Phuket Yachties Swamped by Jet-Ski Hooligans Got No Help from Police
Sunday, February 22, 2015
The Clarkes on the beach at Laem Singh: they say a camera was wrecked
Photo by Phuket lifeguards
PHUKET: Two yachties from New Zealand wish they could catch up with a couple of jet-ski hooligans from France to give them a blast - and ask them to replace a water-damaged digital camera.
The stir between the dinghy-riding yachties and the jet-ski riding French tourists caused quite a fuss at Phuket's Laem Singh beach yesterday.
Laem Singh was once a beach where jet-skis were banned but it appears to have become a ''sub-set'' for Bang Tao.
Catamaran captain Trevor Clarke and his wife Jolanpa rode a dinghy in from their catamaran about 4pm yesterday, according to Surin beach lifeguard Sayan Bureerak.
''On the way in, with a digital camera on board the dinghy, Mr Clarke asked some French jet-skiers who came too close to keep their distance,'' Khun Sayan said.
''But they ignored him and splashed the dinghy repeatedly by making waves.''
When Mr Clarke reached the beach and discovered the camera was no longer working, he asked a lifeguard for help and, because of a lack of good English, the lifeguard called in Khun Sayan from neighboring Surin.
''We called the Tourist Police and they in turn contacted the local police at Cherng Talay,'' Khun Sayan said.
''Mr Clarke and his wife waited two hours, but nobody turned up.''
Khun Sayan said there were five French people in the group but the two people from the group who stayed on the beach did not acknowledge any connection to the jet-ski riders.
''It's often the case that people on Phuket are inclined to create a bit of trouble when they first arrive,'' he said.
The Clarkes were frequent visitors to Phuket, he said they told him.
phuketwan.com
Sunday, February 22, 2015
The Clarkes on the beach at Laem Singh: they say a camera was wrecked
Photo by Phuket lifeguards
PHUKET: Two yachties from New Zealand wish they could catch up with a couple of jet-ski hooligans from France to give them a blast - and ask them to replace a water-damaged digital camera.
The stir between the dinghy-riding yachties and the jet-ski riding French tourists caused quite a fuss at Phuket's Laem Singh beach yesterday.
Laem Singh was once a beach where jet-skis were banned but it appears to have become a ''sub-set'' for Bang Tao.
Catamaran captain Trevor Clarke and his wife Jolanpa rode a dinghy in from their catamaran about 4pm yesterday, according to Surin beach lifeguard Sayan Bureerak.
''On the way in, with a digital camera on board the dinghy, Mr Clarke asked some French jet-skiers who came too close to keep their distance,'' Khun Sayan said.
''But they ignored him and splashed the dinghy repeatedly by making waves.''
When Mr Clarke reached the beach and discovered the camera was no longer working, he asked a lifeguard for help and, because of a lack of good English, the lifeguard called in Khun Sayan from neighboring Surin.
''We called the Tourist Police and they in turn contacted the local police at Cherng Talay,'' Khun Sayan said.
''Mr Clarke and his wife waited two hours, but nobody turned up.''
Khun Sayan said there were five French people in the group but the two people from the group who stayed on the beach did not acknowledge any connection to the jet-ski riders.
''It's often the case that people on Phuket are inclined to create a bit of trouble when they first arrive,'' he said.
The Clarkes were frequent visitors to Phuket, he said they told him.
phuketwan.com
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