Pattaya's Songkran decisions

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Gaybutton
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Pattaya's Songkran decisions

Post by Gaybutton »

Pattaya's powers-that-be have made their Songkran decisions with regard to Corona Virus. While most Songkran activities, other than religious activities, have been canceled, Pattaya is urging people not to water play, although for the time being they have not forbidden water splashing.

My guess is this year there will be no need to make "Songkran escape" trips from Pattaya. I believe if water splashing does take place it will be very subdued and I doubt much of anything will be going on until Sunday, April 19 - the last day of Songkran celebrations in Pattaya - and probably not all that much water splashing even then. I emphasize I am only guessing.

If any further changes or cancellations are announced, of course they will be posted.
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Pattaya City cancels all non religious official Songkran Activities and Wan Lai Festival due to Covid19 concerns

By Adam Judd

March 6, 2020

This afternoon Pattaya Mayor Sonthaya Khunpluem confirmed that Pattaya has cancelled most official Songkran activities for this year due to concerns of the outbreak of the Covid19 novel Coronavirus.

This includes the Wan Lai Festival on the 19, which is the single biggest event on the city's yearly calendar, attracting up to a half million tourists domestic and foreign in what is likely Thailand’s wildest Songkran party.

All beach road activities, parade, concerts, booths, etc will be cancelled. Additionally the city is reaching out to private organizers, such as Central Festival, and urging them not to have a Songkran water party.

Religious activities, such as making merit to monks, traditional community Songkran meals and visiting sacred relics and traditional Songkran activities will still take place as well as religious ceremonies at locations throughout Pattaya.

The Mayor stated he is urging residents and tourists not to play with water as it may help spread the virus, but it is important to note that a closet ban or law would be unenforceable.

Songkran is the Thai New Year and the single biggest event on the yearly calendar for Thais. The event last year made over 22 billion nationally and Pattaya has increased yearly roughly fifteen percent year over year in terms of revenue from domestic and national tourists.

The cancellation of the biggest tourism event of the year will only compound the current tourism and business problems, many say.

The Pattaya News notes however that a historic drought, the worst in twenty years according to officials, has also corresponded with this time and that by cancelling all the official water wars this may help retain water.

https://thepattayanews.com/2020/03/06/p ... -concerns/
Up2u

Re: Pattaya's Songkran decisions

Post by Up2u »

I know it is tough on businesses with all the domestic and foreign tourists, but health and safety trump any financial setbacks.
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Re: Pattaya's Songkran decisions

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Up2u wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2020 4:49 pm health and safety trump any financial setbacks.
I certainly agree. I don't want to get sick and possibly die because of business greed. I'm sorry they're going to lose a lot of money, but then again how many tourists would flock to Pattaya this year in the first place considering the virus scare and all the fun activity cancellations? Either way, I think business would lose and from what I'm reading, many are already massively losing due to the loss of Chinese tour groups.

In any case, I'm glad to see Pattaya's officials are putting health before money.

For those who want to avoid the inevitable water splashing, and again I doubt there will be much of it this year, at least on April 19 just stay indoors. According to the article, the only reason the powers-that-be are not going to try to ban the water splashing is because they say there is no way to enforce it. So, between now and Songkran, I'm expecting to see a lot of publicity trying to convince people not to be out there splashing and convincing people to avoid getting splashed.

Again, so far there are no reported Corona virus cases in Pattaya. I think we all hope it stays that way.
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Re: Pattaya's Songkran decisions

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Maybe those drunken, heavily tattooed, moronic farang and bar girls that always plague Pattaya's Second Road, Beach Road, and Jomtien, and the Middle Easterners that splash water at all hours around Sunee Plaza are in for a bitter disappointment this year. The police don't have the manpower to enforce no water splashing throughout the entire city, but they certainly do have the manpower to put a stop to it in those areas. I don't like people getting splashed against their will any more than most of you do. We'll see.
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Pattaya, Bang Saen, Khon Kaen scrap Songkran parties

Water splashing could spread virus, but some religious ceremonies may go ahead

by Chakkrapan Natanri and Saritdet Marukatat

6 Mar 2020

There will be no water splashing during Songkran — at least in Khon Kaen, Pattaya and Bang Saen — as the coronavirus outbreak has forced organisers to scrap activities that could expose more people to the bug that is bringing the world to a standstill.

Khon Kaen Municipality on Thursday announced the cancellation of the Khon Kaen Songkran Festival, leaving only religious ceremonies to be held during the traditional Thai New Year period this year, as organisers were concerned about the virus.

