It's about time that place is fenced off with a nice looking barrier to stop people from having accidents.
It seems to be a hot spot for people to die as well.
At least they can do is put up warning signs warning people of the dangers.

Posted by Tbs on October 18, 2014 22:17

Better still, why not just fence off every thing that poses a potential danger to protect us from our own bad decisions.
Such a place does exist. It's called gaol!

Posted by Manowar on October 18, 2014 22:59

"There is likely to be another round of teeth-gnashing.."

Yes, and especially back in the home countries, from the many new victim families of the high season of 2014 - 2015.

Posted by farang888 on October 18, 2014 23:16

Why thai authorities always 'order' their staff to do something, and next,...nothing happens. It is all lip service! Down Promthep Cape is a dangerous but for tourists a attractive scenic location. Why is the thai government not building down there a safe, solid fenced platform? The money for that can not be the problem, as Promthep Cape is a tourist high light seen the number of bus loads tourist coming in daily. Phuket, make your quality tourist locations more safe! Become active! Do something more than just talks. How many more serious accidents have to happen at Promthep Cape due to lack of accident prevention actions by thai authorities?

Posted by Kurt on October 19, 2014 10:18

Kurt, why not fences along every beach, each side of every road, what the heck, fence off Bangla Road, fence everything, fence around Kurt's bed so he cannot fall out and suffer further brain damage.
Make Phuket the fence capital of the world. Fence in all that natural beauty. Encourage every fencing convention to Phuket, a fence exibition paradise.
Alternatively we could just sent Kurt a truck load of cotton wool if that does not pose too much danger. If it does we could build you a fence around it.

Posted by Manowar on October 19, 2014 10:43

Why not, mr. Editor? Something has to be done to make that beauty spot safe. A nice safe place to stand there, with a railing, to enjoy the beauty and make pictures, after which the tourist unhurt ( alive) safely returns to his hotel. As it is now is causing bad publicity for thai tourisme. In Australia are many coastal areas where wooden outlook platforms and railing works are creating more safety.

Posted by Kurt on October 19, 2014 10:55

Another option is that the tour bus guide warns during the drive to the Cape about the dangers. Or make it better,...'order' de Chinese speaking tour guide to go down to that photo location to GUIDE his tourists safely! These group of 6 Chinese tourist are very lucky to be still alive!

Posted by Kurt on October 19, 2014 11:22

Kurt, you are correct, there are certain areas where viewing platforms have been built. Authorities considered this the cheaper option to installing catch nets at the bottom of cliffs and the cost of emergency services to retrieve them.
This allows those who would normally fall to breed more people who will also fall and thereby causing conflict between fencers and emergency services personnel in regards to job security.

Posted by Manowar on October 19, 2014 11:47

What is the matter with Chineses?

I have never been in China and I do not know people from there.
But the species I see here are so...
inattantive.

They heve big problems with common sense and with estimate of distances.

When I see somebody crossing the road without looking it is a Chinese.
When I see somebody on the road
shaky and unstable and very slow using the leftmost side of the street it is a Chinese.

They cannot swim and are not even able to use a snorkle.
But they do it. And die. Again and again.

Is there a explanation for this behavior?

Or am I a ignorant racist with tendency to generalization?

Posted by Georg The Viking on October 19, 2014 12:29

Erecting a fence will accomplish nothing except create an eyesore. People will climb over the fence, or go around it, and someone will eventually break it down. There are warnings on the signs in the parking lot. If people do not have common sense, and if the group tourists do not listen to the warnings given by the tour guides on the bus, more signs will accomplish nothing. The Chinese visitors are mostly urban dwellers and have limited experience with the dangers of the outdoors. They have the same mishaps when they venture into the Chinese countryside or to the Chinese coastal resort areas. It is a problem often reported in the Chinese media. The solution requires education as these are new experiences for the visitors. It's no different than North Americans who visit the Australian outback, EU or urban dwellers who decide to go hiking in the mountains and then need to be rescued. They do not appreciate the dangers because they haven't prepared themselves.

Posted by Ryan on October 19, 2014 13:00

Manomar, are you now not a bit overreacting? We talk about Promthep Cape, location proved as dangerous for not thinking tourists. Same as Phuket beaches for people who not respect the red flag warnings. For beaches there is now a thinking that resort- and hotel owners have to do more to prevent drowning. Why not do something about the cape.( bus guides!) No need to extend the fence thinking for all over Phuket. But as you talk about, by now there are many fences along the patong road sides, right? Why is that? Well Manomar, we were not talking about patong, we talk about the Cape. More can be done to keep foreign tourists safe! ( I am not Tourist, I swim, dive Phuket waters many years. I walked down several times down Promthep Cape with overseas friends, guarded them of getting to close to the waterline).

Posted by Kurt on October 19, 2014 13:06

Mr Editor, I agree with you thinking, however tourists coming to Phuket, still with jetlag, not warned about down there at the Cape danger, going down, actually now knowing it is a very dangerous spot, can have at least more guiding. For beaches, where we have red flag and beach guards who verbally warn tourist not to swim, and than drown, "we" want more. Info in aircrafts, make hotels involved in beach safety matters. Can than be at least a bus tour guide made responsible for keeping his busload tourist safe at the Cape? I miss the balance between the beach safety and the cape safety. Mr Manomar pulls this subject including Patong, which is funny, seen all the fences there erected last year.
Issue is: safety first, pictures of 6 Chinese tourist at the Cape, witnessed by a busload Chinese tourist,+ through internet, iphone, iPad, Android all over the world is not contributing positively about Phuket image. It takes just a little to improve things. Many options.

