Thai minister blames tour operators for boat disaster; 11 still missing

BANGKOK (Reuters) – A Thai government minister on Monday blamed Chinese tour operators for the dead of more than 40 people, most of them Chinese tourists still missing.

The boat, the phoenix, went down on high seas on the island of Phuket with 101 people on board, including 89 tourists, all but two of them from China, and 12 crew, during an outing to a small island for snorkeling.

The death toll, which is likely to surpass 50, makes it the worst tourist-related disaster in Thailand in years and underscores long-standing concerns about its safety.

The rainy season now under way of fierce squalls and high seas in southern Thailand, especially on the west coast, and questions have been raised.

Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan blamed Thai safety legislation.

"Some Chinese use Thai nominees to bring back Chinese tourists … they did not heed warnings … which is why this incident happened. This needs to be remedied, "Prawit said.

He did not elaborate.

China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism issued an urgent circular on Saturday, stressing the importance of overseas travel planning.

Many of those on the Phoenix had traveled independently, the ministry said.

Earlier, authorities said the boat was carrying 105 people. They later revised the figure saying that some of them did not join the outing.

"Officially, 11 people are still missing," Phuket Provincial Governor Noraphat Plodthong told a news conference.

"We will continue the search today."

Thailand's tourism ministry said it would give 1 million baht ($ 30,202) in compensation for each of the victims.

Tourism accounts for 12 percent of gross domestic product in Southeast Asia's second-largest economy, making it one of the most important drivers of growth, and such disasters inevitably raises questions about damage to the industry.

Chinese tourists accounted for nearly one-third of last year's record 35 million arrivals.

But despite accidents, political turmoil and even bomb attacks over the past decade, the tourism sector seems immune to bad headlines, earning it the nickname "Teflon Thailand".

In August 2015, 20 people were killed, many of them Chinese tourists, in a bombing at a Bangkok shrine, the worst attack of its kind on Thai soil.

Chinese tourist arrivals dipped slightly after the attack but soon recovered.