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Pattaya tourism businesses join
anti-red shirt rally in Bangkok
Vimolrat Singnikorn
Adding a new hue to Thailand’s growing political battle
between colored-shirt factions, pink- and white-clad tourism entrepreneurs
from Pattaya joined industry associations in Bangkok to plead for an end to
street demonstrations that are quickly destroying yet another high season.
The Thai Hotels Association Eastern Chapter, led by
former President Chatchawan Supachayanont, joined the April 2 rally at
Lumpini Park to call on both the government and the red-shirted United Front
for Democracy Against Dictatorship to end discord and jointly find a
peaceful and workable solution that places the interests of the entire
country ahead of their own.
Business and tourism entrepreneurs from Pattaya, Bangkok and beyond sign
a huge petition asking for an end to street demonstrations.
About 100 Pattaya tourism business owners and workers
joined the Federation of Thai Tourism Associations, Thai-Japan Tourism
Association and Association of Thai Travel Agents at the King Rama VI
Monument to highlight the damage that, for the second Songkran holiday in a
row, is being inflicted upon the country’s tourism industry. Participants
estimated the ongoing street demonstrations have already cost the country
more than 10 billion baht.
The rally by white-shirted tourism leaders was part of a
growing tide of grass roots opposition to the largely poor, uneducated and
rural red shirts who support fugitive former Prime Minister Thaksin
Shinawatra and want to the government - supported by upper-class
yellow-shirted elites - to dissolve Parliament and call new elections. At
nearly the same time just across Lumpini Park, a new group of pink-shirted
protestors demonstrated against the red shirt demonstrations.
The tourism operators, who simply held a press conference
to make their statement, promoted a motto of “not involved in politics, only
peace.” They urged all sides to stop damaging tourism, which comprises six
percent of Thailand’s gross domestic product and the majority of revenue
generated in Pattaya.
While Pattaya initially was not impacted by the red shirt
uprising, the damage from the never-ending stalemate and street rallies has
spread to the city, with bookings down as much as 80 percent, according to
the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
Thankfully, according to Sinchai Wattanasartsathorn,
vice-president of the Pattaya Business & Tourism Association, Thai tourists
are still coming to Pattaya, which at least blunts a bit the damage from the
loss of foreign tourism due to the political crisis. Hotels are running
about 60 percent full for the Songkran holiday, he said.
Pattaya officials plead for tradition as Songkran madness looms
Once again, water wars are upon us.
Vimolrat Singnikorn
Love it or hate it, Songkran is nearly here again and,
amid the usual water-soaked chaos, Pattaya officials have organized
activities to stress the traditional nature of the water festival.
While the legal Songkran holiday runs only from April
13-16, Pattaya, in spirit of its “Extreme City” moniker, soaks up the fun
for the full April 13-19 period, and often more. Past years have seen
foreigners and even some Thai bar staff start throwing water and powder as
early as the evening of April 11.
As usual, city officials have asked that Songkran
revelers play respectively, do not throw powder, not distribute alcohol and
not use high-pressure PVC water pipes to blast water onto passing motorbikes
and pedestrians. But without vigorous police enforcement, their pleas will
again go unheeded.
Trying to stress the original nature of Songkran - a
tradition begun from men returning from working in the fields to have their
hands, feet and face gently washed and powdered by their wives - Pattaya has
organized activities in which water is lightly sprinkled on monks and
elderly people to pay offer respect and blessings.
The water play, or wan lai, in Thai, begins
officially April 18 at Naklua’s Lan Pho public park at 7 a.m. with offerings
being made to 99 Buddhist monks, gently sprinkling water onto Buddha’s image
and blessing the elderly. At noon a Buddha’s image procession leaves the
park for Naklua Market, allowing people to sprinkle water before the full
day of water throwing, pouring and shooting madness begins.
In Pattaya, which has never observed the tradition of
celebrating wan lai for only one day, the official water-playing
will begin at 7:30 a.m. April 19 at Chaimongkol Temple in South Pattaya
with the sprinkling of water on Buddhist monks and his image. Elderly people
will be sprinkled at 8:30 a.m. with people asking for their blessings and a
Buddha’s image and flower parade from the temple along Beach Road to the
Dolphin Roundabout will follow.
The insanity then begins with Beach Road closed from 8
a.m. to 8 p.m. as thousands of people take to the streets to drench, powder
and paste each other; effectively closing down the western part of the city.
