3 replies to this topic

[Sexpat]

"A 21-year-old British tourist was found alive yesterday, 20 hours after a flash flood swept through Nam Talu cave in Surat Thani, killing six other foreign tourists and two Thai guides. . .

Ms Carroll said they had been inside for about half an hour when they saw the torrent come rushing in. They had tried to climb up the cave wall to get above it, but the water level rose quickly from 50cm to 10m, trapping them. . .

Ms Carroll and her British boyfriend were on their first visit to Thailand. The six foreign victims include four members of a Swiss family _ Benno Fischer, 49, Rose-Marie Schmidt-Stalder, 47, Andrea Fischer, 17, and Sarah Fischer, 15 _ plus Cullen and young Eddy. . .

Deputy Interior Minister Banyat Chansena, Tourism and Sports Minister Suvit Yodmani and staff from the British embassy flew to Surat Thani yesterday. Mr Banyat ordered the provincial office to find out of if the tourists received a warning from Khao Sok national park.

National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department chief Chalermsak Wanichsombat said park officials had warned the group against entering the cave, but the guides insisted on going."

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/15Oct2007_news03.php

[Hedda]

It never ceases to amaze how a country that has been having monsoon rains for centuries, with accompanying flash flooding as predicable as the rain itself, makes so little effort to warn and/or protect foreign visitors from well-recognized flood dangers, especially at destinations that the Thais promote for tourism.

It's not been six months since 32 people drowned during Songkran in that mountain waterfall attraction in Trang - in a totally preventable tragedy. It's only been three months since the last lot of tourists were drowned or maimed near Phi Phi in the unending story of official indifference to overloaded tourist boats.

Perhaps it's time for some organization not associated with the Thai Board of Tourism to start promoting the "Tourist Tragedy of the month." Maybe then the authorities who are so keen to reap the tourist wallets will get the mesasage that inviting people to come to Thailand entails the responsibility of attending to their safety when they are here.

[Kirkland]

"Deputy Interior Minister Banyat Jansena has cautioned all government officials to discourage any tourist from visiting destinations deemed as possible disaster areas even if they still insist on going.

Speaking to reporters before returning from a visit to Surat Thani province where mountain run-off trapped and killed 6 foreign tourists and two local guides over the weekend, Mr Banyat was adamant that more discipline was needed on the part of Thai officials.

Nam Talu cave has now been closed until further notice."

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/b...s.php?id=122657

[J.Bell]

Mr Banyat was adamant that more discipline was needed on the part of Thai officials.

And pigs will fly by Christmas. I remember that Trang disaster from April, 2007, and I would be willing to bet you that nothing has been done to prevent it from happening again. The problem of severe rain run-off in mountain areas is only growing worse, not better, as more and more illegal farming and logging operations are stripping the hills of trees and shrubs. They call them forest reserves but little remains in a lot of areas of the forest that prevents this kind of massive surface water drainage. It's criminal for these local officials to do nothing to warn foreign visitors of the danger when there's been extended periods of rain on the mountains that have only one place to go: downhill.