Phuket
Australian jet-ski victim’s partner awaits trial in Phuket

PHUKET: The partner of a 20-year-old Australian woman who was killed in a jet-ski collision with him at Kata Beach on Sunday, is expected to be charged with reckless driving causing death and is awaiting trial in Phuket.
Thomas Keating, 22, and his partner Emily Jayne Collie, 20, came to Phuket for a holiday and had rented jet-skis to ride from Karon Beach to Kata Beach. They reportedly collided with one another, causing Ms Collie to suffer severe injuries to her head, neck and shoulders (story here).
Mr Keating suffered minor injuries. The Australian embassy was informed of Ms Collie’s death and her family arrived in Phuket yesterday to repatriate her body back home.
“Mr Keating paid for Ms Collie’s family to travel to Phuket, as well as all the expenses of attending to and shipping her body,” said Karon Superintendent Col Sanya Thongsawad.
Ms Collie’s family is entitled to 50,000 baht (about AU$1,287) under an insurance policy taken out for the couple’s jet-ski rental.
Her parents, Ian and Sally Collie, said in a statement that they did not believe Mr Keating was at fault in the jet-ski crash, reports Australian news agency The Age.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade circulated the statement on behalf of the family last night.
“We are in the midst of grieving through the sudden loss of our precious daughter Emily,” the statement read.
“This was a tragic accident. We do not believe anyone was at fault. In particular, we do not place any blame on Tom Keating, who we care about very much and who we know loved Emily deeply.
“We are all heartbroken beyond words, and at this extremely sad time, we wish to be together with our family, with Tom, and with other loved ones, to grieve and celebrate Emily’s life.”
They are now waiting for the embassy to process the documents that will allow them to return home with her body, while Mr Keating is required to remain in Thailand for at least a month while awaiting a court case verdict to determine whether he will be convicted or not.
Officials believe the accident was caused by the couple’s ‘reckless behavior’, but jet-ski rental operators have been under public fire for at least 20 years in Phuket due to numerous deaths, injuries, legendary scams and brutish local operator behavior.
Despite the volume of complaints from tourists, local residents and hotel managers, there has been no success in shutting down the jet-skis – or even in curtailing, or simply regulating, their use on Phuket’s beaches.
Marine Office Chief Surat Siriasaiyas said that his office is working closely with the marine police and navy to keep a closer eye on jet-ski operations in Phuket, which is the standard marine department statement following all jet-ski tragedies here.
“At this stage, we have found no illegal jet-skis in Phuket. However, we will call in the jet-ski club members and president to talk further about safety measures, including warning tourists about reckless driving,” said Mr Surat.
“Accidents happen due to reckless behavior. We will try to promote safety and ensure that tourists follow it. The same goes for jet-ski operators; we will track them to see whether they are legally registered and have valid insurance,” he added.
— Kongleaphy Keam
Keep in contact with The Thaiger by following our Facebook page.
Never miss out on future posts by following The Thaiger.
Phuket
Phuket police officer charged with attempted murder for shooting and critically injuring a noodle vendor

The drunk, off-duty police officer in Phuket who has caught on camera shooting and beating a noodle vendor on Bangla Road is now facing attempted murder charges as well as charges of carrying a firearm in public without a necessary reason and firing a weapon in a public area. The commander of the Phuket police station said he ordered investigators to prosecute the officer Pornthep Channarong with every criminal charge that can be applied.
The officer had gotten into an altercation just before dawn yesterday and shot a young vendor who was walking by. Surveillance camera footage show the 25 year old suddenly falling to the ground after being shot. The officer walks up and shoots the vendor at a close range, but it appears the second shot did not hit the vendor. The officer also slapped the vendor in the face, picked him up and shoved him over, and then kicked him as he lay on the ground.
The vendor has a 4 year old daughter and 3 month old son. His wife says normally he works as a motorbike driver, but he was helping his mother selling noodles. He was shot while he was walking back from collecting a noodle bowl, she says. The vendor is in critical condition and being cared for at Vachira Phuket Hospital’s intensive care unit. He’s in need of Type B blood.
“For his condition, the doctor told me that the bullet went through his lung. He lost a lot of blood. We need a lot of Type B blood for him.”
A disciplinary investigation into the incident was launched by police and Pornthep was officially dismissed from the Royal Thai Police force. Region 8 Police Commander Kitrat Panpetch says the incident does not reflect the police force in Phuket.
“The incident was caused by an officer who did something wrong that our organisation does not want. We are a big organisation with more than 200,000 officers under our control. Our officers are not all bad like this.”
Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pornsak Nuannu says he has reminded the police chiefs across the island to discuss reasons for carrying firearms in public.
“Carrying firearms is to prevent any type of crime that may happen, not to commit a crime by themselves like this incident. If I see any police doing such a thing, I will decisively proceed in terms of both officer discipline and criminal charges.”
SOURCE: Phuket News
Keep in contact with The Thaiger by following our Facebook page.
Never miss out on future posts by following The Thaiger.
Phuket
Thai Vietjet resumes Phuket-Chiang Rai flights, launches promotion on air fare

