Thailand's PTTEP Australasia yesterday failed in its third bid to plug a leaking rig that has spilled thousands of barrels of crude into seas off Australia,alarming environmentalists.
PTT's exploration and production arm said it had missed its target for a relief well around 2.6km below the seabed for the third time this month and would try again in the coming days.
"The closer we get to the target with each pass the more certain we become of its location," PTTEP Australasia director Jose Martins said.
The leaking wellhead, about 25cm wide, has been gushing off Australia's northwest since Aug 21 with estimates putting discharge at 400 barrels a day.
"Setting up for each pass sequence takes between three and four days,"PTTEP said."Implementing the pass sequence must then be undertaken during daylight hours for safety reasons.
"Once the leaking well is successfully intercepted, heavy mud will be pumped down into the relief well, displacing the oil, gas and water and stopping the flow."
The spill is reportedly Australia's worst since offshore drilling began more than 40 years ago, and ecologists fear the toxic cocktail of oil and dispersant chemicals could threaten marine and coastal species. Australia's's Environment Minister Peter Garrett this week said PTTEP had agreed to pay for environmental monitoring of the area for at least two years. The Safety Authority said the closest oil patches were 160km from the Western Australian coast and about 190km from the Indonesian coast.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Family electrocuted on rooftop
Police in Florida say a mother, father and 15-year-old son died after being electrocuted while putting up a ham radio antenna at their Palm Bay home.
Authorities say the three were found on the ground not breathing.
The family was attempting to raise the antenna when they lost control of the pole and it hit an overhead power line. The impact sent 13,000 volts of electricity through the pole the three were holding.
Authorities say the three were found on the ground not breathing.
The family was attempting to raise the antenna when they lost control of the pole and it hit an overhead power line. The impact sent 13,000 volts of electricity through the pole the three were holding.
Monday, October 12, 2009
WHO'S TO TAKE BLAME FOR TRAIN ACCIDENT?
The transport minister and SRT governor |share moral responsibility The recent derailment of the Trang-Bangkok train in Prachuap Khiri Khan's Khao Tao station (about 20km south of Hua Hin), which left eight people dead and more than 80 injured, is yet another case, among the many, of the poor service standards of the State Railway of Thailand (SRT).
At this stage, all fingers point to the driver Roengsak Panthep. He allegedly jumped the signal and dozed off minutes before the accident.
It is believed the driver had been unwell and taken some medicine before the train went off the rails. Transport Minister Sophon Saram has promised to reveal the result of the investigation by his committee tomorrow.
Eagerly awaiting the result of the probe, the public cannot help but wonder, why is it that we still haven't heard of any offer to resign by either the transport minister or SRT governor Yuthana Thapcharoen?
There was sufficient reason for both to have taken moral responsibility earlier for what was one of the most serious accidents in the history of the SRT.
Clearly both of them have not read recent news reports about some of the good examples set elsewhere by railway chiefs and transport ministers, who resigned to take responsibility for a major railway accident. They did it of their own will, too.
In July, Croatia's Sea, Tourism, Transport and Development Minister Bozidar Kalmeta resigned after a train accident killed six and injured at least 50. That same month, the managing director of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) promptly resigned from his post to take moral responsibility after the collapse of an under-construction bridge that killed five people in the Indian capital.
So far the minister and the governor have only expressed their sorrow and regret for what happened. If the results of the investigation point to human error, the top-ranking officials should still resign from their posts as it is clear that they failed to ensure the safety of hundreds of lives who travelled on that doomed train.
The SRT's ageing fleet has been legendary.
Most of its 256 locomotives are very old, ranging in age from 13 to 45 years. Given the current demand for railway travel, the SRT would ideally need at least 155 locomotives per day in service. In reality, it is already struggling with 137.
Meanwhile, its first class air-con passenger carriages are on average 12 years old, the second-class AC cars, 23-34 years old, and the third-class cars, 27-94 years old. In fact, some of the trains will be a hundred years old very soon.
As for the railroads, only 24 per cent of the network is in a very good condition, 38.6 are deemed in good condition and 28.5 per cent are usable.
What's more, there are 2,449 railway crossings around the country, and 1,009 of which still do not have safety barriers.
Whether or not the SRT is understaffed or overloaded with incompetent staff is debatable. The SRT has 2,200 drivers who handle 200 trains and 2,000 engineers. As it turns out, the SRT's labour union has complained that the present workforce is not sufficient. It is estimated that the SRT needs 300 more drivers and 500 additional engineers.
As a result, most drivers have to subject themselves to double shifts. Worse, the SRT has been forced by a Cabinet resolution on July 28, 1998 to replace only 5 per cent of staff who retire or resign.
There is an endless stream of complaints from train travellers. Toilets on the second-class AC and third-class carriages are dirty and stinking.
Ageing locomotives can still be seen belching black plumes of smoke. Trains hardly run on time during rush hours.
All this adds up to some shocking statistics.
Last year, there were 143 cases of derailment, resulting in five people dead and 17 injured, compared to 111 cases, 71 injured and six dead a year earlier. There is every chance of a similar accident happening again.
All the SRT needs is a complete overhaul. Incompetent staff, no matter who they are, should not be kept on, and old fleet should be replaced with new ones. Above all, concerned parties should consider taking moral responsibility for things gone wrong in their organisation. As it turns out, it's the low-ranking officers who are fired. It's time for a top-down reform at the SRT.
At this stage, all fingers point to the driver Roengsak Panthep. He allegedly jumped the signal and dozed off minutes before the accident.
It is believed the driver had been unwell and taken some medicine before the train went off the rails. Transport Minister Sophon Saram has promised to reveal the result of the investigation by his committee tomorrow.
Eagerly awaiting the result of the probe, the public cannot help but wonder, why is it that we still haven't heard of any offer to resign by either the transport minister or SRT governor Yuthana Thapcharoen?
There was sufficient reason for both to have taken moral responsibility earlier for what was one of the most serious accidents in the history of the SRT.
Clearly both of them have not read recent news reports about some of the good examples set elsewhere by railway chiefs and transport ministers, who resigned to take responsibility for a major railway accident. They did it of their own will, too.
In July, Croatia's Sea, Tourism, Transport and Development Minister Bozidar Kalmeta resigned after a train accident killed six and injured at least 50. That same month, the managing director of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) promptly resigned from his post to take moral responsibility after the collapse of an under-construction bridge that killed five people in the Indian capital.
So far the minister and the governor have only expressed their sorrow and regret for what happened. If the results of the investigation point to human error, the top-ranking officials should still resign from their posts as it is clear that they failed to ensure the safety of hundreds of lives who travelled on that doomed train.
The SRT's ageing fleet has been legendary.
Most of its 256 locomotives are very old, ranging in age from 13 to 45 years. Given the current demand for railway travel, the SRT would ideally need at least 155 locomotives per day in service. In reality, it is already struggling with 137.
Meanwhile, its first class air-con passenger carriages are on average 12 years old, the second-class AC cars, 23-34 years old, and the third-class cars, 27-94 years old. In fact, some of the trains will be a hundred years old very soon.
As for the railroads, only 24 per cent of the network is in a very good condition, 38.6 are deemed in good condition and 28.5 per cent are usable.
What's more, there are 2,449 railway crossings around the country, and 1,009 of which still do not have safety barriers.
