News Analysis
A LIFE is ebbing away, being swept out of its depth into the black zone. Two women stand by this bedside in Bangkok Hospital Phuket's Intensive Care Unit. They are both sobbing, crying large, mournful tears.
One woman is the man's partner of eight years. The other is a good friend.
Gheorghe Paulivc's chest moves, and his heart beats. The life support system gives him the appearance of being alive but both women know that Gheorge is brain-dead. So does the Thai lifeguard, dressed in yellow and red, who stands at the foot of the bed in the small room, between the two women.
It is only a matter of time before the life support system is to be switched off. Gheorge's brief, tragic holiday on Phuket will be over.
Then it will be a matter of deciding how to get him home: in a casket, or cremated, in an urn.
It's a decision that will be hard to make because his partner Gabriela Vassi, despite their eight-year friendship, has no official authority, and his family lives in a small village in Romania, a long journey from Thailand.
How does it happen that six friends enjoy their much-anticipated seaside holiday for 50 minutes, splashing and laughing, then a wave or two brings a calamity that changes all their lives forever? How does it happen that a tourist drowns on Phuket?
Karon beach has a growing international reputation as a long, lovely stretch of squeaky sand where too many tourists drown at this time of the year. Yet some resorts are still in denial, rejecting an obvious deficiency: that they must warn their guests about the potential dangers in the water.
Last night, Phuketwan called the Karon beachfront resort where the six friends had arrived on Monday night.
Were the six new guests warned about the dangers of swimming on Karon beach at this time of the year? ''They did not ask,'' the anonymous spokesman told Phuketwan. ''They ignored the red flags.''
But why does the resort not warn all guests when they check in that the beach can be dangerous at this time of the year?
''They did not ask,'' the spokesman said. ''It is the same at all resorts in Karon.''
That was his only answer, repeated several times. In the end, he slammed down the receiver.
The online site for this resort features an attractive sea, sky and beach panorama of Karon, a visual invitation for tourists to enjoy a ''summer'' holiday, any time of the year.
Local lifeguards are frustrated, undermanned and under equipped. They believe they are doing their best to protect swimmers along Karon's four-kilometre stretch of beach, but they say it is impossible without the help of everyone who wants the reputation of Karon to be that of a safe beach.
The lifeguards say they especially need the help of all Karon resorts to make sure tourists are aware of the risks, otherwise more deaths are inevitable.
And if there are more deaths, national travel alerts could soon follow, or the local authorities might even be forced to close the entire beach on danger days.
When the six friends arrived at the resort in darkness on Monday night, looking forward to a swim in the sea as soon as possible, one of them asked at reception as they checked in: ''Which way is the beach?''
They were told where the beach was - across the road, directly opposite the hotel. But that's all they were told. No warning about potential dangers, no account of the fate of other tourists who have ignored the red flags.
Given what happened the following morning, it is difficult not to conclude that had the six friends been told then all that they needed to know, Gheorghe Paulivc might still be alive tomorrow.
The resort spokesman was wrong - some Karon resorts do the right thing. They warn their guests. And it's time his resort and all the others began protecting Phuket's visitors - and Karon's reputation.
Breaking News UPDATE A Phuket holiday turns to horror as yet another tourist hovers close to death by drowning, a victim of inadequate warnings and ''summer'' beach holiday marketing.
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Well written article, thanks.
Posted by Lee on July 21, 2010 15:06