City officials encourage all drivers to be cognizant of
gridlock, which in past years has resulted in trips from north to south
taking as many as four hours. All drivers are encouraged to leave their cars
and motorbikes at home or park vehicles at Chaimongkol Temple, Pattaya
School No. 8 and Bali Hai Pier.
On the 19th, the city will set up
10 points along Beach Road to offer refreshments, amusement and help for
Songkran revelers. Deputy Major Ronakit Ekasingh said Pattaya Police will be
backed up by officers from Jomtien Beach, the Tourist and Marine police as
well as Banglamung and Huay Yai to better protect tourism and the city’s
image.
Furthermore, Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan Naklua,
Maritime Transport, the Commercial Department, the Pattaya Marine Rescue
Unit and all hospitals in Pattaya will have additional sea rescue operations
for tourists at several locations along the shore and the main roads to
transport the many invariably injured during Songkran.
Ronakit actually blamed many of the problems associated
with Songkran on foreigners, saying tourists didn’t understand or follow
traditional ways. This, of course, overlooks the thousands of Thais who use
the holiday to drink excessively, throw water of variable cleanliness and
temperatures at tourists and others for days on end and get involved with
traffic accidents that claim more than 400 lives nationwide each year.
This year, Ronakit added, schools the Pattaya Tourism &
Business Association and other organizations will attempt to better promote
the traditional aspects of the holiday. Chonburi Province officials are also
intent on somehow reducing traffic casualties during the April 12-18 period.
With most folks exhausted after a week of water warfare,
the city will celebrate a quieter Kong Khao (Rice Festival) April 20
at Lan Pho Park at noon with friendly sports, games and activities
scheduled. At 6:30 p.m. there will be a religious ceremony and two parades,
as well as food stands and folk music available.
Annual Chonburi Festival set for April 9-19
Deputy Governor Songpol Champaphan announces
activities for the annual Chonburi Festival.
Theerarak Suthathiwong
Chonburi will again mark Songkran with the Chonburi
Festival, an annual celebration staged since 1932.
The April 9-19 festival combines the festivals of
venerating Puttha Sihing, Songkran and the Red Cross Fair together into one.
Activities include a procession for venerating Phra Puttha Sihing Buddha
image, water pouring for the elders, folk games, classical masked-dances
from the Department of Fine Arts, cultural performance, exhibitions and
stalls.
The festival, started to promote peace after riots in the
year the absolute monarchy was dissolved in Thailand, aims to conserve and
promote local customs as well as to instill a sense of value for the
cultural heritage. It also raises income to support Chonburi Red Cross.
Other activities will include a Songkran parade and a
Miss Songkran pageant with 140,000 baht in prizes, Thai and Chinese
entertainment, movies and concerts. Finally, a lucky draw with 3 million
baht in prizes will be held. For more information, call 038-279-448 during
office hours.
Concert programs are as follows:
April 9: Pongsit Kampee concert
April 10: Kala concert
April 11: 2010 Miss Songkran contest
April 12: Bao Wee concert
April 13: Cattery Marasri show
April 14: Em Atthapol concert
April 15: Ponglang Sa-on concert
April 16: Fon Tanasunthorn concert
April 17: Carabao concert Bao-Pan return
Hard times mean big business
for Pattaya Pawnshop
People who need extra cash can visit Pattaya Pawnshop.
Vimolrat Singnikorn
Pattaya’s government pawnshop is doing brisk business as
Thais, and some foreigners, hit by continuing economic hard times are
trading in gold and other valuables to pay for the coming school term and
Songkran holiday.
Suchart Chutipongsapisit, director of the city-run shop,
said Pattaya recently increased the cash reserve used to buy items off
customers to 50 million baht, up five-fold from the previous budget.
“That shows people are still hurting from the current
economic climate and need money for day-to-day and extraordinary expenses,”
Suchart said. “The first thing people do is exchange property for money or
borrow from moneylenders. But the government pawnshop has lower interest
rates, so the number of people using it has increased each year.”
March, he said, was the busiest month in memory, with
Thais coming in to pawn gold at current near-record levels to pay for the
school term that begins in May, as well as this month’s Songkran
celebration. Suchart also said about four or five foreigners a day come in,
many with Thai girlfriends in tow, to hock personal items for cash.
