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The ferry that ran onto rocks to avoid sinking off Phuket last month

Phuket Ferry Storm: Aussie Tells of 'We Are All Going to Die' Experience

Saturday, June 8, 2013
PHUKET: Two Aussies have told for the first time how they are ''lucky to be alive'' after escaping a sinking Phuket ferry - just in time for an ambassadors' seminar about Phuket tourism safety.

It's almost as though Phuket officials expect tourists involved in life-endangering incidents off Phuket to go home and forget about it.

They don't. They tell all their friends. And some talk to local newspapers, spreading the nightmare of needless risk-taking by boat ''captains'' on Phuket far and wide.

The Noosa News in Australia today reports that as the ferry Puean Foong II appeared likely to sink with 120 on board off Phuket on May 28, children were screaming and people were shouting last-minute goodbyes to loved ones over their mobile telephones.

Phuket officials have since made the experience sound like a walk in the park. It was actually a needless near-catastrophe of the kind that Phuket has to prevent in future.

Sonia Fry and Rebecca Clark have told the Noosa News that as they travelled from Phi Phi back to Phuket, a ferocious storm hit with pounding three-metre waves, cracking a hole in the hull and triggering chaos and panic among the passengers.

The newspaper reports: The young male boat hands bucketed out water from the boat while the captain attempted to steer, but no-one attended to the passenger group, which included families with babies. No announcements were made over the ship's PA.

Ms Fry said: ''The life jackets were all tied on the side of the boat, but no one felt brave enough to grab them because you had to go down the side of the boat in these rough seas.

''But Bec went down the side and undid all the life jackets. She gave me mine first, and it was pulled out of my hands.

''That surprised me, I thought you only saw that sort of thing in a movie. Bec untied all the life jackets and passed them to other people.

''It was quite horrific and I have never seen panic like it. The boat was rocking and the captain would yell out 'everybody to the left' or right, otherwise the boat would tip over . . . that was constant to keep it afloat.

''People were kissing each other goodbye, there were four babies on the ship and they were all crying and screaming as they were sprayed with water . . . people were drenched and vomiting.

''One family I was trying to calm were tying life jackets to their children's jackets, but they were really distraught because they knew the babies would just slip away in the water.

''I told them I would be there to hang onto their baby.

''There was a lady on her phone screaming goodbye to her family and screaming to the police. Another woman had heart problems, so we were running around looking for aspirin.

''I just kept saying 'we're not going to sink, everyone will be okay, this is just a boat going down, someone will come and get us'.''

The captain, fortunate to be close enough to a rocky outcrop, managed to run the ferry onto rocks. Other vessels were able to take the distraught passengers on board safely.

Ms Fry says: ''We feel we are very lucky to be alive, we do feel like every day is a bonus. We appreciate every day, because we were so close to death.''

Ms Fry said she would never again go on a boat on Phuket.

There will be plenty more like her until authorities are able to declare that Phuket ferries and speedboats will never sail when seriously bad Phuket weather is forecast.

European ambassadors are meeting on Phuket on Friday and Saturday with tourism safety and security on Phuket at the top of their agenda.

Comments

Comments have been disabled for this article.

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You want to vacation in a Bhuddist culture, then you must accept that life does not hold the same value, you die and will come back is the prevailing attitude. Mai pen rai is the popular refrain.
Next time try Malaysia, just as beautiful with safety standards more in line with the West's.

Posted by EB48 on June 8, 2013 10:22

Editor Comment:

The Malaysians just won't tell you about their box jellyfish.

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Misadventure can happen anywhere in the world. This was an unfortunate event but I'm sure not premeditated by the captain and his crew. So many questions need to be first asked. For example,was the captain responsible for putting to sea in the face of bad weather reports, or was he odered to by a third party? Perhaps greed by the owners overuled common sense? Furthermore I don't know how anyone can relate the value of life here in Thailand as in the previous response with this accident? We should wait until all the facts are known. Speculation is often inflamitory. By the way I lived in Malaysia and Brunei for seven years and I can tell you some horror stories about that place. Safety anywhere in Asia is not a priority over income.

Posted by Anonymous on June 8, 2013 11:01

Editor Comment:

Nobody said it was premeditated.

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EB48 Buddhists (note correct spelling) do not believe in reincarnation you are getting confused with Hinduism, how long have you lived in Thailand. Ed why do you allow these moronic comments? I think the reason has nothing to do with religion but more to do with money and little deterrant in the form of marine Police, inspections etc. If you want safety go to Australia, US, Europe and pay around four times the price for most things. Every where you get what you pay for. If Thailand has the same rules as the West it would not be as attractive and the differences would not be so much.

