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In hard times, more people celebrate Buddhist Lent, but give less
Khao Phansa saw more people
attend temples this year.
Vimolrat Singnikorn
Buddhist temples are feeling the impact of the troubled economy as
Pattaya residents marked this year’s annual Buddhist Lent celebration with
the usual offerings, but noticeably fewer of them.
 Setting
birds free is a popular way to make merit for Buddhist Lent.
Temples still bustled with merit makers on the July 9 “Khao Phansa” holiday,
which marks the start of monks’ annual rains retreat to temple grounds for
three months of study and meditation. But vendors of traditional offerings,
such as candles, lanterns, birds, fish, sweets and luxury foods, said people
cut back purchases this year by as much as 50 percent. Amid an economy
clobbered by plunging exports, job losses and a tourism crisis, Thai
Buddhists are praying in larger numbers, but are doing so with thrift.
Lamduan Onthim, who has sold Buddhist offerings for 10 years at his
Chankasem shop at Naklua Market, said he was still busy this year, but
customers were focusing on basics, such as candles, while shunning luxury
items popular in better times.
Shopkeeper “Ning” of Naklua’s Supatipanno store, said Buddhist Lent earnings
were down almost 50 percent. In past years, she said, the average purchase
was about 1,000 baht while this year shoppers were spending an average
500-600 baht.
Temples, by contrast, reported larger than average crowds for the two-day
Lent and Asalaha Bucha holidays as hard times grip the nation. But frugal
spending on offerings was apparent there too. Many merit-making families
were giving offerings as a group.
Some temples recognized the trend and made allowances to help followers take
part in the celebration economically. Photisamphan Temple, for example,
allowed people to make donations for various sets of offerings at different,
but low, prices then reused them after followers offered them to monks. That
allowed people to still give quality items at budget prices. Followers
received an added bonus of it being a double merit-making as it was a
donation of both cash and offerings.
Khao Phansa is one of the most important days on the Buddhist calendar.
Traditionally it marks the period when monks stay inside during the rainy
season to avoid trampling the village rice crop. It’s also a period in which
Buddhist followers make merit by presenting gifts - particularly lanterns
and candles - to monks to help with their enlightenment. In recent years the
holiday has also taken a meaning similar to Lent in the Roman Catholic
Church with believers giving up one or more vices for the summer.
Lent ends this year on Oct. 4.
Followers light candles and
incense to honor Buddha on Khao Phansa.
Thailand among few
to see eclipse July 22
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Thailand residents will be among the world’s lucky few in range to
see the century’s longest solar eclipse July 22.
As much as 60 percent of the sun’s surface will be shadowed by the moon over
Thailand between 7 - 9:30 a.m. Those in the Pattaya area will see a 42
percent eclipse starting at 7:06 a.m. and finishing at 8:03 a.m.
 Pattayans
will be treated to a partial solar eclipse in the morning on July 22.
The National Institute for Astronomy in Prachinburi said the 240 km shadow
would give one of the longest-lasting solar eclipses in history and be
visible in India, Pakistan, China, Burma, Thailand and Japan. Those lucky
enough to be on a South Pacific island will be treated to a rare total
eclipse.
In Thailand, those in the northern provinces will see the shadow last 6
minutes, 39 seconds. For the total eclipse, the moon will block the sun for
21 minutes, 39 seconds.
Bunraksa Sunthorntham, director of the National Astronomical Research
Institute of Thailand, noted that Thais are keen astronomers but reminded
people that looking directly at the sun during an eclipse can lead to
blindness. He urged the public to view the event through a mask or
protective film.
NARIT is working with eight universities across the country to provide
information and safe-viewing stations. Participating in the project are
Chulalongkorn University, Chiang Mai University, Ratchapat Chiang Rai
University, Naraesuan University, Suranari Technology University, Ratchapat
Udon Thani University, Ratchapat Songkla University, and Ratchapat Phuket
University.
The best place to view the eclipse will be in Chang Rai, where 69 percent of
the sun’s surface will be covered. In Chang Mai, 63.4 percent will be
obstructed. The eclipse starts in both cities at 7:02 a.m. Tourists in
Phuket get the short-end of the deal, getting only at 23.4 percent eclipse
that begins at 7:13 a.m.