Whether or not the SRT is understaffed or overloaded with incompetent staff is debatable. The SRT has 2,200 drivers who handle 200 trains and 2,000 engineers. As it turns out, the SRT's labour union has complained that the present workforce is not sufficient. It is estimated that the SRT needs 300 more drivers and 500 additional engineers.
As a result, most drivers have to subject themselves to double shifts. Worse, the SRT has been forced by a Cabinet resolution on July 28, 1998 to replace only 5 per cent of staff who retire or resign.
There is an endless stream of complaints from train travellers. Toilets on the second-class AC and third-class carriages are dirty and stinking.
Ageing locomotives can still be seen belching black plumes of smoke. Trains hardly run on time during rush hours.
All this adds up to some shocking statistics.
Last year, there were 143 cases of derailment, resulting in five people dead and 17 injured, compared to 111 cases, 71 injured and six dead a year earlier. There is every chance of a similar accident happening again.
All the SRT needs is a complete overhaul. Incompetent staff, no matter who they are, should not be kept on, and old fleet should be replaced with new ones. Above all, concerned parties should consider taking moral responsibility for things gone wrong in their organisation. As it turns out, it's the low-ranking officers who are fired. It's time for a top-down reform at the SRT.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
PEACEKEEPERS DIE IN HAITI AIR CRASH
Eleven UN peacekeepers died on Friday when their surveillance plane crashed into a mountainside in Haiti during a routine patrol,UN officials said.
A UN rescue team confirmed there were no survivors among the 11 crew and military personnel on the plane, a Casa 212, when it went down near the town of Fonds-Verrettes, close to the border with the Dominican Republic.
The dead were Uruguayans and Jordanians, UN spokeswoman Vannina Maestracci said.
The cause of the crash was unknown."The United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti announces with sadness that a Minustah plane, carrying 11 passengers, including the crew, crashed southeast of the commune of Ganthier,"the United Nations said in a statement.
"The Casa 212 aircraft was making a reconnaissance flight at the time of the accident before hitting a mountainside."
The UN peacekeeping force has been in Haiti since 2004. It consists of about 9,000 troops and police.
Local officials said the plane went down in a remote area near the village of Pays-Pourri in the district of Ganthier,east of the capital, Port-au-Prince.
"It happened shortly before noon. I saw several UN helicopters flying towards the area," Ralph Lapointe, the mayor of Ganthier, said.
A UN rescue team confirmed there were no survivors among the 11 crew and military personnel on the plane, a Casa 212, when it went down near the town of Fonds-Verrettes, close to the border with the Dominican Republic.
The dead were Uruguayans and Jordanians, UN spokeswoman Vannina Maestracci said.
The cause of the crash was unknown."The United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti announces with sadness that a Minustah plane, carrying 11 passengers, including the crew, crashed southeast of the commune of Ganthier,"the United Nations said in a statement.
"The Casa 212 aircraft was making a reconnaissance flight at the time of the accident before hitting a mountainside."
The UN peacekeeping force has been in Haiti since 2004. It consists of about 9,000 troops and police.
Local officials said the plane went down in a remote area near the village of Pays-Pourri in the district of Ganthier,east of the capital, Port-au-Prince.
"It happened shortly before noon. I saw several UN helicopters flying towards the area," Ralph Lapointe, the mayor of Ganthier, said.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Makeover a must for SRT
The State Railway of Thailand has restored some lost confidence in the train service by reaffirming a decision on Wednesday to hire a German concern to run its newly-completed rail link to Suvarnabhumi Airport.
The SRT's long-suffering image of a state enterprise monolith saddled with poor service and low safety standards, has taken another beating with the latest train accident in Prachuap Khiri Khan province.
Wednesday's decision, which runs against the railway union's rigid stance against privatisation, shows the SRT management has finally realised a truth long since revealed to others: that its massive workforce notwithstanding, the state enterprise giant's capability to run a reliable and safe train service is questionable.
For a large number of rail employees, handing the operation of the airport link over to a private firm does not only represent a blow to the SRT's pride, but is also a threat to their job security. The railway's union members went on strike four months ago when the government revealed plans to restructure the state enterprise. The workers saw the plan as a direct threat to their jobs and welfare. The reason why rail unionists have not stirred up any trouble so far this time is probably because they have been assured that the service transfer would only be temporary, and because some union workers may still be busy clearing up the mess caused by the spate of train accidents these past two weeks.
Monday's train derailment in Prachuap Khiri Khan which killed seven and injured 88 others was actually the fifth train accident to occur in two weeks. Just a day before that tragic accident, a freight train loaded with cement derailed in Ayutthaya. That accident was preceded by three other minor derailments - two on the "Death Railway" in Kanchanaburi province and the other on Chua Phloeng Road in Bangkok's Klong Toey area.
As one of Asia's oldest railways, the SRT has lagged behind many others in the region. Much of the malaise contributing to its downfall can be traced to every government's lack of political will in modernising the organisation and the frequent interference in its affairs by corrupt politicians. Military generals and politicians are appointed to sit on the SRT's board as a post-retirement reward - at the agency's expense.
The SRT's generous welfare and employment protection for its staff are also to blame. The progeny of railway employees are granted automatic "inherited rights" to employment. Staff are entitled to a monthly pension payment for life, in addition to a lump sum reward upon retirement.
The result is a state enterprise which is operating with an annual loss of eight billion baht a year and accumulated debts of more than 70 billion baht.
As a business enterprise, the SRT is a failure; as a state enterprise provider of public transport, its safety record and service efficiency have been found wanting. The only reason justifying its existence up till now is that it provides a cheap travelling option for the poor.
Instead of trying to defy a necessary makeover, SRT's executives and their 13,000-strong work force must realise this sad state of affairs cannot be allowed to persist.
The proposal four months ago by the government to restructure the state enterprise - by separating the agency's vast land tracts from the loss-ridden train service for commercial development - needs to be taken up. The unionists seriously must start discussing the plan with the management and stop seeing any change as a threat to their job security and welfare.
The SRT's long-suffering image of a state enterprise monolith saddled with poor service and low safety standards, has taken another beating with the latest train accident in Prachuap Khiri Khan province.
Wednesday's decision, which runs against the railway union's rigid stance against privatisation, shows the SRT management has finally realised a truth long since revealed to others: that its massive workforce notwithstanding, the state enterprise giant's capability to run a reliable and safe train service is questionable.
For a large number of rail employees, handing the operation of the airport link over to a private firm does not only represent a blow to the SRT's pride, but is also a threat to their job security. The railway's union members went on strike four months ago when the government revealed plans to restructure the state enterprise. The workers saw the plan as a direct threat to their jobs and welfare. The reason why rail unionists have not stirred up any trouble so far this time is probably because they have been assured that the service transfer would only be temporary, and because some union workers may still be busy clearing up the mess caused by the spate of train accidents these past two weeks.
Monday's train derailment in Prachuap Khiri Khan which killed seven and injured 88 others was actually the fifth train accident to occur in two weeks. Just a day before that tragic accident, a freight train loaded with cement derailed in Ayutthaya. That accident was preceded by three other minor derailments - two on the "Death Railway" in Kanchanaburi province and the other on Chua Phloeng Road in Bangkok's Klong Toey area.
