THOUSANDS of people trained in first aid and resuscitation techniques are being warned against stopping to render medical assistance if they see an accident in Phuket.

Every one who completes a rescue dive course, anywhere in the world, must undergo first aid and CPR training, which makes them qualified to render basic assistance to people hurt in traffic and other accidents.

But in Phuket, some instructors are warning their students they could face hefty bills, or even criminal charges, if they stop to help anyone.

?When I first came to Phuket, I was told that if I stopped to help anyone hurt in an accident, I could be blamed for the accident, and would therefore be liable for their medical bills,? said Tony Bell, a Master Scuba Diver Trainer and Emergency First Response Instructor.

British expat, Tony Kelsey-Stead, who is trained in CPR and first aid, said he refused to get out of his car when a drunken driver ran into him.

?I was afraid the drunk, who appeared to be pretty badly hurt, would accuse me of doing more damage by trying to help, and then demand money from me,? he said.

?I?ve seen it happen on Phuket many times.?

American, Chris Saunders, paid a hefty price when he offered to help a little boy who tripped over and hurt himself.

?My scooter got a flat tyre, and I pulled over to the side of the road,? he said.

?A little boy, about six years old, ran out of a bar and onto the road chasing a ball.

?He ran into my scooter and tripped over it before he made it into the traffic, which might well have saved his life.

?His face was bleeding pretty badly, and I offered to pay for a taxi for his family to take him to the hospital.

?I was just trying to be nice, but the mother insisted I pay for the stitches to the boy?s lip and all of his medicine, even though it obviously wasn?t my fault.

?It ended up costing me 2600 baht, which was more than I could afford, so that?s the last time I will ever stop to help anyone in Thailand, even a kid.?

Dive expert, Steve Burton, who has trained more than a thousand divers, said if more people were prepared to get involved, more lives could be saved.

?Thailand?s tourist scuba diving centres have a huge, untapped and under-utilised resource,? he said.

?There are many people trained in first aid and rescue breathing techniques on Phuket, but they are being warned against stopping to help anyone if they see an accident.?

According to official figures, 550,000 divers visit Thailand?s beaches every year, and about a quarter of them come to Phuket.

Most of them are qualified in first aid techniques.

Hundreds of people are killed on Phuket?s roads every year, and thousands more are injured, mostly in motorbike accidents.

In the event of pulmonary or cardiac arrest, the human body has, on average, just over six minutes before irreversible brain damage begins to occur.

?It usually takes rescue workers at least double that time to get to the scene of an accident depending on traffic, winding roads, call times and the distance from their base to the scene of the accident,? said Mr Burton.

?If rescue breathing and chest compressions could be administered by qualified bystanders while the ambulance was on its way, lives would certainly be saved.

?But thousands of people who could save a life are refusing to get involved and risk possible financial ruin.

?New laws are urgently needed to protect those people who can, and want, to help people injured in accidents,? he said.

?Almost every English-speaking country has ?Good Samaritan? laws in place to protect people who administers help to a victim, which protects them legally from any financial repercussions.

?Thailand must learn from those countries and write its own legislation,? he said.

?Maybe then, more people will stop to help someone injured in a road accident.

?Bringing down the death toll would also boost Phuket?s image as a safe place to holiday.?