Posted by Kurt on October 19, 2014 13:23

Georg the Viking,
You are referring to people who have been brought up in a controlled and over governed society. The are used to reading signs, telling them what they can and cannot do. They never have to think for themselves, other have always done it for them.
They travel to Phuket, there is no sign telling them what to do or not where to go, it must be ok then!

Posted by Manowar on October 19, 2014 14:35

Kurt,
Fences have a tendenancy to breed. The start off on one Cape, next year they appear on another. Soon they become joined together and become a big fence, then all the large sections join with other large sections. Before long is would become the great fence of Phuket. People will come to see it, locals will take part of it home to build things with, the size becomes so great that it cannot be maintained. It falls into disrepair.
Chinese and great fences does sound familiar. I just cannot remember where.

Posted by Manowar on October 19, 2014 14:43

@Georg The Viking:

I have lived in China for almost 10 years. The country is different from rest of the world. Its people behave very differently from other nations specially in your case Scandinavians.

Best way to get some answers .. would be to pay a visit but from your writing, i assume you wont have too much ''fun'' there (China).

They have a smart government though who fence the people :)

Posted by Sam on October 19, 2014 15:04

Very true, Manowar. If Phuket can save face, No international attention regarding unsafe places,but.. (despite the tour bus guide, why he not takes care of his busload?), than things can get improved. Point is, thai not understand ..responsibility... Their efforts are always: denie-denie-denie. Earn the money from the tourist, but than swiftly hide yourself. ( not my responsibility). Schooling/training/education is needed now!

Posted by Kurt on October 19, 2014 15:45

A lot of comments and fuss over a stupid person tripping over the, obviously razorsharp, rocks... So what, stop Crying, he had a Little blood on his hand, nobody dead. As far as I know there is a warnig sign there, used to be anyhow. We don't fence off such places in europe, why should the Thais?

Posted by Swede from Malmo on October 19, 2014 17:14

Think of all the business hospitals would lose. Phuket is a lot smarter than the punter tourists.

Posted by widow on October 19, 2014 17:39

Kurt,
Glad you have raised the issue of responsibility. Are you familiar with the term" an act of God"?
In simple term is refers to a natural event, one caused without any human interference. An event caused by a freek of nature.

To be deemed responsible for an event which causes another injury or loss, a person has to have contributed to the cause of the event.

If a person walks along a natural cliff escarpment, trips and dies, nature cannot be held responsible for this accident.

On the other hand, if a local council has constructed a path along the same escarpment, with railings, netting or whatever safety measures are deemed suitable, if that same person falls and dies, local council has contributed to his death.

The reasons are simple. The council has encouraged the use of the walk path by construction of a scenic walk.
Council has constructed a safety barrier and in this case it has failed to avoid this death.
The construction of the walkway must be build to a standard, if any section is not, it may be argued as a contributing factor to the death.
Council would be required to provide signage warning of the danger. If one sign is missing or even covered by branches, council may be held responsible for not maintaining the walkway.

The same law generally apply to all similar situations. If you construct something and it fails to perform the duty required causing loss or injury, whoever constructed it has contributed to the event.
A duty of care requires you to anticipate all events that are likely to occur and construct to any situation and provide a level of safety a reasonable person would expect.
What a reasonable person would expect and the argument to identify it to suit a particular case is why a good lawyer can earn $10k per day

Posted by Manowar on October 19, 2014 18:09

I realise it's unrelated but does anyone who uses an iPad to post on PW experience problems with screens locking up since downloading version 8.0.2. Both iPads have the same issues, curser outside the box, slow typing response and often letters typed don't appear.
I never had this problem with any version 7

Posted by Manowar on October 19, 2014 18:31

@Manowar

Yes, iOS8 in general is definitely slower , especially on iPads.
And yes, it is really buggy.
With 8.0.2. it seems they improved some things by making others worse.

Although iOS8 has improved few points vs.iOS7, like quality of spellchecker as it doesn't upgrade "decision" to "security" or "some" to "sons" anymore, it brought bugs that are real pain the ass like broken clipboard as Copy/Paste between apps almost doesn't work, and few more.

On Monday there will be available major update iOS 8.1., that should presumably resolve some of 8.0. bugs, but I will notupgrade to 8.1.for a week or two until I hear are there any new bugs.

Posted by Sue on October 20, 2014 02:44

Never thought these words would exit my mouth. Thanks Sue, I thought I must have contracted a lingual disorder. Another one I mean!

Posted by Manowar on October 20, 2014 10:41

There is nothing wrong with environmentally sensitive viewing platforms. They have them all over the world at locations where there is the possibility of a tourist (from any country) falling and getting themselves into trouble of any sort. You can't legislate against stupidity but you can mitigate against it. I guess there are only so many dollars in the Phuket piggy bank and it there are so many competing priorities. Life guards, better drainage, improved electrical safety, more police etc etc. More expenditure means more tax. Try selling that at the next election.

Posted by pete59 on October 20, 2014 12:31