As one of Asia's oldest railways, the SRT has lagged behind many others in the region. Much of the malaise contributing to its downfall can be traced to every government's lack of political will in modernising the organisation and the frequent interference in its affairs by corrupt politicians. Military generals and politicians are appointed to sit on the SRT's board as a post-retirement reward - at the agency's expense.
The SRT's generous welfare and employment protection for its staff are also to blame. The progeny of railway employees are granted automatic "inherited rights" to employment. Staff are entitled to a monthly pension payment for life, in addition to a lump sum reward upon retirement.
The result is a state enterprise which is operating with an annual loss of eight billion baht a year and accumulated debts of more than 70 billion baht.
As a business enterprise, the SRT is a failure; as a state enterprise provider of public transport, its safety record and service efficiency have been found wanting. The only reason justifying its existence up till now is that it provides a cheap travelling option for the poor.
Instead of trying to defy a necessary makeover, SRT's executives and their 13,000-strong work force must realise this sad state of affairs cannot be allowed to persist.
The proposal four months ago by the government to restructure the state enterprise - by separating the agency's vast land tracts from the loss-ridden train service for commercial development - needs to be taken up. The unionists seriously must start discussing the plan with the management and stop seeing any change as a threat to their job security and welfare.
Monday, October 5, 2009
8 killed as train derails
Driver carelessness is suspected as a possible cause of a train derailment at Khao Tao station in Prachuap Khiri Khan which has left eight people dead and another 88 injured.
The Bangkok-bound express train from Trang derailed at Khao Tao station in Hua Hin district at 4.47am yesterday.
It left Trang at 5.20pm on Sunday and was supposed to arrive in Bangkok at 8.25am.
Twelve of 14 carriages on the train left the track, with six of them overturning and one slamming into the ground. Four carriages were badly damaged with the first railway staff car being the worst hit.
The State Railway of Thailand has estimated the damage from one of the deadliest accidents in Thai railway history to be at least 100 million baht.
The train was driven by Roengsak Panthep with Uthai Raksakhet the engineer. Mr Roengsak fled the scene.
Normally, a train has one driver and an assistant who is an engineer.
The SRT said Mr Roengsak failed to slow the train when approaching Khao Tao station to switch over to a second track as the main track was occupied by a southbound freight train.
The northbound train was travelling at 105km/h, too fast to get on to the other track, and that caused the derailment, said PM's Office Minister Sathit Wongnongtoey, who paid a visit to the scene.
SRT governor Yuthana Thapcharoen,who also rushed to the scene, believed human error was the most likely cause because the driver had ignored an alert from Khao Tao station staff about the parked freight train.
But the SRT governor also did not rule out two other possibilities: poor weather conditions caused by heavy rain and the train's old equipment.
Transport Minister Sohpon Zarum promised to shed light on the cause of the accident in five days.
A high-ranking SRT source suspected the driver might have dozed off before the accident.
The source said Mr Roengsak jumped the light at Wang Phong station, which is eight kilometres south of Khao Tao.
Mr Sathit said Mr Roengsak did not answer a radio call from Wang Phong to alert him of the other train parked on the main track at Khao Tao after seeing his train go through the signal light at Wang Phong.
SRT union leader Sawit Kaeowan said Mr Roengsak might not have been well rested before taking over control of the train at Chumphon station from another driver who was at the controls from Trang.
The labour union blamed shortages for staff being overworked. The SRT has been forced by a cabinet resolution issued on July 28,1998 to replace only 5% of staff who retire or resign.
The SRT has 2,200 drivers who handle 200 trains and 2,000 engineers."The present workforce is not sufficient,"Mr Sawit said.
He said the SRT needed 300 more drivers and 500 additional engineers.
Most drivers end up working double shifts, the union leader said.
More than 100 local rescue workers and soldiers, as well as rescue workers from Bangkok and nearby provinces,were deployed yesterday at the scene to help the victims amid heavy rain.
Rescue workers found six dead women and achild, Kanoklak Thaboonruang, 2. The dead women were identified as Orapin Jaijit, 42,Narueman Nayasunthornkul,50, Wimol Somjing,43, her sister Kalayakorn Somjing, 41, Bowonrat Thivavej, 25, and Sanruethai Nim from Bangkok. The bodies were transported to Hua Hin Hospital.
The eighth victim found later yesterday has yet to be identified, Mr Sathit said.
Six of the injured were foreigners.Most injured had their wounds treated and were discharged from hospital. Twenty-two were admitted to Pran Buri, San Paulo Hua Hin and Hua Hin hospitals.
Cranes were used to move damaged carriages and rescue workers collected passengers' belongings and sent them to Hua Hin and Khao Tao railway stations.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva also visited the scene.
He said the southern line service could reopen today after all safety measures had been checked.
The accident caused the cancellation of 28 other passenger trains and five freight trains yesterday.
Terror as safety goes off the rails
To the survivors of yesterday's train crash in Prachuap Khiri Khan and the relatives of the victims,travel by rail was always regarded as the safest form of transport.Many of them now think otherwise.
Rawicha Seesuk,24, from Trang,boarded the express train on Sunday and took her place in the third car. She said she fell asleep but was roughly woken when the carriage pitched and rolled and the lights went out. In the few seconds that followed, she heard the deafening roar of carriages smashing apart and swiftly ducked down to protect herself.
As the train slammed violently to a stop, she closed her ears to the cries of pain and crawled out of the carriage to safety.
Miss Rawicha always travels by train. But as she relives yesterday's nightmare, Miss Rawicha said she would never board another train.
Suthatip Nualsuma,26, who is seven months pregnant, said she was returning to her hometown in Photharam district of Ratchaburi. As the accident unfolded with terrifying speed, her husband shielded her for protection.
She sustained a wound to her right arm, but doctors confirmed her unborn baby was safe.
OFF THE TRACKS
Khao Tao railway station, where the accident took place, is about 20km south of the resort town of Hua Hin in Prachuap Khiri Khan.
In the past
Aug 21, 1979: Taling Chan station, Bangkok. The crowded Ratchaburi-Thon Buri train collided with the Bang Sue-Padang Besar train. Fifty-four passengers were killed and more than 50 injured.
Nov 8, 1986: Hua Lamphong terminus An unmanned locomotive ran from the maintenance deport for 15km at a speed of 50km/h before mourting the platform at Hua Lamphong. Five
May 23, 1989: Lampang
A Chiang Mai-Bangkok train derailed and toppled down a cliff in Maei Moh district, killing eight people and injuring 32. The train was speeding.
Jan 14, 2007: Nong Kae, Prachuap Khiri Khan Two trains colled in Hua Hin district Three were Killed and 109 injured.
The Bangkok-bound express train from Trang derailed at Khao Tao station in Hua Hin district at 4.47am yesterday.
It left Trang at 5.20pm on Sunday and was supposed to arrive in Bangkok at 8.25am.
Twelve of 14 carriages on the train left the track, with six of them overturning and one slamming into the ground. Four carriages were badly damaged with the first railway staff car being the worst hit.
The State Railway of Thailand has estimated the damage from one of the deadliest accidents in Thai railway history to be at least 100 million baht.
The train was driven by Roengsak Panthep with Uthai Raksakhet the engineer. Mr Roengsak fled the scene.
Normally, a train has one driver and an assistant who is an engineer.