This will be the last eclipse until Jan. 15, 2010. That one will be shorter,
but cover more for those in Thailand. Those in Chang Rai will get a 75
percent eclipse this winter.
Police task force targets
crime against tourists
Sawittree Namwiwatsuk
Giving tourists peace of mind that their stays will be safe and
crime-free is a key factor toward rebuilding tourism in Pattaya, Thailand’s
police agencies say.
 Pol.
Col. Komsan Sukmak, superintendent of Research and Development Division for
the Royal Thai Police, talks to reporters after the workshop.
Police and city officials, tourism groups and business leaders from around
Pattaya met July 3 at the Montien Pattaya Hotel for the first in a series of
networking workshops aimed at cutting crime, scams and price-gouging
directed at tourists.
Part of the National Economic and Social Plan for 2007-2011, the anti-crime
network is intended to get the community involved with government agencies
in rebuilding and maintaining a strong tourism industry. Last week’s meeting
was simply organizational, but participants said they were excited at the
prospects for cleaning up Pattaya’s battered image.
Pol. Col. Komsan Sukmak, head of the Royal Thai Police’s Research and
Development Division, said the meeting was to gather input from tour
operators, community leaders and local police officers on how best to build
the information-exchange network. It’s hoped doing so will prevent crime,
protect tourists’ property and reduce fear about crime.
It’s not just street crime being targeted, Komsan noted. Officials will also
look at scams by tour operators, annoyances such as beggars and
snake-handlers, and even dual-pricing schemes that have tourists paying more
than Thais.
Crime against tourists is down in Pattaya, but only because there are many
fewer tourists around, Komsan said. However, if officials can work now to
reduce the opportunities for scams and rip-offs, the crime rate should
remain low once tourism rebounds, enhancing the city’s image.
Lions and tigers and bears, oh my
Before officials arrived,
villagers set out traps
to try and catch whatever it was that ate their young calf.
Patcharapol Panrak
Panicked villagers in Sattahip’s Plutaluang district are breathing a
little easier now after wildlife officials determined that a dog or pack of
hyenas - not a tiger - killed and ate most of a 7-day-old calf.
Fears of tigers and bears gripped locals after Navy Warrant Officer Kittipol
Tawinrak found the 30 kg baby cow ripped to shreds next to deeply clawed paw
prints in a wooded area about 500 meters from Samorthong village.
Wildlife conservation officers investigated the incident July 3 and
determined that the animal was likely killed by a dog or a pack of hyenas,
not a tiger or bear. Wiroj Thong-In, Sriracha District Wildlife Conservation
Division, said the calf’s skin showed canine-like fang marks and that the
parts of the animal eaten did not match those of a tiger. Longtime residents
also said they’d never seen a tiger, bear or hyena in the area.
City eyes ‘Old Town” festival for Naklua
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
As the rest of Pattaya pushes the cutting edge, city officials
want to turn back the clock in Naklua and create an “old town” tourist
attraction.
 Mayor
Itthiphol Kunplome said the Pattaya Old Town idea is interesting, but
more study is required.
“Pattaya Old Town 2009,” proposed for Aug. 28 - Sept. 3, would be an
outdoor festival centered around a “walking street” filled with crafts
vendors, three stages of music and a new fishing village. The idea is to
give Naklua its own distinct personality that offers tourists an
alternative to Pattaya’s modern, international image.
At a June 17 Pattaya City Hall presentation, executives from Ban Phunam
Group Co. Ltd., the company hired to organize a Naklua event, said the
Old Town festival would take place in the Lan Pho area and would
showcase the community’s artwork, crafts and seafood industry. A new
fountain would be built and a fishing village redevelopment to be a
permanent tourist attraction. Live music would be staged at Lan Pho, the
Naklua firehouse and at the public park.
Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome said the project has the support of the
ministries of commerce, tourism and interior, but no budget has yet been
set. Also, he said, plans for development and attracting tourists still
need to be done, so future meetings on the proposal will be held.
South Korean pop idols, sing, dance, landscape
Theerarak Suthatiwong
They sing. They dance. They plant trees.
In town for the annual Plus Shopping Mall Pop Music Awards, South Korean
boy band 2PM stepped off stage to help reduce global warming by joining
city officials at the Eastern Indoor Sports Arena for a tree-planting
ceremony.
