No lifeguards at Pelabuhan Ratu?

No lifeguards at Pelabuhan Ratu?

From Republika

On Jan. 3, ANteve, a private TV station, broadcast on its Cakrawala program that three tourists died when they went swimming at Pelabuhan Ratu, West Java.

As far as I know, that was not the first swimming accident at Pelabuhan Ratu. The ocean has claimed a number of victims. It is a pity that there are no lifeguards in the area. The impression is that accidents are on the increase because of little, or no preventive measures. Tourists have to comply with tourist retribution charges from the regional government.

The loss of lives of the beloved and the agony suffered by families could not possibly be remedied. Therefore, I am appealing to authorities to raise security standards at Pelabuhan Ratu for the benefit of ignorant tourists.

It seems that a fast and active search and rescue team is necessary. We need a lifeguard system like Baywatch on RCTI, for instance.

As for tourists, I strongly urge people to be more careful when swimming at Pelabuhan Ratu. If no security guards can be found, go to another beach. There are many attractive beaches in West Java such as Carita, or Pangandaran.

UJANG SOFYAN

Bogor, West Java