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A friend tries to talk down a young tourist on a resort ledge today

High Drama as Phuket Aussie Poises on Five Star Resort's Ledge: Photo Special

Tuesday, November 20, 2012
PHUKET: An Aussie tourist who stood on a ledge for 90 minutes at a Phuket resort has left other guests and Thai police distressed and upset today.

As the drama unfolded in darkness from 5.30am, the young man initially refused to be talked down by horrified onlookers at the five-star resort on Patong beach.

Police have identified him as being aged 21, from Bendigo, north of Melbourne.

It's possible that he came to Phuket with younger friends on a ''schoolies'' break to mark the end of high school.

''Some of his friends were obviously drunk today,'' said a Patong paramedic at Phuket Graceland Resort and Spa. ''We set up the big mattress ready for him to jump.''

About 30 police and paramedics were involved in preparing the mattress in case the man chose to leap.

Some of his friends, far from sober, attempted to help by venturing onto the ledge. They had to be dissuaded by rescuers.

The concerns of local authorities were real. An Australian man plunged 18 floors from a high-rise Patong resort just last week.

The week before that, a British expat resident climbed a Tourist Police radio tower in Phuket City and jumped.

The British man died. Remarkably, the Australian man survived after plummeting through an awning on the second floor that broke his fall.

Today, after an agonising hour-and-a-half, the young man was talked down. He strolled off with rescue officers.

He arrived on Phuket on November 15 and is due to leave next Monday.

Comments

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send them all home today !

Posted by harry on November 20, 2012 11:13

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It took 30 people to help this guy. Good job, but what a drama queen. Hope he get his $&t together again.

Posted by Lena on November 20, 2012 14:34

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Glad to see he had the foresight to take a bottle of water with him onto the ledge - wouldn't want to die of thirst.

Posted by Buster on November 20, 2012 14:37

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Poor Peoples, Poor Phuket !!!

Posted by ratatooe on November 20, 2012 14:54

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Aussies don t make Phuket a second Bali , especially Patong a second Kuta...but maybe it's too late already

Posted by serge on November 20, 2012 17:16

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this is what happens when you get too INTOXICATED!!!!

Posted by Olly on November 21, 2012 09:34

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Now you can see why i stay away from fellow Aussies when I come to Phuket.

Oh and by the way a 21 year old celebrating schoolies.
I do not want to see Phuket turn into Bali or worse the Gold Coast.

Having said that I hope the young man gets help for his obvious problems.

Posted by Arthur on November 23, 2012 10:30

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For all the Mr Asia's who don't want to see Phuket turn into this or that then I suggest you get your wallets out and buy the bits you don't want to change.

Good ending and sounds like it was reasonably well managed. Hopefully there aren't deeper underlying issues for this young man.

Posted by John on December 3, 2012 22:03


Thursday March 28, 2024
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