The SRT said Mr Roengsak failed to slow the train when approaching Khao Tao station to switch over to a second track as the main track was occupied by a southbound freight train.
The northbound train was travelling at 105km/h, too fast to get on to the other track, and that caused the derailment, said PM's Office Minister Sathit Wongnongtoey, who paid a visit to the scene.
SRT governor Yuthana Thapcharoen,who also rushed to the scene, believed human error was the most likely cause because the driver had ignored an alert from Khao Tao station staff about the parked freight train.
But the SRT governor also did not rule out two other possibilities: poor weather conditions caused by heavy rain and the train's old equipment.
Transport Minister Sohpon Zarum promised to shed light on the cause of the accident in five days.
A high-ranking SRT source suspected the driver might have dozed off before the accident.
The source said Mr Roengsak jumped the light at Wang Phong station, which is eight kilometres south of Khao Tao.
Mr Sathit said Mr Roengsak did not answer a radio call from Wang Phong to alert him of the other train parked on the main track at Khao Tao after seeing his train go through the signal light at Wang Phong.
SRT union leader Sawit Kaeowan said Mr Roengsak might not have been well rested before taking over control of the train at Chumphon station from another driver who was at the controls from Trang.
The labour union blamed shortages for staff being overworked. The SRT has been forced by a cabinet resolution issued on July 28,1998 to replace only 5% of staff who retire or resign.
The SRT has 2,200 drivers who handle 200 trains and 2,000 engineers."The present workforce is not sufficient,"Mr Sawit said.
He said the SRT needed 300 more drivers and 500 additional engineers.
Most drivers end up working double shifts, the union leader said.
More than 100 local rescue workers and soldiers, as well as rescue workers from Bangkok and nearby provinces,were deployed yesterday at the scene to help the victims amid heavy rain.
Rescue workers found six dead women and achild, Kanoklak Thaboonruang, 2. The dead women were identified as Orapin Jaijit, 42,Narueman Nayasunthornkul,50, Wimol Somjing,43, her sister Kalayakorn Somjing, 41, Bowonrat Thivavej, 25, and Sanruethai Nim from Bangkok. The bodies were transported to Hua Hin Hospital.
The eighth victim found later yesterday has yet to be identified, Mr Sathit said.
Six of the injured were foreigners.Most injured had their wounds treated and were discharged from hospital. Twenty-two were admitted to Pran Buri, San Paulo Hua Hin and Hua Hin hospitals.
Cranes were used to move damaged carriages and rescue workers collected passengers' belongings and sent them to Hua Hin and Khao Tao railway stations.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva also visited the scene.
He said the southern line service could reopen today after all safety measures had been checked.
The accident caused the cancellation of 28 other passenger trains and five freight trains yesterday.
Terror as safety goes off the rails
To the survivors of yesterday's train crash in Prachuap Khiri Khan and the relatives of the victims,travel by rail was always regarded as the safest form of transport.Many of them now think otherwise.
Rawicha Seesuk,24, from Trang,boarded the express train on Sunday and took her place in the third car. She said she fell asleep but was roughly woken when the carriage pitched and rolled and the lights went out. In the few seconds that followed, she heard the deafening roar of carriages smashing apart and swiftly ducked down to protect herself.
As the train slammed violently to a stop, she closed her ears to the cries of pain and crawled out of the carriage to safety.
Miss Rawicha always travels by train. But as she relives yesterday's nightmare, Miss Rawicha said she would never board another train.
Suthatip Nualsuma,26, who is seven months pregnant, said she was returning to her hometown in Photharam district of Ratchaburi. As the accident unfolded with terrifying speed, her husband shielded her for protection.
She sustained a wound to her right arm, but doctors confirmed her unborn baby was safe.
OFF THE TRACKS
Khao Tao railway station, where the accident took place, is about 20km south of the resort town of Hua Hin in Prachuap Khiri Khan.
In the past
Aug 21, 1979: Taling Chan station, Bangkok. The crowded Ratchaburi-Thon Buri train collided with the Bang Sue-Padang Besar train. Fifty-four passengers were killed and more than 50 injured.
Nov 8, 1986: Hua Lamphong terminus An unmanned locomotive ran from the maintenance deport for 15km at a speed of 50km/h before mourting the platform at Hua Lamphong. Five
May 23, 1989: Lampang
A Chiang Mai-Bangkok train derailed and toppled down a cliff in Maei Moh district, killing eight people and injuring 32. The train was speeding.
Jan 14, 2007: Nong Kae, Prachuap Khiri Khan Two trains colled in Hua Hin district Three were Killed and 109 injured.
Missing copter's wreckage finally found after 12 years
An army Hor Tor 206 helicopter which went missing 12 years ago has been found in jungle on the ThaiBurmese border in Umphang district.
The bodies of the pilot, Lt Adisak Pongpes, and three crew, Lt Charnvet Kiddee, SM 1 Anek Panchang and Sgt Jessada Thammasorn, have not been found.
A search team from the 4th Infantry Regiment in neighbouring Mae Sot district called an early halt to their recovery operation amid heavy rain after some team members developed a fever.
Phadung Yingphaiboon, commander of the regiment, said the team would go back when the weather improved.
The discovery has put to rest the long-held theory that the helicopter,flying on a patrol mission on Aug 28,1997, had been shot down by the Burmese military, Col Phadung said.Burma asked Thailand to mount the search, because it did not want the shadow of the old claims hanging over it.
Col Phadung said the search team found the helicopter had broken into two. The aircraft must have hit a large tree about 20 metres from where it was found, lost its balance, spun around,and then crashed into another large tree before falling to the ground, he said.
No burn marks were found on the wreckage, he said.
The bodies of the pilot, Lt Adisak Pongpes, and three crew, Lt Charnvet Kiddee, SM 1 Anek Panchang and Sgt Jessada Thammasorn, have not been found.
A search team from the 4th Infantry Regiment in neighbouring Mae Sot district called an early halt to their recovery operation amid heavy rain after some team members developed a fever.
Phadung Yingphaiboon, commander of the regiment, said the team would go back when the weather improved.
The discovery has put to rest the long-held theory that the helicopter,flying on a patrol mission on Aug 28,1997, had been shot down by the Burmese military, Col Phadung said.Burma asked Thailand to mount the search, because it did not want the shadow of the old claims hanging over it.
Col Phadung said the search team found the helicopter had broken into two. The aircraft must have hit a large tree about 20 metres from where it was found, lost its balance, spun around,and then crashed into another large tree before falling to the ground, he said.
No burn marks were found on the wreckage, he said.
Reality TV stunt proves deadly
Investigators are trying to discover how a Pakistani 'challenge-elimination'show on locationin Thailand took such a tragic turn By Erika Fry
The last few minutes of Saad Khan's life played out like a nightmare, or maybe an absurdly-plotted episode of Crime Scene Investigation . The 32-year-old Pakistani banker and father of four died on Aug 19 while trying to swim across a murky,10-metre pond that had been marked by a "No swimming" sign in the grounds of Bangkok's idyllic Rot Fai Park.
Moments before he had been carrying a 7-kilogramme backpack and run through lines of fire. He was surrounded by a set of at least three cameramen, more than 30 cast and crew members and a crowd taking their exercise in the early evening.