The seven members of the popular music group - surrounded by security
guards to keep away screaming fans - were joined by Mayor Itthiphol
Kunplome and Plus marketing director Kwin Santhakul in laying the dwarf
apple blossom seedlings.
2PM was one of nearly 100 Thai and international artists appearing at
the July 4 awards concert at Bali Hai Pier. Winners were selected by
audience vote via SMS and Internet voting.
City officials and Korean boy
band 2PM plant trees
at the Eastern Indoor Sports Arena.
Consular outreach to visit Pattaya
The Consular Section of the American Embassy in Bangkok
is pleased to announce an outreach visit to Pattaya on July 28, 2009.
Consular staff will be available to provide consular services at the
following location:
Tuesday, July 28, 2009, 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Rice Mill Room,
Pattaya Marriot Resort & Spa, 218 Beach Road, Pattaya, Chonburi, Thailand,
telephone: 038-412-210, fax: 038-429-929.
The following consular services will be available during the outreach visit:
* Passport renewal applications ($75.00 or 2550 baht for adult passports,
and $85 or 2890 baht for a child’s passport)
* Notarial Services and Certified Copies ($30 or 1020 baht). This includes
income affidavits for retirees in Thailand.
* Social security, VA or other federal benefits questions will be limited,
but the staff will try to provide forms and answers.
(Please bring exact change!)
NOTE: The consular staff cannot process extra visa pages during
outreach trips. They can accept applications, but the passports will have to
be brought back to the embassy for final processing the next day. The
passports will then have to be picked up in person (or by a friend upon
presentation of a letter of authorization signed by the applicant) at the
embassy. They regret any inconvenience caused by this change in procedure,
and they are still working on gaining authorization to begin mailing
passports back to applicants.
Additionally, Consular Reports of Birth cannot be processed during consular
outreach trips.
If you have any questions, please e-mail: [email protected] or call the
American Citizen Services Unit at: 02-205-4049.
City Council approves 200 million baht for tour bus depot
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Pattaya will spend 200 million baht to construct a new depot for
large tour buses that habitually clog the city’s streets.
The Chonburi Bus Station, to be located on a vacant lot off Sukhumvit Road
at an as yet undetermined location, is one of as many as six facilities the
city wants to build in its ongoing battle against traffic. An already
established committee overseeing the project must submit location, budget
and construction plans by July 30.
 Mayor
Itthiphol Kunplome explains a plan to help solve the city’s traffic
problems.
At a June 29 council meeting, Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome said buses stopping
to dispatch passengers along Beach Road and other downtown thoroughfares are
a major factor behind the city’s chronic congestion. While the Land
Transport Department is mulling additional roads and police target those
violating no parking zones, double-parking and using public streets to rent
motorbikes, moving buses to a central location will be a big help, he said.
In other business, the council approved funds to complete projects to clear
water-drainage pipes throughout Pattaya and construct new ones for Soi
Bunmalert and the Pratamnak and Dongtan beach areas.
Navy doctor felled by H1N1 flu returns to hero’s welcome
Patcharapol Panrak
Colds and flu are nothing unusual at the Royal Thai Navy’s
4,200-strong Sattahip recruiting center. But when an unusual number of
conscripts came down with high fevers and particularly violent symptoms in
mid-June, Dr. Tanasinee Thiamtan began to think something more serious was
wrong.
 After
recovering from the H1N1 flu, Dr. Tanasinee Thiamtan is back on the job.
She was right. Within days, the head of the Naval Education Department’s
medical ward diagnosed seven recruits with the influenza A (H1N1) strain. By
that time, however, the virus had already begun to sweep through the
facility.
By month’s end, officials had to isolate nearly 650 cadets who exhibited
flu-like symptoms, although just eight were officially reported to have
H1N1. One of those, however, died June 29.
Among the victims was Tanasinee herself. Capt. Wirat Somchit, deputy
commander for the Naval Recruit Center, said that initially no one realized
that the conscripts with high fevers and severe coughs and sneezing were
infected with the H1N1 strain. Although Tanasinee had suspicions, she went
on treating the rising number of patients.
Once she’d identified the cause as the 2009 flu strain, it was too late.
She’d been infected herself and was admitted to Apakorn Kiatiwong Hospital
on Sattahip Naval Base June 21.
Fully recovered, she returned to the Recruiting Center last week amid a
hero’s welcome. Her bosses encouraged her to rest, but Tanasinee jumped back
in to attend to the many patients still in isolation.
