Many tourists have lost their lives and Thailand's
image is being tarnished because of poor law
enforcement and safety regulationsGerman tourist bled to death after being attacked
by unknown sea creatureOne hundred and fifty-three died in motor-bike
accidents in Phuket last yearFour Singaporeans died when the boat they were
in capsized in the Chao Phraya riverBy JAMES EAST
IN BANGKOKTHAILAND'S poor law enforcement and lax safety
regulations are tarnishing the country's reputation as
South-east Asia's premier tourist destination.Every week, the embassies of foreign nationals ship the
dead back home. There have been so many deaths in
paradise that diplomats crack wry jokes about the
myriad ways in which tourists' lives are cut short.Tourists have been shot by hitmen, drowned, stung by
jelly fish, killed in bus accidents, died from drug
overdoses, smashed up on motorbikes and even burned
in a bamboo guesthouse.Relatives and wives are often protected from the
gruesome truth about the death of loved ones. Doctors
marking down heart attack on the forms often neglect to
mention an overdose of Viagra or over exertion in a
prostitute's bed as the cause.Understandably, Thai authorities keen to protect
Thailand's reputation do little to educate visitors about
the dangers.Tourism is the country's biggest earner bringing in
revenue of more than 550 billion baht (S$122 billion)
over the last two years.But the shiny photographs in promotion brochures belie
a country plagued by lax safety regulations and poor law
enforcement that can turn a tropical holiday into a
nightmare.The safety figures speak for themselves. On the island
resort of Phuket last year, there were 9,590 accidents,
172 deaths -- 153 of them on motorbikes.Helmet laws are roundly flouted by gung-ho tourists who
would never be allowed on the back of a motorbike at
home.Dressed in shorts and flip-flops and tanked up on
alcohol, tourists careen around twisty gravel roads.Pick-up truck ambulances later deliver their victims to
the hospital mortuaries.On the mainland, travel is just as dangerous.
In November, an elderly British couple died and six
others were injured when their minibus plunged off a
winding road near the northern city of Chiang mai.Over the New Year holiday period, the Public Health
Ministry says at least 300 people died and 19,433 were
injured in road accidents. Tourists were among them.Backpackers often warn fellow travellers to go by train
rather than by road, given the Formula One racing skills
of minibus drivers, the quality of the roads and the
penchant truck drivers have for popping amphetamine
pills to keep themselves awake during long journeys.Holidaymakers are just as oblivious to the dangers of the
beach. Last year, 48 people drowned, at least 11 of
them tourists who died while swimming off Phuket.A British Embassy official said: "Our travel advice
specifically includes a warning about the Phuket currents
but the motorbike accidents worry us the most. Ten
nationals died last year in motorbike crashes."Last October in Bangkok, four Singaporean tourists
died when the longtail boat they were in capsized while
travelling on the Chao Phraya river.The boat driver was found to be under the influence of
alcohol. Many of the capital's express ferry boats which
bus tourists travel up and down the river are
inadequately equipped with life vests.Embassies say there are a rising number of deaths.
Ninety Britons died last year and the German Embassy
is predicting 120 this year.Diplomats say the numbers are hardly surprising given
that tourist numbers are rising and the number of elderly
visitors is on the increase.Most nationals die of heart attacks. They say tourists
should be more careful and that cheap alcohol and the
lax laws can prove a fatal cocktail.While tourists love laid-back feel of the Land of Smiles
few appreciate that there has also been a surge in
offences thanks to the economic recession.Last year there were 16 executions, the most since
1939. Security experts say petty crime and muggings are
on the rise.English tourist David Barkway will not be coming back
to Thailand. Last month, he was mugged on his way
back to Pattaya's Cosy Beach Hotel. Beaten and
robbed in the town's busiest street, his yells for help
were ignored.On leaving the police station, Mr Barkway said it was
his second trip to Pattaya and he would not be returning.
He could not understand why there were no police
around.In December, Australian Sherry Cobcroft was strangled
in idyllic Krabi by two youths, one a novice monk.Her family could not understand how she had been
killed in Thailand, a country which they thought was safe
for travellers.Two elderly Britons are back in England recovering
from their visit to Hua Hin, a southern resort city famous
for its royal connections.They were cut down in a hail of bullets fired by a hired
hitman who killed his victim with a volley that sent
tourists diving for cover.Another Briton was less lucky. He was shot dead in a
bar when a masked gunman tried to recover a loan with
menaces.Thailand's tourism police say crime against foreigners
has been rising by about 10 per cent a year and
protecting visitors is difficult."We don't have enough of anything," said deputy
superintendent of the Tourist Police, Police Lt-Colonel
Suchai Chindavanich."We just don't have enough resources. We have only
900 officers when we need at least 2,000. Ask the TAT
why they don't give us a bigger budget."Lt-Col Suchai, who has to pay his own mobile phone
bills, wants more officers, satellite communications and
faster patrol cars.The tourist police, which comes under the control of
TAT (Tourism Authority of Thailand), has a budget of
only 200 million baht.TAT, staffed by 900, had a 2.9 billion baht budget last
year, with promotion accounting for 1.8 billion baht.Diplomats acknowledge lax safety laws and law
enforcement make the country a more dangerous place
than Malaysia or Singapore and even Vietnam.Cambodia is considered more dangerous for tourists but
can only count visitor numbers in the tens of thousands."We would like to see more enforcement of safety
norms in Thailand," said one Western diplomat.The sex and sun resort of Pattaya, packed with
hundreds of go-go and gay bars, is Thailand's most
infamous destination.Tens of thousands of tourists enjoy the night time
entertainment little realising that while they prop up the
bars, mafia gangs extort money from the owners, many
of them foreigners of dubious background.Western customs officials based in Bangkok fear
overseas criminals are moving into Pattaya and police
have recently stepped up efforts to target overseas
villains.
8 million visitors last year
GLOSSY Tourism Authority of Thailand brochures in
the Amazing Thailand promotions paint the country as a
tropical idyll of sandy beaches, luxurious resorts,
mountain treks and gilded temples.And they worked. Last year saw more than eight million
visitors. Figures between January and August show
373,000 of them were Singaporeans.Adapted from The Straits Times, 10 Jan 2000.