Tragically, the cameras only stopped rolling when Khan was dragged from the pond. This was reality TV, and he had drowned.
It took spectators a few minutes to grasp the reality of events - a police investigator estimates it was several minutes before anyone jumped into the pond to try to save Khan, or even noticed he had disappeared below the surface.
There were three other competitors performing the challenge at the same time - a four-phase stunt that involved running between lines of fire, swimming across a pond,climbing a ladder into a tree, and manoeuvering through trees on ropes - and the investigator suspects that it became clear that one participant was missing only after the other three successfully emerged on the bank.
A person who was on the set working with the production team and who requested anonymity estimated that Khan had been underwater for 30 seconds before anyone jumped in."Everything just happened very quickly,"he said, adding that most of the crew was at a distance from the pond. If Khan yelled for help or was visibly struggling, it was not easy to notice.
Despite the efforts of a handful of people and the swift arrival of a rescue service with diving equipment, it took 30 minutes to recover the body, said the investigator.
As required by law in all cases of abnormal death, police are now investigating. The Bang Sue police station investigator who worked on the case expects the office to issue a report on the cause of death in the next few weeks,although he acknowledges there were challenges with the investigation due to the lack of co-operation from the foreign film crew.
The police were not permitted to interview the foreign crew or the Pakistani contestants.Instead they interviewed witnesses from the local film coordinating agency and met with a lawyer and a representative of the foreign crew.
"The contestant, the crew, the tapes," said the officer, are all "gone with the wind".
THE ADVENTURE
Several days before Khan came to Thailand,he told a friend and former colleague, Farrukh Ahmed, that he was going on an "adventure trip" and promised to return with a surprise.
The adventure was to participate in a Pakistani reality game show that was being filmed in Thailand.
The show, which channelled Amazing Race ,Survivor , and maybe a little America's Next Top Model , did not stray far from the typical elimination-challenge formula.
People who worked on the production said contestants lived together in a house on the outskirts of Bangkok, and prior to the incident at Suan Rot Fai, their number had been whittled down in nine episodes of game show stunts which ranged from ATV racing in Saraburi to going on a Bangkok shopping spree.
Khan had been eliminated in the fourth episode of the show - according to one account for failing to throw a ball in a basket while walking on a block of ice - but he had been invited to participate in the challenge at Rot Fai Park to win a place in the next and final episode, a jungle survival game. In the time between shows, he had been secreted away in a Bangkok hotel.
More unusual was the impetus for the show's creation.
The show, which had a working title of Clear Man and has since been cancelled, was sponsored by Unilever and intended as a marketing platform for the company's Clear brand shampoo.
Unilever Pakistan's spokesperson, Fareshteh Aslam, explained:"The concept was to identify a challenger who would stand for all the values of a typical Clear Man ."The reality show was a "third party production".
Mindshare Pakistan, the media agency which handled the production and the brand activation,"outsourced various responsibilities to SeeMe Productions, Pakistan, Working Heads, India and Benetone, Thailand for logistics and production," said Ms Aslam.
Though she denied Unilever's responsibility for the incident, Ms Aslam said the company has been in close touch with Khan's family since and is working to provide compensation for them.
She also said that Unilever had initiated an internal review of third-party processes to minimise the risk of such tragedies in the future.
So how did Saad Khan come to be in Thailand? And how did a man die under the gaze of cameras and a sizeable crowd of spectators?
Thailand is a regional hub for film production. While the industry has been weakened somewhat in recent years by the unstable political climate - Nicholas Cage famously fled with his family to Korea during production of Bangkok Dangerous when the September 2006 coup happened - Thailand is considered a desirable place to produce films because of the value, the variety of locales and the capable and affordable production crews.
The Thailand Film Office (TFO), under the Office of TourismDevelopment, has also done much to promote and facilitate foreign filmmaking in Thailand. The TFO monitors foreign productions fairly closely.
The organisation's website states that foreign filmmakers are required to hire a local coordinator who is officially registered with the TFO.
Local coordinators represent the filmmaker in obtaining necessary permits and "any matter arising both during and after the completion of shooting in Thailand".
In applying for a shooting permit, the local coordinator must submit a thorough account of the production which includes, among many other materials, translated-into-Thai copies of intentions, proposed sets, schedules,budgets, scripts and crew member lists. Plans can be amended, but changes must be cleared by the TFO.
Despite the volume of materials that must be submitted, the TFO approves things fairly quickly - a matter of days for advertisements,several weeks for feature productions. They screen most carefully for content that would dishonour the monarchy or the nation, or might threaten national security.
Beyond the vetting of productions, the TFO requires that a monitoring officer, at a price of 2,000 baht per day, be present during all filming. As explained on the TFO website:"Filming is not allowed, under any circumstances, without acknowledgement of the monitoring officer."
The TFO also mandates that local coordinators obtain any additional permits for shooting, such as those needed to film in parks or at historic sites. An agreement to honour these rules is signed by the local coordinator and the foreign producer.
The local coordinator for the Clear Man reality show was Benetone Films, a full-service production house with offices on Sukhumvit Road. Benetone is one of Thailand's largest local coordinators and a leading coordinator for Indian productions.
While Benetone had received a three-week shooting permit from the TFO for the reality game show, the show had not been scheduled to film in Rot Fai Park that day. According to the TFO's Ubolwan Sucharitakul, the office had been told that the production would be rehearsing.
Accordingly, the TFO did not have a monitoring officer on the set.
Ms Ubolwan says Benetone sent a letter to the TFO following the incident, explaining again that they had merely been rehearsing that day in Suan Rot Fai. The letter also cited Khan's "lack of readiness and rest", as a probable cause for the accident and acknowledged they did not have adequate safety equipment, she said.
Ms Ubolwan said that in response the TFO sent a warning letter to Benetone, asking them to take more care with regard to safety at future shoots and requiring them to submit safety plans for future productions. She also acknowledged there is an ongoing police investigation into the incident.
When asked about the filming that had been done at Rot Fai Park, Ms Ubolwan said:"We were told they were rehearsing. We were told there were no tapes."
While this was Benetone's story to the TFO, few others have been given this version of events. The person involved with the pro-duction did not dispute the fact that they were shooting, and the police investigator says there were at least three cameras filming that day.
Ms Aslam also acknowledged that Khan died while the show was being filmed. She had been told that police had confiscated the tapes.
The day before the incident, Benetone also informed Jumpot Sirawateharin, the head groundskeeper at Rot Fai Park, that they planned to film the next day. Mr Jumpot says the company brought equipment into the park at 5am on Aug 19.
As required by the park, Benetone had applied for a permit to film there and Mr Jumpot said his office had no problem approving the request."There are film shoots here almost every day. It seemed like any other game show," he said.
In its application, Benetone sought approval to film contestants who "run around and climb ropes. They said they would run laps around the pond - not swim in it", said Mr Jumpot, shaking his head.
"They did not have a permit to swim in the pond, and we would never allow one. Signs are posted near all of the park's ponds that say no swimming. It's not safe, and it's not allowed - those ponds are there for aesthetic and practical reasons, to water the plants."
While Mr Jumpot's office approves production requests, it has a staff of only four people, and they assume shoots are being watched by the TFO-provided monitoring officer.
He has also grown accustomed to the daily traffic of film sets, and says aside from their tendency to smoke and to block the bike paths, he has little trouble with them.
