- Title: THAILAND: New safety measures announced after five tourists mysteriously die
- Date: 17th August 2011
- Summary: CHIANG MAI, THAILAND (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (AUGUST 16, 2011) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF HOTEL TOURISTS BUS OUTSIDE HOTEL HOTEL PORTER PUSHING TROLLEY OF TOURISTS' LUGGAGE TOURISTS AT RECEPTION DESK VARIOUS OF TOURISTS IN LOBBY (SOUNDBITE) (Thai) CHIANG MAI PROVINCIAL GOVERNOR, PANNADDA DISKUL, SAYING: "From now on, they (hospitals and clinics) need to inform the provincial health department if there is any case of tourist illness. This will apply for every case of tourists that come to hospitals."
- Embargoed: 1st September 2011 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Thailand, Thailand
- Country: Thailand
- Topics: Accidents,Health
- Reuters ID: LVA3TZM48DNCGC378EN2K36WZZV4
- Story Text: Thailand announced new measures on Tuesday (August 16) to protect tourists after five foreigners died mysteriously in one city in just over a month, saying they were likely poisoned by unidentified toxic chemicals or pesticides.
"From now on, they (hospitals and clinics) need to inform the provincial health department if there is any case of tourist illness. This will apply for every case of tourists that come to hospitals," said Chiang Mai Governor Pannada Diskul.
Two Britons, a Frenchman, an American and a New Zealander died between Jan. 11 and Feb. 19 this year in northern Chiang Mai, Thailand's second-biggest city. Three of the victims' travelling companions also fell ill.
The deaths drew negative media attention to a country that is one of the world's most popular tourist destinations, attracting some 14 million visitors a year to its beaches, mountains and sprawling capital, Bangkok.
Thailand's Department of Disease Control listed actions that will be taken to prevent more illness in Chiang Mai and other key destinations for tourism.
They included the close monitoring of the use of chemicals and pesticides in hotels, inspections of markets and street food vendors, health and safety training by local authorities, a review of investigation procedures and the setting-up of a website to advise tourists on potential health risks.
A five-month investigation led by the Thai authorities with cooperation from the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was largely inconclusive but found no evidence of criminal cause.
Three cases were attributed to exposure to chemicals, pesticides or gas, while for two victims -- an elderly British couple -- there was no known cause.
Tourism is a vital part of Thailand's economy, Southeast Asia's second-biggest, employing about 15 percent of the country's workforce and contributing about 6 percent of GDP. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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