TRAT — Thai authorities launched a high-speed medical evacuation mission after a Cambodian fisherman was bitten by a venomous sea snake in waters south of Koh Kut, officials said.
The incident involved a crew member from the fishing vessel Pichit Samut 15, identified later as a Cambodian national, who suffered severe symptoms after being bitten while at sea on 23 April.
The Thailand Maritime Enforcement Command Center in Trat said it immediately coordinated a MEDEVAC operation in a race against time to save the sailor’s life.
The mission was carried out in line with international maritime Search and Rescue (SAR) obligations, in cooperation with the National Institute for Emergency Medicine and Bangkok Hospital Trat. A high-speed rescue boat, Hydrolance, was deployed to travel more than 60 nautical miles to retrieve the patient and transfer him for urgent treatment with anti-venom serum.
Authorities said the operation reflected a humanitarian mission conducted alongside international standards, stressing that all lives at sea are treated equally regardless of nationality.
Officials added that the rescue also demonstrated Thailand’s role as a coastal state committed to human rights principles and maritime safety.
The Cambodian crew member is now reported to be out of danger and remains under close medical supervision at Somdej Phra Piyamaharaj Hospital.
The Trat branch of the maritime command centre said Thailand would continue to uphold maritime security alongside humanitarian protection, aiming to ensure Thai waters remain both secure and “boundless in compassion.”
