Monday's flight schedule of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha tells a tale about the nation. First, he flew to Phuket because of last week's tragic seaborne events. He spoke with hospitalised survivors of two dive boat accidents, and comforted Chinese relatives of some of the 42 known dead and 10 missing. Then he flew to Chiang Rai, where he observed rescue operations at the Tham Luang cave face in Mae Sai district. Following that he visited the eight children who had been extracted and taken to Chiangrai Prachanukroh Hospital.
There is commonality in these sad and sobering incidents. Both the heavy death toll of tourists and the isolation of the Mae Sai football team and coach were preventable. Not only could both have been prevented, they should have been. The immediate aftermath of both disasters is under way. It is important that there be intensive follow-up in the South and in the North. Otherwise, there will be similar calamities that will needlessly endanger and cost more innocent lives.
The cave of Khun Nam Nang Non Forest Park is supposed to close in the rainy season. It is supposed to be staffed. In fact, it is posted with an extremely careless sign -- easy to miss at that -- that doesn't even say the cave is closed. It says there is danger from possible flooding, from July to November. Even if the boys and their coach saw this sign, they entered the cave in June, a week before this sign's warning.
After the boys were trapped in Tham Luang, the chief of the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department explained there was "a mistake". Thanya Nethithammakul admitted there was no attendant at the cave, and no barrier to keep visitors out. Nor was the permanent "danger from July [to] November" sign altered in any way to adjust the warning for this year's early arrival of the rainy season, and flooded caverns.
Had even one of these obvious steps been taken, the boys and coach would have been turned away, and gone home. Instead lack of attention to such details caused one of the country's great disasters of recent years. One heroic volunteer died. But all precautions were ignored and the most senior person in charge is trying to memory-hole the failing of his parks officials as a simple error.
This cavalier attitude towards known, obvious safety has a derogatory name -- the mai pen rai attitude. The Thai phrase usually translated as "never mind" was not originally meant as a synonym for carelessness and malfeasance. But it has unfortunately become linked to a disrespectful attention to laws, duty and ethical behaviour.
At Phuket last week, all of the above were displayed. The swamping of the tourist boat Sereniga and the capsizing of the Phoenix dive boat revealed to the public and the world enormous shortcomings and possible criminal behaviour and intent. The 41 passengers and crew in the former boat were rescued but those aboard the Phoenix were not so fortunate. At least 42 of the 89 mostly Chinese tourists drowned. Many of those rescued required hospitalisation.
Even initial investigations have turned up two extremely serious mai pen rai problems. It is clear Thai nominees are providing illegal cover for Chinese tourist companies that operate such boats. In turn, this encourages or even forces a proper lack of safety oversight and maintenance. It also seems both boats ignored warnings and orders to seek shelter from the storm that sank the boats and cost so many lives.
Gen Prayut should already have ordered serious investigations and reform of these highly profitable tourist activities. Changes to eliminate this deadly attitude of mai pen rai must go all the way from workers to the highest places in government.