Suchart explained that through April 30, interest rates
will be very low. Items valued at 5,000 baht or less will be charged 0.5%
per month. Items worth 5,001-30,000 baht get charged 1% and items up to
100,000 baht charged 1.25% per month interest.
A person who has pawned their goods can continue to pay
interest on the loan, but if no payment is made for 4 consecutive months
then the city confiscates the pawned goods. The owners have 30 days after
that to pay the loan, after which the city reserves the right to resell the
items to the public.
However, special repayment terms are available for those
that wish to reclaim property on which they’ve missed payments.
The Pattaya Pawnshop on Beach Road and Soi 6 is open
Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Bangkok ‘red shirt’ protests now hitting Pattaya tourism: TAT
Vimolrat Singnikorn
Continuing “red shirt” protests in Bangkok are now
affecting tourism in Pattaya with the Tourism Authority of Thailand
reporting an 80 percent decrease in tourist numbers from the Asian
region.
While local hotels and merchants said just three
weeks ago that mass anti-government demonstrations weren’t, in fact,
having a negative impact on the Pattaya area, the cumulative effect of
seemingly unending protests, rallies and red-shirt caravans across the
capital has created enough negative press that tours and bookings are
now being hit.
“This second wave of political problems - the first
being the red shirt riots a year ago - has resulted in a slowdown
nationwide and Pattaya has also been victimized,” said TAT Pattaya
office director Niti Kongkrut. “Tourism statistics show a decrease of
more than 80 percent.”
Worse, Kongkrut said, no one knows how long the
crisis will continue. After some encouraging high-level talks between
the red shirts and the government, protestors again took to the streets
last weekend, paralyzing central Bangkok traffic and forcing the closure
of the city’s biggest shopping district.
International press reports continue to play up the
unrest in Bangkok, which has led to cancellations of several Pattaya
group tours from Taiwan and has even heartier Russian, Indian and Middle
Eastern tourists considering fleeing the country, Kongkrut said.
TAT is scrambling to come up with positive
countermeasures and is considering a new “VIP card” promotion to entice
tourists to return to the Kingdom.
CARAT 2010 exercise gets underway May 14
Top Thai military officials meet to prepare for this
year’s CARAT exercises.
Patcharapol Panrak
This year’s CARAT multinational naval exercise gets
underway May 14 at Royal Thai Fleet Field at Prince Chumphon Camp in
Sattahip.
Rear Adm. Chaiyot Sunthonnak, commander of the Royal Thai
Navy’s Frigate Squadron 2, and Rear Adm. Nora W. Tyson, commander of the
U.S. Logistics Group for the Western Pacific, held another organizational
meeting March 29 in Sattahip.
Chaiyot said that the Combat Afloat Readiness And
Training (CARAT) games give Southeast Asian countries - including Thailand,
the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia - the chance to
exchange information and expertise with their counterparts in the U.S. Navy
and Marine Corps.
The exercise will focus on increasing experience levels
for gunships, amphibious attack units and focus on marine security and
target practice in Thai territorial waters.
Adm. Kamthorn Pumhiran, commander in chief of the Royal
Thai Navy, and the U.S. ambassador to Thailand are expected to jointly open
the games, which will include the HTMS Chakri Naruebet carrier and a U.S.
submarine.
Royal rain-makers take to the air in the East as drought deepens
Patcharapol Panrak
While drought conditions have not yet become critical in
the Eastern Seaboard, Thailand’s “cloud attackers” have begun seeding some
clouds with chemicals to create rain to aid worried farmers.
Tawee Kanchana, director of the Center for Artificial
Rain Operations 6 (Eastern Region) explains in what areas the cloud seeders
will concentrate.
Royal Rain-Making Operations Center 6, based at Pattaya
U-Tapao International Airport, have begun sorties to seed clouds over
Chonburi and Rayong, although low humidity levels cut the odds of success
to, at best, 60 percent. Still, officials with the center, who use
technology patented by HM the King to create rain, are not worried.
The eastern region still has an abundance of water with
reservoirs such as those in Nong Plalai and Sriracha 73 percent and 47
percent full, respectively. However, with drought ravaging the country’s
northeast, officials are taking precautions in case the rainy season doesn’t
hit when expected.