The following is a press release from Thai Vietjet on its new promotion “Welcome Back to the Sky” and the resumption of Phuket-Chiang Rai flights.
Thai Vietjet today announced the flight resumption of its domestic cross-regional service between Phuket – Chiang Rai, in response to the increasing travel demand after the government began relaxing travel measures in each province. The airline will resume the service for four (04) round-trip flights a week on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, with the flight duration around 2 hours and 5 minutes, starting from 26 February 2021 onwards. The flight details are as follows:
Flight No. | Departure from Phuket | Arrival at Chiang Rai | Flight No. | Departure from Chiang Rai | Arrival in Phuket |
VZ400 | 8:15am | 10:20am | VZ401 | 10:50am | 12:55pm |
In addition, the airline also announced the resumption of other domestic cross-regional services including the flight between Hat Yai – Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai – Nakhon Si Thammarat from 19 March 2021 onwards.
Following the service resumption announcement, the airline launched special promotion “Welcome Back to the Sky”, offering special fares from just THB 99 (not inclusive of taxes, fees, surcharges, and add-ons) for Thai Vietjet’s flights between Phuket – Chiang Rai and the flights to/from Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi). The special fares are available for booking from 24 – 28 February 2021, with travel period between 8 March – 30 June 2021 on SkyFUN.vietjetair.com
As the COVID-19 situation is under control, Thai Vietjet has been adding flight frequency in line with the increasing demand for travel. The airline has also recently introduced its new product on SkyFUN, the ‘TRIP EASY PLUS’ – travel insurance with coverage of COVID-19 starting from THB 180, which provides further convenience and travel confidence to passengers to travel with the highest level of safety during the pandemic. For more information, please visit https://skyfun.vietjetair.com/insurance.
The promotional fares are available on SkyFUN.vietjetair.com, applied to Thai Vietjet’s domestic flights in Thailand from Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi) to Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phuket, Krabi, Udon Thani, Hat Yai , Khon Kaen, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Ubon Ratchathani and the domestic cross-regional flight Phuket – Chiang Rai. The tickets are also available on all other distribution channels including www.vietjetair.com, mobile app “Vietjet Air”, via Facebook at facebook.com/VietJetThailand by clicking “Booking” tab, as well as travel agencies and booking offices. Payment can be easily made with ‘True Money Wallet’ and international debit/credit cards.
Thai Vietjet is committed to providing on time scheduled flights with the highest safety complied with the standards and regulations of the relevant authorities. Thai Vietjet was named the fastest growing low-cost airline in Thailand 2020 by The Global Business Outlook Award. The airline also owns one of the world’s newest and most modern fleet with an average age of only 2.7 years and was awarded the highest ranking for safety with 7 stars by the world’s only safety and product rating website airlineratings.com. The carrier has been strictly performing aircraft disinfection dailythroughout its fleet in compliance with Thai Ministry of Public Health.
Keep in contact with The Thaiger by following our Facebook page.
Never miss out on future posts by following The Thaiger.
Coronavirus (Covid-19)
4 top tourist destinations to be prioritised for Covid-19 vaccine distribution

The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration says 4 of Thailand’s major tourism destinations are to be prioritised in the distribution of vaccines. They are Phuket, Chon Buri, Chiang Mai and Surat Thani. In addition, a further 9 provinces with significant infection numbers are being prioritised in the rollout of the first vaccine doses arriving in the Kingdom today.
Taweesin Visanuyothin from the CCSA says 70,000 doses will go to the hard-hit “highest control” area of Samut Sakhon, where Thailand’s second outbreak began late last year. 8,000 doses are being set aside for medical officials in the central province, along with 6,000 for frontline healthcare workers, 46,000 doses for seriously ill patients, and 10,000 doses for migrant workers and local residents.
Another 105,000 doses will be distributed to similar groups in Bangkok, in the central provinces of Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi, Nakhon Pathom, Samut Songkram and Samut Prakan, and in the western province of Ratchaburi and the Mae Sot district of Tak.
The Pattaya News reports that 14,700 doses will be sent to 4 major tourist destinations, with 4,700 going to the eastern province of Chon Buri, 4,000 to the southern island of Phuket, 3,500 to the northern province of Chiang Mai, and 2,500 going to the island of Samui in the southern province of Surat Thani.
In the case of the vaccines going to tourism spots, it is not yet known which groups will be vaccinated first, with that decision being left to the Provincial Communicable Disease Committee and other related authorities.
Meanwhile, the CCSA says other plans for the 4 tourism destinations are being considered, including the possibility of “area quarantine”, which would allow vaccinated foreign arrivals to remain within certain boundaries during their quarantine period. The Tourism Authority of Thailand has been pushing for a vaccine passport policy for vaccinated visitors, while PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says the government may consider lifting quarantine restrictions for vaccinated tourists.
SOURCE: The Pattaya News
Keep in contact with The Thaiger by following our Facebook page.
Never miss out on future posts by following The Thaiger.
- Thailand3 days ago
Polygamy is not under Thai law, but the lifestyle is still practiced
- Thailand2 days ago
Tourism officials aim for vaccinated travellers to enter Thailand by the third quarter of 2021
- Coronavirus (Covid-19)2 days ago
PM says Thailand will consider lifting quarantine for vaccinated tourists
- Coronavirus (Covid-19)3 days ago
59 foreign tourists arrive in Phuket, first to undergo the luxurious “villa quarantine”
- Bangkok4 days ago
Bangkok bars and nightclubs may soon reopen, CCSA announcement expected today
- Crime2 days ago
Drunk police officer shoots and beats vendor on Bangla Road in Phuket
- Chiang Mai2 days ago
4 top tourist destinations to be prioritised for Covid-19 vaccine distribution
- Bangkok2 days ago
Bangkok bars are back open, restaurants serving booze again