Retrieval of sunken tourist boat off Phuket started

BANGKOK, November 7 (TNA) - A crane vessel from Singapore has begun its mission to salvage a tourist boat that capsized and sank off Thailand's southern resort Phuket Province a couple of months ago. Acting Immigration Police Chief Police Major General Surachet Hakpan told journalists of the update on Wednesday, after the 1,000-ton Singapore crane ship arrived in the area. Police Major General Surachet said he expected that the mission to retrieve the sunken "Phoenix" tourist boat should take about five days, noting that the task was in response to an earlier order issued by Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan, who oversees national security. According to the acting Thai immigration police chief he is scheduled to hold a press conference on the result of the mission on November 9 after his visiting to Phuket to follow up the case. The acting immigration police chief stated that after the sunken "Phoenix" tourist boat was retrieved ashore, a team of Thai and foreign experts will conduct a thorough probe to find out whether the boat was built based on the legal safety standard, the result of which will be part of the evidence resorted for the prosecution of all people charged with involving in the fatal incident, namely the importer, the owner and crew members of the tourist boat. The "Phoenix" boat, carrying almost 150 passengers, including crew members and tourists, who were mostly Chinese tourists, was hit by a strong monsoon storm and capsized off Phuket on July 5, killing nearly 50 Chinese tourists. (TNA)