Posted by Lost In Translation on June 8, 2013 11:14

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Sometimes i think Phuket's slogan overseas should be -"Deny, Deny, Deny'- that way it never happens and the rose tinted spectacles remain that way in some people's eyes.Fortunately the rest of the world has had corrective eye surgery by now.

Posted by Mister Ree on June 8, 2013 12:01

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"Not allow.."

Well, I am corrected on spelling and term. I suppose the belief in no soul would merit a different term than re... However the "Karmic Wheel" has it life does not end and that is 180 degrees from the western view of finality - on the planet, at death which tends toward a more safety minded attitude.

And yes money is god in SEAsia, so best go to a country that is rated higher than Thailand in it - that would be MY.

Posted by EB48 on June 8, 2013 12:40

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There were no 3 meter waves that day, at least not according to the diveboats and speedboats in the area and also the captain of the rescuing vessel declared that weather conditions were not the issue.
A boat like that in good condition can easily handle 3 meter waves.

Posted by stevenl on June 8, 2013 13:05

Editor Comment:

The ferry owner told Phuketwan there were five metre waves. If you are disputing what the passengers say, perhaps you have no experience with Phuket microstorms. It's possible to be one hundred metres either side and not feel a breeze. The microstorms are what makes Phuket waters especially dangerous, and why intense care is vital.

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"Ms Fry said she would never again go on a boat on Phuket."

I've been here over 10 years and never been on one. I didn't get to my ripe old age by taking chances...

Posted by Buster on June 8, 2013 13:09

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European ambassadors are meeting on Phuket on Friday and Saturday with tourism safety and security on Phuket at the top of their agenda.

Lets hope they have the b-lls to speak up this time and not pussyfoot around the issues.

Is the governor going to be there this time or find something more trivial to do?

Posted by richie on June 8, 2013 17:37

Editor Comment:

richie, perhaps it's time to tell you that the world contains non-men. They are called women. They don't have balls. This means some ambassadors don't have balls. But they and women generally often do have the capacity to change the world.

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@Lost in Translation:

How long have YOU lived in Thailand? If knew anything about Thai Buddhism, you'd know that it has incorporated many Hindu beliefs, remnants from the time before Buddhism was the state religion. After all, South-East Asia was Hindu once upon a time. Never seen Thais pray to Phra Pi Ganet (Ganesha) or Phra Issuan (Shiva)? Never heard of the Brahmins at the Thai court, decendents from Indian Brahmins (via Cambodia), who conduct religious rites at the Thai court or the Ploughing Ceremony? I could fill 100 pages with more examples.

Thais are extremely fatalitic, safety measures are seen as too much of a headache (based also on a good dose of laziness), and if you're supposed to die you'll anyway - so they think. Unfortunately, they also extend the fatalism and irresponsibility to their guests/tourists. Tourists should be aware that their lives count for nothing in the land of (meaningless) smiles.

Posted by Swami K. on June 9, 2013 09:43

Editor Comment:

Total generalised nonsense, Swami K. There are people who care, and people who don't. To pretend nobody cares is a sign of your basic ignorance about Thais and Thailand. Sweeping generalisations are for bigots.

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Ed, you and I both know what Richie meant by the term "balls" yet you still had to add your childish comment. The gist of his comment is understandable, I think we ALL hope the ambassadors have the "balls" to say what needs to be said, as per the Chinese Ambassador.

Posted by Phuket_IOC on June 9, 2013 12:25

Editor Comment:

It's a blatantly sexist term, Phuket_IOC. Perhaps you and richie just can't express yourselves properly without using outdated and juvenile phrases, although it's difficult to see why richie needs you to defend the indefensible. Time you caught up with the 21st century, don't you think?

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You are correct in that it can be seen, by those who are very sensitive, as sexist, but this still does not justify your childish comment, it is an idiom used by BOTH male AND female, whether you like it or not. As for catching up with the 21st century, I might point out that your attack on those that use mafia and cartel would certainly make you a hypocrite. I did not make my comment to defend anyone, but simply to point out, to you, that the term is correct and did not require your comment. As for sexist, I do hope you never call anyone Miss, Ms Mrs or Mr etc.

Posted by Phuket_IOC on June 9, 2013 18:02

Editor Comment:

It's clear again that you haven't got a clue what you're talking about, Phuket_IOC. And only you would persist without a clue. Bollocks to you. (By the way, that's the non-sexist use of the word.)


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