Review panel finds sea-walking unsafe

PHUKET: After a six-month study of the sea-walking industry in Thailand, a review panel of the Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research (TISTR) yesterday said that current safety provisions were inadequate. Speaking at a meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall to garner feedback from sea-walking operators in Phuket, a TISTR officer said that there is an urgent need for Thai operators to improve safety regulations, and added that existing operators’ lack of concern for tourists’ safety could jeopardize the tourists’ lives. However, the officer conceded that some of the dangers of sea-walking resulted from the tourists themselves, with many not telling operators about health problems, such as heart disease. Other issues raised at the meeting included improving the quality of air pumped to the tourists walking along the seabed, and increasing the distance the tourists must keep from coral. The TISTR panel has yet to determine the details of the recommendations in its final report, which will be handed to the Tourism Authority of Thailand head office in Bangkok.