in the same paragraph.

[samuijimmy]

Actually you just admitted you do not know about the numbers in the same paragraph.

We are getting quite use to his overstated claims ..... I also know someone at Samui rescue, and don't hear the same story...

[carmine]

I find it strange reading the argument on here that the death rate isn't so bad! Whether certain posters will deny tis is what they are suggesting it'd exactly what they are trying to argue. Get a grip, its appalling. And thats taking into account that if a victim makes it to hospital before dying its not even counted as a road death!! And at the core of this is a total apathy.

This really is the thread were positive thinking turned into complete delusion.

[DTL2014]

So looks like the 'resort owner' most likely had some cheap Chinese 2-wire extension cords buried in the wet sand for these beach lamps.

What could possibly go wrong?

probably why the beach is off limits for business activity- however the district office or marine department or all the government departments decided -that its ok in some places-so long as they get some of the income derived from it- can we have the resort name -so we can avoid it-

[CoreanoOzzie]

Up to 60 people a month die on the roads of Samui, on motorbikes!

Do you have any facts backing up that statement?

Two killed every day, do you know that the morgue in Nathon not have space for that.

60 per year is more realistic and then we are not counting deaths from old age etc.

60 per month on motorbike... Get a grip on your self,..

Visit a temple and you will find out that there is not a que the for the cremation.

Yes. A friend of mine used to work for Samui Rescue for 6 years. He told me this number. He told me the official number was 3 per month. That the officials were doing everything in their power to doctor the number, cover up the deaths, not count the deaths if the person died while in transit, or while in the hospital, or a month later from the injuries. The death toll on Samui is astonishing. I know several who have died. When I used to live on Samui, I would hear about deaths every other day, from friends who had witnessed the accidents, or seen the dead person being driven away. I have no idea about the morgue in Nathon, nor it's capacity. But, I do know about the numbers, and it is staggering.

My friend told me they were averaging two fatalities per day, for quite a long time. Samui is known in some places as death island. The roads on Samui, are the most dangerous place you can be, within Thailand.

The real question is, why don't the authorities do anything about it? There has never been a real helmet campaign on Samui, that has lasted more than a day. No traffic safety, no reckless driving enforcement, no speeding tickets, no sanctions against the maniac mini van drivers, nor the maniac safari jeep drivers, who on their own take out 5-10 people a month. It speaks to the level of apathy, indifference, and gross incompetence of the local and state authorities.

It would be nice if I could visit any of the Thai islands and not be innundated with so many non-Thai people. That is one of the greatest pities this country has ever faced.

[Dualbleed]

Know for fact that the boy was brought to the reception at Peace resort. Not sure if it happened there though.

[carmine]

Up to 60 people a month die on the roads of Samui, on motorbikes!

Do you have any facts backing up that statement?

Two killed every day, do you know that the morgue in Nathon not have space for that.

60 per year is more realistic and then we are not counting deaths from old age etc.

60 per month on motorbike... Get a grip on your self,..

Visit a temple and you will find out that there is not a que the for the cremation.

Yes. A friend of mine used to work for Samui Rescue for 6 years. He told me this number. He told me the official number was 3 per month. That the officials were doing everything in their power to doctor the number, cover up the deaths, not count the deaths if the person died while in transit, or while in the hospital, or a month later from the injuries. The death toll on Samui is astonishing. I know several who have died. When I used to live on Samui, I would hear about deaths every other day, from friends who had witnessed the accidents, or seen the dead person being driven away. I have no idea about the morgue in Nathon, nor it's capacity. But, I do know about the numbers, and it is staggering.

My friend told me they were averaging two fatalities per day, for quite a long time. Samui is known in some places as death island. The roads on Samui, are the most dangerous place you can be, within Thailand.

The real question is, why don't the authorities do anything about it? There has never been a real helmet campaign on Samui, that has lasted more than a day. No traffic safety, no reckless driving enforcement, no speeding tickets, no sanctions against the maniac mini van drivers, nor the maniac safari jeep drivers, who on their own take out 5-10 people a month. It speaks to the level of apathy, indifference, and gross incompetence of the local and state authorities.

It would be nice if I could visit any of the Thai islands and not be innundated with so many non-Thai people. That is one of the greatest pities this country has ever faced.

Not really an appropriate thread for such pathetic trolling is it.

[spidermike007]

Yes. A friend of mine used to work for Samui Rescue for 6 years. He told me this number. He told me the official number was 3 per month. That the officials were doing everything in their power to doctor the number, cover up the deaths, not count the deaths if the person died while in transit, or while in the hospital, or a month later from the injuries. The death toll on Samui is astonishing. I know several who have died. When I used to live on Samui, I would hear about deaths every other day, from friends who had witnessed the accidents, or seen the dead person being driven away. I have no idea about the morgue in Nathon, nor it's capacity. But, I do know about the numbers, and it is staggering.

My friend told me they were averaging two fatalities per day, for quite a long time. Samui is known in some places as death island. The roads on Samui, are the most dangerous place you can be, within Thailand.

The real question is, why don't the authorities do anything about it? There has never been a real helmet campaign on Samui, that has lasted more than a day. No traffic safety, no reckless driving enforcement, no speeding tickets, no sanctions against the maniac mini van drivers, nor the maniac safari jeep drivers, who on their own take out 5-10 people a month. It speaks to the level of apathy, indifference, and gross incompetence of the local and state authorities.

It would be nice if I could visit any of the Thai islands and not be innundated with so many non-Thai people. That is one of the greatest pities this country has ever faced.

Not really an appropriate thread for such pathetic trolling is it.

Truly a very odd statement, for a country that attracts over 20 million tourists a year. Maybe he is a sentimentalist, and yearns for the good, old days. Frankly, I am not a big believer in the good, old days. In our memories, we seem to believe it was better then, than it is now. What is so terrible about the present moment? There is alot here, right now that is worth celebrating. Especially the fact that we are safe, and not having to consider anything particularly terrible, like what happened to this boy.

[maanoi]

Why did the family not kick up a big fuss?

"Compensated" i assume...