The Naval Aviation Division department has expanded its
support area to include Chanthaburi and Trat and has sent three aircraft to
those regions to seed clouds in hopes of making rain. However, Srakaew, Trat,
Chonburi, Chanthaburi, Prachinburi, Nakhon Nayok and Chachoengsao are still
very dry, and without humidity, cloud seeding only works 50-60 percent of
the time.
Sattahip offers free medical
checkups, dog vaccinations
Patcharapol Panrak
Good health for both people and animals was the goal when
mobile medical teams hit the streets of Sattahip to provide human health
checks and canine anti-rabies vaccinations.
Sattahip folks take advantage of the free checkups being
offered at their local temple.
Deputy Mayor Traithep Tosawongchai opened the campaign
March 23 with teams touring the streets, schools and Sattahip Temple. The
groups were staffed by Sattahip KM 10 Hospital and the Chonburi Domestic
Animal Department.
Project organizer Rungroj Onwong said the two programs
are sponsored by the Sattahip Public Health and Environment Department to
improve the physical and mental health of local residents. One factor in
doing that is controlling the animal population, which can be a host of
various diseases, including rabies.
Vaccinations and sterilization of dogs throughout the
community will enhance safety for people living with these domestic animals.
It will also increase public knowledge, understanding, and they will pay
more attention to their pets to avoid further problems, Rungroj said.
Traithep said the monthly outreach effort has received a
good response from the public with more than 1,000 people taking checkups
and bringing their pets in for injections.
Qatar man pays 30,000 baht for massage gone bad
Boonlua Chatree
A Qatar tourist looking for more than was on the menu
ended up paying 30,000 baht for his traditional Thai massage.
Abdulrahman Jassim M Y Sorour tries to explain to police
why he thought he had paid for more than jut a traditional Thai massage.
Police were called to the Antina Thai Traditional Massage
on Walking Street late March 27 were outraged masseuses had detained
customer Abdulrahman Jassim M Y Sorour who had allegedly groped and
attempted to rape 24-year-old Suwimol Kerdkaew.
Suwimol told police she was giving Sorour an oil massage
when he first touched her breast then tried to hold her down and force her
to have sex. She said she fought him off and called for assistance from
friends, who told the 34-year-old Qatar man Antina was a traditional massage
shop, not a front for prostitution.
The masseuse initially demanded police arrest the Sorour,
but after he apologized and offered compensation, she dropped the charges.
In return, Sorour paid the woman 30,000 baht and was allowed to go free.
British citizen among 9 arrested on drug, theft charges
Police bring out the suspects to display to the media.
Theerarak Suthathiwong
A westerner and seven Thais were caught in the Pattaya
Police Department’s latest roundup of alleged drug dealers, users and
thieves.
David Solomon, 44, who holds a British passport, along
with four men and four women were paraded in front of cameras at a police
press conference March 25, all accused of possession of ya ice or ya ba,
some with intent to distribute. One Thai man was charged with motorbike
theft.
Among the arrested was Solomon, who was caught with 7.8
g. of ya ice in six clear Ziploc bags which police claim he intended to
sell. Authorities also seized his motorbike, a scale and mobile phone.
Police alleged Solomon has been dealing drugs for some time in the Pattaya
area, although he has been difficult to catch as he often comes and goes
from the kingdom on tourist visas.
The women arrested were Chotirot Siriwet, 24, for ya ice
possession, Wasana Aramsri, 22, and Suchatya Thiamchan, 33, and Nichapa
Suasoongnern, 25, all for possession of ya ice.
The other men arrested were Sunit Asasamak, 19, Suriyapong Ruke-udom, 18,
and Sutad Kulab, 20, for possession of both ya ba and ya ice. Worawut Bunprakong, 24, was also arrested and charged with the theft of a motorbike
from an apartment on Soi Buakhao.
Brit ex-pat who advertised
illegal DVD sales gets
unwelcome police customer
Boonlua Chatree
A British ex-pat who advertised his illegal DVD business
online, in the newspaper and via brochures will now have plenty of time to
watch television after he was caught by copyright and immigration police
with a truckload of illegal movies.
Police look over the large cache of pirated DVDs as
suspect Christopher Robert Newton (left) looks on.
Christopher Robert Newton, 64, was arrested by
crime-suppression investigators March 30 outside the Jomtien Palm Beach
Hotel after officers called to set up an appointment to purchase copied
movies and television shows. When he arrived in his Nissan Frontier pickup
truck, officers found almost 600 illegal discs in the back as well as 30
slick brochures.
