Mother, sister join Navy search for missing American tourist

PHUKET: The mother and sister of missing American tourist Joshua Devine today joined a search by air for their lost loved one, who disappeared from a dive boat off Phuket on April 11 (story here).

Mr Devine’s mother, Marie Gallant Major, and his sister Jennifer Bakowski boarded a Royal Thai Navy helicopter after being briefed on the search efforts at the Navy’s Third Area Command at Cape Panwa this morning.

Accompanying Ms Major and Ms Bakowski in the Navy chopper were Governor Nisit Jansomwong, Ministry of Tourism and Sports (MOTS) Phuket Office director Santi Pawai and Phuket Marine Office Chief Phuripat Theerakulpisut.

“In light of the prevailing wind conditions, we have moved our search area to the north,” Capt Puchong Rodnikorn of the Third Naval Area Command told the Phuket Gazette.

“We have contacted navy officers stationed in Phang Nga and farther north to look out for any signs of Mr Devine. We have also contacted tour boats at the Surin and Similan islands to report to us immediately if they find any sign of him.”

Capt Puchong said the Navy had yet to set any date for calling off the search.

The Phuket Marine Police extended their search today, despite announcing that their search efforts would cease at sundown yesterday (story here).

“We continued our search on the weekend,” Phuket Marine Police Chief Panya Chaichana told the Gazette this morning.

“We were to call off the search on Sunday, but we will now continue in assisting the Navy.”

Marine Police are leading the search by boat, while the Navy continues its search by air, Lt Col Panya explained.

“But if we find no signs of Mr Devine, the search will be called off,” he confirmed.

— Chutharat Plerin