At 6pm that evening, not long after the incident, he heard that a man had drowned in one of the park's ponds.
"'PRE-TESTED FOR SAFETY"
There are varying accounts of Khan's drowning, and how well prepared the production companies were for such an incident. According to the person working on the pro-duction, life jackets had been prepared for the shoot and there was an ambulance on the set.
The police investigator says no one wore life vests as it was a rule of the challenge, set by the Indian production company which was responsible for generating all content and developing the stunts.
Ms Aslam says the challenge was pre-tested for safety by crew members who were wearing 12kg backpacks. Though it was widely reported Khan was wearing a 7kg backpack in the water, witnesses dispute this and say he only ran with the pack.
While Khan's death was certainly the most significant safety lapse on set, it was not the only one. According to the person working on the production, one contestant suffered a shoulder injury while riding in an ATV for a challenge shot in Saraburi, while three members of the cast and crew were treated at hospitals on Aug 19- two after falling out of trees and one after fainting from the stress of the drowning.
When asked who is usually responsible for providing safety, Ms Ubolwan said "the local coordinator. Before we issue a permit, there is an agreement signed. There is an understanding. While safety provisions are not explicit, there is a general idea - they know".She added that had a monitoring officer been present, they would have required more safety provisions.
The Thai producers - each seasoned in producing reality game shows for international networks and large companies - expressed a sense of shared disbelief at the Clear Man incident.
Pom Pongsapipatt, an independent producer who has produced reality game shows in Thailand for American networks, remembers seeing a news report on television and thinking that was her "worst nightmare".
At the same time, reflecting on the many safety precautions she takes on her shows,she found it hard to fathom that such an accident could happen. She said contestants are never allowed near water, let alone in it without life vests.
"You never say no to a safety budget. You cut budgets on food." She said her own sets typically have a doctor, a nurse and ambulance on standby, and additional provisions as suited to the locations, such as snake serum or professional divers.
She added that foreign companies often bring their own safety team, whose responsibility is to be thinking ahead and looking ahead for things that could be issues.
When asked if there is a set policy on stopping the shooting for the sake of saving a contestant that may be in trouble, she said no, because as long as you have good preproduction, it will never come to that.
Tom Waller, whose company served as the local coordinating agency for Survivor Philippines , also spoke of the meticulous planning and abundant safety precautions involved in such shows.
He recalled that he once had to evacuate a group from a camp in Koh Tao because the snakes and scorpions in the area posed too much of a risk.
Both he and Ms Pom spoke of the fine balance that needs be met in order to provide both safe and compelling television.
"The idea is that you put these contestants in harms way to a certain extent, but obviously there's a level of safety to which you must adhere."
He also said the incident does not reflect the safety standards of the film industry in Thailand .
"Obviously, the stunt went very wrong.Safety standards are always being challenged by time and money," said Mr Waller.
Cautioning that he does not know the circumstances in this case, Mr Waller also spoke of the pressure for local coordinators and crews to deliver what their clients want.
"Crews know their job is on the line, they can't destroy the shot. Their job is to listen to the director. In this case, they were going to lose the shot or the guy.
"Unfortunately, the director didn't call it right here."
Indeed, money may have been an issue.Those that I spoke with who worked on the production talked of the foreign producer's desire to cut costs whenever and however possible.
Ms Pom also spoke of the potential challenge for local coordinators - they are hired by foreign companies to coordinate and support them, but at the same time the local coordinators technically employ the foreign producers because they obtain their work permits and become legally responsible for them.
Those involved with the Clear Man fiasco seem to have learned from it.
"This was a big lesson for us. We thought we had enough safety equipment, we didn't think there were risks that day - we were wrong," said the person who had worked on the show.
Ms Ubolwan said the TFO may look more closely at future safety plans, though she says most foreign productions are well prepared.
Whether they'll go after those who violate safety standards, as zealously as they pursue those who tarnish the national image, will be something to watch in the future.
Two weeks ago, the TFO announced plans to prosecute Black Sheep Productions, the local coordinator which produced Big Trouble in Thailand , a reality series chronicling Thai tourism scams for a British television channel.
A representative from the TFO explained the company had broken various film laws by sending film out of the country without proper screening and by tarnishing the reputation of Thailand.
They're probably not alone.Benetone Films declined to comment for this story.
The last few minutes of Saad Khan's life played out like a nightmare, or maybe an absurdly-plotted episode of Crime Scene Investigation . The 32-year-old Pakistani banker and father of four died on Aug 19 while trying to swim across a murky,10-metre pond that had been marked by a "No swimming" sign in the grounds of Bangkok's idyllic Rot Fai Park.
Moments before he had been carrying a 7-kilogramme backpack and run through lines of fire. He was surrounded by a set of at least three cameramen, more than 30 cast and crew members and a crowd taking their exercise in the early evening.
Tragically, the cameras only stopped rolling when Khan was dragged from the pond. This was reality TV, and he had drowned.
It took spectators a few minutes to grasp the reality of events - a police investigator estimates it was several minutes before anyone jumped into the pond to try to save Khan, or even noticed he had disappeared below the surface.
There were three other competitors performing the challenge at the same time - a four-phase stunt that involved running between lines of fire, swimming across a pond,climbing a ladder into a tree, and manoeuvering through trees on ropes - and the investigator suspects that it became clear that one participant was missing only after the other three successfully emerged on the bank.
A person who was on the set working with the production team and who requested anonymity estimated that Khan had been underwater for 30 seconds before anyone jumped in."Everything just happened very quickly,"he said, adding that most of the crew was at a distance from the pond. If Khan yelled for help or was visibly struggling, it was not easy to notice.
Despite the efforts of a handful of people and the swift arrival of a rescue service with diving equipment, it took 30 minutes to recover the body, said the investigator.
As required by law in all cases of abnormal death, police are now investigating. The Bang Sue police station investigator who worked on the case expects the office to issue a report on the cause of death in the next few weeks,although he acknowledges there were challenges with the investigation due to the lack of co-operation from the foreign film crew.
The police were not permitted to interview the foreign crew or the Pakistani contestants.Instead they interviewed witnesses from the local film coordinating agency and met with a lawyer and a representative of the foreign crew.
"The contestant, the crew, the tapes," said the officer, are all "gone with the wind".
THE ADVENTURE
Several days before Khan came to Thailand,he told a friend and former colleague, Farrukh Ahmed, that he was going on an "adventure trip" and promised to return with a surprise.
The adventure was to participate in a Pakistani reality game show that was being filmed in Thailand.
The show, which channelled Amazing Race ,Survivor , and maybe a little America's Next Top Model , did not stray far from the typical elimination-challenge formula.
People who worked on the production said contestants lived together in a house on the outskirts of Bangkok, and prior to the incident at Suan Rot Fai, their number had been whittled down in nine episodes of game show stunts which ranged from ATV racing in Saraburi to going on a Bangkok shopping spree.
Khan had been eliminated in the fourth episode of the show - according to one account for failing to throw a ball in a basket while walking on a block of ice - but he had been invited to participate in the challenge at Rot Fai Park to win a place in the next and final episode, a jungle survival game. In the time between shows, he had been secreted away in a Bangkok hotel.
More unusual was the impetus for the show's creation.