Wirat said that small medical staff at the Recruiting Center is usually
sufficient to care for the more than 4,000 recruits and 2,000 staff and
visiting family members. But an epidemic like the H1N1 outbreak simply
overwhelm the base’s resources.
As a result, he said, Navy officials are looking at new procedures that can
prevent this type of mass outbreak and keep both the recruits and the
medical staff safe.
Boyfriend’s anger over drug habit
behind brutal killing of Pattaya woman
Boonlua Chatree
Boonma Sukprasert had pleaded with girlfriend to give up drugs. But
when she again asked him to pay for her habit, the 46-year-old garbage
collector exploded in anger, hacking his partner to death with a garden hoe,
stuffing her body into a fertilizer sack and dumping the corpse on a central
Pattaya side street.
 Boonma
Sukprasert confesses to police.
Solving what authorities called a particularly brutal murder, police July 7
arrested Boonma for killing 40-year-old Nam-Oy Srimomgkol at their Soi Choun
Rak Inn Hotel home. The man confessed to the crime, claiming he lost his
temper and had never intended to kill her.
What police found the day before, however, tells another story. Officers
discovered Nam-Oy bound by the wrists and ankles, wrapped in two
double-layer trash bags and stuffed inside a recycled chemical-fertilizer
bag under an Indian almond tree on Soi Nokkao. She had been dead for about
five days and, due to the number of injuries to her face and body, police
initially thought as many as three people were responsible for her death.
After identifying Nam-Oy, police went to her house and found Boonma who,
officers said, immediately broke down and confessed before even being
questioned. The former Roi Et resident said he’d long been distressed about
his blonde-haired, tattooed girlfriend’s ya ba habit and had repeatedly
urged her to quit, both for health and financial reasons.
Last week, before making one of her frequent runs to her hometown Nakhon
Sawan, she’d asked him for another 2,000 baht for the methamphetamine pills,
which set off an angry argument. Boonma told police he lost control and hit
her unintentionally with the hoe, killing her. Scared and feeling guilty, he
packed her into the two plastic bags and fertilizer sack and took the body
in his motorcycle sidecar to dispose of it in the bushes.
Boonma was charged with intentional homicide and disposing the body. Police
planned to have the man re-enact the crime.
Broke Brit bolts on bar bill into bay
Englishman Gary William
Donovan is brought back
to shore after swimming away from his bar tab.
Boonlua Chatree
A broke, but thirsty, Brit is in hot water with police after trying
to swim away from his 1,155 baht bar tab.
Thinking the Beach Road bar staff wouldn’t notice, Englishman Gary William
Donovan, 41, dove out of the Crown Night near Soi 8 into the ocean across
from Pattaya Police Station in the early hours of July 5. Owner Somjai
Kongsomsong did notice, however, and called police who alerted the sea
rescue unit.
Donovan swam and floated about 500 meters out to sea then tried to hide in a
fishing boat moored offshore. After 30 minutes, authorities netted the
drunken mariner and hauled him back to shore to a crowd of Thai and foreign
onlookers.
Donovan told police he went out drinking Saturday night to relieve stress
from having pregnant wives in both the U.K. and Thailand and no money. Even
though he knew he couldn’t pay the bill, he decided to go out anyway, he
said.
Bar employees interviewed said it was not the first time Donovan had ducked
out on a bill, although it was the first time he got wet doing it.
U.K. teen’s death in water park whirlpool spurs calls for inquiry into lifeguard inaction
An official inspects the
unsecured gate.
Boonlua Chatree
The mother of a British teen who drowned in a whirlpool at Pattaya
Park on July 10, is calling for an inquiry into how the accident that has
become headline news around the world could have happened.
Nathan Clark Griffiths, 14, was sucked into the water park’s pump system
while trying to recover a pair of lost goggles. He apparently lifted an
unlocked vent grill, through which the mask had fallen.
The boy’s parents are furious with the water park’s lifeguards for waiting
30 minutes before investigating their calls for help find the boy after he
went missing. Trevor Clark, the boy’s father, and his Thai wife Jintana said
guards refused to believe their claims the boy was trapped inside the pump
shaft. In England, Nathan’s mother, Marion Griffiths, told U.K. newspapers
she wants an investigation into safety standards at the water park.