Under questioning, Newton admitted to running a DVD
pirating operation and was working without a work permit.
It wasn’t exactly difficult for investigators to find
him. Newton had distributed brochures around various English-style pubs in
Pattaya, took out a classified ad and hosted a website offering his illegal
wares and information on how to contact him.
Boxer KO’s American
with umbrella pole
Boonlua Chatree
An American man took a knockout blow from a drunk
part-time Muay Thai boxer armed with a metal beach-umbrella pole during an
early morning confrontation on Beach Road.
Drunk and unrepentant, Bunmee Arunsawat was remanded to
custody after beating a tourist with an umbrella pole.
Police and medics found Texan Patrick Michael Poppe, 45,
unconscious and bleeding on the beachfront pavement about 3:30 a.m. March
29. Seriously injured and bleeding, Poppe was taken to Pattaya Memorial
Hospital.
Still lingering nearby was Bunmee Arunsawat, 33, a boxer
at the Best Friend beer bar complex in South Pattaya who also shined shoes
between rounds. The Udon Thani native was arrested and police seized the
aluminum pole used to beat the American.
Bunmee admitted he hit Poppe, but said the attack came
only after the American became aggressive and provoked him. Police, however,
are skeptical of the boxer’s account, saying he most likely attacked the man
after unsuccessfully trying to rob him. He has been jailed on assault
charges.
Man in black escapes after
stealing 2 million in gold
from Rayong shop
Security-camera footage shows the robbery in progress.
Theerarak Suthathiwong
An armed robber escaped after stealing more than 2
million baht in gold from a Tesco Lotus shop in Rayong.
Thirty-eight gold bracelets weighing 116 baht were taken
from the Porn A-nan Yaowarat Gold shop in the March 24 heist. The robbery
occurred around 9:30 p.m. as four employees counted stock and revenue before
closing. A man dressed in all-black clothes and motorcycle helmet came to
the counter, pulled a knife and demanded the gold.
Tesco Lotus employee Wanlop Modtamalee said he heard
someone yelling for assistance before he saw a man running from the shop.
The 48-year-old clerk tried to catch him, but the robber escaped on black
Honda Sonic motorbike onto Sukhumvit Road.
Police are reviewing security-camera footage in hopes of
identifying the thief.
German fugitive deported
to serve jail term
on child abuse charges
Boonlua Chatree
A 53-year-old German man has been deported after hiding
out in Pattaya to escape a four-year prison sentence on multiple child abuse
charges.
Karweina is being sent back to Germany to serve his
sentence for child molesting.
Diemar Emil Joachim Karweina was arrested by Chonburi
Immigration Police in front of the Garden Paradise Hotel in Naklua March 31
after receiving a request for assistance from German authorities. Karweina
had been convicted on six counts of child abuse by a court in Duisburg in
January 2008, but fled to Thailand before being jailed.
Once captured, the German’s visa was canceled and he was shipped back
home to begin serving his term.
Marine police seize tanker hauling untaxed diesel fuel
Marine police board the K.V.10 cargo ship
suspected of
smuggling untaxed diesel.
Theerarak Suthatiwong
Marine Police seized a cargo ship smuggling 14,200 liters
of gray market diesel fuel worth more than 2 million baht off Ao Udom Pier
in Sriracha.
Pol. Maj. Gen. Chanthep Saesawet, commander in chief of
the Marine Police was alerted March 19 that the K.V.10 cargo ship anchored
offshore was hauling diesel fuel on which excise tax had not been paid. A
patrol boat was sent to investigate and on board they found the untaxed
goods. Officers estimated it could be sold at more than 10 baht less than
going rates.
The ship’s captain admitted the fuel was untaxed, and
stated that it came from Kangwan Co. Ltd. and was destined to be sold to
international vessels.
The ship is the second owned by Kangwan Co. Ltd. to be
seized in the past six months for tax evasion. Another vessel hauling
untaxed oil products was taken by authorities in December. Authorities also
brought 10 ship crewmen in for questioning.
Sattahip area now experiencing water shortages
Patcharapol Panrak
While Pattaya residents have enough water to survive this
year’s drought conditions, their neighbors to the south in Sattahip are now
encountering shortages.
The fire department has been dispatched to fill klongs
jars and water tanks to try and help relieve water shortages in Sattahip.
