British tourist dies as Thai authorities cut down on safety procedures.
From Andrew Drummond,
Bangkok June 8 2009
A 21-yr-old pregnant British girl returned home to Heathrow today after her boyfriend became the latest in a series of tragic drownings on the Thai holiday island of Phuket.
Bethan Jones, left behind the body of her boyfriend James Henry Patton, also 21, the third tourist drowned in a week on Karon Beach, Phuket.
Patton, from Beacon Hill, Surrey, was drowned on the last day of the couples’ holiday at the Centara Resort Hotel, on Karon Beach.
Although the beach has an almost permanent undertow during the rainy season, no signs in English have been put on the beach warning of the dangers.
Karon Beach during tourist season: Picture: Danielle
Instead there are just beach patrols organised by the local council and red flags, but they are not prominent. This year due to the economic turndown no beach patrols have yet been provided.
Ironically, it seems local authorities did not wish to put up permanent signs in English for fear of alarming tourists,even though the sea can still look tempting in the rainy season.
James Paton drowned, when, for the third day running, a freak wave, which police described as three metres hig, engulfed him, Bethan and two other Britons, rolled them over, and dragged them out to sea in the undertow.
The two British men and James Patton’s pregnant girlfriend, were rescued after police launched a boat. But the rescuers found James Paton’s body a kilometre off shore.
A day earlier a 43-yr-old Frenchman and his Thai girlfriend were seized in the same way. They also drowned. And a 12-yr-old girl has gone missing off Surin Beach, Phuket, also notorious for its undertow.
Two days before members of both an Australian and Indian family swimming off Karon Beach were luckily rescued.
Police Colonel Chanat Sutima: “Holidaymakers tend to ignore the flags, and even warnings from local people. That is why the local authority normally put patrols up on the beach. But they had not done this yet this year. It is the rainy season. It is dangerous to go swimming in the rainy season because of the undertows, but many tourists do not realise that.
Red flag on Karon Beach during monsoon Pic David Scotland
“The waves are not like the Tsunami in 2004 but they can still be killers.”
Karon District official Tawee Thongcham said: “Patrols will be established but there have not been the funds or the people to do this so far. This is the rainy season and the winds and currents are unpredictable.”
British Embassy officials are organising the return of Mr. Paton’s body to the UK.
A management spokesman at the Centara Hotel said: “We are warning all tourists to stick to the swimming pool and not go in the sea.”
The question that needs to be asked of Phuket’s mayor is “how many tourists need to die before you put some signs up?”
Disgraceful.
Your the most Humble man ever - May god be with you and with your family over these times James. Rest in peace and sing praises to your child as you look down on him. x x x
James you were truly my dearest friend, words cant describe the pure greatness in you… a true talent on the decks…. ill tell ur nipper everything about you and well some of the story’s! i love ya mate and always will.. tommy tourist
james was a careing and a great man. Thinking of you buddy
I do my best to help your family out jimmy.
thanks for over ten years of memories
love you mate
I never knew james, and it is a terrible sad loss and i feel so much for his family and bethan…
The truth is it angers me that the story above says bethan and 2 english men were rescued when police launched a boat, when that is all lies…
I know this has my brother was one of the english guys and he tried to save james from drowning.. along with rescuing a 35 year old women…
The police did nothing, and the life guards wouldnt even go in, they tossed a board at my brother to use instead… My brother is in bits that he couldnt do more and his so angry that the lifeguards and authoritys were useless..
There was around 1000 people on the beach that day, and my brother was the only one who attempted to save the lady, who survived and poor james who he couldnt hold on to as a 3 metre wave went over his head and pulled them under..
The truth is it took the authorities 20min to launch a boat and another 20 mins to find james, the lifeguards and police should be ashamed of themselves and the beach should of been closed and the same incident happened the day before.
When will they learn… and please journalist get your story’s right because the police and lifeguards dont deserve to be reckonised for trying as they did nothing…
R.I.P JAMES….
Sian. Thank you for that. As a journalist I can only go on accounts given to me. It is essential that the truth comes out in the end, even if it needs friends of the family to tell it. There appear to be three local live-saving organisations all of whom did nothing.
If anyone wants to take up this case they can contact me.
James was a quality person and didnt deserve this, everyone liked him, everytime i saw hiw he was smiling, its so cruel the way the most righteous people are stolen from us. Something needs to be done from the authorities to protect the uk tourists this shouldn t of happened to james let alone the trajic loss s of the other victims, thought s are with Beth and james s family, R.I.P james x
James will be sadly missed by so many people, he was such a caring and lovely young man with lots to look forward too in life.
my thoughts are with James’s family and beth.
R.I.P you will never be forgotten. love carrie x
This tradegy is too sad for words to discrbe. What saddens me the most is that the smallest of precautions could have been taken to stop this and others like this from happening and the fact that people stood by and did nothing is sickening! James truley did not deserve this fate. Surely it is time to take action so there no more tragic losses. R I P James
I too am really annoyed at the Phuket authorities attitude towards drownings at Phuket. I was at the beach when James’ body was brought ashore (it was the next beach around from the where the drowning actually happened)and was really freaked out by the whole thing, so I can’t imagine how bad it must be for people who know him.
I have read a few articles in local news reports on his and the other drownings in the area. In all cases the authorities commented on how there were red flags up warning of dangerous conditions and that tourists need to stop ignoring these red flags.
So the red flags are supposed to mean that the beach is dangerous to swim in. But how is anyone meant to know this? It could mean anything. Where I come from in NZ we are told to swim between the flags (i.e. this is a safe place to swim). At Cha-am beach near Bangkok there are red, pink and green flags. What do these mean? Is this some cryptic code we area all supposed to understand.
Furthermore, how are people supposed to know that red flags mean don’t swim here when locals are hiring out surfboards and telling people it’s fine to go swimming? (I asked a guy hiring out beach chairs what the red flags mean and he told me the water is safe but just don’t swim out too far). It almost seems to me that authorities are hiding behind the red flags as a means of shirking responsibility
And why have lifeguards if they aren’t going to do anything? This is probably even more dangerous than not having lifeguards at all. To me, seeing a lifeguard in a tower implies that this is a patrolled area and it is safe to swim.
Of course people need to take responsibility for themselves and not swim where it is dangerous. But it is also up to Phuket authorities to inform people of the dangers (especially since they market the place to overseas tourists as a safe family beach).
I have written to the Lonely Planet and Thailand Tourist Authority to make a complaint and I would encourage everyone else out there to do so as well.
Several years ago I visited Koh Chang. Three people drowned on my first day, over the next two weeks several more joined them, including a burly dive instructor who nevertheless was not strong enough to fight the undetow. Yet not a sign anywhere, and no warnings or assistance from any of the locals.
I worked with James for 18 months. We miss James so much at work. He was calm under pressure and knew his job well.
His funeral was the one of the most emotionally I have been to.
He will be greatly missed.
Bruce
This is a tragic story. My condolences to the family of the deceased.
I would hope that the Phuket authorities take action and install clear and unambiguous warning signs at Karon beach, and any other beach on Phuket where such dangerous undertows exist.