All that remains of the
twin-engine Chok Suwanna 17 lays testament to still another major
speedboat accident in Pattaya, which this time claimed the lives of 2
Chinese tourists and injured 8 more. This, just one week after
authorities met with local tour boat operators to remind them of their
safety responsibilities.
Boonlua Chatree
Two Chinese tourists died and eight injured when their speedboat
crashed into an anchored longtail boat off Bali Hai Pier in Pattaya.
Dong Feiyue, 30, and Zhang Tao, 29, catapulted out of the twin-engine
Chok Suwanna 17 and died of broken necks about 200 meters off the pier
Aug. 28. Eight others were also pulled form the sea by marine rescuers.
Gu Yuzhang, 32, was most-seriously hurt, suffering a broken leg and hand
and other severe injuries.
Boat driver Kriangkrai Boonsri, 23, suffered a broken ankle and was
treated at Pattaya Memorial Hospital.
Kriangkrai told police he was passing the empty longtail boat used for
viewing fish and coral when his propeller snagged the glass-bottomed
boat’s anchor line. His speedboat veered wildly and slammed into the
anchored vessel.
The driver was arrested for reckless driving. Investigators are still
trying to determine if he possessed the proper license.
Two Chinese tourists were killed, 8 others
injured and the twin-engine Chok Suwanna 17 was destroyed in a deadly
August 28 crash at sea.
Tour guide Kuang Chai, 43, said his group had been staying at the Araya
Palace Hotel in Naklua and went to enjoy seafood and the beach in Koh
Larn.
Pattaya Police Superintendent Col. Suwan Cheaonawinthawat told
international media that the speedboat was traveling too fast, given the
serious impact of the crash.
Suwan said authorities also were investigating whether the anchored boat
was obstructing other vessels from traveling to shore.
Ironically, members of the Pattaya Tour Boat Operators Club were told
just days earlier, in a meeting with a Pattaya city councilman, that
parking rules at Bali Hai were being redrawn, with priority given to
two-engine craft. (See related story on page 2.)
The accident has reignited international outrage over marine safety in
Pattaya.
A Polish woman was killed by a speedboat propeller in January in Jomtien
Beach and a Thai taxi driver swimming in Najomtien had his throat cut by
a boat prop in May. In April, 20 South Korean tourists and guides were
hurt - two critically - when two speedboats collided off Koh Larn,
setting off a firestorm that spawned proposed regulations, establishment
of new offices and meetings like the one called with the boat operators
club Aug. 21
To date, none of the proposals have been completed. Instead, the
meetings - and accidents - continue.
