The Thai PM returns to Phuket tomorrow to oversee a number of safety exercises and simulated rescues in the name of tourism safety.
Srettha Thavisin will leave Bangkok at around 1.15pm tomorrow, flying to Phuket. From the airport, he will travel to Patong to oversee “emergency response” drills, starting with the rescue of “victims of a marine disaster”.
According to a Phuket News report, the PM will witness a demonstration of lifeguards “rescuing” a tourist caught in a rip current, followed by police officers dealing with a “drunken tourist” on Bangla Road.
The main event of the day will be an air-sea rescue of a tourist boat caught in large waves and strong winds. The exercise will take place off Patong Beach, after which the PM and his entourage will head to the Kudo Hotel & Beach Club for a 4pm meeting.
The meeting will review the rescue drills and measures the island has put in place to keep tourists safe, including those who ignore red flags that warn against swimming in the sea.
The Phuket Public Relations Department will carry out a Facebook Live broadcast of the meeting, after which the PM will depart for Bangkok.
Sophon Suwannarat, new governor of Phuket, has been busy with preparations, having sunbeds cleared from a stretch of Patong Beach that will be used for tomorrow’s exercises.
Local officials have been tasked with informing people in the area of the planned drills, to avoid creating panic, the Phuket News reports.
SOURCE: The Phuket News
