Asia (Page 2,478)

Pattaya City is considering imposing opening hours on its beaches to curb a growing number of noisy night owls who party into the morning.

The city has received an increasing number of complaints about the nighttime visitors who like to play loud music using portable speakers while drinking alcohol and partying on Pattaya’s popular beaches, Wutthisak Roemkitchakan, the deputy city mayor, said yesterday.

A number of these visitors continue drinking and partying and refuse to leave even when city rubbish collectors show up in the morning to clean the beaches, he said.

This results in the beaches being left littered with rubbish the following day, he said.

“The city now is thinking of imposing opening and closing hours on these beaches as this can be a solution to the problem,” he said.

Currently, the city doesn’t have regulations on the opening and closing time of its beaches, meaning they are open around the clock, he said.

The city previously tried to step up patrols on the beaches, but it was impossible to find enough security officers to do so every night, he said.

The city’s beaches have attracted more visitors since undergoing a major expansion and renovation, he said.

Normally, these beaches do not have many visitors on weekdays, and most of them leave early in the evening, he said.

However, the number of visitors is usually much higher on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, with many who like to drink alcohol and party late into the night, he said, adding that all city authorities can currently do is ask for their cooperation to leave.

Complaints received by the city authorities also noted loud noises made by a number of nightclubs, most of which were open-air places on beaches, he said.

In response to these complaints, he said, the Pattaya municipality and Bang Lamung district authorities inspected these night entertainment establishments and asked them to control the volume of their music.

Officials recommended a few measures, including building a proper sound-proof room for guests, he said.

More measures will be jointly implemented with local police to curb the noise pollution in Pattaya, he said.

In other news, Pipit Rattanarak, a United Thai Nation Party MP for Surat Thani, voiced his concern over shortage problems being faced on the popular islands of Koh Samui and Koh Phangan in the South.

Speaking during a House meeting yesterday, Mr Pipit pointed to the need for all agencies to boost the handling of transport services, as well as water and electricity supplies on the islands. More measures are required as the islands are receiving a rising number of visitors, he said.

The government has further relaxed its tourist visa requirements and shortened the standard time required for approving visas for Chinese visitors in a bid to make the process easier for people visiting the country.

Last week alone, 95,581 Chinese arrived in Thailand, representing the largest proportion of international visitors, followed by Malaysians (73,810), South Koreans (37,754), Indians (27,707) and Vietnamese (25,717), deputy government spokeswoman Rachada Dhnadirek said yesterday.

Under the newly relaxed visa requirements, Chinese visitors to Thailand are required to submit along with their visa application just six documents, namely their passport, three photos, an air ticket, a document showing their accommodation in Thailand, a document certifying their permanent residence, and financial statements, she said.

This will truncate the application process from 14 to seven working days, she noted.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports are also working to sync their tourist visa application database systems in order to speed up the process for all foreign visitors, Ms Rachada said.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha was impressed by the steady growth in the number of tourists visiting Thailand, particularly during the long holiday from July 31 to Aug 6, when the country welcomed 80,000 international visitors each day on average, she added.

The cumulative number of international tourists visiting Thailand since the beginning of this year has already hit 16 million, with those from Malaysia, China, South Korea, India and Russia ranking as the top five countries.

The Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases, Region 8, has sentenced millionaire Prayudh Mahagitsiri to two years and eight months in jail over a land grab scandal, according to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC).

Commission secretary-general Niwatchai Kasemmongkol said the court found 10 former land officials in Krabi guilty of illegally issuing title deeds for state-owned land covering about 19 rai in Muang district.

The businessman was found guilty of aiding state officials in the illegal issuance of the title deeds, he said.

One defendant was initially sentenced to six years in jail, while the rest, including Pra­yudh, received four years each, he said. However, due to their confessions, the first defendant had his jail sentence commuted to four years, while the others had theirs reduced to two years and eight months each, he said.

He said the court also ordered the land titles to be revoked.

According to sources, Prayudh had already sold the land to others for 400 million baht in 2017.

Mr Niwatchai said those found guilty still have the right to appeal.

Also, he said that the NACC, in another case, has brought charges against 10 politicians, including MPs and senators, over illegal land ownership or aiding state officials in the illegal issuance of title deeds.

Chiang Mai: Five senior police officers from Chang Phueak police station have been transferred to inactive posts for allowing a gambling den to operate under their watch.

The transfer order came after authorities raided the 89 CLUB Casino in the Santitham area of tambon Chang Phueak in Muang district on Wednesday after administrative officials received complaints about it.

Pol Maj Gen Thawatchai Pongwiwattanachai, the Chiang Mai Provincial Police chief, said yesterday the gambling den’s location is under the jurisdiction of Chang Phueak Police, so he ordered the transfer of the five senior officers to inactive posts in the province’s main operations centre.