Events were scheduled to run from April 8-15 in the province, which typically boasts the most popular Songkran celebrations in the Northeast. The festival on Khao Niew Road rivals the celebrations seen in the tourist hub of Khao San Road in Bangkok.

Thais and foreigners usually descend on Khon Kaen municipality every April to splash water and watch a parade amid a no-alcohol celebration.

But Mayor Thirasak Thikhayuphan said Khon Kaen would have only religious activities such as offering alms to monks and blessing the elderly with water, to be held at Bueng Kaen Nakhon.

Details will be announced later.

The Khon Kaen Chamber of Commerce said it fully supported the decison made by the municipality.

Chamber chairman Kamolpong Sanguankrakul commended what he called a bold decision, saying the early announcement would give businesses time to adjust their plans.

Mr Kamolpong said business operators in Khon Kaen were already suffering from the plunge of visitors, with hotel occupancy rates down by half for a second straight month in February. Seminars, meetings and other activities have been called off until the end of next month, he added.

The trade body is now turning to local residents, encouraging them to come out of their homes to spend and bolster the provincial ecomony, he added.

The Songkran festival in Khon Kaen is not the only tourism casualty so far. Koh Phangan in Surat Thani has suspended its full-moon party for the same reason. The beach party will return only when things get back to normal, organisers on the southern island say.

Pattaya City, meanwhile, has cancelled the traditional Songkran festival called wan lai scheduled for April 18-19. The festival that brings people into the streets for water splashing, as well as religious ceremonies, is normally held after the Songkran holidays in the rest of the country.

All entertainment activities during the festival will be cancelled, the city said.

“We are seeking cooperation from local residents and tourists to refrain from slashing water as it could cause the spread of the virus,” Pattaya Mayor Sonthaya Khunpluem said in a message on his Facebook account on Friday.

The resort city has already postponed the Pattaya Music Festival planned for March 20-21 to a future date that has not been set. The festival was one of eight activities hat have been called off or delayed this month.

Another famous wan lai event is in Bang Saen but the Saen Suk Municipality said on Friday that events planned for April 16-17 would not take place due to worries about the virus.

The prospects for Songkran activities in Bangkok, including the Khao San water-splashing days, now appear increasingly uncertain. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and Tourism Authority of Thailand will soon make a decision on whether they should go ahead.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... an-parties
Jun

Re: Pattaya's Songkran decisions

Post by Jun »

Up2u wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2020 4:49 pm health and safety trump any financial setbacks
In Europe and presumably the US, yes.

In developing Asia, health and safety is not taken seriously.

For Example:
European building sites have scaffolding with walkways, safety fencing all around, harnesses for before the fencing is installed, safety shoes, high vis jackets, eye protection, helmets etc.
Developing Asia often just has virtually none of this.

It's the same everywhere you look.
The Thai school bus is a pick up where kids stand on the platform, or in one case, I even saw them on the roof.
Motorcycle helmets
Seat belts
Huge 2m deep holes in the middle of the pavement, where they just excavated a hole and left it with no safety barrier

Every single water meter installation seems designed to be a trip hazard

Airport access bridges with holes in the floor (DMK rail station to airport)

Air quality.

Profit trumps health and safety in developing Asia.
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Re: Pattaya's Songkran decisions

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Re: Pattaya's Songkran decisions

Post by gerefan »

Gaybutton wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2020 7:11 pmand the Middle Easterners that splash water at all hours around Sunee Plaza are in for a bitter disappointment this year.
I don’t think you need to worry about these animals.

It’s Ramadan too!👍👍👍
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Re: Pattaya's Songkran decisions

Post by Undaunted »

gerefan wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2020 11:00 pm
Gaybutton wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2020 7:11 pmand the Middle Easterners that splash water at all hours around Sunee Plaza are in for a bitter disappointment this year.
I don’t think you need to worry about these animals.

It’s Ramadan too!👍👍👍
There are many small hotels, restaurants and motorbike rental shops that solely rely on these “animals”....so sad. :roll:
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Re: Pattaya's Songkran decisions

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Undaunted wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2020 11:10 pm There are many small hotels, restaurants and motorbike rental shops that solely rely on these “animals”....so sad
I'm sure that thought is causing you to be in urgent need of one of these:

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Re: Pattaya's Songkran decisions

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"In the land of the blind the one eyed man is king"
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