BANGKOK, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Phuket beaches in southern Thailand might no longer have any life guards on duty due to budget constraints, a provincial official said on Tuesday.
The provincial council of Phuket, one of Thailand's world-renowned tourist resorts in the Andaman Sea, had decided to curtail funding to cover wages for nearly 100 life guards who may have been hired on beach duty throughout fiscal 2018, beginning next month, according to the official who only spoke on condition that he not be identified.
Such budget constraints prompted Phuket Life Guard Co. to give up the business and terminate the hiring of those life guards, said the official attached to the provincial council.
The provincial council had only provided 19.8 million baht (about 582,300 U.S. dollars) in annual funding for the life guard firm which had demanded an increase of 2.4 million baht (about 70,500 U.S. dollars), he said.
Without life guards, signs will be erected on the beaches around Phuket early next month saying "Warning: No Life Guard On Duty, Swim At Your Own Risk."
Besides, red flags will be displayed in the sea for swimmers to watch out for high tides and rainstorms as part of safety measures.
Since last October, the life guards had helped and rescued more than 300 swimmers on the Phuket beaches, mostly being foreign tourists, who might otherwise have drowned, the official said.
