I was last in Phuket in January this year and noticed an obvious lack of a police presence. This was confirmed by the manager of my hotel, La Flora, who said the local police were useless when I asked why they had not stopped the nightly random setting off of fire crackers at around 4am on the beach in front of the hotel. Patong also was a pedestrian's nightmare as there was no way of crossing the streets due to the steady car and motor cycle traffic with drivers who routinely ignored the few traffic light controlled crossings. After several visits to Phuket over a couple of years, this last visit convinced me that 'law and order' was in decline and further visits will be postponed indefinitely. I was saddened but not surprised at this recent news of a tourist death.
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