Friends and relatives are to host a memorial party to a 21-yr-old DJ from Surrey, who, they say, needlessly drowned in Thailand after authorities in the holiday island of Phuket cut down on beach safety procedures.
Last week James Patton, 21, from Beacon Hill, Hindhead, was the third tourist to drown in two days on Karon Beach on the Thai holiday island. It was the last day of his holiday.
Like the other tourists he was dragged out to sea by the undertow. Several hundred tourists watched the spectacle. His girlfriend Bethan Jones, also 21, was saved by British tourists.
One of the witnesses, Briton Sian Mulley said: ‘The police did nothing, and the life guards wouldn’t even go in, they tossed a board at my brother to use instead. My brother is in bits that he couldn’t do more and he is so angry that the lifeguards and authorities were useless.’
Patton’s family have set up a Facebook site to warn tourists of the dangers of swimming in Phuket during the rainy season.
Last week local authorities admitted that they had not as usual employed teams to warn tourists not to enter the water due to shortage of funds and volunteers.
Although the sun may shine and the sea look calm rip tides in Phuket during the rainy season are notoriously ferocious.
The memorial party will be held at the Woodcock Pub, Churt Road, Beacon Hill on July 3rd.
