Pattaya’s top business advocate criticized the floating docks being used for speedboat passengers at Bali Hai Pier, calling for immediate safety improvements to stop the injuries from accidents occurring there daily.
Pattaya Business & Tourism Association President Sinchai Wattanasartsathorn, who also sits on the Pattaya City Council, called the unstable pontoons installed at Bali Hai “unsafe” and said that authorities need to monitor the situation and make changes before someone gets killed.
While a few floating docks have been used for some time at the South Pattaya pier, additional docks were installed last month after the military banned speedboat operators from taking on and disembarking passengers on Pattaya Beach.
The result has not only been long lines to board vessels bound for Koh Larn, but slips, falls and other accidents on a daily basis, Sinchai said.
He said the army needs to admit that its plan has not worked out as intended and immediately improve safety.
Authorities behind the plan need to spend time at the jetty to see the docks in action. They also need to be cleaned regularly to remove grease and other dirt that contributes to falls.
Safety signs should be posted in English, Chinese and Thai and officials should open a first-aid center at the pier and have transport to an area hospital on standby, he added.
Finally, personnel should be assigned to work the docks to assist tourists in getting on and off boats and rescue anyone who falls in the water to prevent drownings, Sinchai said.