Lifeguard Damrongsak Songmaroeng said that after Jintana alerted them he and
two other staff members checked and found the grate closed normally.
Therefore they told Jintana it was “impossible” for anyone to be sucked
inside. It was not until, amid the father’s protestations, officials opened
a gate inside the pump room and the youth’s lifeless body spilled out.
The tragedy has spawned front-page stories across the U.K. with newspaper,
television and internet reports around the world again shining an
unflattering spotlight on Pattaya. Even brother Rhys lashed out at Pattaya
Park officials on social networking website Facebook:
“The lifeguard said that we shouldn’t play jokes like this and dismissed
us,” he wrote. “My step-mum was begging them to check the pipes. They argued
back saying it’s impossible as the grill was locked.”
The boys had been living with their father and stepmother in Pattaya for
about nine months and attended Pattaya International School. The day at
Pattaya Park was to be one of the last breaks they’d have before soon
departing for India where Trevor, a tunnel engineer, was just posted.
Before the accident, the two boys were in a whirlpool with other family
members when Nathan told his brother that his goggles had dropped into the
grate at the bottom of the 1-meter pool and he was going to get them. It was
the last time the boy was seen alive. Calling for help, Rhys was joined by
Jintana, who found the grate unlocked, but closed. She claims she asked
lifeguards to check inside, but was told it was impossible and she was
probably lying.
Damrongsak said the whirlpool has been in service for more than a decade
there had never been an accident.
Pol. Lt. Col. Anuchet Katsomboon said there were witnesses who saw the boy
enter the pump shaft, but the investigation will continue. Pattaya Park
officials have offered to compensate the family, but Clark has refused any
offer for now, telling U.K. newspapers this was “no time to talk about
money.”
Thief caught sleeping on the job
Boonlua Chatree
A drowsy thief’s dreams of riches turned to nightmares after falling
asleep on the job inside the North Pattaya home of a city prosecutor.
 Police
made sure Prajak was awake enough to understand he was being arrested.
Prajak Jark Ngoo-Leuam, 20, was caught by police hiding in an upstairs
closet after he was discovered by a maid around 8:30 p.m. July 2.
The somnolent snooper told officers he had broken into the house around 6
p.m. with hopes for a big haul, but fell asleep because he was tired from a
day of drinking after arguing with his girlfriend.
He awoke to hear the maid return home. She found him standing outside a
second-storey storeroom, screamed for help and called police. Rather than
flee, the man locked himself in a closet. Police had to break the door to
get arrest him.
Prajak was charged with trespassing at night and attempted burglary, which
could see him get about five years of sleep behind bars.
3,000 Thai, U.S. sailors join together for Exercise CARAT 2009
Lt. Ed Early, Commander, Task Group 73.5 Public
Affairs
Southeast Asia’s only aircraft carrier is the centerpiece of a
combined afloat training schedule for the armed forces of Thailand and the
U.S. during the 15th annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training
(CARAT) exercise, which began July 8.
 James
Entwistle, the U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission to Thailand, makes opening
remarks during the opening ceremony for Cooperation Afloat Readiness and
Training (CARAT) Thailand 2009. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication
Specialist 1st Class Thomas Brennan/Released)
During the opening ceremony for the 10-day exercise, Vice Adm. Komin
Komutanon, Royal Thai Navy Deputy Commander in Chief, welcomed the
opportunity for the RTN and Royal Thai Marine Corps to work once again with
their U.S. counterparts.
“The Thai Navy has found this exercise very beneficial for enhancing the
skills and experience of participating personnel,” Admiral Komin said. “This
is why we commit significant forces to this exercise each year, because it
is one of the key activities that maintains a continuous good relationship
between the U.S. and Royal Thai Navies.”
James Entwistle, the U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission to Thailand, also spoke at
the ceremony and echoed Admiral Komin’s comments, saying CARAT helps
reinforce long-standing relations between the two countries.
 Royal
Thai Navy Rear Adm. Chaiyot Sunthornnak (left), Commander, Frigate Squadron
Two, talks with Commodore William Kearns III, Commander, Task Group 73.5,
during the opening ceremony for Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training
(CARAT) Thailand 2009. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st
Class Thomas Brennan/Released)
“Exercises like CARAT are critical to ensuring our interoperability,”
Entwistle said. “It is a clear sign of the U.S. commitment to this region,
and it contributes significantly to bi-lateral relations between the U.S.
and Thailand, which is celebrating 175 years of friendship.”