The show, which had a working title of Clear Man and has since been cancelled, was sponsored by Unilever and intended as a marketing platform for the company's Clear brand shampoo.
Unilever Pakistan's spokesperson, Fareshteh Aslam, explained:"The concept was to identify a challenger who would stand for all the values of a typical Clear Man ."The reality show was a "third party production".
Mindshare Pakistan, the media agency which handled the production and the brand activation,"outsourced various responsibilities to SeeMe Productions, Pakistan, Working Heads, India and Benetone, Thailand for logistics and production," said Ms Aslam.
Though she denied Unilever's responsibility for the incident, Ms Aslam said the company has been in close touch with Khan's family since and is working to provide compensation for them.
She also said that Unilever had initiated an internal review of third-party processes to minimise the risk of such tragedies in the future.
So how did Saad Khan come to be in Thailand? And how did a man die under the gaze of cameras and a sizeable crowd of spectators?
Thailand is a regional hub for film production. While the industry has been weakened somewhat in recent years by the unstable political climate - Nicholas Cage famously fled with his family to Korea during production of Bangkok Dangerous when the September 2006 coup happened - Thailand is considered a desirable place to produce films because of the value, the variety of locales and the capable and affordable production crews.
The Thailand Film Office (TFO), under the Office of TourismDevelopment, has also done much to promote and facilitate foreign filmmaking in Thailand. The TFO monitors foreign productions fairly closely.
The organisation's website states that foreign filmmakers are required to hire a local coordinator who is officially registered with the TFO.
Local coordinators represent the filmmaker in obtaining necessary permits and "any matter arising both during and after the completion of shooting in Thailand".
In applying for a shooting permit, the local coordinator must submit a thorough account of the production which includes, among many other materials, translated-into-Thai copies of intentions, proposed sets, schedules,budgets, scripts and crew member lists. Plans can be amended, but changes must be cleared by the TFO.
Despite the volume of materials that must be submitted, the TFO approves things fairly quickly - a matter of days for advertisements,several weeks for feature productions. They screen most carefully for content that would dishonour the monarchy or the nation, or might threaten national security.
Beyond the vetting of productions, the TFO requires that a monitoring officer, at a price of 2,000 baht per day, be present during all filming. As explained on the TFO website:"Filming is not allowed, under any circumstances, without acknowledgement of the monitoring officer."
The TFO also mandates that local coordinators obtain any additional permits for shooting, such as those needed to film in parks or at historic sites. An agreement to honour these rules is signed by the local coordinator and the foreign producer.
The local coordinator for the Clear Man reality show was Benetone Films, a full-service production house with offices on Sukhumvit Road. Benetone is one of Thailand's largest local coordinators and a leading coordinator for Indian productions.
While Benetone had received a three-week shooting permit from the TFO for the reality game show, the show had not been scheduled to film in Rot Fai Park that day. According to the TFO's Ubolwan Sucharitakul, the office had been told that the production would be rehearsing.
Accordingly, the TFO did not have a monitoring officer on the set.
Ms Ubolwan says Benetone sent a letter to the TFO following the incident, explaining again that they had merely been rehearsing that day in Suan Rot Fai. The letter also cited Khan's "lack of readiness and rest", as a probable cause for the accident and acknowledged they did not have adequate safety equipment, she said.
Ms Ubolwan said that in response the TFO sent a warning letter to Benetone, asking them to take more care with regard to safety at future shoots and requiring them to submit safety plans for future productions. She also acknowledged there is an ongoing police investigation into the incident.
When asked about the filming that had been done at Rot Fai Park, Ms Ubolwan said:"We were told they were rehearsing. We were told there were no tapes."
While this was Benetone's story to the TFO, few others have been given this version of events. The person involved with the pro-duction did not dispute the fact that they were shooting, and the police investigator says there were at least three cameras filming that day.
Ms Aslam also acknowledged that Khan died while the show was being filmed. She had been told that police had confiscated the tapes.
The day before the incident, Benetone also informed Jumpot Sirawateharin, the head groundskeeper at Rot Fai Park, that they planned to film the next day. Mr Jumpot says the company brought equipment into the park at 5am on Aug 19.
As required by the park, Benetone had applied for a permit to film there and Mr Jumpot said his office had no problem approving the request."There are film shoots here almost every day. It seemed like any other game show," he said.
In its application, Benetone sought approval to film contestants who "run around and climb ropes. They said they would run laps around the pond - not swim in it", said Mr Jumpot, shaking his head.
"They did not have a permit to swim in the pond, and we would never allow one. Signs are posted near all of the park's ponds that say no swimming. It's not safe, and it's not allowed - those ponds are there for aesthetic and practical reasons, to water the plants."
While Mr Jumpot's office approves production requests, it has a staff of only four people, and they assume shoots are being watched by the TFO-provided monitoring officer.
He has also grown accustomed to the daily traffic of film sets, and says aside from their tendency to smoke and to block the bike paths, he has little trouble with them.
At 6pm that evening, not long after the incident, he heard that a man had drowned in one of the park's ponds.
"'PRE-TESTED FOR SAFETY"
There are varying accounts of Khan's drowning, and how well prepared the production companies were for such an incident. According to the person working on the pro-duction, life jackets had been prepared for the shoot and there was an ambulance on the set.
The police investigator says no one wore life vests as it was a rule of the challenge, set by the Indian production company which was responsible for generating all content and developing the stunts.
Ms Aslam says the challenge was pre-tested for safety by crew members who were wearing 12kg backpacks. Though it was widely reported Khan was wearing a 7kg backpack in the water, witnesses dispute this and say he only ran with the pack.
While Khan's death was certainly the most significant safety lapse on set, it was not the only one. According to the person working on the production, one contestant suffered a shoulder injury while riding in an ATV for a challenge shot in Saraburi, while three members of the cast and crew were treated at hospitals on Aug 19- two after falling out of trees and one after fainting from the stress of the drowning.
When asked who is usually responsible for providing safety, Ms Ubolwan said "the local coordinator. Before we issue a permit, there is an agreement signed. There is an understanding. While safety provisions are not explicit, there is a general idea - they know".She added that had a monitoring officer been present, they would have required more safety provisions.
The Thai producers - each seasoned in producing reality game shows for international networks and large companies - expressed a sense of shared disbelief at the Clear Man incident.
Pom Pongsapipatt, an independent producer who has produced reality game shows in Thailand for American networks, remembers seeing a news report on television and thinking that was her "worst nightmare".
At the same time, reflecting on the many safety precautions she takes on her shows,she found it hard to fathom that such an accident could happen. She said contestants are never allowed near water, let alone in it without life vests.
"You never say no to a safety budget. You cut budgets on food." She said her own sets typically have a doctor, a nurse and ambulance on standby, and additional provisions as suited to the locations, such as snake serum or professional divers.
She added that foreign companies often bring their own safety team, whose responsibility is to be thinking ahead and looking ahead for things that could be issues.
When asked if there is a set policy on stopping the shooting for the sake of saving a contestant that may be in trouble, she said no, because as long as you have good preproduction, it will never come to that.
Tom Waller, whose company served as the local coordinating agency for Survivor Philippines , also spoke of the meticulous planning and abundant safety precautions involved in such shows.
He recalled that he once had to evacuate a group from a camp in Koh Tao because the snakes and scorpions in the area posed too much of a risk.