A fact-finding probe has been launched to find out how the casino came to be operating.

The casino has sullied the image of the province, the commander said, adding he has instructed police stations in the province to beef up measures against illegal activities and rein in officers who engage in misconduct.

A source said local administrative officials were informed gambling activities were taking place at two locations — the 89 CLUB Casino and Phattarawan Snooker Club, both in the Chang Phueak area.

Ronnarong Tipsiri, an inspector attached to the Provincial Administration Department, led his team with Chiang Mai Provincial Administrative officials in raiding the 89 CLUB Casino. His team included more than 40 officers from the Investigation and Legal Affairs Bureau and Territorial Defence Volunteers Bureau.

The two dens offered a variety of gambling activities, such as the Dragon Tiger card game, Hi-Lo, and Baccarat, attracting over 100 gamblers each day.

Wednesday’s raid at the 89 CLUB Casino found the building had the capacity to accommodate 300 customers with a single exit. Installed around the building were 11 CCTV cameras monitoring the gamblers’ every move.

They were prohibited from using mobile phones on the premises. All phones had to be left at a check-in desk.

During the raid, police officers arrested 104 people, 19 of whom were card dealers and croupiers. They also seized 31 cars, 10 motorbikes, cash and gambling paraphernalia.

All those arrested were taken to Chang Phueak Police Station — as were the seized items — where they were charged with being involved in and operating illegal gambling activities.

Partners are aiming not to split vote

Parties in the outgoing coalition government have agreed not to field their own candidates against a Democrat Party candidate in the upcoming by-election in Rayong’s Constituency 3, acting deputy Democrat leader Sathit Pitutecha said.

He said all the parties except the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) had discussed the implications of the election outcome and decided that only one of them should enter the race to avoid splitting votes.

The by-election is to fill a seat left vacant by Nakhon­chai Khunnarong of the Move Forward Party (MFP), who resigned due to a past conviction and prison term for theft.

In the May 14 general election, Mr Nakhonchai won with 29,034 votes, followed by Phayap Phongsai of the PPRP, who received 21,726 votes and Democrat candidate Banyat Jetjan who had 14,668 votes.

Mr Sathit, a former MP for Rayong, said the party had given him the authority to select the candidate to contest the by-election.

He said he has yet to decide who will represent the party as it is important to weigh voters’ opinions. “If we look at the combined number of votes received by the outgoing coalition parties, it’s more than that of the MFP.

“But it all depends on what the voters here want. I hope that in this by-election, they go for someone who is trustworthy and knows how to do the job,” he said.

MFP secretary-general Chaithawat Tulathon said the party looking at potential candidates with a plan to introduce a potential candidate to voters in Klaeng district on Sunday.

He said that he and MFP leader Pita Limjaroenrat would take part in the event to give the candidate moral support and to affirm the party’s commitment to its supporters. The MFP, which won all five constituency seats in Rayong in the general election, reportedly plans to nominate Pongsathorn Sornphetnarin for the by-election.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission’s (EC) intention to hold the by-election has been published in the Royal Gazette.

EC chairman Ittiporn Boonpracong said commissioners are expected to decide today when it will take place, having initially proposed that it be held on Sept 10, with candidacy registration taking place between Aug 15-19.

Regarding legal action against Mr Nakhon­chai, Mr Ittiporn said the Office of the EC will proceed in accordance with the law and can also sue the politician.

The Airports of Thailand (AoT) has installed solar rooftop panelling on Suvarnabhumi Airport’s passenger terminal, with more to come in a bid to have clean energy provide 20% of the airport’s electricity within the next two years.

AoT director Kerati Kijmanawat said yesterday that the new solar rooftop project is one of the ways the airport aims to become Thailand’s first “green airport”, or an eco-friendly airport.

“Suvarnabhumi International Airport will become the green airport prototype for other airports to follow,” he said.

Mr Kerati said the 4.4 megawatt (MW) solar power system will generate electricity for the terminal.

He said the solar rooftop panels could help make temperatures inside the terminal cooler by up to seven degrees Celsius, saving about 2% of the energy used by the air conditioning system.

The project can save more than 11 million baht a year, Mr Kerati said.

He said the solar rooftop will reduce carbon emissions by more than 3,600 tonnes annually, equal to the assimilation of 360,000 trees.

The AoT also plans to install more solar panels, both on the rooftop and in the form of floating solar panels, at the airport, he said.

Mr Kerati said the AoT also aims to save 20% of the airport’s electricity costs by installing 50 MW of panels by 2025.

The energy project involves the AoT, the District Cooling System and Power Plant Company, Egat, PTT Plc, and the Metropolitan Electricity Authority.