Since 1995, the CARAT bilateral exercise series has provided the U.S. and
six other Southeast Asian nations - Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore,
Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia - the opportunity to exchange knowledge and
expand and sharpen maritime security through shared training, equipment and
manpower.
This year, CARAT Thailand features a new training platform in HTMS Chakri
Naruebet, flagship of the Royal Thai Navy and the only aircraft carrier in
the region. The Spanish-built Chakri Naruebet launches and recovers S-70B
helicopters and AV-8S Matador jets, both exported versions of U.S. Navy and
Marine Corps aircraft.
Chakri Naruebet and other Royal Thai Navy ships will join their U.S. Navy
counterparts for exercises in skill areas involving surface and air defense
gunnery operations, undersea warfare, casualty evacuation, diving and
salvage, and logistics management. Additionally, there will be tactical
scenarios where U.S. and Royal Thai Navy ships operate together in teams.
Ashore, U.S. and Royal Thai Marines will conduct land-based survival
training, live-fire exercises and mechanized warfare training, as well as
combined amphibious landing exercises originating from U.S. and Royal Thai
Navy ships.
Ships and aircraft from both Thailand and the U.S. comprise the combined
CARAT task group, under the leadership of Royal Thai Navy Rear Adm. Chaiyot
Sunthornnak, Commander, Frigate Squadron Two, and Commodore William Kearns
III, Commander, Task Group 73.5.
Task Group 73.5 consists of the amphibious dock landing ship USS Harpers
Ferry (LSD 49), guided-missile destroyer USS Chafee (DDG 90), guided-missile
frigate USS Crommelin (FFG 37) and rescue-salvage ship USNS Safeguard (T-ARS
50). Other units participating in CARAT Thailand include P-3C Orion and
SH-60 Seahawk aircraft, U.S. Navy Seabees, a U.S. Coast Guard training team,
and a U.S. Navy mobile security squadron.
Commodore Kearns is embarked aboard Harpers Ferry, which operates from
Sasebo, Japan as part of the 7th Fleet’s Forward Deployed Naval Forces.
Kearns’ staff is based in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Approximately 1,600 U.S. personnel will take part in CARAT 2009.
U.S. Sailors and Marines from
USS Crommelin (FFG 37), USS Chafee (DDG 90) and USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49)
stand in formation alongside members
of the Royal Thai Navy during the opening ceremony for CARAT Thailand 2009.
(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Thomas
Brennan/Released)
Royal Thai and U.S. Navy divers
share training during CARAT
Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class
(AW/NAC) Thomas Brennan,
Commander, Task Group 73.5 Public Affairs
U.S. Navy divers and their Royal Thai Navy (RTN) counterparts took advantage
of an invaluable training opportunity on July 10, participating in a joint
dive exercise at Sattahip Naval Base.
 Navy
Diver 1st Class Coby Wood (left) of Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) 1
and Royal Thai Navy Diver Petty Officer 1st Class Pirzons Lijialone prepare
a KM 37 dive mask for Diver Chief Petty Officer 1st Class Warachat
Phantisoay during a joint dive exercise as part of CARAT Thailand 2009.
(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Thomas
Brennan/Released)
During the exercise, part of Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training
(CARAT) Thailand 2009, divers from Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) 1
and the RTN shared updated equipment and procedures with one another, with
an emphasis on safety in the diving environment.
“This is a partnership,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Troy Roat, MDSU 1
diving officer. “We are always working to develop the most effective diving
plan, and that’s an evolutionary process.”
RTN divers got their first opportunity to use new Kirby Morgan KM 37 helmets
recently acquired by MDSU 1. The KM 37, an updated version of the KM 21
helmet currently used by the Thai navy, allows divers to reach even further
depths for extended time periods.
Even with a difficult language barrier, Roat was confident that ideas were
clearly communicated between the two dive teams.
“Divers are very intuitive people. Their training and practices are parallel
to ours,” he added.
After receiving a copy of MDSU 1’s latest diving manual, RTN Diver Lt. Niran
Kongnan described the diving phase of CARAT as a “great training
opportunity.” The RTN divers are translating the manual from English to
Thai.
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