Both he and Ms Pom spoke of the fine balance that needs be met in order to provide both safe and compelling television.
"The idea is that you put these contestants in harms way to a certain extent, but obviously there's a level of safety to which you must adhere."
He also said the incident does not reflect the safety standards of the film industry in Thailand .
"Obviously, the stunt went very wrong.Safety standards are always being challenged by time and money," said Mr Waller.
Cautioning that he does not know the circumstances in this case, Mr Waller also spoke of the pressure for local coordinators and crews to deliver what their clients want.
"Crews know their job is on the line, they can't destroy the shot. Their job is to listen to the director. In this case, they were going to lose the shot or the guy.
"Unfortunately, the director didn't call it right here."
Indeed, money may have been an issue.Those that I spoke with who worked on the production talked of the foreign producer's desire to cut costs whenever and however possible.
Ms Pom also spoke of the potential challenge for local coordinators - they are hired by foreign companies to coordinate and support them, but at the same time the local coordinators technically employ the foreign producers because they obtain their work permits and become legally responsible for them.
Those involved with the Clear Man fiasco seem to have learned from it.
"This was a big lesson for us. We thought we had enough safety equipment, we didn't think there were risks that day - we were wrong," said the person who had worked on the show.
Ms Ubolwan said the TFO may look more closely at future safety plans, though she says most foreign productions are well prepared.
Whether they'll go after those who violate safety standards, as zealously as they pursue those who tarnish the national image, will be something to watch in the future.
Two weeks ago, the TFO announced plans to prosecute Black Sheep Productions, the local coordinator which produced Big Trouble in Thailand , a reality series chronicling Thai tourism scams for a British television channel.
A representative from the TFO explained the company had broken various film laws by sending film out of the country without proper screening and by tarnishing the reputation of Thailand.
They're probably not alone.Benetone Films declined to comment for this story.
Ketsana floods wash thousands out of homes, worse on way
Many provinces remained submerged yesterday as humanitarian aid trickled to thousands of marooned and homeless residents left uprooted by the heavy downpours of Typhoon Ketsana.
The North and the Northeast are the worst-hit areas after a weekend of heavy rain with thousands of houses and thousands of rai of farmland flooded.
Affected families have been living on relief supplies.
Ketsana's lingering effects were most widespread in the northern province of Tak, where about 1,700 families in nine villages in tambon Mae Tuen of Mae Ramat district were cut off from the outside world after a bridge collapsed,preventing troops from reaching them with emergency help.
Many provinces in the north, northeastern and southern regions have experienced flooding after heavy rains.
Despite official efforts to pump out floodwater from the affected areas, the water levels in some areas are not receding but are actually rising, and rains show no signs of letting up, officials said yesterday.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has told agencies to rush relief aid to victims in hard-hit provinces.
He plans to visit the worst-hit areas to give moral support and make sure help is reaching the affected people.
The prime minister has ordered irrigation officials to monitor water levels in the dams and reservoirs as they could overflow as weather conditions are expected to worsen in the next few days.
Mr Abhisit said Thailand was also sending aid to the Philippines and Indonesia, which were heavily hit by the typhoon and an earthquake.
Rice, medical supplies and electricity generators has been flown to Indonesia and would be sent to the Philippines as well, he said.
In Tak, where residents were cut off from the outside world, the bridge over the Mae Tuen River collapsed under the force of the flash flood. It is the main transport route out of the tambon.
A temporary bridge could not be built immediately due to the high water level of the river, leaving the military rescue teams unable to get into the flooded villages to extend help.
In Sam Ngao district, about 400 houses were submerged after the Wang River burst its banks. Residents and farm animals have been either evacuated or moved to higher ground.
In the northeastern province of Chaiyaphum, motorists were yesterday warned about possible landslides along the Nakhon Sawan-Chaiyaphum Road.
About 500 houses in Phakdi Chumphon district and another 1,000 in Kaset Sombun and Phu Khieo districts were flooded. In some areas, the water is three metres high.
The overflowing Lam Pa Thao Dam has flooded Muang district where the floodwater in some spots is almost half a metre deep.
Residents of the central province of Ayutthaya are also assessing the flood damage to their houses and land.
About 1,000 homes require extensive repair work as a result of flooding in the rice-producing district of Sena.
In Phetchabun, more than 5,000 rai of farmland in Nong Phai district has been swamped.
Meanwhile,13 Thai crew members who survived after their fishing boat capsized in Malaysian waters on Friday returned to Pattani yesterday.
Another 13 are still missing.According to reports, waves as high as three to five metres hit the boat, the Pornpitsanu 91 , which had 26 crewmen on board when it had left Pattani to receive fish from another trawler anchored in Malaysian waters.
The North and the Northeast are the worst-hit areas after a weekend of heavy rain with thousands of houses and thousands of rai of farmland flooded.
Affected families have been living on relief supplies.
Ketsana's lingering effects were most widespread in the northern province of Tak, where about 1,700 families in nine villages in tambon Mae Tuen of Mae Ramat district were cut off from the outside world after a bridge collapsed,preventing troops from reaching them with emergency help.
Many provinces in the north, northeastern and southern regions have experienced flooding after heavy rains.
Despite official efforts to pump out floodwater from the affected areas, the water levels in some areas are not receding but are actually rising, and rains show no signs of letting up, officials said yesterday.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has told agencies to rush relief aid to victims in hard-hit provinces.
He plans to visit the worst-hit areas to give moral support and make sure help is reaching the affected people.
The prime minister has ordered irrigation officials to monitor water levels in the dams and reservoirs as they could overflow as weather conditions are expected to worsen in the next few days.
Mr Abhisit said Thailand was also sending aid to the Philippines and Indonesia, which were heavily hit by the typhoon and an earthquake.
Rice, medical supplies and electricity generators has been flown to Indonesia and would be sent to the Philippines as well, he said.
In Tak, where residents were cut off from the outside world, the bridge over the Mae Tuen River collapsed under the force of the flash flood. It is the main transport route out of the tambon.
A temporary bridge could not be built immediately due to the high water level of the river, leaving the military rescue teams unable to get into the flooded villages to extend help.
In Sam Ngao district, about 400 houses were submerged after the Wang River burst its banks. Residents and farm animals have been either evacuated or moved to higher ground.
In the northeastern province of Chaiyaphum, motorists were yesterday warned about possible landslides along the Nakhon Sawan-Chaiyaphum Road.
About 500 houses in Phakdi Chumphon district and another 1,000 in Kaset Sombun and Phu Khieo districts were flooded. In some areas, the water is three metres high.
The overflowing Lam Pa Thao Dam has flooded Muang district where the floodwater in some spots is almost half a metre deep.
Residents of the central province of Ayutthaya are also assessing the flood damage to their houses and land.
About 1,000 homes require extensive repair work as a result of flooding in the rice-producing district of Sena.
In Phetchabun, more than 5,000 rai of farmland in Nong Phai district has been swamped.
Meanwhile,13 Thai crew members who survived after their fishing boat capsized in Malaysian waters on Friday returned to Pattani yesterday.
Another 13 are still missing.According to reports, waves as high as three to five metres hit the boat, the Pornpitsanu 91 , which had 26 crewmen on board when it had left Pattani to receive fish from another trawler anchored in Malaysian waters.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)