In Plutaluang, officials on March 19 began using fire
engines to deliver emergency rations of water to villages in the
sub-district and are urging locals to conserve water and dig more reservoirs
to catch rainwater.
Sub-district head Taweep Tangkaew said residents of
Village No. 8 came to him to ask for help after unseasonably hot
temperatures and a lack of rain depleted their rainwater reserves.
The Public Disaster Protection Office dispatched fire
engines to distribute water, but found that communities have been
ill-prepared for the drought and did not have adequate numbers of tanks to
collect rainwater.
Taweep said residents need to build or dig more storage
tanks so that when the rainy season begins, they can store enough water to
make it through dry times. In the meantime, he urged residents to strictly
conserve water and take steps to make sure none is wasted.
Rayong honors Rama III,
civil servants
Rayong officials pay homage to King Rama III.
Theerarak Suthathiwong
About 500 Rayong-area bureaucrats, police and military
officers paid homage to King Rama III and saluted the province’s civil
servants in a dual-purpose March 31 ceremony.
Rayong Gov. Sayumporn Limthai presided over the event
that both commemorated the man depicted on the back of the 500-baht note as
well marked Civil Servants Day.
Rama III, or Chetsadabodin Phra Nang Klao Chao Yu Hua,
ruled Siam from 1824 until his death in 1851.
Rama III’s reign was marked by wars with Cambodia, Laos
and Vietnam and the king, before his death, predicted that two of those
countries would fall to western powers. He also founded a government
emergency fund Thailand would later use to pay off France to retain its
sovereignty.
Sayumporn also took the time to honor Rayong’s civil
servants, offering prayers and teachings from monks and readings of
proclamations from HM the King and Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.
Public, private-sector officials given anti-corruption lecture
Patcharapol Panrak
About 120 local politicians, bureaucrats and community
leaders took part in an anti-corruption workshop organized by Sattahip’s
Kledkaew Sub-district and the Pattaya Prosecutor’s Office.
The March 19 workshop aimed to educate officials on legal
regulations related to fraud, corruption and consumer protection related to
purchasing, employment and concessions, as well as national anti-corruption
efforts. The message the public and private officials were given is that
deceit and corruption are hampering the Thai economy.
Kledkaew Mayor Kasem Hosuwan said corruption is a problem
on the national, provincial and local levels and is prevalent in the
government, military and police ranks. Most cases related to five areas:
using one’s official status for gain, procurement, concessions, subversion
of government anti-fraud systems and taking advantage of governing policies
for corruption purposes.
Chonburi officials hit the road to spread happiness
Boonlua Chatree
The Chonburi provincial government wants its citizens to
be happy and again went out on the road to talk with and help people with
their problems.
Chonburi Gov. Senee Jittakasem hands out supplies to the
folks in his constituency.
Chonburi Gov. Senee Jittakasem launched the latest
mobile-government effort March 24 at the Laem Chabang Industrial Estate
Center on Koh Si Chang.
The initiative takes advantage of a national Ministry of
Interior budget to boost people’s morale and spread happiness amid problems
with natural disaster, drought, debt burdens, low agricultural prices
unemployment and poverty. By going out into the community and listening to
people’s complaints and worries, the government believes Thai people will
feel better and become more united.
The project does have some practical benefit in that it
saves people the time and expense to visit a government office to contact
public officials. It’s hoped that this will improve relations between the
masses and their leaders.
Chonburi offers free
truck-driver training
Police and drivers gather for classroom lectures.
Theerarak Suthatiwong
Hoping to boost both road safety and the province’s
logistics industry, Chonburi offered free tractor-trailer driving lessons to
truck drivers.
This is the second training course organized by the
Office of Land Transportation in cooperation with the 14th Army Command and
took place on March 9-25. Participants were already employed as
small-vehicle drivers looking to move up to larger vehicles.
This group of 30 participants spent 18 hours over 3 days
in the classroom training in six subjects and another 66 hours during the
next 11 days getting practical training by putting their skills to the test
behind the wheel.
Not only was the training free, but trainees were paid
120 baht a day and given free accommodations during the course.
Chonburi Gov. Senee Jittakasem said this year’s training
program was expanded from last year as the province still sees strong demand
for truck drivers for logistics companies serving Chonburi’s Laem Chabang
Port and industrial zones.
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