Indian parasailer becomes 4th foreign tourist killed by Pattaya speedboats in 2013
Boonlua Chatree
Another foreign tourist has been killed by a speedboat in
Pattaya, this time an Indian woman cut to pieces by the speedboat
pulling her parasail.
The savaged body of Shilpi Agarwal, 36, was brought to shore Oct. 2 by
25-year-old Saichon Jaijit, the driver of the single-engine
“Angkhana-Mr. Chang,” who entangled his propeller in the victim’s
parachute cords and pulled Agarwal to her death.
The driver told police the Indian had been parasailing with 16 others
when she splashed down after the wind changed. Saichon told police he
feared she might drown, so he threw the boat into reverse, only to have
the cords wrap around the propeller and pull her into the spinning
blades.
Police charged Saichon with reckless driving resulting in death and that
public officials would discuss compensation with the victim’s family.
Agarwal became the fourth foreign tourist killed this year in speedboat
accidents, which also have maimed three others and injured dozens more.
On Aug. 28, two Chinese tourists died and eight were injured when their
speedboat crashed into an anchored longtail boat off Bali Hai Pier. The
boat driver, now arrested, steered his twin-engine craft too close to
the empty glass-bottom boat, snagging its anchor line, causing it to
smash into the longtail and eject half the passengers.
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. And in April, 18 South Korean tourists and two
guides were hurt in a speedboat collision off Koh Larn. One victim had
to have part of his leg amputated.
Since April, local officials have held numerous press conferences to
announce new marine-protection centers and regulations, but little has
come of it. Nine days before the latest accident Thailand’s deputy
transport minister declared the Pattaya and Chonburi coast as “safety
zone” to prod local officials to better execute their responsibilities
to keep tourists safe.
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